ENG-1996 — Page 37

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Railway projects, studying the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and monitoring progress of the legislation for the mentally handicapped.

A panel can also conduct public hearings to solicit views from the public on issues. of public concern. Public hearings were held in 1996 by the Panel on Home Affairs to solicit views on issues related to human rights and racial discrimination. The Panel on Constitutional Affairs also conducted public hearings on matters relating to the transition leading up to the change in sovereignty in 1997.

On matters of wide public concern, a panel may conduct enquiries and, for such purposes, may seek authority from the council to exercise the power to summon under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, Cap 382. In 1996, the Panel on Manpower was granted such authority for the purpose of conducting an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the labour disputes involving imported workers under the Special Labour Importation Scheme for the Airport Core Programme Projects and related issues, and made a series of recommendations to improve the vetting mechanism and administration of the scheme in the light of the findings of the enquiry.

Select Committees

The Legislative Council may appoint select committees to consider matters or scrutinise bills in depth. The purpose is to let small groups of members examine complex problems and report their findings and recommendations to the council. All select committees are dissolved at the end of a session.

Redress System

Legislative Councillors operate a redress system under which members of the public can make representations on, or seek solutions to, problems arising from government policies, decisions and procedures. Under the system, members take turns to be on 'ward duty' during their duty week to meet individual complainants and to give on- the-spot guidance to staff in processing cases.

Cases are examined in the light of government policies and procedures. If members consider a complaint to be justified, they will ask the government department concerned to reconsider the matter or to re-examine the procedures that have given rise to the complaint. Cases involving matters of policy, or of particular importance, are put to the appropriate Legislative Council panels for further consideration. Where a change in policy or in law is considered necessary, members will make recommendations to the appropriate policy branch in the Government Secretariat. Members may also ask questions during council sittings on the problem itself, or the policy giving rise to it.

During the 1995-96 session, more than 1 450 new cases were handled. About 22 per cent were group representations, while the rest were complaints and requests for assistance from individuals. Members initiated 63 case conferences with representatives of the Administration. More than 1 800 telephone enquiries were handled.

Legislative Council Commission and Secretariat

Administrative support and services are provided to the council through a secretariat under the direction of the Legislative Council Commission. The commission is

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