Municipal Affairs Bureau ready by 2019

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, said on Monday that the government had almost completed drafting the set of legislative bills associated with the establishment of the new Municipal Affairs Bureau.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of one of the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) standing committees, Chan said she expected all procedures to be completed before the scheduled establishment of the entity which will replace the Institute for Civic and Municipal Affairs, on  January  1, 2019.
The draft bills cover topics such as updating the functions of other public departments following the establishment of the new bureau. For instance, several matters related to firearms, ammunition, fireworks and firecrackers, which are currently overseen by the IACM, will be transferred to the police.

Chan stated that the government will announce the selection criteria for members of the bureau’s 25-strong consultative body in due course. The selection process will include a self-recommendation scheme for people interested in joining.

Chan said the government welcomed members of the public to sit on the consultative body, provided they were dedicated to serving the community and able to fulfill the relevant legal requirements.
Chan also pledged to explain to the public the reasoning behind the selection of each of the consultative body’s 25 members.