The Financial Secretary is the title held by the Hong Kong government minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters (“Department of Finance” per Article 60 of the Basic Law). The position is among the three most senior Principal Officials of the Government, second only to the Chief Secretary in the order of precedence (but not subordinate to the CS). Together with other secretaries, the Financial Secretary is accountable to the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive (the Governor before the 1997 handover) for his actions in supervising the formulation and implementation of financial and economic policies.
The position evolved out of the office of the Colonial Treasurer before 1940. The Financial Secretary is a member of the Executive Council, and gives advice to the Chief Executive in that capacity. He is also responsible for delivering the annual budget to the Legislative Council. To date, it is the only office among the three highest Principal Officials of the Government (Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Secretary for Justice) not to have been occupied by a woman.
The incumbent Financial Secretary is Paul Chan Mo-po.
Role
The financial secretary delivers the budget and oversees the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Housing Bureau, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, and the Transport and Logistics Bureau. The financial secretary's office also exercises control over the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, which is Hong Kong's de facto central bank. The Office of the Government Economist and Budget and Tax Policy Unit are also attached to the Financial Secretary's Office.
The office is incorporated as a corporation sole, known as The Financial Secretary Incorporated.
List of secretaries
Secretaries and treasurers to the Superintendent, 1842–1844
- Edward Elmslie, 1842–1843
- Charles Edward Stewart, 1843–1844
Colonial treasurers, 1844–1937
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|-
! width=10px|
! width=80px| Portrait
! width=180px| Name
! width=180px colspan=2| Term of office
! width=160px| Governor
! Ref
|-
| 1
| 80px
| Montgomery Martin
| 31 May 1844
| 8 July 1845
| rowspan=2| Sir John Francis Davis<br>
|
|-
| rowspan=2| 2
| rowspan=2| 80px
| rowspan=2| William Thomas Mercer<br>孖沙
| rowspan=2| 1 January 1848
| rowspan=2| 31 March 1854
|
|-
| Sir George Bonham<br>
|
|-
| 3
| 80px
| Robert Rienaecker
| 1854
| rowspan=2| 16 June 1890
| Sir George Bowen<br>
|
|-
| Sir William Des Voeux<br>
|
|-
| 8
| 80px
| N. G. Mitchell-Innes<br>密徹爾-因斯
| 15 October 1891
|-
| rowspan=2| Sir Robert Brown Black<br>
|-
| rowspan=2| 5
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2| Sir John Cowperthwaite<br>郭伯偉
| rowspan=2| 17 April 1961
| rowspan=2| 30 June 1971
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| rowspan=2| Sir David Trench<br>
|-
| rowspan=2| 6
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2| Sir Philip Haddon-Cave<br>夏鼎基
| rowspan=2| 1 July 1971
| rowspan=2| 31 May 1981
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| rowspan=2|Sir Murray MacLehose<br>
|-
| rowspan=2| 7
| rowspan=2| 80px
| rowspan=2| Sir John Henry Bremridge<br>彭勵治
| rowspan=2| 1 June 1981
| rowspan=2| 31 May 1986
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| rowspan=2| Sir Edward Youde<br>
|-
| rowspan=2| 8
| rowspan=2| 80px
| rowspan=2| Sir Piers Jacobs<br>翟克誠
| rowspan=2| 1 June 1986
| rowspan=2| 11 August 1991
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| rowspan=2| Sir David Wilson<br>
|-
| rowspan=2| 9
| rowspan=2| 80px
| rowspan=2| Sir Hamish Macleod<br>麥高樂
| rowspan=2| 12 August 1991
| rowspan=2| 31 August 1995
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| rowspan=2| Chris Patten<br>
|-
| 10
| 80px
| Sir Donald Tsang<br>曾蔭權
| 1 September 1995
| 30 June 1997
|
|
Residence
thumb|right|Residence of the Financial Secretary.
The Financial Secretary's residence is on 45 Shouson Hill Road in Deep Water Bay. It is listed as a grade 2 building. Described as a two-story neo-Georgian style residence built in 1935 and originally owned by Sir Shouson Chow as his own residence. The first Financial Secretary who moved into the building was Sir Charles Geoffrey Shield Follows.
See also
References
External links
- Financial Secretary