ENG-2001 — Page 44

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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During the session under review, the PAC examined the Director of Audit's Report on the Accounts of the Government of the HKSAR for the year ended March 31, 2000 and the Director's Reports on the Results of Value for Money Audits. The PAC held 15 public hearings and 29 internal meetings during the period. The conclusions and recommendations of the committee are contained in PAC Report Nos. 35 and 36 tabled in the Legislative Council on February 14 and July 4, respectively.

Committee on Members' Interests

The Committee on Members' Interests considers matters pertaining to members' declaration of interests and matters of ethics in relation to their conduct. It is also empowered to investigate complaints regarding members' registration and declaration of interests, and make recommendations to the council relating to matters concerning members' interests. The committee examines arrangements for the compilation, maintenance and accessibility of the Register of Members' Interests. The committee comprises seven members who are appointed by the President of the Legislative Council in accordance with an election procedure determined by the House Committee.

House Committee

The House Committee consists of all members except the President. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the committee are elected by the members of the House Committee. The committee normally meets on Friday afternoons and is responsible for dealing with matters related to the work of the Legislative Council and preparing members for council meetings. It decides whether bills committees or subcommittees should be formed to scrutinise bills and subsidiary legislation that have been introduced into the Legislative Council. During the 2000-2001 session, a total of 36 regular meetings of the House Committee were held.

The House Committee also holds special meetings to discuss issues of public concern. During the session under review, the House Committee held a special meeting to discuss with the new Chief Secretary for Administration his plans and aspirations and other issues of public concern.

Committee on Rules of Procedure

The Committee on Rules of Procedure is responsible for reviewing the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council and its committees, and proposing to the council such amendments or changes as are considered necessary. The committee consists of 12 members who are appointed by the President of the Legislative Council in accordance with an election procedure determined by the House Committee.

During the session under review, the committee held a total of nine meetings and deliberated on a wide range of subjects, in particular those which would enhance the effectiveness of the council in examining government policies and scrutinising legislative and financial proposals. In this connection, the committee conducted a review on the working mechanism of panels and bills committees and recommended a series of measures to ensure early consultation with panels on the Government's legislative and financial proposals, and to allow more thorough discussion of such proposals before their formal presentation to the council. The committee also proposed the implementation, on a trial basis, of a new mode of debate on the Chief