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The following is issued on the behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, said today (July 20) that LegCo had been able to complete its work quite smoothly in the current session and most of the legislative and funding proposals put forward by the Administration were passed. He pointed out that Members also needed to listen to views expressed by the public, so if the LegCo vetoed or amended the Government's proposals, it did not mean that the relationship between the Executive Authorities and the Legislature was worsened.
Speaking at the President's end-of-session briefing, Mr Tsang said that although at Members' request the Government made a dramatic change in this year's Budget and the Finance Committee voted down the funding proposal for the hosting of the Asian Games in 2023, the relationship between the Executive Authorities and the Legislature could not be described as worsening because from the point of view of public interest, it might be a good thing for Members to amend or veto the Government's proposals.
"As the Chief Executive and the Principal Officials always emphasise that the governance of the Administration should serve the best interest of the community and the welfare of the people of Hong Kong. If the Government's proposals are amended or voted down by Members, or at the request of Members, the Government revised its proposals to make them more acceptable to the public, this is in line with the objective of the governance of the Administration," Mr Tsang said.
He also maintained that like last year, this year's Administration-LegCo relationship could still be described as "It can be neither too good nor too bad".
Regarding the conduct of Members during meetings of the Council and its committees, Mr Tsang stressed that the LegCo had to strike a balance between the freedom of speech of Members and the smooth running of meetings. He said that the speech made by Members at the meetings was protected by the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, but if their behaviour constituted criminal offences, they would not be given immunity. He believed that there was already adequate safeguard for officials attending LegCo meetings.
Moreover, he promised that as the President of LegCo, he would seriously consider the way to promote the image of LegCo and enhance public understanding of the work and functions of LegCo and its Members. He hoped that members of the public could understand more about the work of LegCo Members that might not have attracted the attention of the media.
During the session, a total of 23 Government bills were passed by LegCo, of which 18 were passed with amendments. In addition, Members have completed the scrutiny of 128 items of subsidiary legislation through the negative vetting procedure and ten of the items were amended by resolution of the Council. Mr Tsang said all these figures demonstrated that LegCo Members were indeed very hardworking and conscientious. He also cited the recent increase in the number of urgent questions raised by Members as an example, saying that 11 urgent questions were raised in the current session, a sharp increase as compared with previous years.
Moreover, the Council passed a total of nine motions either to make or amend subsidiary legislation through the positive vetting procedure, and one was negatived. A total of 60 motions not intended to have legislative effect were debated by Members, and among these, 38 were passed with amendments, eight were passed without amendments, and the remaining 14 were negatived. Besides, a total of four motions on adjournment were moved by Members. On questions, Members asked a total of 178 oral questions and followed with 847 supplementary questions. In addition, another 472 questions seeking written replies by the Government were also asked by Members.
On the relocation of LegCo, Mr Tsang made it clear that the LegCo still targeted at moving to the new LegCo Complex before the start of the new legislative session in October this year. Before removal, however, the LegCo had to ensure that all the facilities in the new LegCo Complex and its overall safety standard would meet the basic requirements. He emphasised that Members would not create any trouble or raising unreasonable demands in order to delay the removal.
In view of the Members' concerns about the transport and traffic arrangements of the new LegCo Complex, Mr Tsang said that he had conveyed those concerns to the Administration for consideration. He hoped he would have a favourable reply from the Administration soon.
Ends/Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:36
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