ENG-1970 — Page 318

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

243

the Supreme Court, and in all appeals heard in the Supreme Court and the Full Court.

The Legal Aid Department was established as a separate depart- ment, independent of the Judiciary, on July 1, 1970.

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URBAN COUNCIL

The Urban Council consists of a maximum of 26 members, six ex officio, 10 elected unofficial members and not more than 10 unofficial members appointed by the Governor. The term of office of an unofficial member (which term includes both elected and appointed members) is four years. Of the ex officio members, the Chairman (who is appointed by the Governor) is the Director of the Urban Services Department, while the Vice-chairman is the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services in charge of the health division of that department. The other ex officio members are the Secretary for Home Affairs, the Director of Public Works, the Director of Social Welfare and the Commissioner for Resettle-

ment.

The Council meets monthly, though most of its business is con- ducted by 17 select committees which meet at frequent intervals. Unofficial_members of the Council are in the majority on all select committees, and the chairman of each committee is an unofficial member.

The main responsibilities of the Council are sanitation and hygiene, licensing and inspection of food premises and factories, offensive trades, bathhouses and laundries, running of markets and abattoirs, licensing and control of hawkers, management of ceme- teries and crematoria, and control of funeral parlours, licensing of advertisement signs, management of the City Hall and public libraries, management of government car parks and the control and maintenance of places of public recreation, such as bathing beaches, swimming pools, tennis courts, squash courts and parks and play- grounds in the urban areas. The Urban Council is also the com- petent authority for the management of resettlement cottage areas and estates and resettlement factories in the urban areas. Policies and decisions of the Council are carried out by the Urban Services Department and, in the case of resettlement estate management, by the Resettlement Department.