Motion debate on review of advisory and statutory bodies
Following is the speech by the acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Stella Hung, in the motion debate on review of the major advisory and statutory bodies in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
The current network of advisory and statutory bodies has developed over several decades in response to the changing needs and character of our society. It is an effective and well tried system that plays important complementary roles to that of the other parts of Government including the three tiers of representative Government. I am pleased to have this opportunity to explain how the system works and respond to the issues raised by Honourable Members in this debate. Before I do so, however, I would like to pay tribute to the ladies and gentlemen who have spent much time and effort in serving in various advisory and statutory bodies.
Roles and Functions
Mr President, there are at present some 300 advisory boards and committees. Of these, about 80 are statutory bodies. The remainder have been established by administrative means. Each advisory body gives advice to Government in a specified area of activity according to its terms of reference. The areas covered range from fundamental livelihood issues such as housing, labour issues, education, social welfare, medical care and transport to highly specialised and technical matters, such as the operations of our securities and futures markets or radiological protection. There are also boards and committees that advise on the affairs of particular districts or neighbourhoods, such as the Area Committees and District Fight Crime Committees.
In addition to the advisory boards and committees, there are a host of statutory bodies that have been set up primarily to perform an executive function. Some of these manage publicly-owned corporations such as the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation or the Mass Transit Railway Corporation; others, such as the Hospital Authority and the Airport Authority, are responsible for the provision of public facilities. There are also charitable statutory bodies, such as the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk. Yet another group are the statutory boards that deal with appeals under a whole range of ordinances.
The examples I have given illustrate the extremely diverse nature of the roles and functions of our boards and committees. It is a key strength of the system that it can encompass such a wide range of requirements.