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Paper, while a senior member of the Attorney General's Chambers has been nominated to draft the changes necessary in the legislation governing the composition of, and the powers and functions of the Council, and the duties of my department as its executive arm. Instructions to this officer will be considered and finalized by a panel of officials.
Secondly, other official panels will study financial and accounting arrangements, costing and rates, public works and licensing. Much work has already been done in my department and in the Treasury, and I would hope to see all official proposals settled for higher level discussion and policy submission by the late autumn. Naturally, once the ground work in all these matters has been completed, the Council will be kept informed and consulted when necessary.
The proposals in the White Paper to increase the unofficial membership from 1st April, 1973, will require implementation before the end of this year to enable the Urban Council election for the additional elected members to be held. The Secretariat has prepared drafting instructions for the necessary legislative changes to be made.
If all policy decisions can be settled by late autumn, I am hopeful that the proposals in the White Paper can be implemented on 1st April, 1973—but I cannot go further than that.
I would also like to add that the departmental Working Party has recently submitted a report to me on how the organization of my department might be improved in order to carry out its duties on behalf of the Council more effectively. I am now considering this report.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Mr. Chairman, in the first line of paragraph 2 of the reply, you say that “official panels will study". Can I ask a prototype question, whether any official panels are at present studying, or is it that they will study in a few months?
CHAIRMAN: There is a basic panel of certain Government officials, and to this panel are added various specialists. When it comes on to finance, someone from the Finance Branch has to go along; when it comes to rating, someone from the Rating & Valuation has to go along; when it is costing, then, Treasury is involved. So quite a lot of work has already been done by the basic panel with the assistance of the legal officer.
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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Also, Mr. Chairman, I am not too sure what the implication is in the sentence "I cannot go further than that". Is there any element of doubt in your mind that the policy decisions cannot be settled by late autumn, since you seem to have been very careful about choice of words instead of saying that "when" all policy decisions, you are saying “if” all policy decisions are made by then?
CHAIRMAN:--I think it is a question of how the policy decisions can be implemented and whether there are unforeseen snags that have not yet come to light. One cannot be absolutely certain that the 1st April will be the date, but we very much hope it will be. I cannot go beyond saying that, but I hope it will be."
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Mr. Chairman, we are aware that Government must work to a very close time table because of the need for legislation to be drafted and for everything to be completed by April 1st next year. Will you please re-emphasize this point to Government?
CHAIRMAN:--We are aware of this point; so is the Secretariat.
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I would ask you who makes the policy decision concerning this matter. Is it the Colonial Secretariat?
CHAIRMAN:--Policy decisions have already been taken, it is the implementation really of these decisions that will have to be studied and are being studied. Once the ground work has been done and we see where we are going, the Council will as I have said, be kept informed and consulted.
MR. HU:--Yes, so that the policy is already decided, it is only the implementation of the policy. Is that so?
CHAIRMAN:--That is so.
(9) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement advise whether all of the more than 50,000 residents living in the eleven cottage areas on Hongkong Island and in urban Kowloon have sufficient community facilities and services? What improvements are planned to improve the environmental conditions in the cottage areas during the coming year? MR. PETER C. K. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
There are in fact only ten Cottage Areas in the urban districts—four on Hong Kong Island, and six in Kowloon. The population of the ten areas is about 47,000.
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