TNAG-1360-FCO40-1806-Procedural-changes-in-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 17

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made, or amendments requiring further drafting which the Council may have required before publication.

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The bill is published on blue paper in Supplement No. 3 to the Government Gazette ten days after the Governor in Council has ordered that it be introduced into the Legislative Council. The Clerk to the Legislative Council will automatically include the bill in the Legislative Council Order Paper. If it is considered desirable to allow extra time for public opinion to emerge, the bill may be published in Supplement No. 5 to the Government Gazette stating that it is not intended to introduce the bill into the Legislative Council until a later date. This procedure is normally used only where the provisions of the bill are complex, so that the public requires time to study the bill in detail.

Subsequent proceedings in the Legislative Council

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When the bill is introduced into the Legislative Council, it may be passed in one, two or three sittings. The normal practice is for all stages of non-controversial bills to be

to be taken in two sittings. The three sittings procedure is used if the bill is important or controversial So that more time is available for the expression of public opinion, and

any proposals amendment from interested bodies can be considered.

Single sitting procedure

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for

A bill will only be taken through all stages, i.e. first reading, second reading debate, committee stage and third reading, in a single sitting, if there is a sufficient degree of urgency whereby that

urgency whereby that course can be justified in the public interest. The proceedings under this arrangement are similar to those under the two-sitting procedure except that the second reading debate is taken without adjournment.

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Two-sitting procedure

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The stages of a bill under the two-sitting procedure are