ENG-2013 — Page 27

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Constitution and Administration

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committee considers the evidence sufficient to substantiate such charges, the Legislative Council may pass a motion of impeachment by a two-thirds majority of all its members and report it to the Central People's Government for decision; and

• To summon, as required when exercising the above-mentioned powers and functions, persons concerned to testify or give evidence.

Composition

According to the Basic Law, the Legislative Council of the HKSAR shall be constituted by election. The Fifth Legislative Council (2012-2016) comprises 70 members, of whom 35 were returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections and 35 were returned by functional constituencies. The term of office of the Fifth Legislative Council is four years from 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2016. The President of the Legislative Council is elected by and from among the council's members.

Meetings of the Legislative Council

The Legislative Council normally meets on Wednesdays. The business at its regular meetings includes introducing and considering bills and proposed resolutions; the tabling of subsidiary legislation, papers and reports for the Legislative Council's consideration; asking of questions for replies from the government; and debating motions concerning matters of public interest. All meetings of the council are open to the public. Members may address the council in Cantonese, English or Putonghua, with simultaneous interpretation provided. Since January 2013, simultaneous sign language interpretation service has also been provided for all meetings of the council. The proceedings are recorded verbatim in the Official Record of Proceedings of the Legislative Council.

During the 2012-2013 legislative session (from October 2012 to July 2013), the Legislative Council held 37 meetings, five of which were the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Sessions. During the 2012-2013 session, members asked 145 oral questions on the work of the government with 907 supplementary questions, and another 473 written questions. The council also passed 14 bills. All 18 motions moved by the government under the positive vetting procedure to seek the council's approval to either make or amend subsidiary legislation were passed. On subsidiary legislation subject to the negative vetting procedure, the council completed the scrutiny of five items which had been tabled in council in the 2011-2012 session. Of the 124 items of subsidiary legislation tabled in the 2012-2013 session, the council completed the scrutiny of 117 items, with seven of them amended by resolutions of the council. The scrutiny of the remaining seven items continued into the 2013-2014 session. In addition, one Technical Memorandum was tabled in the council for scrutiny in the 2012-2013 session.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee consists of all Legislative Council members except the President. The Committee's Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected from among its members. The committee normally meets in public on Friday afternoons to scrutinise and approve public expenditure proposals to change the approved Estimates of Expenditure put forward by the

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