ENG-2006 — Page 43

Constitution and Administration | 15

Office of the HKSAR Government in Beijing

The Beijing Office aims to enhance liaison and communication between the HKSAR Government and the Central People's Government and other Mainland authorities; strengthen the HKSAR's economic and trade liaison with Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Tibet; promote Hong Kong and encourage inward investment to Hong Kong from enterprises and corporations in these areas; process requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents in distress in the Mainland and handle immigration related matters.

The Beijing Office enables the HKSAR Government to have a better understanding of the developments and policies on the Mainland and to evaluate their possible implications for Hong Kong. The office also provides information on Hong Kong to the Mainland residents and handles their enquiries about Hong Kong. It handled 385 enquiries in 2006.

The office also promotes Hong Kong's business and professional sectors. In 2006, the office provided support to facilitate visits of various delegations including the HKSAR's and the financial services delegation's visits to Hunan Province. There are also regular publicity efforts through the mass media, such as weekly radio programmes which cover the entire Mainland.

The office also processes applications for entry to Hong Kong, liaise with and conducts negotiations on visa-free access with foreign diplomatic missions in Beijing, handles immigration-related enquiries, and provides assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress on the Mainland. In 2006, there were 5 594 entry applications, 17 431 enquiries and 405 requests for assistance, of which 136 are cases not related to personal safety.

Advisory and Statutory Bodies

The network of advisory and statutory bodies is a distinctive feature of the system of government. It seeks to tap professional expertise in the community and to encourage public participation in the Government's decision-making processes.

Advisory bodies give advice to the Government through senior government officials such as Principal Officials, Permanent Secretaries of Bureaux or Department heads. A few advisory bodies tender their advice directly to the Chief Executive. The areas of activities of advisory boards are wide-ranging. Some, such

as the Telecommunications Standards Advisory Committee, deal with the interests of a particular industry. Others advise on a particular area of government policy, such as the Transport Advisory Committee, while the District Councils deal with district. affairs. Statutory bodies, such as the Hospital Authority, are charged with legal powers and responsibilities to perform specific functions in accordance with the relevant legislations.

Over 4 000 members of the public are serving on about 400 advisory and statutory bodies. They include persons who are representatives of the relevant professions or the community; and appointees by the Government in view of their

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