8 Constitution and Administration
To further enhance the role and functions of District Councils, the Government conducted a review on the role, functions and composition of District Councils in 2006, and completed a pilot scheme to involve the District Councils in the management of some district facilities in 2007. During the financial year 2008-2009, the Government will increase resources to the District Councils, and the annual funding for the District Councils to carry out community involvement activities and district minor works will both increase to $300 million.
To enable District Councils to play an active role in the management of district facilities, a District Facilities Management Committee will be set up under the 18 District Councils to steer and oversee the management of district facilities.
To foster regular dialogue between senior government officials and the District Councils, 22 heads of departments, who have direct interface with the public, started attending District Council meetings one at a time since January 2007.
To maintain a direct dialogue with local residents, each District Council operates a meet-the-public scheme, under which residents can meet council members face-to-face to express their views on district problems. The scheme, which also provides a direct channel for District Councils to collect public views on local matters and territory-wide issues, has been well received by the people. In addition, many District Council members run ward offices to keep in touch with their constituents and to better cater to the needs of their respective communities.
Each district has a District Management Committee, chaired by a District Officer. It comprises the chairman, vice-chairman and committee chairmen of the District Council as well as representatives of government departments providing essential services in the district. The District Management Committee serves as a forum for consultation, coordination and collaboration between different departments and the District Council to help resolve inter-departmental district issues and to ensure that district needs are promptly met.
To promote harmony within the community and encourage public participation in district affairs, Area Committees have been set up in the 18 districts to advise on local issues and to help organise community activities and government campaigns. At year-end, there were 65 Area Committees.
Twenty Public Enquiry Service Centres, attached to the District Offices, provide a wide range of free services to the public. These services include answering general enquiries about government services, distributing government forms and disseminating information, administering declarations and referring matters brought up during the meet-the-public sessions and cases under the Free Legal Advice Scheme and the Rent Officer Scheme to the departments or organisations concerned. The Public Enquiry Service Centres and the Central Telephone Enquiry Centre served a total of 1.73 million clients in 2007.