CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
Cases are examined in the light of government policies and procedures. If members consider a complaint to be justified, they will ask the government department con- cerned to reconsider the matter or to re-examine the procedures that have given rise to the complaint. Cases involving matters of policy, or of particular importance, are put to the appropriate Legislative Council panels for further consideration. Where a change in policy or in law is considered necessary, members will make recommendations to the appropriate policy branch in the Government Secretariat. Members may also ask questions during council sittings on the problem itself, or the policy giving rise to it.
During the 1994-95 session, more than 1 350 new cases were handled. About 18.5 per cent of the cases handled were group representations, while the rest were com- plaints and requests for assistance from individuals. Members initiated 59 case conferences with representatives of the Administration. More than 1 000 telephone enquiries were handled.
Legislative Council Commission and Secretariat
Administrative support and services are provided to the council through a secretariat under the direction of the Legislative Council Commission. The commission is chaired by the President of the Legislative Council with 10 Legislative Council members as members. The commission is a statutory body that enjoys managerial and financial autonomy in directing the activities of the secretariat. The secretariat provides a wide range of support services to members, including secretariat services to sittings of the council and meetings of committees, legal services, centralised research support, library services, translation services, and public information support. Through a representative office in London, members are kept informed of political developments in Britain. The office also helps British opinion-formers to better understand major Hong Kong issues.
Urban Council
The Urban Council is a statutory body with responsibilities for the provision of municipal services to some 3.1 million people in the urban areas. These services include street cleaning, refuse collection, control of environmental hygiene, and ensuring the hygienic handling and preparation of food in restaurants, shops, abattoirs and other establishments.
The Urban Council is also the authority for the control of hawkers and street traders, although some of this work devolves to the police as the council does not have the manpower or finances to shoulder the whole burden.
Within the urban areas, the council provides and manages all public recreation and sporting facilities such as swimming pools, parks, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor stadia, tennis courts, football grounds, squash courts and basketball courts; and promotes a large number of sports at district level. Included among its facilities is the redeveloped Hong Kong Stadium, which, with a seating capacity of 40 000, provides a multi-purpose venue for sports activities and mass entertainment events.
The council manages museums, public libraries and several major cultural venues and multi-purpose facilities, including the City Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Hong Kong Coliseum, the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong
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