Legislative Council in Brief

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According to the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“RoP”), the Clerk to the Legislative Council means the Secretary General of the Legislative Council Secretariat appointed under section 15(1) of The Legislative Council Commission Ordinance (Cap. 443). According to section 3(1) of the Legislative Council Ordinance (Cap. 542), the Clerk to the Legislative Council includes any person appointed to act in place of the Clerk when the Clerk is absent or when the office of the Clerk is vacant. In addition, as provided in RoP, the Clerk to the Legislative Council includes the Deputy Secretary General and any Assistant Secretary General of the Legislative Council Secretariat.
DUTIES OF THE CLERK TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

As set out in RoP, the Clerk to the Legislative Council is responsible for the following duties:

  • advising the President of the Legislative Council (“the President”) on all matters relating to the procedure of the Legislative Council;
  • keeping the minutes of the proceedings of the Legislative Council and of committees of the whole Council;
  • preparing from day to day a Council Agenda Item Book showing all future business of which notice has been given;
  • preparing for each meeting an Agenda of the Council showing the business for that meeting under the directions of the President;
  • the custody of votes, records, bills and other documents laid before the Legislative Council;
  • conducting the review within 25 years of the existence of the document or record as to whether access should be made available at an earlier time, and denying access to a document or record in accordance with any guidelines set by the Committee on Access to the Legislature’s Documents and Records;
  • production of the Official Record of all proceedings in the Legislative Council and in the committee of the whole Council under the directions of the President; and
  • providing every committee and subcommittee of the Legislative Council with a clerk.
In a Legislative Council meeting, the Clerk to the Legislative Council sits on the left hand side of the President of the Legislative Council
In a Legislative Council meeting, the Clerk to the Legislative Council sits on the left hand side of the President of the Legislative Council