TNAG-1283-FCO40-1635-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 141

SECRET

5. THE NEXT ELECTIONS ARE DUE IN MARCH 1985 AND THE (NEXT

WORD UNDERLINED) FIRST CONCLUSION IS THAT THE REPRESENTATIVE

STATUS OF THE BOARDS SHOULD THEN BE STRENGHTHENED BY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE ELECTED ELEMENT. IN DISTRICTS WHERE THE POP- ULATION LEVEL IS RELATIVELY STABLE, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS SHOULD BE DOUBLE THAT OF THE

APPOINTED MEMBERS. IN DISTRICTS WHERE THE SIZE OF THE POP-

ULATION IS STILL ON THE INCREASE (FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW TOWN OF SHATIN) THIS RATIO OF ELECTED MEMBERS TO APPOINTED MEMBERS WOULD BE BEST BE ACHIEVED PROGRESSIVELY AS THE POPULATION

INCREASES. IN SOME DISTRICTS TO HAVE THE NUMBER OF ELECTED

MEMBERS DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF APPOINTED MEMBERS WOULD RESULT

IN A BOARD WHICH WAS TOO LARGE AND UNWIELDY. IN THESE CASES,

THEREFORE, SOME SLIGHT REDUCTION MAY BE NECESSARY IN THE NUMBER OF APPOINTED MEMBERS. LET ME MAKE IT QUITE CLEAR, HOWEVER, THAT THE GOVERNMENT FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT APPOINTED

MEMBERS CONSTITUTE AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF OUR SYSTEM OF PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT AND THAT IT SHOULD

BE RETAINED.

6. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) SECOND CONCLUSION OF THE REVIEW IS THAT INSOFAR AS SOME DISTRICTS (FOR EXAMPLE, TSUEN WAN) ARE LARGE AND COMPLEX CONURBATIONS IT MAY BE DESIRABLE IN THESE DISTRICTS TO CREATE BOARDS TO SERVE SMALLER GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS.

THIS POSSIBILITY WILL BE FURTHER EXAMINED.

7. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) THIRD CONCLUSION IS THAT, AS DISTRICT 30ARDS HAVE ALREADY MADE AN IMPACT ON THE MANAGEMENT

OF OUR DENSELY POPULATED URBAN AREAS, IT IS FOR CONSIDERATION

WHETHER THIS URBAN MANAGEMENT ROLE SHOULD SE DEVELOPED. IN

ADDITION, DISTRICT BOARDS COULD ASSIST IN THE MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTION OF THE USE OF FACILITIES, OTHER THAN SPECIALIST FACILITIES, WHICH HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FOR THE BENEFIT OF LOCAL

RESIDENTS. FURTHER EXAMINATION WILL BE GIVEN TO THESE AND OTHER

IDEAS WHICH THE BOARD THEMSELVES HAVE SUGGESTED, INCLUDING THE

NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE LINK BETWEEN DISTRICT BOARDS AND DISTRICT

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES.

3. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) FOURTH CONCLUSION IS THAT ANOTHER,

WHAT ONE MIGHT CALL QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL SHOULD BE

ESTABLISHED, TO COVER THE AREAS NOT UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE

URBAN COUNCIL. BY 1991 THERE WILL BE MORE PEOPLE LIVING NORTH

OF THE KOWLOON FOOTHILLS THAN THERE ARE IN KOWLOON AND THIS SHIFT

OF POPULATION TO THE NEW TOWNS DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR SUCH AN

ADDITIONAL QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL WITH POPULAR PARTI-

CIPATION TO CONTROL THE PROVISION OF THOSE CENTRALLY ADMINISTERED

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

THIS NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL IS CONSIDERED TO BE

NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE PRESENT ANOMALOUS SITUATION WHEREBY A

WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES IS PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC IN THE URBAN

AREAS BY THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

THE URBAN COUNCIL, BUT SIMILAR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO THE

SECRET -2-

/PUBLIC