The Chief Secretary for Administration commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government. The CS assists the Chief Executive (Governor before the transfer of sovereignty) in supervising the policy bureaux as directed by the CE and plays a key role in in the government's policy formulation and implementation as a whole. This is particularly important in areas which cut across policy bureaux.

The Chief Secretary also covers specific priority areas of the Chief Executive's policy agenda, and is responsible for forging a closer and more effective working relationship with the Legislative Council and for drawing up the Government's legislative programme.

The Chief Secretary for Administration also exercises statutory functions vested in the position by law, such as those concerning the handling of appeals and certain public bodies.

Before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the title was simply called "Chief Secretary" (布政司) Before 1976, the title was called "Colonial Secretary" (輔政司).

Before the introduction of Principal Officials Accountability System (POAS) in 2002, it was a civil service position. As of 2005, the position has only been filled by former civil servants who retired from the civil service.

List of Secretaries

Colonial Secretaries between 1843 and 1976

• John Robert Morrison (1843-1844)
• Sir Frederick William Adolphus Bruce (1844-1854)
• William Caine (1854-1859)
• William Thomas Mercer (1859-1868)
• John Gardiner Austin (1868-1879)
• William Henry Marsh (1879-1887)
• Dr. Frederick Stewart (1887-1890)
• Francis Fleming (1890-1892)
• George Thomas Michael O'Brien (1892-1895)
• Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart (1895-1902)
• Sir Francis Henry May (1902-1910)
• Sir Claud Severn (1912-1925)
• Sir Wilfrid Thomas Southorn (1925-1936)
• Norman Lockhart Smith (1936-1941)
• Sir Franklin Charles Gimson (1941)
• David Mercer MacDougall (1945-1949)
• John Fearns Nicoll (1949-1952)
• Sir Robert Brown Black (1952-1955)
• Edgeworth Beresford David (1955-1958)
• Claude Bramall Burgess (1958-1963)
• Edmund Brinsley Teesdale (1963-1965)
• Dr. Michael David Irving Gass (1965-1970)
• Sir Hugh Selby Norman-Walker (1969-1973)
• Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts (1973-1976)

Chief Secretaries between 1976 and 1997

• Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts (1976-1978)
• Sir Jack Cater (1978-1981)
• Sir Charles Philip Haddon-Cave (1981-1985)
• Sir David Akers-Jones (1985-1987)
• Sir David Robert Ford (1987-1993)
• Anson Chan (1993-1997)

Chief Secretaries for Administration after 1997

• Anson Chan (1997-2001)
• Sir Donald Tsang (2001-2005)
• Rafael Hui (2005-2007)
• Henry Tang (2007- )

See also

• Hong Kong Government
• Government departments and agencies in Hong Kong
• Secretary for Justice
• Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)
• Secretary for Education and Manpower
• Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

External links

• Official website
• Organisation chart of Hong Kong Government