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13.
The Basic Law Consultative Committee in Hong Kong has
continued to contribute to the drafting process by collecting the views of the Hong Kong people and reflecting these to the Basic Law Drafting Committee.
14.
The drafting of the Basic Law, which will in due course implement paragraph 3(12) of the Joint Declaration, is a matter for the Chinese Government but Her Majesty's Government naturally take
the closest interest in this process. The Government welcome the fact that the people of Hong Kong are able to participate in this important task. In contacts with the Chinese Government, the Government have expressed the view that the people of Hong Kong will attach the greatest importance to the Basic Law clearly and unambiguously reflecting all the provisions of the Joint
Declaration.
STRUCTURE AND MACHINERY OF GOVERNMENT
a) Review of Developments in Representative Government
15. The system of representative government in Hong Kong, which has changed and developed over the years, now functions on 3 separate but inter-connected levels: District Boards, the Municipal Councils and the Legislative Council.
16.
The District Boards are advisory bodies established in each of the 19 urban and New Territories administrative districts. Some
two-thirds of District Board members are directly elected, on the
basis of a franchise which includes all adults over the age of
twenty-one years who have resided in Hong Kong for a minimum of seven years. The remaining third of members are appointed by the Hong Kong Government.
17. The municipal councils, comprising the Urban and Regional Councils, are financially autonomous bodies with a range of statutory responsibilities for the provision of municipal services such as public cleansing, food hygiene and the provision and
The management of recreational, cultural and sporting facilities. Urban Council's authority extends over Hong Kong Island and Kowloon;
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