ENG-2000 — Page 42

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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Area Committees were set up in 1972 to support the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign' and the 'Fight Violent Crime Campaign'. Nowadays, the functions of Area Committees are to encourage public participation in district affairs, help to organise community activities and government campaigns, and advise on issues of a local nature.

Mutual Aid Committees are building-based resident organisations, established to improve the security, cleanliness and general management of multi-storey buildings. The 73 Area Committees and 3 553 Mutual Aid Committees provide an extensive network of communication between the Government and the people at the grassroots level.

Attached to the District Offices are 19 public enquiry service centres, which provide a wide range of free services to members of the public, including answering general enquiries on government services; distributing government forms and information; administering oaths and declarations; and referring cases under the District Council members' meet-the-public scheme, the Free Legal Advice Scheme and the Rent Officer Scheme. The public enquiry service centres and the Central Telephone Enquiry Centre had 2.59 million clients in 2000.

New Framework for Delivery of Municipal Services

A new structure for the delivery of municipal services took effect on January 1, 2000. This followed the dissolution of the Provisional Urban Council and the Provisional Regional Council at the end of 1999 upon the enactment of the Provision of Municipal Services (Reorganisation) Ordinance that transferred the powers, functions and liabilities of the provisional municipal councils to the Government and statutory bodies.

In place of the Urban Services Department and the Regional Services Department, two new departments the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department have been established to deliver their services on a Hong Kong-wide basis.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has been set up under the Environment and Food Bureau to provide services in the areas of food safety and environmental hygiene. The bureau which is also underpinned by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Environmental Protection Department has assumed policy responsibility for food safety and environmental hygiene matters. The new structure facilitates speedy responses to food incidents and enhances food surveillance, risk assessment and communication capacities. It also helps to improve the quality of environmental hygiene services. The Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene has been set up to give advice and to monitor the Government's work in food safety and environmental hygiene.

A Liquor Licensing Board has been established to consider liquor licence applications. In addition, a Licensing Appeals Board has been set up to hear appeals against decisions on licensing of food and environmental hygiene as well as leisure matters. Both of these boards are statutory and independent bodies with members appointed from the community.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has been set up under the Home Affairs Bureau to promote arts and culture, sport and recreation. The membership of the Sports Development Board and the Arts Development Council has been