XN000022-1985-06-21 — Page 5

FRIDA JUNE 21, 1985

4

PROVISIONAL RC SETS UP COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

****

THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL TODAY (FRIDAY) DECIDED ON ITS OVERALL COMMITTEE STRUCTURE, WHICH WILL CENTRE ON THREE SELECT COMMITTEES AND NINE DISTRICT COMMITTEES.

IT WAS PROPOSED THAT THE WAYS AND MEANS SELECT COMMITTEES SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED THIS MONTH AND THE RECREATION AND CULTURE SELECT COMMITTEE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.

THE 21 MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL INDICATED THEIR PREFERENCES AT THE MEETING AS TO WHICH SELECT COMMITTEES THEY WISHED TO SERVE ON. THIS WOULD SERVE AS THE BASIS ON WHICH THE COMPOSITION OF THE SELECT COMMITTEES, INCLUDING THEIR CHAIRMEN AND VICE CHAIRMEN, WOULD BE DECIDED AT THE COUNCIL'S NEXT MEETING ON JUNE 28.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE SELECT COMMITTEES WOULD BE RESTRICTED TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICERS BEING INVITED TO BE IN ATTENDANCE AND OUTSIDE EXPERTS CO-OPTED AS AND WHEN REQUIRED.

ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF SELECT COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAS NOT BEEN FIXED, IT WAS DECIDED ABOUT 10 IN EACH COMMITTEE WOULD. BE PRACTICAL.

THE NINE DISTRICT COMMITTEES TO SERVE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF DISTRICTS IN THE NON-URBAN AREAS WOULD BE SET UP BY SEPTEMBER AND EACH WOULD BE COMPOSED OF ABOUT FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THREE NON-COUNCIL MEMBERS.

IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE NINE DISTRICT BOARD REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL SHOULD BE APPOINTED AS THE CHAIRMEN OF THE NINE DISTRICT COMMITTEES RESPECTIVELY, AS THIS WOULD HELP STRENGTHEN THE LINKS BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS.

THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO EXISTING PRECEDENT IN HONG KONG FOR DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND THEY WOULD TEND TO BE EXPERIMENTAL, THEY WILL BE MORE LOCALISED IN THE IR FUNCTION THAN THE SELECT COMMITTEES AND THEY WILL REQUIRE A STRONG LOCAL INPUT.

THE MAIN SOURCES OF THIS INPUT WILL INCLUDE LEADING MEMBERS OF LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS OR INSTITUTIONS, SUCH AS DISTRICT BOARDS, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, AND SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS. THE AIM IS TO ACHIEVE AS WIDE AND AS REPRESENTATIVE SELECTION OF MEMBERS IN EACH DISTRICT AS POSSIBLE.

15