The dedicated legislation for the Northern Metropolis, covering cross-boundary flows of personnel, materials, capital and data, will be submitted to the Legislative Council next week, according to Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho.
The confirmation was made during a LegCo meeting on Wednesday, as the public consultation on the legislative proposal concluded last month.
Linn said the legislation aims to introduce a legal framework authorizing the Chief Executive in Council to enact subsidiary legislation in collaboration with Guangdong province to facilitate cross-border interactions. She added that the proposed bill will cover the flow of personnel, materials, capital and data between the regions, which are set for submission to LegCo next week.
Following the establishment of the "Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis" last September, Linn reported that three working groups are exploring development strategies.
She said the committee has held three meetings to date, offering guidance on major policies including the dedicated legislation and the university town blueprint, while overseeing the three working groups.
Addressing concerns over coordination, Linn said the Northern Metropolis Coordination Office (NMCO) serves as the central body driving coordination across policy bureaux under top-level guidance.
In response to varied operational progress across the enterprise, she reaffirmed that each of the three industry parks has its own units for tailored support, adding several “windows” across InvestHK, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), and the NMCO were in place.
With regular exchange of information, Linn noted that cases will be referred to the relevant bureau based on their background.
For high-end R&D companies, she indicated that the government will introduce them to the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, with various departments collaborating to help the companies establish a presence in the city.
