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12
42.
The
A legislature which lacks access to independent research seems to me to be fundamentally flawed since it cannot form a true and objective judgement of Government policies. importance of this point was brought home to me by a Congressional staffer who believed that Congress failed to stop America's disastrous drift into the Vietnam War because in those days it had not developed an independent research capacity, whereby it could have asked the right questions of the Executive.
43.
LegCo may also be under resourced in a qualitative manner. Traditionally OMELCO's Senior Staff have been drawn from the Government's Administration Service and the Legal Department, the brains of the public service. They have served OMELCO well bringing dedication and their high analytical skills to their tasks. However, they have not been trained in the skills which underpin legislatures elsewhere. A key element of such legislatures is that their staffs provide the "memory", that is the detailed knowledge of the rules, precedents and procedures which services the Speaker and Committee Chairman.
44.
The larger legislatures are able to develop and maintain their "memories" because they offer their staff a lifetime career. In a small legislature such as Hong Kong's it may not be possible to build a full career structure, but we should at least consider buying out high calibre, mid-career Civil Servants for the Senior posts and investing in their training, or recruiting lawyers from the private sector.
In particular we should ensure that a Clerk of the highest calibre is nominated, not only as the Speaker's principal adviser on procedure, but as the Chief Executive in charge of the permanent staff. It is no accident that the Clerk of the British House of Commons, the Clerk of the Canadian House of Commons and Clerk of the US House of Representatives have a status and benefits package which puts them at the top of the public service ladder.
45.
My final recommendation in this section is that LegCo should consider the extent to which future computerisation might assist in its work: I was very impressed by the effective use of computers by Congress.
46.
My recommendations in this Section will undoubtedly be costly to implement but I foresee opportunities of cost saving once LegCo has been separated from the Administration and can establish its own management culture. For example computerisation would enable us to reduce middle management while there would also be a case for flattening the management hierarchy. At the same time resources should be made available for transfer with a run down of Swire House and the re-employment of its staff in some of the new areas I have suggested.
47.
As an MBA I would be happy to offer further advice on the management and administrative issues, employing my experience in management consultancy in the public sector.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.