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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council Commission (the Commission) decided today (October 4) that starting from the new legislative session (i.e. 2011-2012 session), open meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and its Committees will be held in the LegCo Complex. Speaking after the Commission meeting, President of LegCo and Chairman of the Commission, Hon Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, said LegCo Members generally believed that the result of the trial run of facilities conducted today was satisfactory and decided that meetings of the new session would be held in the Complex.
Mr Tsang said that the LegCo Secretariat would continue to test the facilities in the next few days to ensure that the facilities would operate efficiently and effectively. "We think that the risk would not be too high and there should not be any uncontrollable situation occurred. This was the main reason why we made this decision," he said.
He added that he had called on the Administration to continue to improve the roads surrounding the Complex to facilitate the public and people with disabilities to access the Complex, including the enhancement of pedestrian facilities from Central and Wanchai to the Complex, and the provision of more directional signages between the passageway of Admiralty and the Complex.
Mr Tsang also revealed that the LegCo Secretariat had already submitted an application to the Transport Department to extend its present feeder bus service operated between the old LegCo Building and the LegCo Complex to include members of the public in order to facilitate their access to the Complex to observe meetings of the Council and its Committees or tour the Complex. At present, LegCo Members, Secretariat staff and media representatives can use the feeder bus service, which is provided from 8am to 7pm during Monday to Friday.
In addition, to prepare for the conduct of meetings of the Council and its Committees in the Complex in the new session, the LegCo Secretariat organised today a trial run of meetings for LegCo Members, testing various meeting facilities and the voting system. Media representatives also came to cover the mock meetings.
LegCo Members also attended the flag-raising ceremony in the LegCo Square of the Complex this morning. After that, accompanied by Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat, Ms Pauline Ng, LegCo Members visited the meeting, education and media facilities of the Complex, including the Chamber, Conference Rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Ante-Chamber, Dining Hall, Press Conference Room, Press Room, Education Gallery, Memory Lane, Coffee Corner and Roof Garden.
Meanwhile, following the commencement of operation of various services and facilities provided in the LegCo Complex, members of the public can make enquiry and obtain LegCo information via the LegCo telephone and fax enquiry hotline 3919 3333.
Ends/Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:20
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