Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)

The Financial Secretary (Chinese: 財政司司長) 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 transfer of sovereignty) for his actions in supervising the formulation and implementation of financial and economic policies.

Financial Secretary of the
Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
香港特別行政區財政司司長
Incumbent
The Hon Paul Chan
since 16 January 2016
StyleThe Honourable
Member ofExecutive Council
Reports toLegislative Council
Residence45 Shouson Hill Road
AppointerState Council of the People's Republic of China
nomination by Chief Executive
Term lengthNo longer than the Chief Executive's remaining term
Inaugural holderSir Donald Tsang
Formation1 July 1997
SalaryHK$4.3 million p.a.[1]
Websitefso.gov.hk
Financial Secretary
Traditional Chinese財政司司長
Simplified Chinese财政司司长

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/Attorney General) not to have been occupied by a woman.

The incumbent Financial Secretary is Paul Chan Mo-po.

List of secretaries

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Secretaries and treasurers to the Superintendent, 1842–1844

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Colonial treasurers, 1844–1937

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No.PortraitNameTerm of officeGovernorRef
1 Montgomery Martin31 May 18448 July 1845Sir John Francis Davis
(1843–1844)
2 William Thomas Mercer
孖沙
1 January 1848[2]31 March 1854
Sir George Bonham
(1844–1854)
3 Robert Rienaecker1854[2]1856Sir John Bowring
(1844–1859)
4 Frederick Forth15 May 1857[2]23 February 1871
Sir Hercules Robinson
(1859–1865)
Sir Richard MacDonnell
(1865–1872)
5 Sir Cecil Clementi Smith13 November 187429 April 1878
Sir Arthur Kennedy
(1872–1877)
6 Sir James Russell
羅素
26 February 188024 March 1883
Sir John Pope Hennessy
(1877–1882)
7 Alfred Lister
理斯特
26 May 1883[3]16 June 1890Sir George Bowen
(1883–1885)
Sir William Des Voeux
(1887–1891)
8 N. G. Mitchell-Innes
密徹爾-因斯
15 October 1891[3]26 February 1895Sir William Robinson
(1891–1898)
9 Thomas Sercombe Smith
史密夫
3 May 189728 February 1898
10 A. MacDonald Thomson
譚臣
8 February 189910 December 1918Sir Henry Arthur Blake
(1898–1903)
Sir Matthew Nathan
(1903–1907)
Sir Frederick Lugard
(1907–1912)
Sir Francis Henry May
(1912–1918)
11 Charles Messer
馬斯德
31 December 19182 April 1931Sir Reginald Stubbs
(1919–1925)
Sir Cecil Clementi
(1925–1930)
Sir William Peel
(1930–1935)
12 Edwin Taylor
戴萊
2 July 193110 March 1937
Sir Andrew Caldecott
(1935–1937)

Financial secretaries, 1937–1941

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No.PortraitNameTerm of officeDurationGovernorRef
1 Sir Sydney Caine
金錫儀
9 March 193816 November 19391 year, 252 daysSir Geoffry Northcote
(1937–1941)
2 Henry Butters
畢打士
20 June 194025 December 19411 year, 188 days
Mark Aitchison Young
(1941)

Financial secretaries, 1946–1997

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PortraitNameTerm of officeDurationGovernorRef
3 Sir Geoffrey Follows
霍勞士
1 May 19462 May 19515 years, 1 daySir Mark Aitchison Young
(1946–1947)
Sir Alexander Grantham
(1947–1957)
4 Arthur Grenfell Clarke
岐樂嘉
20 February 19529 April 19619 years, 49 days[4]
Sir Robert Brown Black
(1958–1964)
5Sir John Cowperthwaite
郭伯偉
17 April 196130 June 197110 years, 75 days[5][6]
Sir David Trench
(1964–1971)
6Sir Philip Haddon-Cave
夏鼎基
1 July 197131 May 19819 years, 335 days[6][7]
Sir Murray MacLehose
(1971–1982)
7 Sir John Henry Bremridge
彭勵治
1 June 198131 May 19865 years, 0 days[7][8]
Sir Edward Youde
(1982–1986)
8 Sir Piers Jacobs
翟克誠
1 June 198611 August 19915 years, 72 days[8][9]
Sir David Wilson
(1987–1992)
9 Sir Hamish Macleod
麥高樂
12 August 199131 August 19954 years, 20 days[9][10]
Chris Patten
(1992–1997)
10 Sir Donald Tsang
曾蔭權
1 September 199530 June 19971 year, 303 days[10]

Financial secretaries, 1997–present

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Political party:   Nonpartisan

No.PortraitNameTerm of officeDurationChief ExecutiveTermRef
1 Donald Tsang Yam-kuen
曾蔭權
1 July 199730 April 20013 years, 304 daysTung Chee-hwa
(1997–2005)
1
2 Antony Leung Kam-chung
梁錦松
1 May 200116 July 20032 years, 77 days
2
3 Henry Tang Ying-yen
唐英年
4 August 200330 June 20073 years, 349 days
Donald Tsang
(2005–2012)
2
4 John Tsang Chun-wah
曾俊華
1 July 200716 January 2017[n 1]9 years, 200 days3
Leung Chun-ying
(2012–2017)
4
5 Paul Chan Mo-po
陳茂波
16 January 2017Incumbent7 years, 159 days
Carrie Lam
(2017–2022)
5
John Lee
(2022–present)
6
  1. ^ Resigned on 12 December 2016, with effect on 16 January 2017, KC Chan served as acting Financial Secretary from 13 December 2016 to 16 January 2017.

Residence

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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

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References

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  1. ^ "Remuneration package for Politically Appointed Officials serving in fifth-term HKSAR Government". Hong Kong Government.
  2. ^ a b c Endacott, G. B. (2005) [1962]. A biographical sketch-book of early Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622097421.
  3. ^ a b sunzi.lib.hku.hk PDF
  4. ^ "No. 596 of 1961". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 103: 885. 14 April 1961.
  5. ^ "No. 647 of 1961". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 103: 967. 20 April 1961.
  6. ^ a b "G.N. 1425 of 1971". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 113: 2064. 2 July 1971.
  7. ^ a b "G.N. 1599 of 1981". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 123: 1879. 5 June 1981.
  8. ^ a b "G.N. 1892 of 1986". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 128: 2560. 6 June 1986.
  9. ^ a b "G.N. 2824 of 1991". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 133: 4272. 16 August 1991.
  10. ^ a b "G.N. 3433 of 1995". Hong Kong Government Gazette. 137: 5318. 1 September 1995.
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