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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
From now on, tax-exempted organisations committed to youth development may apply for holding mock Council debates in the Legislative Council (LegCo) Building as an annual event.
Mock Council debates are held on Saturday afternoons as a means to enhance young people's awareness of public administration and legislative process. This initiative was introduced in 2005 and since then, a total of 19 mock debates had been held. Under this programme, tax-exempted organisations with youth work as one of their major areas of activities may bid for a debate slot for holding a debate on either a bill or a motion in the LegCo Building from the debate schedule published in the LegCo Website. During the 3-hour debate, participants will have a chance to role play as legislators to express their views on the bill or motion; or as Government officials responsible for the bill or responding to the motion.
Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat, Ms Pauline Ng announced today the decision made by The Legislative Council Commission to facilitate these tax-exempted organisations to make forward planning in the organising of this activity for their young participants. From November 2009 onwards, these organisations may apply to the LegCo Secretariat for a debate slot on a specific Saturday each year to make it easier for the organisations to start their planning work at an early stage.
"Feedback on these Mock Council Debates has been most positive and encouraging." Miss Ng said.
"Participants are able to learn about the legislative process and take part in the debate on the passage of a bill or a motion. This experience enables the young participants to appreciate the importance of careful scrutiny in the law-making process and the impact of a legislatorˇ¦s work on the well-being of our community."
"Many participants said after attending the mock debates that they began to find interest in public administration and might choose to pursue a career in this field." said Ms Ng. "The organisers of these debates are very encouraged by the positive response of the participants and they wish to make it an annual event. The original arrangement of requiring applicants to bid for a slot did not provide them with the certainty to plan their activities in advance."
Starting from November 2009, tax-exempted organisations which have demonstrated commitment in youth development may apply direct to the Secretary General for holding mock debates as an annual event. Apart from reserving a particular Saturday afternoon each year for the organisation, a special training session is offered to the organisation on the law-making process to facilitate participants to make the best out of the mock debate.
Ms Ng called upon interested organisations to submit proposals for holding the event annually. The LegCo Secretariat will give special consideration to those which have experience holding mock debates in the LegCo Building and have demonstrated commitment to youth development on an ongoing basis.
The mock debate will be held in Conference Room A of the LegCo Building on a Saturday afternoon, and the maximum number of participants is 60. For details of the programme, please visit the Civic Education Corner of the LegCo Homepage at (http://www.legco.gov.hk/young/english/civic_ed/mock_debate.html). For enquiries, please contact Miss Emily Pang at 2869 9286.
Ends/Monday, October 26, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:01
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