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under greater pressure to speak up for their interest groups, and to prove by their diligence their value as new, elected, members. The media also expects more of them on this latter
score.
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Hong Kong has a well-developed and active range of pressure groups outside the legislature which have recently begun to support candidates for election to District Boards, the Urban Council, the Regional Council and
and the Legislative Council. These pressure groups do not function as political parties in a western sense.
Method of Work
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(a) Meetings: The Legislative Council meets in public sittings on ce a week except during short recesses. But the work of the Council continues in public and in private throughout the week (see following paragraphs). Members may speak in English or Cantonese: simultaneous interpretation is provided.
(b) President: The Governor presides at all sittings of Council when he is in Hong Kong, and is Chairman of committees of the whole Council. In his absence, a member appointed by the Governor (in practice the Chief Secretary) presides.
is
(c) Senior Unofficial Member: A leading Unofficial
appointed by the Governor as Senior Unofficial Member of the Council. This appointment exists by convention: not by specification in Standing Orders. He or she shepherds rather than leads LegCo colleagues, and deals with the Governor and the Chief Secretary on public business generally as well as in the Legislative Council and UMELCO contexts. (UMEL CO is a group established by long convention of Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Council: see para. 1 below)
(d) Legislation: Except for rare Bills of a private,
non-policy nature, all Bills are presented by Official members, i.e. the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Attorney General
Attorney General or Secretaries in charge
of
major public Departments, on behalf of the Administration. Bills are subject to three reading s and a committee stage. The question is put at each
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