XN000022-1973-10-30 — Page 2

m

Tuesday, October 30, 1973

GREATER PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN POLICY-MAKING PROCESS

**

A new consultative system is to be introduced shortly to

encourage more members of the public to participate in the government's

policy-making process.

Under the new procedure, future important government policy

programes will be published as a Green Paper for full public discussion

before a decision is made. The decision will then take into account

the opinion of the community,

This will enable members of the public to make known their

views on government proposals before these are shaped into firm policy.

To a wide extent, the public is already being consulted on

major issues and the new move will broaden this accepted practice.

There are at present about 120 advisory boards and committees

on which views other than those of government officials are represented.

some of

them are ordinary people, while others, because of their professions

or businesses, are more knowledgeable in special subjects.

The representatives come from many walks of life

Draft legislation is also published in advance and commented

on before it passes into law and White Papers are issued from time to

time for public comment.

However this latter course is taken at a stage of the decision

process when the proposals are about to be finalised.

The publication of

Green Papers will provide expanded scope for public involvement and

consultation before proposals affecting the community are accepted and

implemented.

/Commenting