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# HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

meet the aspirations of the public and whether they can tie in with the future development of the community.

I have to point out that there is a marked difference between the roles and functions of the District Boards and those of the Urban Council. While the District Boards provide a forum for public consultation and collection of public opinion on Government policy and administrative matters, the Urban Council, by virtue of the functions and powers prescribed by the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, makes policy decisions on culture, recreation and environmental health for implementation by the Urban Services Department. Therefore, the functions of the District Boards and Municipal Councils are entirely different. If the two-tier councils are merged, will it become a council with both policy-making and advisory roles to play? Moreover, will there be different policy decisions on the same issue by the various district councils formed after restructuring? For example, will they have different criteria and policies on liquor licensing, environmental hygiene and funding support? We must look into all these carefully. Hong Kong is only a small place with an area of 1070 km2. Should we have so many decision-making district councils? This is the major area that we have to give serious thought to.

In view of the above considerations and the actual circumstances in our society at present, I am opposed to the merging of the Municipal Councils and the District Boards and the setting up of another council structure. The Government should maintain the two-tier structure of the Municipal Councils and District Boards. As to the merging of the two Municipal Councils, I have no objection so long as this is based on operational needs, but serious consideration should be given to the necessary arrangements. The Government should be prepared to explain clearly why, despite the opposition from the vast majority of the Urban Councillors, it went ahead to set up the Regional Council ten years ago, which has led to the present situation. Without adequate justifications, the merging of the two Municipal Councils should not be implemented hastily in 1999.

Mr. Chairman, many government officials have given their views and put forward some recommendations on the way forward on the merging of the two Municipal Councils. I earnestly hope that the Government's consultation will be objective, fair and genuine. Unfortunately, there are some senior Government officials who deliberately lump the bird flu crisis and the restructuring together, in an attempt to slash the powers of the two Municipal Councils. It was reported that the Government envisages to reshuffle the environmental health branches of the existing Urban Services Department and the Regional Services Department and that this will be considered in conjunction with the restructuring of regional organisations now being studied by the Constitutional Affairs Bureau. The ultimate aim of the overhaul is, inter alia, to require the Directors of the two Departments to be accountable to the Secretary of a policy bureau of the Central Government instead of the two

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