TNAG-1723-FCO40-2436-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 99

11.

(a)

the

group

discussions

before

conducting the second

survey when AGB McNair

aga in

the discovered

same

serious problems.

Two

questions

therefore

cry

out

to be answered by

A GB

McNair.

First,

why

did it

draft

and use

such

questionnaire

when all the experts in the

same field are agreed

that no professional surveyor

would

ever

think of

using

it?

Secondly, why did AGB McNair do nothing to improve

it?

from the experts is that in spite of

Another matter which has attracted general criticism

earlier demands that the

con contents

of

the

questionnaire

insisted

be made public, both the Survey

not to disclose them.

When

Office and AGB McNair

asked by

our Panel at one of our meetings, the answer given was

that it was thought undesirable

to

the disclose

questions

in

advance,

rehearsal.

for

fear

the that

respondents

would be given a

Now, experts

wrong, have said that this was

because

A GB McNair was not dealing here with a product like a detergent

when it would be desirable to have the

spontaneous

reaction of

the

respondents.

But

from the

nature

and complexity of

the

issues raised in the Green Paper, it would have

desirable to tell the potential

questions they would be asked, so that

respondents

been much more

beforehand what

of

their answers would be

based

on

informed opinion.

Indeed, there seemed to be no point

in keeping secret the contents of the Questionnaire when

at all