ENG-1977 — Page 293

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

The government's policy is to accord Chinese equal status with English in govern- ment communications with the public and to promote the widest possible use of Chinese in government departments. To ensure conformity with the policy, a pro- gramme of regular inspections of government departments was started in June, 1977, to monitor performance and evaluate the quality of the services provided.

Throughout the year, the Chinese Language Division of the Home Affairs Depart- ment continued to undertake advanced translations of documents of major signific- ance. Assignments included the Governor's policy speech at the opening of the Legis- lative Council; the Financial Secretary's Budget Speech; the Hong Kong Annual Report (Hong Kong 1978); the White Paper on the further development of rehabili- tation services in Hong Kong; the Hong Kong Narcotics Report 1976-7; the Report on the Slope Failure at Sau Mau Ping in August, 1976; the British Nationality Law-Discussion of Possible Changes; the Green Paper on Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education; and other Green Papers.

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The division also continued to sponsor a Hong Kong-wide youth cultural and arts competition that included contests in translation, Chinese writing, speech making, inter-school debate, Chinese calligraphy and painting, and radio quizzes on the know- ledge of Chinese philosophy, culture and literature. These contests aim at promoting public interest in the study of the Chinese language and culture, and raising the standards of Chinese among the younger members of the community.

New Territories Administration

The Secretary for the New Territories is generally responsible to the government on New Territories affairs and for the promotion of the welfare of its inhabitants. Working to the secretary are District Officers in charge of the seven geographical districts in the New Territories - Islands, Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long. The secretary is the land authority in the New Territories, which means that the main executive functions of the New Territories Administration are bound to the allocation, disposal, acquisition and control of land.

The political role of the Secretary for the New Territories complements that played by the Secretary for Home Affairs in the urban areas. He especially must ensure that government policies and decisions are explained to, and fully understood by, the people affected. To this end, the District Offices are at the core of a well-developed and expanding system of contacts between the people and the government.

Each of the 651 villages of the New Territories has one or more 'Village Represent- atives' elected or otherwise nominated from among household heads. These villages are grouped into 27 Rural Committee areas, each with its own Rural Committee chairman. The Village Representatives and Rural Committee chairmen maintain a channel of communication between their communities and the District Offices, arbitrate in clan and family disputes, and give advice and help to the people in their villages. The Rural Committees also carry out minor works and other tasks on behalf of the government, receiving a small monthly subvention to help cover expenses. The chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Rural Committees, along with certain other community leaders in the New Territories, form the Heung Yee Kuk

or Rural Consultative Council - a statutory body established to advise government on New Territories matters. The Secretary for the New Territories and the Kuk meet regularly