Legislative Council

LC Paper No. AS 339/98-99

Ref: AM 15/01/01 (IX)

Paper for the House Committee Meeting
on 26 June 1999

Second Report of the Subcommittee on
Review of Operating Expenses for Members of the Legislative Council


Purpose

This paper reports on the results of the discussions with the Administration on the operating expenses reimbursement package for Members and the leasing issues with the Housing Authority.

The Subcommittee

2. The Subcommittee was appointed by the House Committee on 10 July 1998 to look into the financial arrangement for the reimbursement of Members' operating and setting up expenses and other related matters. It submitted its first report on the proposal for advancing operating funds to Members on 4 September 1998, which was subsequently implemented in the same month with the approval of The Legislative Council Commission.

3. The Subcommittee held five meetings from July 1998 to June 1999. Representatives from the Administration were invited to exchange views on:

  • the level of financial resources provided to Members in carrying out their duties; and

  • the policy of the Housing Authority in allocating offices to Members and the way rental rates were set.

The views and suggestions were relayed to the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislature of the HKSAR (the Independent Commission).

Deliberations of the Subcommittee and Responses from the Administration

Level of Operating Expenses Reimbursements

District Offices and Staff Support

4. Some Members of the Subcommittee held the view that the present level of reimbursement was inadequate in supporting Members' service to the community. It has not been revised in line with the enlarged constituencies, especially geographic ones. In response, the Administration proposed more flexibility in using the reimbursements presently provided to Members, viz. the merging of the district office expenses reimbursement with the accountable component for staff and office expenses under the monthly general expenses reimbursement, and the merging of the reimbursement for setting up district offices with that for the Secretariat-provided central office. Moreover, a new information technology and communication equipment expenses reimbursement of $100,000 for every Member in each term was proposed for setting up an additional channel to communicate with members of the public. It could only be used after the setting up expenses reimbursement was exhausted.

5. Although the Subcommittee commented that the use of information technology and communication equipment would not satisfy the public's need to discuss problems with Members face to face, the Independent Commission maintained that there was a practical limit to the time that Members could spend in each district office given the heavy commitment of LegCo Members in general. In view of the present economic situation, the Subcommittee agreed that it might not be the appropriate time to increase the level of reimbursement. It also accepted the proposal for more flexibility and the new information technology and communication equipment expenses reimbursement.

Severance Payment

6. Members of the Subcommittee expressed their concern that the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement being used by some Members for employing staff would entail an unfair financial burden on them when they left office, because only severance payments to staff employed with the accountable component for staff and office expenses would be reimbursed.

7. After considering Members' views and statistics on Members' expenses provided by the LegCo Secretariat, the Independent Commission agreed that 50% of the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement could be used to pay for staff expenses on an accountable basis, and the Administration would bear the severance payments to staff so employed.

Proposal for Revised Reimbursement Package for Members

8. The following table compares the existing and proposed systems in more detail:


ExistingProposed
1. General Expenses Reimbursement
a) District office expenses $14,760 per month, fully accountable, for rentals, rates, government rents, management charges and utilities

$103,360 per month, fully accountable, for office operation
b) Staff and office expenses $88,600 per month, fully accountable, for staff and office expenses


c) Entertainment and travelling expenses $14,760 per month, 50% non-accountable $14,760 per month, non-accountable except for the portion used to meet staff expenses (see item 4.b below)

2. Setting Up Expenses Reimbursement
a) District offices $100,000 for fitting out, and procurement of equipment, furniture and basic stationery; or$50,000 for a re-elected Member, for renovation, removal, expansion, and additional equipment and furniture $150,000; or $75,000 for a re-elected Member
b) Central office $50,000 for equipping the office on first taking up the office

3. Information Technology and Communication Equipment Expenses Reimbursement
Information
technology and
communication equipment 		Not available $100,000 reimbursable after exhaustion of the setting up expenses reimbursement, for purchasing/upgrading information technology and communication equipment;since the first SAR LegCo term has just about one year to go, Members who are re-elected to the second SAR LegCo (2000-2004) will only be eligible to draw on the unused balance of the first SAR LegCo term

4. Winding Up Expenses Reimbursement
a) office expenses $103,360, for covering all expenses upon winding up

$103,360, for covering all expenses upon winding up

b) severance payments no pre-set ceiling, for covering severance payments made to staff employed with the accountable component for staff and office expenses no pre-set ceiling, for covering severance payments made to staff employed with the accountable component for staff and office expenses, and to staff employed using up to 50% of the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement



Items 1 and 4.a are annually adjusted in October with reference to the Hang Seng Consumer Price Index.

