| CONFIDENTIAL

(i)

by

(ii)

6.

total

introducing

24

new

members

indirectly elected by

functional constituencies and an electoral college:

by reducing the number of government officials from 18 to 10

and the number of other appointed members from 29 to 22.

Under the new system nine functional constituencies return a

of 12 members. They are made up of individuals with recognised professional qualifications (eg doctors, lawyers, engineers) or with specific organisational affiliations (eg chamber

of commerce, trades unions) who elect from among their own number.

The electoral college consists of twelve constituencies, ten made up

of the members of District Boards and one each from the Urban and

Regional Councils. They can elect anyone in Hong Kong who is a

registered elector and

and meets

meets residence qualifications. In fact at

present ten seats are filled by District Board members and the other

two by a member each from the Urban and Regional Councils.

7.

It was stated in the 1984 White Paper that a review of

progress in the development of representative government would be

carried out in 1987. Further consideration would then be given to direct elections, and to

and to the position of the Governor as President

of the Legislative Council. Elections to the Legislative Council

were conducted on the new basis in September 1985.

Legislative Council elections will be held in September 1988.

The next

Timetable for the 1987 Review and the Assessment of Public Opinion

8.

It is the announced intention of the Hong Kong Government

that the review should be launched with the publication of a Green

Paper no later than May 1987. Some four to five months will be

allowed for public consultation, and a White Paper setting out the

Government's proposals will be put to the Legislative Council in

November or December 1987.

9.

considering how public

opinion can best be assessed after the Green Paper

Paper is published.

The Hong Kong Government is

now

comprehensive system for

Hong Kong has a

expressed by individuals

monitoring opinion

or the media: but it is also necessary to

CONFIDENTIAL

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