HAB’s statement on use of District Council members’ ward offices as polling stations

     The Home Affairs Bureau today (July 7) made the following statement on the use of District Council (DC) members' ward offices as polling stations for primaries.
      
     The Home Affairs Bureau noted that an organisation plans to hold pro-democracy primaries for the 2020 Legislative Council General Election on July 11 and July 12, and there are reports stating that some ward offices of the DC members will be used as polling stations.
      
     According to section 7(a) of Specific Standards of the Code of Conduct for Members of a District Council or Its Committees: a DC member shall not use the various allowances for a member and/or his or her ward office(s) for purposes other than those connected with the business of the DC.
      
     Furthermore, paragraph 23 of the Guidelines on the Remuneration Package for Members of the District Councils of the HKSAR stipulates that a DC member must ensure that the ward office operated with the support of the Operating Expenses Reimbursement and other accountable allowances/expenses reimbursements for DC members is used for the discharge of DC duties. Should the ward office be used for discharging duties not related to the DC, e.g. using the ward office as a polling station of the abovementioned event, the related expenses will not be reimbursed.