1975 — Page 142

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

people will object. So we have to accept that this is part of life. We can only wait for the completion of the new market project and then the problem can be solved. Before the new market is completed, we can only try our best to minimize hygienic hazards.

(2) MR. TSIN SAI-NIN asked the following question (in Cantonese):

A statement by an Urban Councillor which appeared in the press claimed that the Council has recently established a Public Relations Sub-Committee in order to curb state-ments made by Members of this Council. Could an authoritative statement be made to clarify the position so as to dispel any public misunderstanding?

MR. JOHN MACKENZIE, CHAIRMAN OF THE ADMINISTRATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. TSIN for giving me this opportunity to clear the air on this question.

I must first make it absolutely clear that the Public Relations Sub-committee is no innovation. Prior to the Council gaining financial autonomy in April 1973, the Council's public relations were the responsibility of a Finance and General Purposes Select Committee. In April 1973, the Council re-constituted its select committees, creating at the time an Administration Select Committee to which consideration of overall public relations was delegated. The Administration Select Committee then formed a sub-committee to go into public relations aspects more deeply. It must be made clear that a sub-committee has no power to make decisions; it can only recommend a course of action to the Select Committee to which the Council has delegated the responsibility.

On the question of curbing statements made by Members of this Council, I must state emphatically that no such recommendation was made to the Administration Select Committee by the sub-committee. The sub-committee rec-ommended, and the Administration Select Committee endorsed, a proposal that all policy statements or press releases on matters which affected the public directly should be co-ordinated through the Council's PR Section a perfectly reasonable line of action if the public is not to be confused, misled or otherwise inconvenienced by inconsistent flow of inaccurate information. That recom-mendation was formally endorsed by the Standing Com-mittee of the Whole Council at its meeting on 13th January.

The decision of the Standing Committee applied only to agreed Council policies and decisions and in no way inhibits individual Councillors from expressing their personal views provided it is made quite clear that such views represent personal opinions and not the agreed policies or decisions of the Council. I reiterate, there is no inten-tion of preventing Councillors from airing personal views freely provided this is made quite clear so as not to lead the public up the garden path.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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RESUMPTION OF ANNUAL CONVENTIONAL DEBATE

CHAIRMAN (in English):—I will now exercise my right of reply, under Standing Order 20, Section (17), on the motion:-

"THAT this Council endorse the Statement of Aims for 1976.".

The Statement of Aims sets out in clear terms what the ambitions of our select committees are. They have a purpose in common: to give more and better service to the community. Whether these aims can all be attained in 1976-77 depends mostly on the productive work that the select committees will do in partnership with the Urban Services Depart-ment. Some are likely to succeed more than others because of the human factor and also perhaps circumstances may be more propitious for some activities than others. Whatever the immediate future may be, there is still the need for all of us to think positively and act effectively.

Appreciation

Many people and organizations have given much assistance to the Council in many ways.

To all we are much obliged for what we were able to do together for the community. In particular, we appreciate very much the strong co-operation given us by the Director and all the staff of the Urban Services Department and the excellent service given by the Secretary and all in his section as well as the friendly assistance rendered by the many other government departments re-presented on our committees and sub-committees. We thank His Excellency the Governor for his encouragement and also the Colonial Secretary, with whom we work well.

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