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Following is a question by the Hon Audrey Eu and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Frederick Ma, in the Legislative Council today (June 28):
Question:
Regarding consultancy studies commissioned by the Government, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the justifications for the Central Policy Unit classifying as internal reference materials and not making public the consultancy report on socio-economic-political development trends in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, which was commissioned in 2003-04 at a cost of $1.3 million; whether it will reconsider making the report public; if it will make the report public, of its details and findings; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) of the titles of the Government-commissioned consultancy studies on socio-economic-political development trends conducted in the past three years but the reports on which have not been or will not be made public, as well as the names of the appointed consultants and the consultancy fees; and
(c) whether it has guidelines to require all government departments to make public research reports which do not contain sensitive information; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
My reply to the question is as follows:
(a) One of the functions of the Central Policy Unit (CPU) is to provide the upper echelons of the Government with research analysis of the political, economic and social developments in neighbouring regions. In order to allow the consultants to provide such analysis and offer views in a frank manner, and in view of the fact that such consultancy reports might contain sensitive political and economic information, the CPU has never made public these consultancy reports. It has no intention of changing the existing practice.
(b) The Government-commissioned consultancy studies on social, economic and political trends conducted between the 2003-04 financial year and the present but the findings of which have not been made public are tabulated as follows:
Consultancy
Fees
Titles of the Studies Consultants ($ million)
--------------------- ----------- ------------
Socio-Economic-Political One Country Two 1.287
Trends in the Mainland Systems Research
(commissioned in Institute Limited
December 2003)
Socio-Economic-Political Hong Kong Policy 1.066
Trends in Taiwan Research Institute
(commissioned in Limited
December 2003)
Socio-Economic-Political Centre of Asian 1.300
Trends in Southeast Studies, University
Asia (commissioned in of Hong Kong
February 2004)
Socio-Economic-Political One Country Two 0.743
Trends in Japan and Systems Research
South Korea (commissioned Institute Limited
in February 2004)
Socio-Economic-Political Hong Kong Policy 0.906
Trends in the Mainland Research Institute
(commissioned in Limited
August 2005)
(c) We leave it to the procuring bureaux or departments responsible for the studies to decide whether a study report should be made public. In making the decision, they will take into account factors such as the purpose and nature of each study, and whether it contains sensitive information.
Ends/Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:30
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