TNAG-1448-FCO40-1947-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1986 — Page 91

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6.

(ii) by reducing the number of Government officials

from 18 to 10 and the number of other appointed members from 29 to 22.

Under the new system nine Functional Constituencies return a total of 12 members. They are made up of individuals

with recognised professional qualifications (e.g. doctors, lawyers, engineers) or with specific organisational affiliations (e.g. Chambers of Commerce, trades unions) who elect from among their own number. The Electoral College

consists of twelve constituencies, ten made up of the members of District Boards and one each from the Urban and Regional Councils. They can elect anyone in Hong Kong who is a registered elector and meets residence qualifications. fact at present ten seats are filled by District Board members and the other two by a member each from the Urban and Regional

Councils.

1.

In

It was stated in the 1984 White Paper that a review of progress in the development of representative government

would be carried out in 1987. Further consideration would

then be given to direct elections, and to the position of the

Governor as President of the Legislative Council. Elections

to the Legislative Council were conducted on the new basis in

September 1985. The next Legislative Council elections will

be held in September 1988.

Timetable for the 1987 Review and the assessment of public

opinion

8.

It is the announced intention of the Hong Kong

Government that the review should be launched with the

publication of a Green Paper no later than May 1987. Some four to five months will be allowed for public consultation, and a White Paper setting out the Government's proposals will be put to the Legislative Council in November or December 1987.