CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
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decided by the majority of votes. If a clear majority either for or against any motion is not apparent from a voice vote or if a member challenges the statement of the President that he thinks the Ayes or the Noes have it by claiming a division, the President may order the council or the committee to proceed to a division. Private bills, not representing government measures and intended to benefit particular persons, associations or corporate bodies, are introduced from time to time and enacted in the same way. All bills after passing through the Legislative Council receive the assent of the Governor and are then gazetted as ordinances.
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Apart from the enactment of legislation, the business of the council includes two major debates in each legislative session: a wide-ranging debate on government policy which follows the Governor's Address at the opening of the new session of the council in October each year, and the budget debate on financial and economic affairs which takes place in April during the second reading debate on the annual Appropriation Bill.
Members may also question the government on policy issues for which the government is responsible, either seeking information on such issues or asking for official action on them. Members may request either oral or written answers to the questions asked, and supple- mentary questions for the purpose of elucidating an answer already given may also be asked.
Other business of the council includes motions on subsidiary legislation, statements and policy papers (Green Papers and White Papers) for debate. A complete record of all papers and a verbatim record of proceedings (Hansard) is kept in respect of each legislative session.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council consists of the Chief Secretary (Chairman), the Financial Secretary and all members other than ex-officio members. It scrutinises public expenditure, both at special meetings held in March at which members examine the draft Estimates of Expenditure, and at regular meetings held throughout the year to consider requests which entail changes to the provisions agreed by the Legislative Council in the estimates each year, or to note financial implications of new policies. Both the special and regular meetings are held in public. The Finance Committee has two sub-committees: the Establishment Sub-Committee and the Public Works Sub-Committee.
The Establishment Sub-Committee consists of 27 members of the Legislative Council, one of whom is the chairman. The Secretary for the Civil Service and the Secretary for the Treasury are in attendance. It examines in detail proposals for directorate posts, the creation of new ranks and changes in salary scales, and makes recommendations on them to the Finance Committee. It also considers reports on value-for-money studies which have staffing implications and reports to the Finance Committee on changes in departmental establishments and on the size and cost of the Public Service.
The Public Works Sub-Committee consists of 34 members of the Legislative Council and the Financial Secretary (Chairman). Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Secretary for Works, heads of all works departments and Environmental Protection Department and a representative from the Finance Branch are in attendance at all meetings to provide technical advice. The sub-committee examines the priority and reviews the progress of capital works projects in the Public Works Programme, and makes recom- mendations to the Finance Committee on the upgrading of projects to Category A of the programme which indicates their readiness for commencement, and on changes to the scope and approved estimates of projects already in that category.