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Office, and there were nearly 170 public opinion surveys and over 20
signature campaigns. The response was far greater than in any previous consultation exercise: there were, for example, only
364 submissions in response to the 1984 Green Paper on the
Further Development of Representative Government. There was a lively
public discussion on the future direction which representative
government in the territory should follow. There was also a vigorous debate in the Legislative Council in July at which all
members then present in Hong Kong, with the exception of officials,
spoke. Although other issues were touched on, the focus of the
debate, both in the public forum and in the Legislative Council, was
on whether there should be direct elections for a proportion of the
membership of the Legislative Council and, if so, whether such
elections should be held in 1988 when elections to the Legislative
Council next fall due.
21.
The report of the Survey Office was submitted to the Governor in Council on 29 October 1987, and that of the independent Monitors
on 30 October. Both reports were laid before the Legislative Council and published on 4 November. The Legislative Council
debated the contents of the reports on 18 November. The Survey
Office report and the public reaction to it, including the Legislative Council debate, are now being considered by the British
and Hong Kong Governments. It is intended that a Hong Kong Government White Paper should be published in February 1988, setting out plans for the next steps to be taken in developing the roles and
composition of the various components of the government system. In drawing up these plans, full account will be taken of all the views recorded in the Survey Office report.
(b)
The Civil Service
22.
The Hong Kong Government's practice for the past two decades has been to give suitable local candidates preference in appointment
to recruitment ranks in the civil service. This has borne fruit over the years as local officers have acquired experience and been promoted through the ranks. At present, just over 70 percent of the 1,818 posts in the senior management/professional grades are filled by local officers, whilst in directorate (i.e. the most senior)
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