XN000022-1994-11-02 — Page 26

REPLY:

15

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1994

(B) HOW IT CAN PREVENT SIMILAR PROBLEMS FROM RECURRING

FUTURE ELECTIONS?

IN

MR PRESIDENT,

THE

DISTRICT

FOR BOARD

ELECTION-RELATED

THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION (BEC) IS RESPONSIBLE

RECENT OF CONDUCT

ELECTIONS. PRIOR TO THE ELECTIONS THE BEC HAD ISSUED DETAILED GUIDELINES ON

MEDIA REPORTING

THE

THE ACTIVITIES.

WAS COVERED BY

GUIDELINES.

UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE IN

FAIR AND THESE GUIDELINES IS THAT EQUAL,

THAT CONSISTENT TREATMENT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ALL CANDIDATES TO ENSURE

TO ACCEPTABLE ELECTIONS ARE HELD IN AN OPEN AND HONEST MANNER COMMUNITY. THE BEC ALSO APPEALED TO THE MASS MEDIA TO PROVIDE

TREATMENT то FAIR

WHEN ALL

REPORTING CANDIDATES ELECTIONEERING ACTIVITIES. ANY PUBLISHER WHO TREATS SOME CANDIDATES FAVOURABLY OVER OTHERS MAY BE PUBLICLY DENOUNCED OR CENSURED BEC. CASES INVOLVING ILLEGAL AND CORRUPT ACTIVITIES WILL BE TO THE APPROPRIATE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY FOR FURTHER ACTION.

AND

DURING

THE RECENT

THE EQUAL THEIR

BY THE REFERRED

ΤΟ NEWSPAPER

BEC INVESTIGATED TWO

ONE

SOME PROVIDED INFORMATION AND

DD ELECTIONS, THE ALLEGED PARTIALITY SHOWN BY COMPLAINTS ON CANDIDATES. UPON REQUEST, THE NEWSPAPER EXPLANATION TO FACILITATE THE BEC'S INVESTIGATION.

IT,

THE

TO

DELIBERATELY

SUBSTANTIATE

FAVOURED

THE

ANY

AFTER A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED TO THE BEC FOUND THAT NO ILLEGAL OR CORRUPT PRACTICES WERE INVOLVED. BEC

NOT ALSO DID

SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE COMPLAINTS THAT THE NEWSPAPER HAD CANDIDATES. THE COMPLAINANTS WERE ACCORDINGLY INFORMED.

FIND

FOR THE ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN 1995, THE BEC WILL CONTINUE EXPLAIN ITS ELECTION GUIDELINES TO ALL CONCERNED AND WILL AGAIN REMIND ON THE MASS MEDIA OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EQUAL TREATMENT WHEN REPORTING CANDIDATES' ACTIVITIES.

TO

LONG-TERM POLICY FOR SINGLE PARENT FAMILY

FOLLOWING IS A QUESTION BY THE HON FRED LI AND A REPLY BY SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, MRS KATHERINE FOK, IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY):

QUESTION : IN

THE

THE

VIEW OF

THE

THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ABOUT

OF 5,000 35,000 SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES IN THE TERRITORY WHO ARE IN RECEIPT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE AND THAT THE NUMBER OF SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES HAS BEEN INCREASING AS A RESULT OF A RISING DIVORCE RATE IN RECENT YEARS, WILL THE GOVERNMENT INFORM THIS COUNCIL OF THE FOLLOWING:

/(A) WHAT SPECIFIC