XN000022-1988-07-14 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1988

LEGCO PASSES MOTION ON DRAFT BASIC LAW

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY) PASSED A MOTION ON THE DRAFT BASIC LAW AFTER TWO DAYS OF DEBATE.

THE MOTION, WHICH WAS MOVED BY THE SENIOR MEMBER, THE HON LYDIA DUNN, WAS THAT "THE COUNCIL TAKES NOTE OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (FOR SOLICITATION OF OPINIONS) AND URGES THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO STUDY THE DRAFT AND TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON IT".

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FIFTEEN MEMBERS SPOKE ON THE MOTION TODAY AND A SPEECH WAS GIVEN BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID FORD.

CONCLUDING

TWELVE MEMBERS SPOKE ON THE MOTION YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY).

FOR

AS HE WAS PRESIDING OVER A SITTING OF THE PRESENT COUNCIL THE LAST TIME, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, GAVE A SPEECH AT THE END OF THE DAY'S BUSINESS, AND PAID TRIBUTE TO THE HARD WORK DONE BY COUNCILLORS ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY.

IN OTHER BUSINESS DURING THE SITTING, A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (AMENDMENT) BILL 1988, WAS PASSED.

BILL, THE

GOVERNOR PAYS TRIBUTE TO WORK OF COUNCILLORS

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, TODAY (THURSDAY} PAID TRIBUTE TO THE WORK OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT ONLY DURING THIS SESSION BUT IN THE THREE YEARS SINCE OCTOBER 1985.

SIR DAVID, WHO WILL BE LEAVING FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM ON SATURDAY AND WILL BE AWAY FOR A MONTH, WAS PRESIDING OVER THE COUNCIL FOR THE LAST TIME THIS SESSION AND ALSO FOR THE LAST TIME BEFORE THE COUNCIL IS DISSOLVED ON AUGUST 25.

"THOSE WHO ARE STATISTICALLY MINDED WILL LIKE то NOTE THAT EACH OF THE LAST THREE SESSIONS HAS BROKEN NEW RECORDS, HE POINTED OUT.

HE NOTED THAT IN 1985-86 A RECORD NUMBER OF QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED, WHILE IN 1986-87 THE COUNCIL HELD AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF DEBATES AND SAT FOR MORE HOURS THAN IN ANY OTHER SESSION IN ITS HISTORY.

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