CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
approval of the Secretary of State. Among the elected members, 21 are elected by functional constituencies, each representing an economic or social sector, and 18 elected by direct elections in geographical constituencies which cover the whole territory. The Governor is the President of the Legislative Council. During his policy address to the Legislative Council in October 1992, the Governor announced that, as a move to enable the Legislative Council to manage its own affairs, he had decided to hand over as soon as practicable the Presidency to a member elected by all Legislative Councillors themselves.
The chief functions of the Legislative Council are to enact laws, control public expenditure and put questions to the government on matters of public interest. The government is responsible for initiating legislative and public funding proposals to the Legislative Council for consideration.
Legislation is enacted in the form of bills. Most business, including bills, is transacted by way of motions, which are decided by the majority of votes. 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. A bill passed by the Legislative Council does not become law until the Governor gives his assent to it. After the Governor's assent a bill becomes an ordinance without being subject to external approval, although the Queen has reserve powers to disallow an ordinance. The power of disallowance has not been used for many years.
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 policies 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 concerning the annual Appropriation Bill which takes place in April.
Members of the council 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 supplementary questions for the purpose of elucidating an answer already given may also be asked.
The council normally meets in public once a week. There is a House Committee which consists of all non-official members (excluding the Deputy President), which meets regularly in public, to discuss the council proceedings and make preparatory work for meetings of the full council.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council consists of the Chief Secretary (Chairman), the Financial Secretary and all members other than the other 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, whose meetings are also held in public.
The Establishment Sub-Committee consists of 28 members of the Legislative Council, one of whom is the chairman. Representatives of the Secretary for the Civil Service and
13