9. The above proposal will be submitted for the consideration of the Finance Committee on 2 July 1999. If the proposal is approved, it will take effect from July 1999.

10. Based on the above proposal, the LegCo Secretariat has drafted a revised reimbursement guide in the Appendix - to be tabled at the meeting. Members may notice that because of the new information technology and communication expenses reimbursement, the quantity limit on certain telecommunications and computer equipment has been revised upward.

Allocation of Offices by the Housing Department and Setting of Rental Rates

11. In response to the Subcommittee's suggestion, the Housing Authority has lifted the limit on the number of offices that can be allocated to a Member, so long as the total area does not exceed 140 sq m. Previously, a member could only be allocated a maximum of 2 offices up to 70 sq m, or if he/she also held seats in the Provisional Urban or Provisional Regional Council and a Provisional District Board, an entitlement of 35 sq m for each capacity, but not more than 70 sq m for any single office.

12. On the issue of rental reduction enjoyed by some tenants of the Housing Department but not extended to Members' district offices, the Subcommittee questioned Housing Authority's rationale behind. It was learned that in determining the rental for a tenant the Housing Authority would take into account factors such as the tenant's business prospects, location of his/her premises and the volume of pedestrian flow. As Members were not operating on a commercial basis, and Members' reimbursable ceilings had not been reduced, the rental rates for Members' offices were not revised. Members of the Subcommittee doubted whether the Housing Authority had changed its basis of charging at market value when the market value of most offices and shops had come down. The Director of Administration agreed to reflect Members' view to the Housing Authority for further consideration.

Advice Sought

13. Members are invited to support the proposed changes to the reimbursement system detailed in paragraph 8 above.


Legislative Council Secretariat
June 1999

g/admin/mem-all/hc.doc


A Guide for Reimbursement
of Operating Expenses
for Members of the Legislative Council


(Effective from July 1999)


Introduction

Members of the Legislative Council (Council) are provided with reimbursements to cover expenses arising out of their Council duties. Different reimbursable amounts and conditions are applicable to different types of expenses. They are detailed in the following paragraphs -

  1. office operation (paragraphs 4 -19);

  2. entertainment and travelling (paragraphs 20 - 26);

  3. postage (paragraph 27);

  4. setting up (paragraphs 28 - 32);

  5. information technology and communication equipment (paragraphs 33 - 35); and

  6. winding up (paragraphs 36 - 44).

2. General principles of the reimbursement system and the mechanism for revision of the reimbursable amounts are detailed in paragraphs 45 to 69 and 70 respectively.

3. Members may apply for operating funds to finance the monthly expenses and the one-off setting up expenses. The detailed procedures are set out in paragraphs 71 to75.

Office Operation Expenses Reimbursement

Amount

4. Up to $103,360 per month can be reimbursed on an accountable basis.

Claimable Items

5. Items of reimbursable expenses are as follows -

  1. Staff expenses, including -

  • Staff remuneration

  • Medical benefits

  • Insurance payments

    (Note : Employers are statutorily required to provide coverage for employee compensation.)

  • Statutory payments under labour laws

  • Recruitment expenses

  • Training expenses;

  1. Equipment and furniture -- claimable items and their approved quantity are detailed in section A of Appendix I;

  2. Stationery;

  3. Periodicals, newspapers and publications (in printed and electronic form);

  4. Printing e.g. business cards, newsletters on Council business;

  5. Consultancy service;

  6. Communications and call charges (including postage for bulk mailing, overseas telephone calls and fax transmission);

  7. Publicity items and activities;

  8. Repair and maintenance of equipment and furniture;

  9. Member's personal medical and dental insurance payment; and

  10. Office accommodation expenses (including rentals, rates, government rents, management fees, and utility charges).

Further guidelines on the office operation expenses reimbursement are provided in paragraphs 6 to 19 below.

