7
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sound and relevant advice to the Government. I have
no difficulty in agreeing with Dr Huang that these
boards and committees should have a "...... meaningful
and effective role" and with Miss Tam that, in due course, we should
be able to look to district boards for recruits for
some of these subject-oriented boards and committees.
Government Organisation
14.
Sir, in your Address, you referred to some of the major changes which have been made to the organisation of Government's internal administration
during the past year or so. You also emphasised that
we must continue with our efforts to adapt the central
goverment organisation in order to meet changing
circumstances and to develop a more responsive and
coherent relationship between the Secretariat and
departments.
15.
As part of this continuing process, in 1981
we replaced the former Environment Branch, which had become
far too large and cumbersome, by the Lands and Works
Branch and the Transport Branch; we established the
Education Branch; and we merged the Home Affairs
Department and the New Territories Administration into
a new single territory-wide department, namely, the City and New Territories Administration.
At the
same time, the Home Affairs Branch, which relinquished
responsibility for the Home Affairs Department, took
over the functions of the former Information Branch and
responsibility for environmental affairs. The Recreation
and Culture Division of the Home Affairs Branch also
became a department in its own right.
16.
During 1982, we have split up two major "federal" departments, the Public Works Department and the Trade, Industry and Customs Department, and thus ended what had become rather awkward working relationships
/between them.....