News & Resources

Dear heads of departments, Award winners, guests of honour and friends from the media,

 

Welcome to the 27^th Presentation Ceremony of The Ombudsman’s Awards.

 

I am pleased to meet you at this ceremony for the first time since assuming office in April. Today, we are here to congratulate each and every award winner.

 

The Office of The Ombudsman is committed to promote efficient and people-oriented public administration for the furtherance of good governance and harmonious development of our society. After taking office as The Ombudsman, I have put forward three strategic focuses: we will go full steam ahead with the use of mediation to resolve complaints from the public, promote inter-departmental collaboration, and instill a positive complaint culture in society.

 

Mediation can bring the complainants and government departments or public organisations concerned together to look for solutions to their satisfaction so that they can promptly move beyond the dispute, eliminate contradictions and resentment in society to bring about social cohesion, maintain a harmonious relationship and reach a mutually beneficial win-win agreement. Currently, if we consider that a case involves no, or only minor maladministration, we will attempt to settle it by way of mediation.

 

Our mediators act as an intermediary to facilitate a candid, amicable and solution-focused discussion such that the parties concerned can clarify any misunderstanding and explore options to reach a settlement. While it often takes months to resolve a complaint by way of inquiry and investigation, a complaint could be resolved through mediation in a dozen days on average, and sometimes in a few days, or even within one day.  Our efforts into the promotion of mediation have paid off.  In the first six months of this reporting year (i.e. April to September), we resolved 225 cases by mediation, which is a twofold increase compared with last year.  We are very pleased to learn that over 92% of the complainants and the departments and organisations concerned were satisfied with our mediation service.

 

Moreover, we have motivated government departments and public organisations to consider promoting the use of mediation in their offices. A total of 106 departments and organisations have accepted our proposal to assign a mediation coordinator in their offices to facilitate cooperation with my Office on mediation.

 

Another strategic focus of my Office is to make every effort to promote inter-departmental collaboration. We have taken positive steps to handle cases involving inter-departmental collaboration and encouraged government departments and public organisations to join hands in enhancing administrative arrangements for better public services so as to bring about a stronger sense of happiness and fulfilment among members of the public.   In the first six months of this reporting year, we processed 94 cases involving inter-departmental collaboration.

 

The third strategic focus is to vigorously instil a positive complaint culture in society, especially among the younger generation so that they will learn to express views in a positive and constructive manner with the aim of improving public administration. We also encourage departments and organisations to listen and understand more before responding to public views.  With concerted efforts, the quality of public administration will be improved.

 

This year’s award-winning organisations and public officers have demonstrated their endeavours in achieving synergy through inter-departmental collaboration and handled complaints with a positive attitude. Their efforts will definitely help meeting the objectives of improving people’s livelihood and fostering harmonious development in our society.

 

This Year’s Winners of Awards

 

Winning Organisations

 

I will now announce this year’s award-winning organisations. The Grand Award of 2024 goes to the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (“FSD”).

 

For years, FSD has committed to provide effective fire and ambulance services. In the previous year, 94% of the fire and ambulance calls were handled within the targeted response time, which is a standard higher than the performance pledge.  FSD’s dedication and professionalism in protecting the public’s life and property are essential for ensuring the normal operation of society.  The Department has also been proactive in promoting fire safety and public education on first aid.  Last year, FSD together with various sectors of the community established the Resuscitation Alliance to catalyse efforts from different sectors in lifesaving rescues.  Overall, FSD’s exemplary performance is highly commendable and the Department deserves the Grand Award.

 

The Social Welfare Department (“SWD”) and the Water Supplies Department (“WSD”) are the other two winning organisations.

 

SWD has been positive and practical in handling complaints. In response to our inquiries and investigation, SWD has been active and efficient in providing comprehensive and useful information.  In our direct investigation operation regarding the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly, SWD fully cooperated and was willing to accept and implement all of our recommendations.

 

Another winning department, WSD, has kept its performance pledge to adopt a customer-oriented approach in providing services. WSD’s complaint handling shows its conscious efforts to provide clear, prompt and detailed replies.  WSD staff explain complicated technical issues to the public in plain language, and are most forthcoming in providing details to my Office to account for incidents.  WSD’s positive attitude has enabled my Office to process complaints very efficiently.

 

Mediation is an efficient and effective means of dispute resolution. This year, the Award on Mediation goes to the Housing Department (“HD”).

 

HD has actively used mediation as a mode of complaint handling and achieved good results. On many occasions, HD staff have suggested using mediation to resolve quickly fundamental problems leading to complaints and have made practical recommendations to address complainants’ discontent, thereby achieving harmony.  They should be commended for such proactive attitude.

 

In addition to the four awards mentioned, we have introduced two new awards this year. They are the Customer Services Award and the Information Technology Application and Creativity Award.

 

The Immigration Department (“ImmD”) is the first winning department of the Customer Services Award. Throughout the years, ImmD has worked hard to provide services that best suit public needs, for example, the introduction of the e-Channel and the Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise few years ago.  The procedures for applying for services and collecting documents are simple, flexible and efficient.  ImmD’s holistic approach to provide services tailored to the customers’ needs has made it a well-deserved winner.

 

The Hospital Authority (“HA”) is the winner of this year’s Information Technology Application and Creativity Award.

 

In recent years, HA has spared no effort to explore the use of innovative methods and technology to enhance service quality and improve patients’ experiences. Such efforts of HA can be seen in the launch and ongoing improvement of the “HA Go” App, and the extended coverage of the Medication Delivery Service to all specialist clinics to provide more efficient and convenient services to members of the public, especially the elderly persons and mobility-handicapped.  By becoming an “HA Go” member, patients can choose to have the drugs delivered to their prescribed address after consultation so that they can save the waiting time, which is more efficient and convenient.

 

Individual Awards

 

Government departments and public organisations rely on their committed and diligent staff to provide quality public service. This year, 79 public officers received the Individual Awards, which is a record high.  I am very pleased to see that more officers are being commended for their professional and excellent services.  They have earned recognition and commendation from the general public, their respective departments or organisations, as well as my Office.

 

Final Remarks

 

I extend my hearty congratulations to all the award-winning departments, organisations and officers, as well as my sincere gratitude to them for their willingness to embrace changes and reforms and for devoting their body and soul to provide quality public service. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Office of The Ombudsman.  In early December, my Office will host the first International Ombudsman Summit and organise activities to celebrate our 35th anniversary.  More than 200 ombudsmen and senior officials from all over the world would be invited to this occasion.  We shall make every effort to ensure that the Summit is a fruitful event rich and enlightening in content, and arrange an array of cultural tours and visits for the participants.  The Summit will demonstrate and reinforce the Hong Kong SAR’s global position and image as a cosmopolitan city as well as an international hub of financial and trade services.  I will lead my Office to serve the public with vigour and dedication.  We shall set targets and strive for results, and perform our gatekeeping role conscientiously for the continuous betterment of the community.  Thank you!

 

Office of The Ombudsman