TNAG-1287-FCO40-1638-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 261

SECRET 高度機密

14.

37.

In the case of the functional constituencies it is proposed that the present informal

system of selecting members from a wide range of such constituencies, which has grown up over many years and has provided much specialist knowledge and valuable expertise, should be developed into a more formal representative system by the introduction of appropriate arrangements for the election by each of these functional constituencies of one or more representatives to serve on the Legislative Council. For example, the representatives of the legal profession might be elected jointly by the members of the Bar Association and the Law Society; and the present system of electing trades union representatives to the Labour Advisory Board might also be used to elect the representatives of labour organisations. The main chambers of commerce and industrial organisations might elect the representatives of commerce and industry. However, in order to qualify as an elector in any of the functional constituencies it would be necessary to be a registered elector on the general electoral roll. These arrangements would be introduced progressively with a view to the eventual number, of members elected by the functional constituencies being 20.

the

38.

All those functional constituencies from which members of the Legislative Council are drawn at present, e.g., commerce, industry, the medical profession, the legal profession, educational institutions, financial sector and labour organisations, should be represented on the Legislative Council. There may also be some other functional constituencies which should be represented on the Council if they cover a sufficiently large and important sector of the community to justify inclusion, e.g.

traditional organisations and other major professions. The number of representatives to be elected by each functional constituency would vary according to its size and significance.

39.

It is proposed that these new arrangements for the indirect election of Unofficial members of the Legislative Council to represent geographical constituencies and functional constituencies should be introduced in three stages in 1985, 1988, and 1991. These years have been proposed on the assumption that all Unofficial members of the Legislative Council would hold office for a term of three years, because they are the years

in which District Board elections will take place and because the largest proportion of members of the electoral college will be elected District Board members. To wait until after the next Urban Council and new Regional Council elections in 1986 would result in

SECRET 高度機密