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An Order seeking to include four public bodies to the Schedule 1 to The Ombudsman Ordinance (Cap. 397) is gazetted today (November 6). The four bodies are the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Civil Aid Service, the Consumer Council and the Estate Agents Authority.
The Ombudsman is empowered under The Ombudsman Ordinance to investigate any action taken by or on behalf of an organisation specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1 in the exercise of its administrative functions. At present, The Ombudsman has jurisdiction over nearly all government departments and agencies, except those organisations set out in Part II of Schedule 1 (including the Hong Kong Police Force and the Independent Commission Against Corruption) over which The Ombudsman only has jurisdiction on matters relating to the exercise of their administrative functions in relation to the Code on Access to Information.
A spokesman for the Administration Wing said, "The Ombudsman has conducted a review of his jurisdiction and submitted Part I and II of his report to the Administration in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Having consulted the relevant bureaux/departments and public bodies, we intend to bring the aforementioned four public bodies under the jurisdiction of The Ombudsman."
The spokesman added, "The effective date of the Amendment Order will be appointed by the Director of Administration in the Gazette. We will further liaise with the relevant bureaux and public bodies concerned on the implementation date."
The Order will be tabled in the Legislative Council on November 11.
Ends/Friday, November 6, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:07
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