ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HKSAR
• To receive and debate the policy address of the Chief Executive;
• To endorse the appointment of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court of the HKSAR;
•
Participation of the President of the PLC in the nomination of the six Hong Kong members of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; and
• To deal with other matters having to be dealt with by the PLC before the formation of the first Legislative Council of the HKSAR.
The same resolution also provided that the PLC should start operation after the first Chief Executive of the HKSAR was elected and should cease operation after the first Legislative Council of the HKSAR was formed, that its term should not extend beyond June 30, 1998, and that any legislation passed by the PLC before July 1, 1997, should commence operation upon the establishment of the HKSAR. On March 14, 1997, the NPC endorsed a report on the work of the Preparatory Committee in which the establishment and election of the PLC were fully covered.
The 60 Provisional Legislative Councillors were elected by the Selection Committee on December 21, 1996. On January 25, 1997, the PLC held its first meeting in Shenzhen, where all of its meetings and those of its committees were held up to June 30. During this period the PLC examined and passed 13 pieces of legislation deemed necessary to come into effect immediately on July 1, 1997, endorsed the 1997/98 Budget, and passed the motions required to effect the appointment of judges, including the Chief Justice of the CFA, the Permanent and Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court, and adopted its own Rules of Procedure. The bills and motions passed were all confirmed and put into effect by the Reunification Ordinance, which was itself passed on July 1, 1997, as soon as the HKSAR was established.
Since July 1, the PLC's meetings have been held on Wednesday afternoons in the Legislative Council Chamber. Business includes scrutiny of bills, motion debates and questions, and tabling of reports, subsidiary legislation and other papers.
Provisional Municipal Councils and District Boards
The Chief Executive announced on June 16, 1997, that all existing members of the Urban Council and the Regional Council the two municipal organisations providing health, cultural and recreational services would continue to serve on the provisional bodies that would take over from July 1, 1997. The membership would be increased so that each council would have a total of 50 members. As a result, nine new members were appointed to the Provisional Urban Council and 11 new members appointed to the Provisional Regional Council. The terms of office of the two municipal councils will end not later than December 31, 1999.
At the district level, the Chief Executive appointed 468 members to the 18 Provisional District Boards which replaced the former District Boards with effect from July 1, 1997. The boards' main function is to advise the government on matters affecting the interests and well-being of the people living and working in the districts. (See Chapter 3)
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