ENG-1992 — Page 33

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

government services, distributing government forms and information materials, administering oaths and declarations for private use, and referring cases under the Meet-the-Public Scheme, Free Legal Advice Scheme and Rent Officer Scheme. During the year, a total of 9 498 480 cases were handled. To strengthen the public enquiry service and enable members of the public to make enquiries without having to travel to a public enquiry centre, a Central Telephone Enquiry Centre is also provided by the City and New Territories Administration.

In each district there is a district management committee, chaired by the district officer, comprising 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.

Area Committees and Mutual Aid Committees have become an important component of the district administration scheme. They were set up in the early 1970s throughout the territory 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 multi-storey buildings. At present, there are over 120 area committees and 4 100 mutual aid committees. They provide an extensive and effective network of communication between the government and the people at the local grass-root level.

During the year, the administration conducted a review of the district administration scheme. Improvement measures are implemented to enhance its effectiveness.

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 Kuk's chairman and the two vice-chairmen on the council.

The Urban Council and the Regional Council, which cover much the same fields in their respective areas, have, during the year, held liaison meetings and have also instituted joint ventures such as the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign. The annual Flower Show is also a responsibility of both councils and is held in each council's area in alternate years.

Starting from the 1991-2 Legislative Council session, the two municipal councils as well as the Heung Yee Kuk became functional constituencies, each returning one member to the Legislative Council.

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