TNAG-1361-FCO40-1807-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1985 — Page 138

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Sir,

Statement by Mr P Jacobs, Secretary for Economic

Services,

in the Legislative Council

on 13 March 1985

Consultancy to review the Government's Monitoring Arrangements of the Power Companies

Members will recall that on 24 November 1982,

there was

a

debate in this Council

on

the motion of Mr

Andrew So welcoming the publication of the Scheme of

Control Agreements including those relating to the two

power companies.

2.

In the course of the debate some Members

expressed concern that the existing monitoring

arrangements did not serve the public interest because

first there was no public involvement in the process, and

second there was a danger that Government might accept too

readily the position of the power companies.

In

answer I

mentioned that we were considering the possibility of

appointing independent professional consultants to examine

our monitoring arrangements in order to see whether they

accomplished the purposes for which they were designed.

added that the proposal, if implemented, could give that

was clearly needed.

reasonable

assurance to the public that

I

/3.

In due