ENG-1987 — Page 39

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

of the questions in the Legislative Council are raised. OMELCO is also a channel through which the public may express grievances. Members deal with public representations on government policy, appeals and complaints alleging maladministration by government officers. A full record of the work of OMELCO is contained in its annual report.

The Legislative Council Building, which houses the Council Chamber, also provides accommodation for members and staff of the OMELCO Secretariat. The office is not a government department, although it is funded by the government and includes a number of seconded government officers who provide research and administrative support to members.

Urban Council, Regional Council and District Administration

Urban Council

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The Urban Council is the statutory council with responsibilities for the provision of municipal services to almost 3.6 million people in the urban areas. As such, the council has considerable executive authority and is charged with full responsibility over a wide range of municipal functions. These functions include street cleansing, collection of refuse, control of general environmental hygiene, and ensuring the hygienic handling and preparation of food in, among other places, restaurants, shops and abattoirs.

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During the past two years the council conducted a comprehensive review of the policy governing street traders and public markets. District boards were consulted and the Commissioner of Police provided two senior officers to give a police input to formulate proposals. Control of street traders (hawkers) has proved difficult because of the large scale and long tradition of the practice of hawking in Hong Kong.

Within the urban area, the Urban Council also provides and manages all public sporting facilities such as swimming pools, parks, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor stadia, tennis courts, football grounds, squash courts and basketball courts and promotes a large number of sports at district level. The council manages museums, public libraries and several major cultural venues and multi-purpose facilities, including the City Hall, Queen Elizabeth Stadium and Hong Kong Coliseum. It is currently engaged in planning for the construction of a major Museum of Science and Technology. Meanwhile, a new Museum of Art is also under construction within the Hong Kong Cultural Complex area, in Kowloon, which will also contain a new concert hall, opera house and theatre to complement facilities already being run by the council elsewhere in the urban area -- a new theatre was opened during the year in the Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre. The council promotes cultural performances and runs a comprehensive programme of public entertainment throughout the urban areas.

The council consists of 30 members, 15 elected from district constituencies and 15 appointed by the Governor. It meets in public once a month, when it passes by-laws, deals with finances, formal motions and questions on its activities. The routine business of the council is conducted by the Standing Committee of the whole council supported by 13 select committees and 21 sub-committees. The standing committee now conducts most of its business in public, and the Liquor Licensing Board and the Libraries, Food Hygiene and Clean Hong Kong Select Committees have opened their meetings to the public.

The council's chief executive is the Director of Urban Services, who controls the operations of the Urban Services Department with a staff of 18 000. The director is charged with carrying out the council's policies and implementing its decisions.

The council has been financially autonomous since 1973, and during 1987-8 will be spending about $2,400 million on council-controlled activities and projects. The council is