THE REPORTS OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE AND OF THE MONITORING TEAM
1.
Following the publication of the draft agreement on the future
of Hong Kong, an Assessment Office was set up in Hong Kong to assess the acceptability of the draft agreement to the people of Hong Kong.
The terms of reference of the Assessment Office were to provide the
Governor with an accurate analysis and assessment of opinion in
Hong Kong on the draft agreement and on the arrangements for the
future of the territory set out in it.
2. An independent Team of Monitors was appointed by
Sir Geoffrey Howe to observe the work of the Office and to report independently of the Office, stating whether it was satisfied that the Assessment Office had properly, accurately and impartially discharged its duties and faithfully followed the procedures prescribed in the terms of reference. The Monitors were the
Rt Hon Sir Patrick Nairne, a former Permanent Under Secretary at the
Department of Health and Social Security and presently Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford and Mr Justice Simon Li, a Justice of Appeal of the Hong Kong Supreme Court.
3.
The reports of the Assessment Office and Monitoring Team were
published on 29 November as a White Paper.
4. The draft agreement and the establishment of the Assessment
Office were both well publicised. Over 2.4 million copies of the White Paper containing the agreement were circulated in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government inserted advertisements in the local press encouraging people to express their views to the Assessment Office. The people of Hong Kong had from 26 September to 15 November to do
So.
5. The reaction to the invitation to comment was much greater than
in previous comparable exercises in Hong Kong. The Assessment Office received 679 submissions from organisations, and 1,815 from
individuals. It took into account views expressed in the Legislative and Executive and Urban Councils, and the 18 District Boards comprising of elected and appointed members. It also took account of 23 opinion surveys of varying sizes and 273 reports of
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