}
CONFIDENTIAL
Mitts 012/1
P.9. Role of leglo
C
152557
MDLIAN 0074
OF COPY Q DIST?
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 730
OF 081405Z MARCH 92
INFO PRIORITY HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: ACTIVITIES IN FEBRUARY 1992
SUMMARY
1. ONLY TWO LEGCO SITTINGS AND ONE FINANCE COMMITTEE (FC) MEETING
BECAUSE OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAK. MEDIA COVERAGE OF LEGCO
ACTIVITIES IN THE FIRST HALF OF FEBRUARY WAS DOMINATED BY NEWS OF STEPHEN NG MING-YUM'S ILLNESS WITH LEUKAEMIA. THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE'S (PAC) CONTINUED HEARING ON THE COST OF THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (HKUST) WAS THE MAIN NEWS
ITEM IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH.
2. MEMBERS CONTINUED TO SHOW INCREASING FAMILIARITY WITH LEGCO PROCEDURE, BUT PARTY POLITICS STILL DOMINATED DISCUSSIONS RELATING TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF LEGCO.
LEGISLATION
3. FOURTEEN BILLS (PRESENTED AS SEVEN PACKAGES) WERE INTRODUCED
INTO LEGCO FOR FIRST READING. FOUR OF THEM WERE BILL OF RIGHTS RELATED AND SIX CONTAINED MEASURES PROVIDING FURTHER PROTECTION TO LOCAL WORKERS. THEY ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC INTEREST, BUT NONE WAS CONTROVERSIAL.
4. FOUR BILLS PASSED THROUGH LEGCO, ONE - THE PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1991 AFTER FOUR MONTHS OF SCRUTINY
BY THE AD HOC GROUP CONCERNED.
5. AS AS 29 FEBRUARY, FORTY-EIGHT BILLS HAD BEEN INTRODUCED INTO LEGCO THIS SESSION. NINETEEN OF THEM HAD BEEN ENACTED.
DEBATES
6. THREE MOTION DEBATES AND ONE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE WERE MOVED IN FEBRUARY. THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE WERE MOVED IN FEBRUARY. THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SERVICES, MOVED BY ZACHARY WONG MAI-YIN ON 26 FEBRUARY, ATTRACTED SLIGHTLY RELATIVELY LESS PUBLIC INTEREST AS THE SUBJECT WAS MORE
LOCALISED.
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CONFIDENTIAL