TNAG-0353-FCO40-389-Reform-of-local-government-in-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 52

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356 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL-9th February 1972.

[MR Woo] White Paper on the Urban Council

"It must be recognized that even to put the present proposals into full effect will involve the resolution of many complex points of detail and difficult adjustments".

During this process of resolution I would ask that Government should at all times consult with the members of the Urban Council so that the legislation and administrative instructions which ultimately emerge from this important exercise will be largely acceptable to those who will have the job of making them work in the years ahead.

There is one particular point of detail which I wish to deal with, and that is the proposal in paragraph 16 of the White Paper that the Council's Standing Orders should be subject to approval of this Council. This proposal, Sir, is repugnant to all shades of opinion in the Urban Council. The Urban Councillors feel that it is entirely inappropriate that their internal rules of procedure should be subject to the approval of the Legislature. The Unofficial Members of this Council agree that there is no need to do so, subject to two provisos. The first proviso is that any essential controls over the proceedings of the Urban Council should be incorporated into the Ordinance itself. Specifically, the inclusion of a provision forbidding ultra vires questions and debates will achieve the effect of ensuring that the Council confines itself to its proper functions. The second proviso (one which I hope it will never be necessary to use) is to reserve the right of this Council to enact special legislation in the event of any failure by the Urban Council properly to provide for or observe regulations for its own proceedings.

Finally, Sir, I wish to echo the words of paragraph 35 of the White Paper, which seem to me to sum up in a nutshell what is the best policy for Hong Kong in matters relating to changes in the com- position and functions of the Urban Council:

"It is clearly only prudent to proceed in a cautious and orderly

manner, one step at a time".

Subject to these observations, Sir, I support the motion for the adoption of the White Paper.

MR WILFRED S. B. WONG:-Sir, like a number of my colleagues, I am an old boy of the Urban Council and, having served on it for 8 years, I speak with some knowledge of and feeling for it.

As my senior colleague, Mr Woo, has already dealt with the salient points under review in the White Paper, I will comment briefly.

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