18
CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
Council Chamber, the building also provides accommodation for UMELCO members and staff of the UMELCO Office.
Through their work, unofficial members are involved in most major public issues. Their responsibilities include advising on the formulation of government policies, participating in the enactment of legislation, monitoring the effectiveness of public administration and considering public complaints against government departments. They study and comment on all Bills and major policy initiatives proposed by the government and receive repre- sentations from public bodies or members of the public.
Members have formed a total of 21 specialist panels which look in-depth at different areas of activity such as education and manpower, health and welfare, the Civil Service, housing, transport, trade and industry, public relations and matters concerning the future of Hong Kong. Besides meeting among themselves, panel members also hold regular meetings with senior government officials. The issues raised may be debated and publicly questioned in the Legislative Council. There are also UMELCO groups appointed by the Governor which monitor the handling of complaints against the Independent Commis- sion Against Corruption and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force. With regard to the latter, however, a new and expanded group, called the Police Complaints Committee, was being established to take over from the UMELCO Police Group from January 1986, with the new committee including UMELCO members and Justices of the Peace.
Unofficial members keep in touch with what is happening throughout the territory by regular visits to government departments and to urban and New Territories districts. They obtain the latest information on development plans and the problems people face, and it is as a result of these visits that many of the questions in the Legislative Council are raised.
The UMELCO Office provides members with administrative support and assists them with research. The office is not a government department, although it is funded by the government and includes a number of seconded government officers in its establishment. It is also a channel through which the public may express grievances and it handles all public complaints, appeals and representations on behalf of unofficial members alleging maladministration by government officers.
In the light of impending constitutional changes in the system of government in Hong Kong, UMELCO has undertaken a review of redress systems in parallel with a similar review being conducted by the administration. A full record of the work of UMELCO is contained in its annual report.
Urban Council, Regional Council and District Administration
Urban Council
The Urban Council is the statutory council for the urban areas with a jurisdiction covering the provision of municipal services to almost four million people. As such, the council has considerable executive authority and is charged with full responsibility in a wide range of municipal functions. These functions include street cleansing, collection of refuse, control of general environmental hygiene, and enforcing - through licensing - requirements on the hygienic handling and preparation of food in, among others, restaurants, shops and abattoirs.
During the year, the council conducted a comprehensive review of the policy governing street traders and public markets. District boards were consulted widely in the proposals contained in the review. Control of street traders (hawkers) has proved difficult because of the large scale and long tradition of the practice in Hong Kong.