244
CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
of the Kuk, through whom close contact is maintained with the District Commissioner.
ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Such bodies as the Board of Education, the Medical Advisory Board, the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, the Labour Advisory Board, the Trade and Industry Advisory Board, the Housing Board, the Transport Advisory Committee, and many others of a similar nature, constitute effective consultative and advisory machinery which enables unofficial opinion to be brought to bear on policy formation. In addition to unofficial members of both Executive and Legislative Councils, members of the public are appointed to many boards, councils and committees.
The Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) is a standing committee designed to meet the need for practical co-ordination and direct co-operation between the various voluntary and govern- ment organisations engaged in the suppression of the narcotics trade, the medical and social rehabilitation of addicts and public education and propaganda. It has five specialist sub-committees, each handling a particular aspect of the narcotics problem. Established in 1965, the committee now consists of representatives of 10 government departments and eight voluntary agencies under the chairmanship of Dr the Honourable Sir Albert Rodrigues.
GRIEVANCES
In Hong Kong there are several well-developed channels for the examination of complaints from members of the public and for helping people who have difficulty in their dealings with govern- ment departments. Probably the most commonly used channel is an appeal or complaint to the department concerned, which will ensure a review, at a higher level, of the decision taken. Another method is a letter to the Governor or the Colonial Secretary, which will also ensure that the matter is reconsidered. Complaints and representations are also dealt with by the office run by unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils—-- commonly referred to as the UMELCO office. City District Officers and District Officers in the New Territories also receive and investigate complaints. The absence of any statutory powers of investigation is offset by a lack of restriction on the type of complaint which UMELCO and the District Officers can receive and investigate. Both systems deal effectively with many grievances.