Staff Remuneration

6. Staff remuneration refers to payment made to staff employed directly by a Member for Council business. It includes salaries, leave pay, gratuities, bonuses, provident fund contributions and other employment-related allowances.

Employment of Staff

7. A Member must be directly responsible for the employment of his/her staff. Each Member should enter into an individual employment contract with each of his/her staff members. The contract should specify the job descriptions for the staff concerned. If it is a fixed contract, the length of the contract should not extend beyond the term of the Council.

8. The names and salaries of staff must be provided in the Member's claim for reimbursement, and the claim is made available for public inspection. A copy of the employment contract must also be deposited with the Council Secretariat, but it is not for public inspection. If a staff member's Hong Kong identity card number is not shown on the employment contract, the Member concerned should separately provide it to the Secretariat in writing. A sample of the employment contract is in Appendix II.

9. A Member is not allowed to employ his/her relatives as staff. The definition of "relative" is in Appendix III.

10. Employment of staff in the name of a company is not allowed.

11. Members cannot jointly employ a person using any reimbursement provided.

12. A Member must clearly state in the recruitment advertisement that the staff is required to assist him/her in Council business. A copy of the advertisement must accompany the reimbursement claim for advertising expenses.

13. Employment of part time staff is subject to the same conditions as set out in paragraphs 7 to 12 above.

Use of Consultancy Service

14. Members may engage a consultancy company to provide services, on a regular or ad hoc basis, to assist them in Council business, such as undertaking research and preparing speeches. To avoid conflict of interest, the use of consultancy services is subject to the following conditions -
  1. Members should draw up individual contracts with the consultants they employ;

  2. the contracts should specify clearly the scope of the services provided;

  3. the names of the consultants and the costs of the consultancies should be included in the reimbursement claims and made available for public inspection;

  4. copies of the contracts should be deposited with the Council Secretariat (they will not be available for public inspection);

  5. Members and their relatives should not have any interests in the consultants employed; and

  6. Members should not employ as their consultants their political parties or any companies/organizations owned or run by the parties.

15. As a consultancy contract is not available for public inspection, the scope and the precise nature of the consultancy work should be disclosed on the invoices submitted for reimbursement.

Expenses on Publicity Items

16. A Member may use the office operation expenses reimbursement to produce publicity items for the purpose of publicising the addresses, telephone numbers, office hours and appointment arrangements of his/her office in Citibank Tower, Central Government Offices (CGO), West Wing and/or his/her district offices for the purpose of conducting Council business. No publicity relating to a party, except an indication of the party to which the Member belongs and its logo, is allowed. Items claimable and their approved quantity are set out in section B of Appendix I.

Expenses on Activities

17. A Member may use the office operation expenses reimbursement to pay for the publicity and organization of activities to canvass public views on Council business and matters of public interest. "Council business" refers to general policy issues as well as any matters which have been brought to the Council and/or its committees. Items claimable are detailed in section C of Appendix I.

Insurance Payment

18. A Member may use the office operation expenses reimbursement to meet his/her personal medical and dental insurance payments.

Claim Form

19. Form A should be used for claiming the office operation expenses reimbursement.

Entertainment and Travelling Expenses Reimbursment

Amount

20. Up to $14,760 per month can be reimbursed on a non-accountable basis except for the portion used to meet staff expenses as explained in paragraph 25 below.

Claimable Items

21. Entertainment, liaison and travelling expenses incurred by a Member and his/her staff in and outside Hong Kong for Council business may be reimbursed against certified claims of expenses without supporting documents.

22. Entertainment expenses refer to expenses for the provision of food or drink, for consumption on the occasion when it is provided, and of any other entertainment connected with, or provided at the same time as, such provisions.

