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The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
In response to media enquiries, the Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo), Mr Lam Woon-kwong, today (October 30) stated the following:
ˇ§With regard to the special ExCo meeting on October 26, confidentiality was kept to a top level prior to the meeting. Non-Official ExCo Members were informed only a few hours before the meeting, without knowing the topic of discussion nor receiving any paper in advance. Members were invited to declare their interest again in order to decide whether Members should participate in or withdraw from the discussion before the ExCo Secretariat distributed related documents. Mr Franklin Lam was out of town on October 26 and did not attend the meeting nor receive any discussion papers.
ˇ§The Chief Executive cautioned all Members, at the first meeting of the current-term ExCo, that we should take our declaration of interest seriously as the public demands a high level of integrity from the ExCo Members.
ˇ§The ExCo Secretariat regularly reminds the Members concerned to withdraw from discussion of an item in which the Member has any exclusionary interests. Members, if in doubt, may seek the Secretary for Justiceˇ¦s advice as necessary as to whether there might be a conflict of interest.ˇ¨
Ends/Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:57
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