I refer to Andy Ho's column headlined 'Legco wins no plaudits for attitude to youth parliaments' (South China Morning Post, August 27).
While I regret that a mock debate could not be organised for the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the comment by Mr Ho that the Legislative Council slammed the door on young people is by no means fair.
The federation telephoned us earlier last month to explore the possibility of holding a mock debate in the Legco Building. Since Conference Room A in the building which has been used for such debates on previous occasions was under renovation and would not be available this summer, we suggested instead a visit to the Legco Building for the federation. The visit was conducted on August 12 and participants were briefed on the work of Legco and taken on a tour of the building.
Our door is open to all members of the public and we take it as an important task to communicate the work of Legco to the younger members in our community. Last year, we conducted a total of 223 tours of the building, of which 149 were for schools and youth groups. For the first seven months of this year alone, a total of 175 tours were organised, of which 104 were for youngsters. Legislators guided many of these tours during which visitors received briefings on the work of the council.
In addition, all Legco meetings and the vast majority of committee meetings are open, and members of the public can observe these meetings and learn about the operation of the council.
Moreover, a mock debate was held in 1998 by the Commission of Youth in the Legco Building. Another mock debate was held in August of last year by the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong. Last but not least, an open day is organised annually when members of the public are shown the facilities in the Legco Building and briefed on the council's operation.
