26
CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
advice given by the board. To improve communication between the district management committee and the district board, district board chairmen are invited to attend the committee's meetings.
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 residents' organisations, established to improve the security, cleanliness and general management of multi-storey buildings.
At present, there are over 120 area committees and 4 100 mutual aid committees. They provide an extensive and effective network of communication between the government and the people at the local grassroots level.
Attached to the district offices are 20 public enquiry service centres, which provide a wide range of free services to members of the public.
These include answering general enquiries on government services; distributing government forms and information materials; administering oaths and declarations for private use; and referring cases under the meet-the-public scheme, Free Legal Advice Scheme and Rent Officer Scheme. During the year, a total of 11 585 645 cases were - handled. To strengthen the public enquiry service, a central telephone enquiry centre also
operates during office hours.
Links Between the Representative Institutions
The Urban Council and the Regional Council, which cover much the same fields in their respective areas, hold liaison meetings and institute joint ventures such as the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign during the year.
The Urban Council and the Regional Council are closely linked to the district boards. Each district board in the urban area has a representative member on the Urban Council. In addition to a similar arrangement between the Regional Council and the district boards in the New Territories, members of the latter are also included in the district committees under the Regional Council. Through these channels, the district boards are consulted on a wide range of council matters affecting their areas.
New Territories district boards maintain a close relationship with the Heung Yee Kuk. Seats are reserved on the district boards for rural committee chairmen, who are also ex officio members of the Kuk's executive committee.
The Regional Council also has a formal link with the Heung Yee Kuk, through the ex officio membership of the Kuk's chairman and two vice-chairmen on the council.
Starting from the 1991-92 Legislative Council session, the two municipal councils as well as the Heung Yee Kuk became functional constituencies, each returning one member to the Legislative Council.
The Electoral System
Electoral System for the Municipal Councils and District Boards
Elections to the Urban Council, Regional Council and district boards are on a geographical constituency basis and through a broad franchise. Practically everyone who is