CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
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The functions of the district boards are basically to advise the government on a wide range of matters affecting the well-being of the people living and working in the districts. Through the advice they make important contributions to the management of district affairs. They also help monitor the work of government departments at the district level. In addition, they are often invited to give views on important territory-wide issues, such as the further developments of representative government, education reforms, youth policy, the long-term development of sports and recreation in Hong Kong. Where funds are available, they undertake minor environmental improvement projects and help organise and sponsor activities to promote recreation and culture. In 1988–9, $42.68 million was provided for these purposes.
Each district board operates a ‘meet-the-public' scheme under which district residents may, through advance appointment, meet the board members face-to-face to express their views on any district problems and suggest ways for improvement. The scheme has been well received by the general public and proved effective in providing a direct channel for collecting public views on local issues and reflecting them to the government.
In each district, there is a district management committee. The committee, chaired by the district officer, comprises representatives of departments providing essential services in the district. It serves as a forum for inter-departmental consultation on district matters and co-ordinates the provision of public services and facilities to ensure that district needs are met promptly. The DMC works closely with the district board and, as far as possible, follows the advice given by the board.
The 67 Public Enquiry Centres in the 19 District Offices and their sub-offices handled 17 million cases during the year. These centres provide a wide range of free services to members of the public, including answering general enquiries on government services, distributing government forms and information materials, administering oaths and dec- larations, referring cases under the Meet-the-Public Scheme, Free Legal Advice Scheme and Rent Officer Scheme.
Area committees and mutual aid committees have become an important component of the district administration scheme. They were set up in the early 1970s throughout the territory in support of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign and Fight Violent Crime Campaign. Each area committee serves a population of about 40 000 to 50 000, and members are appointed from a wide spectrum of the community. Mutual aid committees are building-based resident organisations established to improve the security, cleanliness and general management of largely multi-storey buildings. At present, there are 117 area committees and 4 330 mutual aid committees They provide an extensive and effective network of communication between the government and the people at the local grass- roots level.
Links Between the Representative Institutions
As a result of the 1987 review of developments in representative government, the government has decided to improve the link between the Urban Council and the urban District Boards by providing for each of the ten district boards in the urban area to elect a representative to sit on the Urban Council and the election will first take place in March 1989. Such a link would obviate the need for members of the Urban Council to sit on urban district boards and hence Urban Councillors will cease to be ex-officio members of the urban district boards after April 1989.
New Territories district boards maintain a close relationship with the Heung Yee Kuk (a statutory advisory body which represents the indigenous population of the New