TNAG-0571-FCO40-704-Planning-paper-on-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 140

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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ppointment of members emerging from the lower income groups will require the payment of allowances to unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils. The existing translation, secretarial and research staff of the office of the unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils will also need to be strengthened. In due course, it might be desirable to appoint "unofficial members". drawn from the Executive Council but answerable in the Legislative Council for particular fields of policy in the same way that official members are at present.

In these ways, the Legislative Council can be made more representative, less alien and more responsive.

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30. We have considered the arguments for and against a substantial increase in the size of the Legislative Council; and the question of whether it is possible and desirable to differentiate the functions of the Executive and Legislative Councils more clearly than at present. On the first, we conclude that a Legislative Council representing all . aspects of Hong Kong society should only be as large as is necessary to carry out its functions. There is, in other words, no ultimate · target figure which should be aimed at. There is much to be said for keeping the body small enough to be directly susceptible to influence by the Governor in the pursuit of the policies advocated in this Paper. The question of differentiation of function between the Executive and Legislative Councils is, however, more difficult. The present discussion and coordination of view which takes place between unofficial members of the Executive and Legislative Councils does much to make the Governor's task easier. On the other hand, important decisions can be and are settled behind the scenes without public discussion and debate. This can suggest that all views are not given adequate weight in the policies of Government. We consider that the latter

fuggirl hat actions consideration considerations outweigh the former and would advocate a return to the should formal constitutional position where the Executive Council remains the policy-making body and the Legislative Council the law-making body.

It would seem to follow that the members of the Executive Council

would be required to explain policy to the Legislative Council in open discussion. The proposal above for the appointment from ExCo of "members" responsible for particular fields of policy would assist this.

31. But even after substantial change along the lines proposed above the Executive and Legislative Councils will be neither democratic nor directly answerable to an electorate; and their composition will not /satisfy

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