TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 87

CHIEF SECRETARY : Sir, I am grateful to Mr. WONG for his

support of this motion.

Mr. WONG 's first point is that the dissolution

The dissolution this year

should be as short as possible.

will be as short as possible consistent with the existing

law and the constraints of the timetable for elections.

However, Sir, the Administration will look at these

arrangements to see whether further

further reductions could be

made in future years.

Mr. WONG 's second point is

that the President

should exercise his powers to appoint another Member to

preside in his absence as often as possible. Mr. WONG has Pe

also suggested that this Member

should not be an

Official. Sir, paragraph 60 of the White Paper on the

the Way Forward

Development of Representative Government:

states 'When the Governor cannot attend the Council, a

Member appointed by him, or the Senior Official Member

present, will preside in his place.' The Governor has

already used the power on a number of occasions, will no doubt continue to do so. The power does,of course,

rse enable

the Governor to appoint a Member other than an Official

Member.

se