ENG-1989 — Page 48

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

well received by the general public and proved effective in providing a direct channel for collecting public views on local issues and reflecting them to the government.

In each district there is a district management committee. The committee, chaired by the district officer, comprises representatives of departments providing essential services in the district. It serves as a forum for inter-departmental consultation on district matters and co-ordinates the provision of public services and facilities to ensure that district needs are met promptly. The committee works closely with the district board and, as far as possible, follows the advice given by the board.

The 67 Public Enquiry Centres in the 19 District Offices and their sub-offices handled 17.4 million cases during the year. These centres provide a wide range of free services to members of the public, including answering general enquiries on government services, distributing government forms and information materials, administering oaths and declarations, and referring cases under the Meet-the-Public Scheme, Free Legal Advice Scheme and Rent Officer Scheme.

Area committees and mutual aid committees have become an important component of the district administration scheme. They were set up throughout the territory in the early 1970s in support of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign and Fight Violent Crime Campaign. Each area committee serves a population of about 40 000 to 50 000, and members are appointed from a wide spectrum of the community. Mutual aid committees are building-based resident organisations established to improve the security, cleanliness and general management of largely multi-storey buildings. At present, there are 125 area committees and 4 323 mutual aid committees. They provide an extensive and effective network of communication between the government and the people at the local grass- roots level.

Links Between the Representative Institutions

The Urban Council and the Regional Council are closely linked to the district boards. Each district board in the urban area has a representative member on the Urban Council. In addition to a similar arrangement between the Regional Council and the district boards in the New Territories, members of the latter are also included in the district committees under the Regional Council. Through these channels, the district boards are consulted on a wide range of council matters affecting their areas.

New Territories district boards maintain a close relationship with the Heung Yee Kuk (a statutory advisory body which represents the indigenous population of the New Territories). Seats are reserved on the district boards for rural committee chairmen who are also ex-officio members of the Heung Yee Kuk's executive committee.

The Regional Council also has a formal link with the Heung Yee Kuk, through the ex-officio membership of the chairman and the two vice-chairmen on the council. Moreover, three of its appointed members have also been chosen from members of the Heung Yee Kuk to ensure a strong relationship with the traditional inhabitants of the New Territories.

The Urban Council and Regional Council, which cover much the same fields in their respective areas, have, during the year, set up liaison meetings between the two bodies and have also instituted joint ventures. In particular the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee now encompasses both councils. The annual Flower Show is also a responsibility of both councils and is held in each council's areas in alternate years.

At present the district boards are grouped into 10 electoral college constituencies, each returning one member to the Legislative Council. The Urban Council and Regional

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