CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
the Mainland (mainly Guangdong). Reconstituted from a similar committee before the reunification, it has conducted in-depth studies on specific projects such as the Western Corridor and the Tonggu Channel. Co-operation with Guangdong was further strengthened with the establishment of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co- operation Joint Conference in March 1998 by the HKSARG and the Guangdong Provincial Government in conjunction with the HKMAO. It provides an effective channel of communication and co-operation between the two sides at a high level on issues of mutual concern in such areas as infrastructure, environmental protection, business and investment, tourism and the flow of passengers and traffic across the border.
In order to further enhance communications between the HKSARG and the CPG as well as the other Mainland authorities, the HKSARG established its office in Beijing in March in accordance with Article 22 of the Basic Law. It serves as an additional channel for liaison and communication, and helps to ensure that the HKSARG and the CPG are apprised of the latest economic, social and other developments in the Mainland and HKSAR respectively.
Advisory and Statutory Bodies
The network of advisory and statutory bodies is a distinctive feature of the system of government. It seeks to obtain, through consultation with interested groups and individuals in the community, the best possible advice on which to base decisions or to perform statutory functions.
Advisory bodies give advice to the Government through a policy secretary or a head of department. Their areas of activities are wide-ranging. Some of the advisory bodies, such as the Telecommunications Standards Advisory Committee, deal with the interests of a particular industry. Others advise on a particular area of government policy or public interest, such as the Transport Advisory Committee. Some advisory bodies, such as the District Fire Safety Committees and Area Committees, deal essentially with district affairs. Statutory bodies perform their functions according to the relevant legislation. Some of them, such as the Hospital Authority, perform executive functions.
Government officials and members of the public are represented on these bodies. About 5 000 members of the public have been appointed to serve on some 390 bodies, and some serve on more than one. These people are appointed in view of their specialist knowledge or expertise, their record or interest in contributing to community service, and the specific needs of the concerned bodies.
The Government regularly keeps in view the composition and operation of the advisory and statutory bodies to ensure that they meet the needs of the community. A reasonable turnover of membership is generally maintained to ensure the inflow of new ideas. At the same time, these bodies adopt a number of transparency measures, including issuing press releases, holding press briefings and opening up meetings, so as to promote the public's understanding of their work. Membership lists of all these bodies are also uploaded onto the Internet to facilitate public inspection of the relevant information.
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