TNAG-1220-FCO40-1530-Democratic-representation-and-reform-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 129

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7

Each select committee would hold office for the session, and during that time consider all bills committed to it. Bills not so committed would continue to pass through a committee of the whole council.

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Under Standing Order 62(2) a select committee sits in private unless it otherwise decides. The Working Group recognises that some of a select committee's deliberat- ions should be held in private, so as to maintain the present candid exchange of views between Officials and Unofficials achieved in meetings in the UMELCO offices; but at least a. select committee's final meeting on a bill should be held in public, at which the Committee's report would be finalised to be laid before the Council at its next sitting.

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(a)

(b)

(c)

The advantages of this approach would be that -

the present work on a bill carried out by Unofficials in private session would achieve a new public standing, particularly as it would be the task of an Unofficial chairman to conduct the final public sittings and report to the Council the amendments proposed;

a select committee is entitled to call witnesses and receive evidence, so that there would be an opportunity for it (at its discretion) to consider formal representations from public bodies interested in specific legislation.

business could be carried out more

efficiently, in that only those members interested or directly involved in a

bill would be involved in its committee stage;

(d) the repetitive chanting of the committee of

the whole Council would be dispensed with.

The apparent disadvantages of the proposal is that it would add to the time needed for the passage of a bill. At present a bill goes straight from its second reading to the committee stage, and then its third reading all at the same sitting. A bill can only be committed to a select committee after its second reading; thus at least two weeks would be added to the legislative process.