23. Liaison expenses include expenses such as -

  1. floral arrangements and wreaths sent on ceremonial occasions;

  2. shared costs of luncheons and dinners which are organized by the Secretariat within Council premises for liaison with non-LegCo Members; and

  3. compliments advertised on publications.

24 Travelling expenses refer to -

  1. local travelling and vehicle running expenses; and

  2. travelling and accommodation expenses outside Hong Kong.

25. A Member may use up to 50% of the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement to meet staff expenses on an accountable basis. The associated severance payments in future may be reimbursed out of the office operation expenses reimbursement and winding up expenses reimbursement.

Claim Form

26. Form A should be used for claiming the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement.

Postage

27. Postage incurred by Members on correspondence related to Council business, except bulk mailing, is paid for by the Council Secretariat. To claim reimbursement of such expenses from the Secretariat, Form B should be submitted together with Form A. Members are advised to keep copies of the correspondence for audit purposes.

Setting Up Expenses Reimbursement

28. Before July 1999, subject to paragraph 29 below, a Member may claim $100,000 for setting up his/her district offices and $50,000 for the Secretariat-provided central office in the current term on an accountable basis. With effect from July 1999, the setting up expenses reimbursements for central and district offices are merged. Accordingly, undrawn balances for central and district offices as at 30 June 1999 are merged and can be used for both types of offices.

29. A Member who has claimed setting up expenses reimbursement in the previous term (legislature) for his/her district offices may only claim $50,000 for the purposes of renovation, removal, expansion and/or setting up of additional offices and for the addition or replacement of equipment and furniture; and a Member who has claimed such reimbursement under similar circumstances for his central office may only claim $25,000 for the purposes of procuring the necessary equipment and furniture. However, if the Member has to close down his/her original district office to set up a new one due to the expiry of tenancy agreement or other valid reasons, he/she may claim up to $100,000.

30. Reimbursement for each office is on a one-off basis.

Claimable Items

31. Items claimable under the setting up expenses reimbursement are -

  1. Fitting-out;

  2. Equipment;

  3. Furniture; and

  4. Basic stationery items (for new offices only).

Items claimable and their approved quantity set out in section A of Appendix I are applicable to (b) and (c) above.

Claim Form

32. Form C should be used for claiming the setting up expenses reimbursement.

Information Technology and Communication Equipment Expenses Reimbursement

33. A Member may claim reimbursement of $100,000 for the purchase or upgrading of information technology and communication equipment in each term, after exhausting the setting up expenses reimbursement. The reimbursement should be used on non-recurrent items or one-off contracts, including the employment of consultants for setting up web sites and other telecommunications equipment.

34. However, a Member re-elected in the second SAR LegCo term may only be eligible for the undrawn balance of the first SAR LegCo term.

35. Claimable items and their approved quantity are detailed in section A of Appendix I.

Winding Up Expenses Reimbursement

36. A winding up expenses reimbursement is claimable when a Member ceases to be a Member of the Council, either because he/she chooses not to stand for re-election or for reasons over which he/she has no control such as death, serious injury, defeat in an election or the dissolution of the Council.

37. Members who are removed from the Council for criminal reasons are not eligible for the winding up expenses reimbursement.

38. The reimbursement consists of two components -

  1. an amount not exceeding $103,360 to cover all expenses other than severance payments, of which $10,000 may be claimed against certified claims of expenses without supporting documents; and

  2. an amount with no pre-set ceiling to cover the actual severance payments made in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Ordinance to staff employed using the office operation expenses reimbursement and to staff employed using up to 50% of the entertainment and travelling expenses reimbursement.

39. The $103,360 may also be used to meet contractual liabilities arising from the premature termination of agreements before the end of a Council term for reasons beyond a Member's control, including -

  1. one month's salaries in lieu of notice to staff, provided that the Member is unable to give sufficient termination notice for reasons beyond his/her control; and

  2. compensation to the landlord of a district office financed by the office operation expenses reimbursement, provided that the Member has informed the landlord as early as possible of his/her intention to terminate the tenancy agreement prematurely, so as to enable the landlord to identify new tenants and reduce as far as possible the Member's contractual liabilities.

