CONFIDENTIAL
5
7.
As to our 'audit' role, we were conscious of
its delicate character. We have had to keep in close
touch with the Commissioner and his colleagues in the
Assessment Office, to scrutinise the material on which
they were working, and to be able to raise any questions
we wished at those of their meetings we attended. At
the same time, we had to avoid trespassing, in any way,
on the proper preserves of the Commissioner and his staff.
We are grateful for the cooperative way in which they
gave us access to every aspect of their work, and to all
the material contributing to the Assessment Office report.
8.
It was equally important that our 'witness'
role should not be misunderstood. As our terms of reference
made clear, it was not for us either to "receive expressions
of public views" or to attempt our own assessment of the
extent of acceptance of the draft agreement. At the same
time, we were convinced that our attendance, as passive
witnesses, at selected parts of the consultation process
would add to the credibility of our role, particularly
in the eyes of Hong Kong, and also assist us in our principal
task of monitoring the work of the Assessment Office.
9.
In brief, we discharged our auditing functions
as Monitors in the following way:-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.