The Department's strategic plan sets out our objectives and describes how the objectives can be achieved. The strategic plan provides a rational basis upon which priorities are determined and is regularly updated to ensure that resources are well targeted and used effectively having regard to the changing needs of society.

The Department's strategic plan can also be viewed at the Department's website.

Review of Criminal Legal Aid Fees

On 14 November 2016, criminal legal aid fees were adjusted upward after the implementation of the amendments to Rule 21 and the Schedule of the Legal Aid in Criminal Cases Rules Cap. 221D, by which the criminal legal aid fees are increased by 50% for counsel, 25% for instructing solicitors and 40% for solicitors acting as both solicitor advocate and instructing solicitor in the District Court and a new category of criminal legal aid fees for the High Court cases were also introduced for solicitor advocates with higher rights of audience.

Implementation of Five-day week operation in Application and Processing Division

The Government has implemented five-day week initiative in phases since 2006. In February 2016, amendments to the relevant legislation, which sought to give effect to the final phase of a five-day week in the Judiciary was gazetted. In light of the closure of service of court registries on Saturdays under the full implementation of the five-day week in the Judiciary with effect from 3 January 2017, the Department would make corresponding changes and our Application & Processing Division offices (Headquarters and Kowloon Branch Office) would also move to five-day week operation on the same day.

Information System

The exercise of upgrading hardware and software including operating system, database and related software for the Legal Aid Electronic Services Portal was completed and rolled out to production in March 2016.

With a view to enhancing Network Infrastructure and Electronic Document Management System, funding was obtained for upgrading the systems and the implementation of the upgrading projects had started in May and June 2016 respectively.

To strengthen the confidentiality of transmission of classified emails, the current software component for handling confidential mails was replaced by a new Confidential Messaging Application in 2016. The migration and transition to the new Application for confidential mail users were completed smoothly in August 2016.

Customer Services

In 2016, the Department joined the Correctional Services Department’s Remote Official Visit System and installed video conferencing equipment in a designated interview room of the Department. Through the System video interviews with legal aid applicants and aided clients who are in custody at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre by our staff can now be arranged expeditiously.

On the other hand, a new Interactive Voice Response System was installed in August 2016 to replace the existing system to allow the public to have better access to the Department’s hotline service.

Publicity

The Department continued to organise various activities to promote public awareness and understanding of legal aid services. In 2016, the professional officers of the Department delivered talks on the services provided by the Department to a university, 10 secondary schools with nine of them having Non-Chinese Speaking students, an alliance of Self-help Groups for Occupational Injuries and Diseases and frontline social workers of Social Welfare Department and a women’s organization providing family services related to divorce, maintenance and custody.

As a measure to further combat improper touting activities of claims recovery agents among injured workers and accident victims, the Department arranged a TV documentary entitled “Beware of the touting activities of recovery agents” produced by the Department of Justice for broadcasting in the Department’s three reception areas as well as 32 venues of the Home Affairs Department. In November 2016, the Department participated in a radio programme entitled “Everyone’s Guide to Occupational Injuries” organised by Radio Television Hong Kong and a non-government organization to offer advice to workers injured at work on how to apply for legal aid. The Director of Legal Aid, Mr Thomas Kwong, also conducted a two-episode interview on Metro Radio focusing on the work and services provided by the Department in the same month.

Staff

To promote staff well-being, the Department maintains a comprehensive collection of books available to our staff. In 2016, new books were added to the collection which covers a wide range of topics such as Chinese dietary therapy, stress management, positive thinking and healthy lifestyles. Furthermore, two workshops on Mindful Drawing in Managing Stress were organized with positive feedback.