This session of the Legislative Council has changed the recording method of meeting minutes, replacing the name of the speaking member with "one member". The chairman of the Legislative Council, Leung Kwan-yen, explained this, pointing out that if the secretariat extracts the minutes involving names, it must be confirmed by the relevant member again and again. "It may take 4 months to go back and forth." The current processing method can be made public one month after the meeting is over, which is convenient and fast.
Liang Junyan emphasized that the new arrangement did not affect the public's right to know about the work of the parliament, and pointed out that the secretariat will continue to make optimizations.
Liang Junyan pointed out that the current method of recording meetings does not impair the public's right to know.
(File photo/Photo by Zhang Haowei)
The current Legislative Council has changed the recording method of "meeting minutes" and no longer lists the names of speaking members. Instead of recording the names of speaking members, "one member" instead of all the signed records in the past has caused criticism.
In response to the incident, Liang Junyan pointed out that the "meeting minutes" are not "meeting minutes" and will not list the contents in detail, but the minutes have an index, which shows when the councilors were at the meeting and what they said, and can be reviewed "authentically". Since the session, the full video of each meeting has been put on the Internet, and the Secretariat will continue to listen to opinions and optimize practices.
Making a record of a statement made by a "member of parliament" does not impair citizens' right to know
He emphasized that the practice did not affect the public's right to know about the work of the parliament, and the Secretariat will continue to optimize the practice.
He pointed out that the Legislative Council purchased voice software last year and is currently testing it. It is expected to be launched in the summer. It can record members’ speeches verbatim and use them as meeting records. He will also study the use of artificial intelligence in the future to enhance the search function of the Legislative Council’s website so that the public can review members’ speeches. , the most ideal is to achieve: "Find the words again, and find the sound again."
As for why the name of the person in the minutes should be deleted at present, Liang Junyan explained that when the secretariat extracts the minutes, if the name of the person is involved, it must be confirmed again and again with the relevant members: "It takes 4 months to go back and forth", but at present "one member It can be made public one month after the meeting, which is convenient and quick, emphasizing that the transparency of the re-election of the Legislative Council is already quite high.
He also pointed out that the current Legislative Council is committed to promoting technology and environmental protection, and has implemented at least 20 technologies to improve administrative procedures, including fully electronicizing meeting documents. Even if the number of members increases, there is no need to recruit additional manpower, saving public money.
As for the ongoing expansion project of the Legislative Council building, Leung Kwan-yen pointed out that the project uses the assembly synthesis method, and the progress is better than expected. It is believed that the first phase of the project can be completed in 2025 according to the original plan.
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