XN000022-1988-06-22 — Page 3

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1988

1

COMMISSIONER WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT

**

WILL

THE PROPOSED COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS BE INDEPENDENT AND HAVE SUFFICIENT MEANS WITH WHICH TO ENSURE THAT HIS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE HEARD AND ACTED

UPON, THE CHIEF SECRETARY,

SIR DAVID FORD, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

THE

COMMISSIONER FOR

MOVING THE SECOND READING OF ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS BILL 1988, SIR DAVID SAID THE COMMISSIONER WOULD ALSO HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFF ΤΟ CARRY OUT HIS DUTIES SWIFTLY AND EFFECTIVELY; HE WOULD HAVE ALMOST UNLIMITED ACCESS ΤΟ GOVERNMENT FILES AND POWERS OF ENTRY INTO GOVERNMENT PREMISES.

"IT IS IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY, OF THIS COUNCIL AND OF THE GOVERNMENT THAT HE SUCCEEDS IN HIS ENDEAVOURS, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO A MORE OPEN AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, HE SAID.

"

EXPLAINING THE BACKGROUND TO THE

BILL, SIR DAVID SAID THAT FOLLOWING A PERIOD OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE CONSULTATIVE DOCUMENT: "REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES", THE GOVERNMENT AGREED IN PRINCIPLE

MAJORITY VIEW WITH THE

THAT AN INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED TO DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS ALLEGING MALADMINISTRATION.

WAS

A WHITE BILL ON THE COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS BILL 1987, WHICH CONTAINED THE PROPOSALS,

PUBLISHED FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON OCTOBER 30 LAST YEAR.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD STUDIED VERY CAREFULLY THE 24 WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS BY GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS, VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE PRESS

SET UP TO AS WELL AS COMMENTS MADE BY THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP

STUDY

THE WHITE BILL, SIR DAVID SAID.

22 CHANGES

THE OUTCOME OF

ΤΟ THE

THIS WHITE

"THE BILL, NOW BEFORE MEMBERS, REFLECTS CONSIDERATION AND INCORPORATES A TOTAL OF BILL, HE SAID.

*

THESE

CHANGES HAD

SIR DAVID NOTED THAT THE OVERALL EFFECT OF BEEN TO BROADEN THE JURISDICTION OF THE COMMISSIONER.

ASPECTS OF HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE THREE MAIN

BILL THE WHITE

IN RESPECT OF WHICH, AFTER

THE CONSIDERING ALI FACTORS, RELEVANT

THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED NOT TO ADOPT THE SOME MEMBERS CHANGES SUGGESTED BY SOME COMMENTATORS AND SUPPORTED BY OF THE AD HOC GROUP.

THE FIRST

THESE OF

WAS THE

QUESTION OF

ACCESS

ΤΟ

THE

COMMISSIONER BY COMPLAINANTS.

WHILE NOTING