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Following is the transcript of the media session by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, after attending the Legislative Council meeting today (June 23):
Reporter: ... the Marine Department hasn't done enough to improve preventing this kind of marine accident to happen. How are you going to reform the Marine Department?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: In fact, the reform of the Marine Department started to take place in 2013 in the aftermath of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Lamma Island vessel collision incident. As part of that reform process, first of all the Marine Department has called in the Efficiency Unit to look at procedures, to look at record management. Secondly, I set up a steering committee on systematic reform of the Marine Department and one of the members of the steering committee is in fact a former Ombudsman. We are taking a very serious look into the modus operandi of the Marine Department. In addition, the Marine Department has also commissioned an independent marine expert from the UK to look at the whole process, procedures, the actual practice in terms of managing different types of vessels under the purview of the Marine Department. Since 2013, as far as the Marine Department and the Transport and Housing Bureau are concerned, we have not lost sight of the need to quickly and very comprehensively improve the procedure, the work culture of the Marine Department.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, June 23, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:13
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