LC Paper No. LS 217/98-99

Object of the Bill

To provide for the appropriation of $4,788,396,327.66 for the service of the Government in the financial year which ended on 31 March 1999 in addition to the sum appropriated by the Appropriation Ordinance 1998 (10 of 1998).

LegCo Brief Reference

2. No LegCo Brief has been issued.

Date of First Reading

3. 23 June 1999.

Comments

4. In accordance with section 6 of the Public Finance Ordinance (Cap. 2) ("the Ordinance") an Appropriation Ordinance is enacted at the commencement of the financial year. By virtue of the enactment of the Appropriation Ordinance the estimates of expenditure for the financial year to which the Appropriation Ordinance relates are deemed to be approved.

5. However, in accordance with section 8 of the Ordinance changes may be made to the approved estimates during the course of the financial year. Such changes may include the creation of new heads and subheads of expenditure.

6. Section 9 of the Ordinance provides that if at the close of account for a financial year it is found that expenditure charged to any head is in excess of the sum appropriated for that head by the Appropriation Ordinance for that financial year, the excess shall be included in a Supplementary Appropriation Bill which shall be introduced into the Legislative Council as soon as practicable after the close of that financial year.

7. By this Bill, the Administration is seeking the approval of the Legislative Council to make supplementary provisions for the specified heads of expenditure in the financial year which ended on 31 March 1999. The heads in which there was excess and the amounts of excess are specified in the Schedule to the Bill.

8. The Bill is legally in order.


Prepared by


Lam Ping-man, Stephen
Assistant Legal Adviser
Legislative Council Secretariat
23 June 1999


Bill/LS/B/97/98-99