1.       The Environmental Protection Department underwent a major re-organisation on 1 April 2005, which enabled us to streamline our work, improve the flow of communication and raise the profile of environmental issues. The department previously implemented policies, which were set by the environment arm of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau. Now, policy-formulation and implementation have been unified under the new department. The EPD name, which is well known in the community, has been retained.

2.       The EPD is now headed by a Permanent Secretary who reports directly to the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works. Our policies and programmes are scrutinised by the Legislative Council. In addition, we seek input on our work from stakeholders in the community (see Chapter 4 for details).

3.       Several changes have resulted from the merger. Our programmes have been consolidated into six fields, as opposed to seven in the past – air, environmental assessment and planning, conservation, noise, waste and water. Conservation is a new policy formulation responsibility and the implementation remains with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (for nature conservation) and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (for energy conservation). We have also established a division focusing on cross-boundary and international co-operation.

Staffing

4.       The department had an establishment of 34 directorates and 1 593 non-directorate staff as of 31 December 2005, of whom 27% were professionals, 44.9% were technical-grade staff and 28.1% were administrative and supporting staff. A breakdown of staff by gender was as below:

Finances

5.       The EPD's expenses are paid out of the Government's General Revenue Account. The total expenditure in 2005 was $2.064 billion. Of that amount, 52.5% was for contract payments for the treatment and disposal of municipal and chemical wastes, 35.3% for staff costs, 6.2% for capital expenditure and 6.0% for general expenses.

Internal Sustainability Management

6.       The EPD has developed an integrated environment, safety and health management system, which is monitored and reviewed by the Departmental Environment, Safety and Health Committee (DESHC) to ensure its continual effectiveness, improvement and sustainability. Membership of the DESHC includes the representatives from management, functional divisions, staff unions, various grades of staff and the departmental consultative committee, so as to reflect a wide range of views and sectors through the committee.