CHAPTER V HAPTER
OTHER RELATED MATTERS
WHITE PAPER.
CHAPTER VI
LEGISLATION
Civic Education
38. An opinion which has been expressed strongly by many organizations and individual members of the public is that arrangements should be made for the people of Hong Kong to be educated more effectively and comprehensively in political and constitutional matters so that they will be able to understand better all the implications and complexities of proposals for the development of the system of government in Hong Kong.
39. The Education Department has been promoting civic education in schools for many years through Social Studies and Economic and Public Affairs courses. It is the intention to develop these further in a new syllabus covering Government and Public Affairs. Civic education will be pursued both through the formal school curriculum and extra-curricular activities, such as current affairs clubs, debating societies and visits for senior students to District Boards, the Urban Council, the UMELCO Office, government departments and the Legislative Council.
40. It is also important that adults should be given the opportunity to receive more civic education and encouragement will be given to other educational institutions and organizations to provide more courses in constitutional and public affairs for the general public.
Remuneration for Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council
41. Several suggestions were made that Unofficial members of the Legislative Council should be provided with adequate remuneration so as to enable them to devote the proper amount of time and attention to their duties as Councillors. This would also help to ensure that prospective candidates for the Legislative Council are not prevented from standing for election for financial reasons.
42. Although arrangements already exist for certain expenses to be re- imbursed to Unofficial members, it is now proposed that a standard rate of remuneration as well as payment of expenses should be provided. The level is now under consideration, with a view to introducing the scheme when the first elected Unofficial members join the Legislative Council.
43. In order to implement the changes in the composition and method of selection of the Legislative and Executive Councils it will be necessary to make some amendments to the two main constitutional instruments, the Letters Patent and the Royal Instructions. The intention is to effect these in stages, as and when necessary.
44. It will also be necessary to enact legislation in Hong Kong to cover the holding of elections to the Legislative Council by the electoral college and the functional constituencies and who may vote in them. This legislation is now being drafted and will be published for debate in the Legislative Council early next year. As there is a degree of public familiarity with the legislation governing elections to the Urban Council and District Boards, and in order to minimize possible confusion and misunderstanding, the electoral legislation will be framed on broadly similar lines.
45. In order to give sufficient time for preparation of this complex legislation and for all the necessary administrative arrangements for the holding of the elections to be made, it is now intended to hold the first electoral college and functional constituency elections to the Legislative Council in September 1985, instead of July as originally proposed in the Green Paper.
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