HONG KONG – The Legislative Council House Committee on Monday said it has dealt with 23 bills over the past year, calling the passage of the highly-anticipated Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in March as a milestone.

The committee emphasized its determination to further improve communication between executive and the legislative bodies, and pledged to better serve society’s practical needs and the public’s aspirations.

During a press conference summarizing the committee’s work this year, deputy chairman of Chan Kin-por said that 32 bills, including three bills which will be read for the first time on Wednesday, are set to be submitted to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

The bills cover a wide range of aspects, including national security, building safety, and intellectual property protection.

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Twenty-two bills from the government, one bill from lawmakers, as well as 169 subsidiary legislations, were scrutinized by the 23 bills committees established under the housing committee.

Starry Lee Wai-king, chairman of the housing committee, said the passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance benefited from the positive interaction between executive and legislative departments.

Lee said that a subcommittee was established before the conclusion of the consultation period for local legislation regarding Article 23 of the Basic Law, enabling lawmakers to swiftly commence review processes.

A total of 2,000 queries were raised by the subcommittee. During the legislation process, the SAR government provided thorough explanations to the public and appropriately incorporated lawmakers’ suggestions, ultimately proposing 91 amendments to the bill.

Along with the two bills scheduled for second reading on Wednesday, the LegCo has passed 83 bills in the past three years, marking an increase of 48 percent compared to the number passed during the same period of the sixth Legislative Council, according to Lee.

Asked about his opinions on reducing the salaries of civil servants to cope with the expected HK$100 billion ($12.86 billion) fiscal deficit, Chan said he believed that it must be approached with caution, as it may lead to a ripple effect of salary reductions on ordinary residents, and subsequently impact consumption and the economy.

He suggested the government should explore other ways to stimulate economy.

Echoing Chan, Lee agreed to focus on developing the economy, and appealed for the government to utilize artificial intelligence to alleviate the workload of civil servants, and streamline processes to enhance efficiency.

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Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung, a member of the committee, said he believed that residents are satisfied with the efficiency of the Legislative Council in scrutinizing legislation and the quality of its deliberations in the current term. 

Noticing that some issues raised by lawmakers were not put on the agenda for a long time for further discussion, Chu said he hoped that the government would face up to the concerned subjects and conduct open and comprehensive policy discussions through committee meetings.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com