XN000022-1996-06-24 — Page 3

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Question: What is your view on Andrew's Wong decision to end the LegCo session ...?

Governor: Well, I haven't had any communication from Mr Wong, the President of the Legislative Council, so far. Let's be clear what the constitutional position is, and the position that I've followed every year since I've been Governor. I announce the opening date for a Legislative Council session and we've done that for the Legislative Council session in October. The Legislative Council then give me the dates for their meetings during the year including the last meeting of their session. I don't decide that. That comes from the President who presumably consults his colleagues in the Legislative Council, and I look forward to hearing from Mr Wong when he proposes that the Legislative Council should stop sitting.

Question: What would you like to see? Would you like to see it continues past July 1 ...?

Governor: Oh, there is no question that I want to see the present Legislative Council continue until 1999. That's what we think should happen. The question of the sittings of the Legislative Council has never had anything to do with the Governor except in so far as the Governor accepts the advice of the President of the Legislative Council in deciding when the last sitting should be.

Question: But if it ended that much earlier than usual, will it affect the Government in so far as the legislative programme is concerned?

Governor: I don't believe so, but we would have to make clear to the Legislative Council that we still wanted our programme got through as rapidly as possible during the next session as rapidly as possible bearing account of the fact that it has to be considered properly. I just want to make it plain. It's not the Governor who decides when the last meeting of the Legislative Council is. I haven't been President of the Legislative Council. I stood down from the job as President of the Legislative Council and the President of the Legislative Council will tell me in due course when the Legislative Council thinks that meeting should be. It doesn't alter the fact that we believe the Legislative Council should go through to the end of its four-year term. Okay. Thank you very much.

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