TNAG-1287-FCO40-1638-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 21

requires that an order to attend be notified by way of

summons under the hand of the Clerk. Clause 11

empowers the Council and its committees to require

evidence to be given on oath and authorizes the

administration of an oath. If a person fails to

attend to give evidence in response to a summons,

clause 12 empowers the President to cause an arrest

warrant to be issued and makes provision for the

release of such person on entering into a

recognizance.

Clause 13 makes provision for the

case of a witness who does not wish to answer a

question or produce a document on the grounds that it

is of a private nature and does not affect the subject

of the inquiry and enables the President to order that

the question or document be answered or produced, or

that the same be not answered or produced. Clause

14 confers privilege on witnesses equal to that

before a court of law, and requires that the consent

of the Governor be obtained before questions or

documents relating to certain matters be asked or

produced. Clause 15 requires that no evidence of

proceedings before the Council or a committee be given

elsewhere without the prior consent of the Council or

that committee. Clause 16 provides that any

question relating to evidence or the production of

documents be determined in accordance with usage in

the Parliament of the United Kingdom. By clause 17

a witness answering fully and faithfully questions put

to him shall be entitled to a certificate to that