XN000022-1987-07-08 — Page 52

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1987

COUNCILLORS WELCOME BROADCASTING AUTHORITY BILL

LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS TODAY (WEDNESDAY) WELCOMED THE BROADCASTING AUTHORITY BILL 1987. WHICH SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH THE AUTHORITY AND SET OUT IN LEGAL TERMS ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS.

SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL, THE HON ALLEN LEE SAID THE SETTING UP OF A BROADCASTING AUTHORITY WAS AMONG THE MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE BRAODCASTING REVIEW BOARD REPORT AND THAT IT WAS SUPPORTED BY MEMBERS AT THE ADJOURNMENT ON THE REPORT IN MARCH LAST YEAR.

DEBATE

HOWEVER, MR LEE SAID THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP SCRUTINISING THE BILL, OF WHICH HE WAS THE CONVENER, HAD IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF POINTS FOR CLARIFICATION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION RESULTING IN IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE TO THE BILL BY WAY OF FOUR COMMITTEE STAGE AMENDMENTS.

THE FIRST AMENDMENT WAS ABOUT THE MEMBERSHIP Of the AUTHORITY. MR LEE SAID ITS MEMBERSHIP SHOULD CONSIST OF AS WIDE A CROSS-SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT IT COULD CARRY ITS FUNCTIONS EFFECTIVELY.

THEREFORE, THE RELEVANT CLAUSE OF THE BILL SHOULD BE FURTHER QUALIFIED BY A REQUIREMENT THAT NON-GOVERNMENT MEMBERS OF THE AUTHORITY SHOULD BE PERSONS WHO HAD HAD NO LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS' ORDINARY RESIDENCE IN HONG KONG PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT, HE SAID.

"THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO SERVE ON THE AUTHORITY WILL HAVE A GOOD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST, HE ADDED.

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MR LEE NOTED THAT THE OTHER THREE AMENDMENTS, WHICH WERE MORE TECHNICAL IN NATURE, WERE TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE OBLIGATION то CONSULT THE LICENSEES BEFORE PROHIBITION OF BROADCASTING WAS ALSO A MAJOR FUNCTION OF THE AUTHORITY; THAT TO ADVISE THE AUTHORITY WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR TELEVISION AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING; AND ALSO TO PROVIDE THAT THE STANDING ORDERS REGULATING THE PROCEDURES OF MEETINGS COULD MAKE REFERENCE TO OTHER RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE ORDINANCE.

HE SAID THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER POINTS WHICH THE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BEAR IN MIND OR TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF EITHER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BILL OR IN THE REVIEW OF THE TELEVISION ORDINANCE AND THE DRAWING UP OF THE FUTURE

BROADCASTING ORDINANCE.

CITING AN EXAMPLE, MR LEE SAID THAT ON THE QUESTION OF THE RENEWAL OF THE EXISTING TELEVISION LICENCES, THE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BROADCASTING REVIEW BOARD WOULD BE INCLUDED AS NEW LICENSING CONDITIONS.

THE BROADCASTING