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environmental pollution which is of growing importance in Hong Kong. During the year, studies were carried out on the granting of marine dumping licences, the control of livestock waste and the award of crop compensation as a result of land resumption. The Land Development Corporation was assisted in the preparation of new procedures to undertake surveys of buildings and their occupants.

A series of studies was completed, examining the financial systems of a number of voluntary welfare organisations which received large sums of public money. The major expenditure forecast for the new airport and the port development scheme has also necessitated the department's participation in a number of studies, in particular those by which government appoints its consultants and contractors.

Increasingly, the Corruption Prevention Department receives requests for advice from government organisations and public bodies. Subjects dealt with during the year included the proposed licensing of guesthouses; procurement instructions for the Government Supplies Department; the supplies procedures of subvented organisations, and ventilation and fire service installations. The department also collaborated closely with the Housing Department in devising and implementing an objective system to assess the performances of building contractors on housing projects.

One major activity of the department is to express its views on proposed legislation or proposed changes to existing legislation. During the year, the Waste Disposal Ordinance, -the Electricity Ordinance, the Gas Safety Ordinance and the Town Planning Ordinance were reviewed as was legislation related to the evolving pattern of elections in Hong Kong.

About 13 per cent of the department's resources are dedicated to providing advice to the private sector. Much of the effort is to help companies draw up ethical guidelines for their employees and to advise on internal control measures for preventing corruption. The Advisory Services Group also participates in various industries' attempts at self-regulation. Last year the group assisted the restaurant trade and the Travel Industry Council in drafting ethical guidelines and system control checklists.

Liaison with China in the form of discussions and seminars with officials and businessmen from China were held both in China and in Hong Kong. The mutual understanding gained is beneficial to both parties and will assume greater importance in the future. At all meetings the Chinese expressed great interest in the concepts of corruption prevention and the methods of the department.

Community Relations

It is the responsibility of the Community Relations Department to educate the public on the evils of corruption and to enlist public support to fight against it. In the long term, the aim is to inculcate proper social values and a greater sense of civic responsibility in the community. The department carries out its work through the mass media and direct personal contact with all sectors of the community.

A total of 16 806 liaison activities and 206 special liaison programmes were conducted by the commission's 11 local offices in 1990, reaching some 439 300 people broadly categorised as business managers, workers, public servants, young people and the general public.

Contact with the private sector was given priority in response to the increasing number of private sector corruption reports received in the past few years. Task force teams were specially set up to plan and co-ordinate liaison with selected trades and industries, resulting in a more focused approach in explaining the spirit and provisions of the Prevention of