ENG-1987 — Page 37

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Members may also question the government on policy issues for which the government is responsible, either seeking information on such issues or asking for official action on them. Members may request either oral or written answers to the questions asked, and supplementary questions for the purpose of elucidating an answer already given may also be asked.

Other business of the council includes motions on subsidiary legislation, statements and policy papers (Green Papers and White Papers) for debate. A complete record of all papers laid before the council together with a verbatim record of proceedings (Hansard) is kept in respect of each legislative session.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council consists of the Chief Secretary (Chair- man), the Financial Secretary, one official member of the council (at present the Secretary for Lands and Works) and all the remaining members other than official members. It scrutinises public expenditure, both at special meetings held in March at which members examine the draft Estimates of Expenditure, and at regular meetings held throughout the year to consider requests which entail changes to the provisions agreed by the Legislative Council in the estimates each year, or to note financial implications of new policies. Both the special and regular meetings are held in public. The Finance Committee has two sub- committees, the Establishment Sub-Committee and the Public Works Sub-Committee.

The Establishment Sub-Committee consists of 28 members of the Legislative Council, one of whom is the Chairman, plus the Secretary for the Civil Service and the Deputy Financial Secretary, who are the only public servants on the committee. It examines in detail proposals for directorate posts, the creation of new ranks and changes in salary scales and makes recommendations on them to the Finance Committee. It also considers reports on value for money studies and reports to Finance Committee on changes in departmental establishments and on the size and cost of the Public Service.

The Public Works Sub-Committee consists of the Financial Secretary (Chairman), the Secretary for Lands and Works and 25 other members. It reviews the progress and priority of works in the Public Works Programme, and makes recommendations to the Finance Committee on proposals for changes to the programme.

Public Accounts Committee

The Public Accounts Committee, established by resolution of the Legislative Council on May 10, 1978, is a standing committee of the Legislative Council consisting of a chairman and six members, none of whom is an official member of the council. The main function is to examine and report on the findings of the Director of Audit's Report on the audit of the government's annual statements of account prepared by the Director of Accounting Services, on any matter relating to the performance of his duties and the exercise of his powers under the Audit Ordinance, and on any matter relating to value-for-money audits carried out by the Director of Audit. Value-for-money audits are carried out under a set of guidelines tabled in the Legislative Council by the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee on November 19, 1986. The guidelines were agreed between the committee and the Director of Audit and have been accepted by the administration. The prime concerns of the committee are to see that public expenditure has not been incurred for purposes other than those for which the money was granted, that full value has been obtained for the sums expended, and that the administration has not been faulty or negligent in its conduct of financial affairs.