40. Notwithstanding paragraph 38(b), the uncapped amount may also be used to compensate a Member's staff who have worked for him/her for less than two years. The compensation should be calculated on a pro rata basis with reference to the calculation method stipulated by the Employment Ordinance for severance payments.

41. A severance payment is reimbursable only if the termination of service is made and settled not later than one month from the date a Member ceases office.

42. During the winding up period, non-essential services should be curtailed as early as possible and acquisition of stores should be limited to quantities which are essential for the winding up. Moreover, on-going services for period beyond one month after the cessation of office will not be reimbursed.

Claim Forms

43. From D should be used for claiming the winding up expenses reimbursement.

44. Alternatively, Members may request the Secretariat to settle the following expenses directly with the recipients, by using Form E -

  1. staff salaries;

  2. office rentals;

  3. consultancy fees;

  4. compensations for early termination of contracts; and

  5. severance payments.

General Principles

Supporting Documents

Reimbursement Related

45. Members should only submit supporting documents for the claimable amount under an accountable reimbursement. In the event that a Member submits supporting documents for amounts in excess of the claimable ceilings, the supporting documents will be returned to the Member for a decision on which items of expenditure he/she wishes to claim. If reported expenditure unavoidably exceeds the ceiling, Members should indicate which item of expenditure is to be "partly claimed".

Originals

46. Originals of supporting documents such as invoices, receipts, etc, must be personally certified by the Member and submitted to the Council Secretariat when claiming reimbursement for any accountable expenses.

Receipts

47. For any payment not substantiated by a receipt, a Member should include a statement on the supporting document, saying that "Receipt is not available and I certify that payment was made on (date)."

Purchases Settled by Staff or Third Party

48. For reimbursement of purchases which are billed to an employee of a Member or a third party, the Member concerned must certify that reimbursement has been made to the employee or the third party concerned.

Identity of Vendor or Service Provider and Other Particulars

49. Supporting documents for reimbursement of expenses over $3,500 must bear details of the supplier (i.e. name and address), date of purchase and full description of the item concerned. To withhold the address of a supplier (who is a person) from public inspection, a Member may provide it separately (i.e. not on the face of an invoice, receipt or other supporting documents).

Bulk Printing

50. In making claims for bulk printing expenses, a sample of the printed material must be submitted to the Council Secretariat, together with the reimbursement claim forms.

Public Inspection

51. All claim forms and supporting documents, except employment contracts, consultancy agreements and separately provided addresses and Hong Kong identity card numbers of staff and suppliers (who are individuals), are available for public inspection. Members are reminded to obtain the consent of their staff and suppliers that their identity, invoices, receipts and other related documents may be disclosed in such a manner. Members of the public may also make copies of such documents.

Month of Expenditure

52. Claimable expenditure under the office operation expenses reimbursement is deemed to relate to the month in which payment is made by the Member or his/her employee. Credit card expenditure is deemed to relate to the month in which a credit card slip or an order form is signed. Any unclaimed balance of a month cannot be used to reimburse expenses of another month.

53. In respect of term payments (e.g. quarterly payment of rates and government rents), a Member may either claim full reimbursement in the month in which payment is made, or claim partial reimbursement by equal installments over a period not longer than the period covered by the term payment, starting from the month in which full payment is made. In the latter case, the Member should notify the Council Secretariat, at the time when the first partial reimbursement is claimed, of the intention to claim the balance in the immediate following months.

Funds Set Aside

54. On a consistent basis but without exceeding the monthly ceiling, a Member may set aside funds in his/her office operation expenses reimbursement to pay for benefits such as contract bonus, double-pay, end-of-agreement gratuity or pension of his/her employees at a future date. The funds set aside should be based on, and not exceed, the Member's contractual and other legal obligations towards his/her staff. The funds will be paid to the Member without bills.

55. Upon actual payment of the funds set aside and/or departure of any staff member, Form F should be returned to the Council Secretariat, together with any excess funds and receipts or other supporting documents. The excess funds cannot be used to reimburse any other expenses.

