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The Government plans to introduce a new scheme to attract more talented people from outside of Hong Kong to live and work here, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Rafael Hui, said today (January 10).
Speaking at a conference on human capital, Mr Hui said the Government would introduce a new admission scheme later this year under which talented people would be allowed to take up residence in Hong Kong without having to secure a job offer beforehand, so that they could take steps to settle and develop their career or business here.
Details of the scheme are being finalised, but the main criteria are expected to include age, academic attainment, professional qualification and work experience. Initially a quota will be set at 1,000 to 2,000 entrants a year, and successful applicants will be allowed to bring their immediate families to Hong Kong.
Successful applicants will be granted an initial period of stay, and the Immigration Department will extend their period of stay after they have developed their career here.
The Chief Secretary said the scheme would give us a new tool to attract people of talent who were crucial to our long-term manpower needs, and would effectively complement the Government's existing employment-based and family reunion-based entry policies.
On nurturing political talent, Mr Hui said that the Government was looking at ways to broaden the system of political appointments beyond the level of bureau directors in the administration.
"Hopefully, by opening up mid-ranking positions in the Government to outside candidates - including those with a background in party politics, business, the professions and academia - the level of experience would-be politicians can acquire will be strengthened," Mr Hui said.
A consultative document will be released in the first half of 2006.
But Mr Hui warned that the Government could not undertake this task alone, and told the conference that the development of political human resources was a collective challenge in which the Hong Kong community in general must get more involved. And business leaders, as an example, could do more to nurture and support political talent and political parties, he said.
"As clearly stipulated in our Basic Law, our destination is universal suffrage, and in our move towards full democratisation, we should open up our institutions in a progressive manner to create more room for political parties and individuals to realise their potential," Mr Hui said.
Ends/Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:13
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