CONFIDENTIAL
167456
MDLIAN 4226
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22. THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE WAS COMPLETED AFTER THE LAST PUBLIC HEARING ON 4 MAY 1992. THE SELECT COMMITTEE WILL HAVE ABOUT ONE MONTH TO COMPILE ITS OWN RECOMMENDATIONS IN A REPORT TO BE TABLED IN THE FULL COUNCIL BEFORE THE END OF THE CURRENT SESSION IN MID-JULY 1992.
COMMENT
23.
OVERALL, MEMBERS HAVE SHOWN GREATER WILLINGNESS TO TONE DOWN ARGUMENTS IN PUBLIC. THEY ALSO SEEM ANXIOUS TO MAKE PROGRESS ON FINALISING THE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND TO AMEND THE RELEVANT STANDING ORDERS TO EFFECT ITS IMPLEMENTATION.
24.
MEMBERS HAVE ALSO FORMALLY ADOPTED THE PRACTICE OF ALLOWING TWO MOTION DEBATES AND ONE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE TO BE MOVED IN EACH REGULAR LEGCO SITTING. MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE DEBATES HAS, HOWEVER, OVERSHADOWED THE QUIET LEGISLATIVE WORK THAT GOES ON UNABATED.
25. INTEREST IN THE BUDGET. THOUGH STILL INTENSE, HAS BEEN OVERSHADOWED TO A LARGE EXTENT BY NEWS OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW GOVERNOR. CRC AND UDHK HAVE DECIDED TO SEND THEIR INDIVIDUAL DELEGATIONS TO UK IN MID-MAY. MEMBERS DECIDED AGAINST AN OMELCO OR LEGCO DELEGATION AS THEY COULD NOT REACH CONSENSUS ON MATTERS TO BE PUT TO HMG.
26.
PARTY POLITICS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WITH TAM YIU-CHUNG (LEADER OF THE PRO-CHINA FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS) AND ALLEN LEE (LEADER OF CRC) ANNOUNCING PUBLICLY THAT THEY WILL BE MOVING QUICKLY TO FORM THEIR OWN PARTIES AND PREPARE FOR THE 1995 LEGCO ELECTION.
27. APRIL 1992 ALSO SAW TWO SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES TO GOVERNMENT POLICIES. CHEUNG MAN-KWONG'S MOTION ALMOST SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGED THE POLICY OF INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE CLASSES OF PRIMARY I AND SECONDARY I LEVELS BY TWO PUPILS AND WAS ONLY DEFEATED BY RITA FAN'S AMENDMENT BY A VERY CLOSE MARGIN (SEE PARAS 9-10 ABOVE).
28. THE MEDIA ALSO PLAYED UP THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FC VOTING DOWN THE PROPOSAL FOR THE ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES FOR JOINING THE DIRECT SUBSIDY SCHEME, ALTHOUGH THE ACTUAL IMPACT IS LIMITED.
WILSON
PAGE 5 CONFIDENTIAL
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