Minimization of Liability

56. Members should make every effort to negotiate with their landlords to insert a break clause in their tenancy agreements. Members should not purchase capitalized assets through hire purchase arrangements.

Capitalized Items

57. Members are required to return those capitalized items they procured with their reimbursements to the Council Secretariat when they leave office. Before returning an item to the Council Secretariat, the Member must settle all outstanding payment/liability in respect of the item. Outgoing and incoming Members may buy these capitalized items at market value to be set by the Secretariat. An outgoing Member has the first option to buy his/her equipment or furniture, and the market price payable by him/her is scaled down by the ratio of the amount reimbursed to the amount paid for the subject item.

58. A capitalized item refers to any piece of equipment or furniture costing $1,000 or more and with a life span of over one year, but excluding software and fixtures. Installation charges should not be capitalized.

59. For ease of valuation at the time when a Member leaves office, full description of capitalized items and prices of the constituent parts should be provided as far as possible.

60. Members are required to forward an inventory list of capitalized items using Form G on a half-yearly basis in January and July, showing the position as at 31 December and 30 June respectively.

Return or Takeover of Capitalized Items

61. Members should use Forms H and I to advise the Secretariat of the capitalized items that they will return to the Secretariat or take over when they leave office.

Shared Expenses

62. If an expense is incurred jointly with other parties or in a Member's other capacities, the Member must certify that the amount claimed is a fair portion related to Council business and it has not been or will not be reimbursed from any other sources.

63. In case a Member shares his/her office with another person, rental and other expenses should be shared proportionally on a consistent basis from month to month. An agreement on the proportional responsibility for items shared should be signed by the Members concerned and the Council Secretariat notified of any changes.

64. A Member may share the procurement expenses of a capital item with another/other Member(s). However, Members concerned (i.e. the group) should sign an undertaking agreeing to the following disposal arrangements when one or more Members of the group vacate their seats -

  1. If an out-going Member of the group wishes to procure the item, he/she is required to seek the agreement of other Members of the group and pay to the Secretariat the market price of the item.

  2. If re-elected or remaining Member(s) of the group wish(es) to retain the item for use, the Member(s) would have to seek the agreement of the outgoing Member(s) of the group and pay to the Secretariat an amount equivalent to the out-going Member(s)' share of the item at market price.

  3. If Members of the group failed to reach an agreement regarding the disposal of the item within two months, the Secretariat may take possession of the item in question without any compensation paid to the Members concerned.

Compensation Paid to Members Arising from Reimbursed Expenses

65. There may be circumstances where a Member receives compensation arising from expenses which have been reimbursed e.g. compensation in respect of an employee's work-related accident or other types of insurance coverage; an employee paying salary in lieu of notice for resignation; or sale proceeds for a capitalized item being replaced. The Member is required to use the compensation on Council business. A separate account giving details of compensation received and subsequent usage of the compensation, with supporting documents, must be submitted to the Council Secretariat.

Time Limits for Making Reimbursement Claims

Office Operation Expenses, Entertainment and Travelling Expenses, and Postage

66. Claims for monthly reimbursements should be submitted within three months from the month of expenditure.

Setting Up and Winding Up Expenses

67. In respect of each claim, payment dates of expenses must not be more than six months apart and reimbursement should be sought within three months from the date of the last payment. However, if a Member has obtained an advance of operating funds pursuant to paragraphs 71 to 75 or setting up his/her office(s), he/she must present Form C and the relevant supporting documents within three months from the date of advance.

Appeal

68. Any Member whose claims are not made in accordance with the stipulated time limits may be required to provide an explanation to the Committee on Members' Allowances which would determine whether the claims should be processed.

