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Constitution and Administration
committee considers the evidence sufficient to substantiate such charges, the Legislative Council may pass a motion of impeachment by a two-thirds majority of all its members. and report it to the Central People's Government (CPG) for decision; and
• To summon, as required when exercising the above-mentioned powers and functions, persons concerned to testify or give evidence.
Composition
According to the Basic Law, the Legislative Council of the HKSAR shall be constituted by election. The Fifth Legislative Council comprises 70 members, of whom 35 were returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections and 35 were returned by functional constituencies. The Fifth Legislative Council's term of office is four years from 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2016. The President of the Legislative Council is elected by and from among the council's members.
Meetings of the Legislative Council
The Legislative Council normally meets on Wednesdays. The business at its regular meetings includes introducing and considering bills and proposed resolutions; tabling subsidiary legislation, papers and reports for the council's consideration; asking the government questions; and debating motions concerning matters of public interest. All council meetings are open to the public. Members may address the council in Cantonese, English or Putonghua. With simultaneous interpretation provided, members of the public have the option of listening in any of these three language forms and can also watch the accompanying sign language. The proceedings are recorded verbatim in the Official Record of Proceedings of the Legislative Council.
During the 2014-15 legislative session from October 2014 to July 2015, the council held 35 meetings, four of which were the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Sessions. Members asked 140 oral questions on the work of the government with 797 supplementary questions, and another 504 written questions. The council passed 23 bills and negatived one. It also passed 16 motions moved by the government under the positive vetting procedure to seek the council's approval to either make or amend subsidiary legislation. In addition, it negatived the motion concerning the Amendment to the Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. On subsidiary legislation subject to the negative vetting procedure, the council completed the scrutiny of 20 items which had been. tabled during the 2013-14 session. It also finished scrutinising one technical memorandum and 115 out of the 150 items of subsidiary legislation tabled in the 2014-15 session, with two of them amended by resolutions of the council. Members will continue scrutinising the remaining 35 items in the 2015-16 session.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee consists of all council members except the President. The committee's Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected from among its members. It normally meets in public on Friday afternoons to scrutinise and approve public expenditure proposals put forward by the government to change approved Estimates of Expenditure. The committee also holds
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