Shockingly low response rate to Hong Kong government public consultations revealed
Of the 25 consultations launched last year, 15 had fewer than 100 responses, while a couple only got two replies
Some of the Hong Kong government’s policies were guided by only “a couple of” views collected from the public during consultations, according to research by the Post.
Of 25 consultations completed last year – most lasting about two to three months – 15 got fewer than 100 public responses. Of the 15, nine got fewer than 20 responses, and two of them received only two submissions.
The tiny number of responses has prompted questions over the quality of the consultations, and critics called for an overhaul of the system designed to take the public pulse.
A seven-week public consultation on proposals to amend the Chinese Medicine Ordinance in early 2017 received two submissions, according to the Department of Health. Both supported the government plans to empower the health director to order a recall of Chinese herbal medicine on public health grounds.