Non-reimbursable Items

69. For the avoidance of doubt, examples of non-reimbursable items are given as follows :

  1. Refundable deposits;

  2. Penalties;

  3. Entertainment expenses solely for the Member himself/herself, his/her staff, other Members and/or their staff, unless specifically allowed by The Legislative Council Commission;

  4. Cooking utensils and appliances (other than kettle, distilled water dispenser, refrigerator and microwave oven);

  5. Decorative items, such as paintings, photo frames, flowers etc;

  6. Greeting cards, X'mas cards, etc;

  7. Training of personal skills for the Member himself/herself; and

  8. Sponsorship.

Adjustments

70. Members' remuneration and reimbursement ceilings for office operation expenses, entertainment and travelling expenses and winding up expenses are subject to annual adjustment in October, in accordance with the movement of the Hang Seng Consumer Price Index.

Advance of Operating Funds

71. Members may obtain operating funds to finance their monthly expenses and one-off setting up expenses.

72. The ceilings for advances are :

  1. office operating expenses plus entertainment and travelling expenses - amount equivalent to two months' reimbursable amount (i.e. $236,240); and

  2. setting up expenses - entitlement as stipulated in paragraphs28 -29 (i.e. $150,000 or $75,000), subject to any amount already claimed.

73. The operating funds advanced for monthly expenses will be used to offset the reimbursable expenses of the month immediately before a Member ceases office and any reimbursable winding up expenses. Members who have obtained operating funds for setting up their offices must submit relevant supporting documents within three months from the date of advance.

74. Any excess funds obtained should be returned to The Legislative Council Commission as soon as they are known.

Application Form

75. Form J should be used to apply for any advance or increase in advance up to the specified ceilings.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


07-99gu.doc

Appendix I


Procurement of the following items may be reimbursed. However, the total number of items procured must not exceed the approved quantity.

Section A

EQUIPMENT AND FURNITUREAPPROVED QUANTITY
Photocopying machine and accessories
    -paper feeder
    -document sorter
Cheque writer
Franking machine
Paper shredder
Folding machine
* Camera (digital and otherwise)
* Overhead projector
Slide projector
* Wall screen
Document binder
Document duplicator/Speed printing machine
Safe
Water purifier
Dehumidifier
Sound system with microphone and loudspeaker
Vacuum cleaner
Water dispenser
Refrigerator
Microwave oven
Conference table
First aid kit
* Video conferencing equipment (including ancillary video cameras and other accessories)

not more than one for each office
Television set
Video cassette recorder
Typewriter

not more than two for each office
Electric fan
Air-conditioner
Loudhailer
Walkie-talkie
White board

not more than three in each office
Calculator
Mobile phone
Pager
*
*

not more than one for each staff and Member
* Telephone set with telephone line installation

not more than one set for each staff and Member plus five

Electronic dictionary/diary
Hand held video camera
* Car phone
*

not more than one for each Member
* Facsimile machine
* Answering machine

not more than two for each
office plus two

* Computer hardware and software
Computer table and rack

not more than two sets for each staff and Member
Fire extinguisher

as required by law

File cabinet not more than five for each staff and Member
plus additional five for each office

Chair not more than one for each staff and Member
plus additional fifty chairs for activities

Desk/folding table/work bench not more than one for each
staff and Member plus four for each office


* Items that may be reimbursed with the information technology and communication equipment expenses reimbursement


Section B

PUBLICITY ITEMSAPPROVED QUANTITY
Sign board/light box with
    - name
    - address of the Member's office
    - telephone number of the Member's office
    - office hours
to be placed in the same building of the Member's office
not more than the number ofentrances in a building in whichthe office is located plus five

Invitation card for each activity not more than 5,000 pcs
Display board/banner with
    - name
    - address of the Member's office
    - telephone number of the Member's office
    - office hours

no limit


Section C

ACTIVITIESCLAIMABLE ITEMS
Seminar
Press conference
Exhibition
Quiz
Competition 		Rent of venue
Hire of extra staff
Banners
Display boards
Hire of sound system
Set up charges
Cleaning up charges
Transportation for attendance and equipment
Printing of handouts
Printing of admission tickets
Printing of leaflets
Hire of video display equipment
Advertisements
Souvenirs with little or no resaleable value

Telephone survey
Signature collection campaign
Questionnaire

Hire of extra staff
Printing charges
Postage



Remarks : Recreational activities such as picnic, cruise and barbecue are not reimbursable.