At a press conference on 21 September 2026, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, set out how the Government will strengthen public governance under the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s first five-year plan (2026–2030). He highlighted two related tracks: enhancing 1823 services, and continuing to promote artificial intelligence (AI) applications across government departments. Both, he said, follow the same idea—the Government should not only act, but act well, act quickly, and get results.
This article focuses on the officially announced 1823 enhancement: lead-department coordination for inter-departmental cases, directorate-level monitoring inside each department, and the Digital Policy Office’s (DPO) use of AI to identify recurring problems so that governance can move from post-complaint handling toward managing issues even when no complaint has been filed. All facts below come from the Government press release and the Policy Address text. Nothing here assumes the full mechanism is already live citywide.
1823 remains the public’s main channel for service requests
Mr Cheuk noted that every department has channels for receiving requests, and that 1823 is the channel the public uses most often for service-related requests across government. In the first seven months of this year, he said, 1823 received more than 1.4 million calls and more than 600,000 written requests.
Paragraph 433 of the English Policy Address records the same figures and adds that customer satisfaction stands at 4.6 on a five-point scale. In official terms, the existing complaint-handling system already works for most cases. The room for improvement lies mainly in inter-departmental coordination, post-handling monitoring, and trend analysis.
“Prompt referral and successful resolution”: lead departments and directorate oversight
The Policy Address sets the target of “prompt referral and successful resolution” for 1823. Mr Cheuk described the mechanism in concrete terms:
A lead department for inter-departmental cases. For service requests and complaints that cut across departments, 1823 will designate a lead department according to the nature and content of the case. That department will co-ordinate related actions, including co-ordinating replies, acknowledging receipt, and issuing the first consolidated substantive reply. Departments will still handle matters within their own remits and must work with the lead department’s co-ordination. If the lead department hits co-ordination problems, it must promptly report to the Deputy Chief Secretary, who will give instructions so that departments collaborate effectively and the complainant is informed of the outcome.
Directorate officers to monitor performance. Under the enhanced mechanism, each department will assign a directorate officer to monitor how efficiently and effectively the department handles public service requests and complaints.
Paragraph 434 of the English Policy Address confirms the same design: a lead department co-ordinates; unresolved co-ordination issues go to the Chairman of the Task Force on District Governance (the Deputy Chief Secretary); and each department assigns a directorate officer to watch handling performance.
From post-complaint management to proactive governance
The other centrepiece is a change of rhythm, not only a faster reply to a single complaint. Mr Cheuk said complaint handling will no longer stop at “post-complaint governance,” but move toward a proactive mode in which issues are managed even without a complaint—“fix it before the complaint.”
The DPO will use AI to identify recurring problems among 1823 cases and report those recurring issues to the relevant departments regularly, so departments can review them early and design targeted solutions. If day-to-day monitoring finds an abnormal trend, 1823 will also notify the departments concerned immediately. DPO staff will review the analysis before it is referred, to keep referrals accurate and objective.
The English Policy Address states the same direction: the DPO will use AI to identify recurring problems among 1823 cases; departments will review and formulate targeted solutions; and governance will shift from post-complaint management to a proactive approach in which issues are managed even in the absence of complaints.
Three design choices are worth reading separately:
- AI is for pattern recognition, not automatic case closure. The official texts describe identifying recurring problems and abnormal trends, then leaving solution design to departments.
- Human review sits before referral. Analysis is checked by staff before it goes to departments, with accuracy and objectivity as the stated purpose.
- Reporting has two tempos. Recurring issues are reported regularly; abnormal trends are flagged immediately.
Timeline: target of the first quarter of 2027
Because departments need to update their systems, Mr Cheuk said the target is to implement the enhanced mechanism in the first quarter of 2027. He will review progress and effectiveness regularly and report to the Steering Committee on District Governance chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration. The Policy Address likewise states that the Deputy Chief Secretary will review implementation progress regularly and brief that Steering Committee.
What can be verified today is the policy direction, role split, and target schedule—not a claim that “governance before complaints” is already operating everywhere in Hong Kong.
Relation to the AI Efficacy Enhancement Team: same context, different focus
At the same press conference, Mr Cheuk also spoke as leader of the AI Efficacy Enhancement Team. The team has facilitated a first batch of 30 AI efficacy projects, rolling out from the first half of this year across services citizens meet daily—licence applications, online booking, environmental hygiene, and others. Some projects shorten approval or waiting times; some support 1823 operations. The next stage is to extend successful patterns to assessment, enquiry response, environmental monitoring, and wider use in environmental protection, public works, estate management, healthcare, and social welfare.
Those projects show AI as a public-management tool, but they should not be confused with this article’s main thread. The distinctive 1823 reform is the complaint-governance structure (lead departments and directorate monitoring) plus the AI workflow that moves recurring issues upstream. The first batch of 30 projects is a broader departmental portfolio already covered in a separate site piece and is not re-listed here.
Closing: a checkable mechanism, not a slogan
Read together, the official materials show that the 1823 enhancement is more than a technology slogan. It defines:
- who leads inter-departmental cases, and who decides when co-ordination stalls;
- who inside each department monitors handling efficiency and effectiveness;
- how the DPO will use AI to surface recurrence and anomalies, then refer only after human review;
- when system updates are meant to support the new mechanism, and who briefs the Steering Committee on progress.
For readers who follow public services and AI, the value of the announcement is that it turns “respond faster” and “prevent earlier” into roles, workflows, and a dated target. Delivery will still need to be judged against implementation reports after the first quarter of 2027—and against what residents actually experience.
Primary sources
- Government press release: opening remarks by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration at the press conference on public governance measures under the first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address (21 September 2026) https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202609/21/P2026092100389.htm
- Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address (English), Chapter 8, §§433–434 https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2026/en/chapter8.html
