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THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG

The Functional Constituencies

12. The Green Paper stressed that full weight should be given to representation of the economic and professional sectors of Hong Kong society which are essential to future confidence and prosperity. It was therefore proposed that the present informal system of selecting unofficial members of the Legislative Council from functional constituencies should be developed into a formal representative system for the election of one or more representatives from each functional constituency to serve on the Legislative Council. It was also proposed that these arrangements should be introduced progressively, with six unofficial members being elected by functional constituencies in 1985 and 12 in 1988.

13. A further detailed examination has been conducted to identify functional consti- tuencies with the object of ensuring that those major sectors of the community having common social, economic and occupational interests are represented. It has been concluded that these would be best served initially by the election of 12 members from nine constituencies, namely commercial, industrial, financial, labour, social services, education, legal, medical, and engineers and associated professions.

14. The main guidelines which have been applied in determining the composition of these functional constituencies and eligibility to vote in them are as follows:

(a) In the case of economic and social constituencies, these will be based on well- recognised major organisations, associations, and institutions with a territory-wide coverage. The lists of the voting members of these organisations will be adopted as the electoral rolls for these constituencies. Corporate members will nominate representatives to vote on their behalf.

(b) In the case of professional constituencies, these will be based on membership of those professions with well-established and recognised qualifications. The electoral rolls for these constituencies will be based on either the membership lists of the various major professional bodies and institutions or on the statutory registers of members of those professions.

15. Further details of the composition of the functional constituencies which have been identified and the number of seats to be allocated to them are given in Appendix B.

16. The electoral rolls will be published initially in the normal way as provisional rolls and thereafter as definitive or final rolls. Provision will be made for annual revision of the electoral rolls in the case of functional constituency organisations by notification by them of any addi- tions or deletions to their membership lists, but for the names of those nominated to represent corporate bodies to be varied at any time by advice in writing to the registration officer; and also for the constituencies to be defined and for the seats in each constituency to be declared by order. It is otherwise proposed that the provisions dealing with the nomination of candidates, the lodgement of nomination papers, the voting procedure and conduct of elections, the proces- sing of election appeals and so on should be as in the existing Electoral Provisions Ordinance and associated legislation applicable to the Urban Council and district board elections.

17. As in the case of the electoral college constituencies the qualifications for nomina- tion as a functional constituency candidate will be that the nominee shall have registered as a voter on the general electoral roll and have resided in Hong Kong for the 10 years immediately prior to the date of his nomination and, additionally, the nominee shall also have registered as a voter for that constituency. It will also be necessary to be a registered voter on the general electoral roll to qualify as a voter in a functional constituency.

18. Consultations will be held with the organisations and professional bodies which will make up the functional constituencies, with a view to working out detailed arrangements for the 1985 elections.