TNAG-1220-FCO40-1530-Democratic-representation-and-reform-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 126

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(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)

the informal minor amendment of a bill prior to presentation should be allowed (paragraph 47);

a Hansard report should be kept in respect of all public sittings of select committees and Finance Committee whereas a record of conclusions should be kept in respect of the private sittings (paragraph 49);

S.0. 63 should be amended to permit publication of evidence and documents taken at public sessions of select committees; the need for legislation to cover the powers and privileges of the Council should also be examined (paragraph 50);

speeches delivered by one member on behalf of another should not be allowed (paragraph 52);

further consideration should be given to the appropriateness of the term "Unofficial Member" when the Roval Instructions are next amended (paragraph 53);

minor amendments to Standing Orders to correct typographical, cross referencing and other technical errors (paragraph 54).

COMMITTEE WORK

Batching of clauses

8

A specific proposal which had been identified from the start for the Working Group to consider was whether the voting of amended clauses into a bill at the committee stage could be "batched" to obviate what appeared to be unnecessary chanting.

9

The present procedure is that the Clerk calls out the numbers of unamended clauses, in batches which run up to the point where the need for an amended clause interrupts the sequence.

These are voted into the bill. At each interruption of the sequence when the Clerk calls out the number of the clause to be amended the amendment is moved by the member who has given notice of it. Many of the