CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
Use of the Chinese Language
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During 1975, the Home Affairs Department continued to promote the widest possible use of Chinese in government departments and to intensify the training of Chinese language officers to improve the quality of translation in government depart- ments. Two induction seminars were held for new recruits. In addition, two sessions of in-service training programmes were organised for serving Chinese language officers.
A handbook was published on official Chinese documentary forms and styles for the guidance of government departments in the conduct of official business in Chinese. A Chinese version of the book 'Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance' is also under preparation by the Home Affairs Department. It will provide guidance, in Chinese, for the conduct of meetings of councils, committees and boards.
The English-Chinese Glossary of Applied Legal Terms, produced by a special translation project team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong under the sponsorship of the government, was published in September. This glossary, which contains about 16,000 entries, provides a major work of reference for translators, the courts, the legal profession and members of the public.
The Chinese language division of the Home Affairs Department continued to provide high quality translation of a complex nature. Major projects undertaken during the year included official publications in connection with the Royal visit, the Budget debate, and the Governor's speech at the opening of the Legislative Council, as well as the Hong Kong Annual Report (Hong Kong 1976), the Report of the Working Party on Unregistrable Doctors, and the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Hong Kong Telephone Company.
With a view to promoting public interest in the study of the Chinese language and raising the standard of Chinese among the younger members of the community, the Chinese language division sponsored a Chinese arts and culture competition- including contests in Chinese writing, speech, translation, calligraphy and painting.
Advisory Committees
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An important feature of the administration system in Hong Kong is the com- prehensive network of more than 100 advisory bodies on which government officers and members of the public sit together to formulate advice to the government on matters of major importance. Examples are such bodies as the Board of Education, Medical Development Advisory Committee, Social Welfare Advisory Committee, Labour Advisory Board, Trade and Industry Advisory Board, Transport Advisory Committee, and the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN).
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 government departments. Probably the most commonly used channel is an appeal or complaint to the department concerned, which will ensure a