:aff,
om
ɔng
den
on.
Li
on-
cts
the has illy
vas
iny
ng,
›re,
illy
in
eir
all
nd
19
se-
ent
gh
za-
ent
nd
be
the
ed.
ke
for
10t
WS
as
ed.
.(1)
ns
ct,
in
nal
ng
not
the
on
FC040/1740
the first advertisement of the views put in by individuals led to the expression of some concern that personal particulars might in some way be disclosed. As soon as this concern was voiced the Office made it clear, in answer to press queries, that the confidentiality of personal particulars would be main- tained. This was put beyond any possibility of doubt by the second advertisement.
1.10 On 1 October it was announced by the Hong Kong Government that the final date for views to be sent to the Assessment Office would be 15 November. This meant that the period allowed for the expression of views on the draft agreement was just over seven weeks.
Modus Operandi
1.11 In order to comply with its terms of reference, the Office had to ensure that:
(a) submissions made directly or indirectly, through the various channels of consultation and through the media, were carefully and properly documented; and
(b) all submissions were collated, accurately summarized and analysed,
and factually assessed in the Report.
Thus, the task of the Office was essentially in two parts: documentation; analysis and assessment.
1.12 A series of Office Instructions to Staff was drawn up in September and was tested in a practice run from 12 to 18 September so that all staff fully understood the procedures adopted. Particular emphasis was placed at all times on security.
(A) Documentation and Disposal of Records
1.13 The following procedures were adopted:
(a) all letters relating to the draft agreement were registered in serial numbers and acknowledged. After registration these letters were passed to the assessment teams to be summarized and analysed;
(b) tapes of public affairs programmes and newspaper cuttings used for assessment were separately documented and will be transferred to the Public Records Office in due course;
(c) all letters from individuals (or groups of individuals) will be appro- These priately arranged and enclosed in numbered sealed boxes. will be transferred to the Public Records Office in Hong Kong. After the ratification of the draft agreement, these records will be destroyed. All associated computer printouts and word processor-diskettes used for the purposes of assessment will be destroyed before the Office closes down;
(d) submissions from organizations are available for public reference both in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong except in cases where organizations have indicated they do not wish their submissions to be made public. In such cases, their letters will be treated in the same way as letters from individuals.
9