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Sir,
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DRAFT SPEECH BY HON S L CHEN, CBE, JP MK
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 23.85
EFEB 1985
Report of the Public Accounts Committee
IN DE
св
In accordance with section 5 of Standing Order 60 (A),
the Report of the Public Accounts Committee of this Council is laid on the table today.
This has been a notable year in the short history of
the Public Accounts Committee. For the first time the
Committee held its meetings in public to hear the evidence given by Controlling Officers. I should like to say straightaway that I consider that this was a most successful experiment, and its success was due not least to the very forthcoming and constructive attitude adopted by the Controlling Officers who appeared before the Committee.
Before the Committee started upon its public hearings there had been concern in some quarters of the civil service that senior public servants would be either pre-judged by press reports or, worse, presented as figures of ridicule. I am very pleased to say, Sir, that in my opinion all these fears proved in the event to be groundless. Although in our Report my Committee has not been afraid to pass strictures where we thought that these were required, nevertheless we felt that the Controlling Officers always managed to give a good account of themselves, even when, for reasons of loyalty, some of them
appeared to be trying to defend the indefensible.
When we decided that it would be a good thing for the Committee to hold its hearings in public, we firmly believed that this would help the public to get a better understanding of the way in which its Legislative Councillors carry out their duties. I think that that has been achieved, but I should also say that the public hearings acted as a stimulus not only for the Controlling Officers but for the Committee itself to examine and discuss thoroughly the issues presented in the Director of Audit's Report.
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لله