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MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):-One supplementary. With such an answer, why has this particular divider been allowed to get into such a stage of disrepair?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in English):-I don't think the department is allowing this place to get into such a stage. I think there are a lot of factors affecting the cleaners of this central divider. I think it is mainly because of the heavy traffic of that area that is causing the problem.
MR. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, do we have a policy to turn these areas into green areas? Since we have been criticised for allowing some central dividers to be turned into the so called 'jungle', so can we have a policy to turn those areas into green areas step by step?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):-In fact, initially there are many flowers, and other plants planted by the Urban Council. As to how to prevent these areas from being turned into jungles, I think the USD has to look into this and our Committee will also discuss this matter.
5. MR. STEPHEN LAU MAN-LUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese): The Council has recently decided to hold all its Select Committees meetings in public, with a few items reserved for private discussion. Please could I be informed what criteria have been adopted to designate which items are to be discussed in private?
MRS. ELEANOR LING CHING-MAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE ADMINISTRATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-Mr. LAU asks what criteria are used in deciding the items of Council business that should be designated to the private sessions of Select Committee Meetings rather than in the public sessions.
Having agreed to open up all our Select Committees to the public, I believe it is the Council's wish to deal with as much business in the public sessions as possible. However it is expected that confidentiality will be desirable in certain matters in which case the Chairman of individual Select Committee may request for these items to be discussed in the private session. The agenda for individual meetings is, as always, approved by the Chairman of individual Select Committees.
The following matters will normally be considered at the private sessions:
(a) Sensitive matters, be they political or commercial, the premature disclosure of which would adversely affect the interests of the Council or hamper the effectiveness of the Urban Services Department in the execution of their duties;
(b) Matters concerning employment contracts for individual staff members;
and
(c) Tenders to be awarded for projects.
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Having all Select Committee meetings conducted in public and private sessions, this is a relatively new practice for the Council. I am sure the experience in the coming months will help us in fine-tuning our criteria and suggestions from members will be welcomed.
MR. STEPHEN LAU (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I have a technical question which I want to follow up. One month before our meeting, the papers will be issued. I want to know who within the department is responsible for categorising the papers into the two types i.e. open papers as well as confidential papers. Secondly, usually many papers are to be discussed by more than one Select Committees. Which Committee Chairman is to be responsible for deciding on the category of the papers? If there is a difference in opinion, will that create confusion? Thirdly, I hope Mrs. LING will give us a guarantee that in accordance with the content of paragraph 3 of the reply, there are not many papers for public sessions. I hope that there should be more in-depth study on the debate of policy papers in public so that the media as well as the public can know more issues affecting the daily lives of citizens. So I hope Mrs. LING will also guarantee or make a promise that confidential papers can really be kept under strict confidence and will not be disclosed in a morning newspaper the next day.
MRS. ELEANOR LING CHING-MAN (in English):-Mr. LAU's questions are in three parts. First, who decides on the various categorization of the papers to be circulated. That is, at present, they are marked either confidential or restricted. I believe the present practice is that it is in fact decided by the department, guess the Director of Urban Services would indicate what he thinks should be the right classification for these papers. Obviously, if the Chairman of individual Select Committee disagrees with him, I would have thought it would have been prudent to have a private discussion and obviously views of chairman and indeed members will be taken into consideration before a final decision is made. Mr. LAU's second point concerns a very practical point regarding the circulation of a paper when more than one committee is involved. In these circumstances, when several Select Committees are required to consider the same subject, I would have thought the present practice is that the paper or the subject would be first raised in the Committee most involved in that particular topic. And I believe we should also make it a convention that the decision of the first Committee Chairman as to whether the subject should be considered in private or not, should be followed by those chairing subsequent meetings. Mr. LAU's third point, I think, is a request or plea that all Select Committees should be as transparent as possible. I believe, if I recall correctly, the decision to open up our Select Committee meetings for the public is in fact a unanimous one adopted by the Council. With that principle in mind, I am sure individual Select Committee Chairman would be guided by the wish of the various members and would leave the majority of the subject to be discussed in the public sessions. I have, however, no secret formula as to maintain the confidentiality of our subjects. It has been a subject that has plagued us and the Secretariat for a long time and I guess I would welcome any members or indeed
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