The National People's Congress Standing Committee will review Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa's report and Hong Kong's situation when making a decision on constitutional reform issues, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang said today.

He welcomed the committee's prompt reaction to the Chief Executive's report.

Speaking to the media at the Central Government Offices after the Executive Council meeting today, Mr Tsang said the move has shown the importance which the Central Authorities have attached to Hong Kong's constitutional development issues.

"I am sure they would look at and examine the report of the Chief Executive as well as the analysis we have made in the report of the Constitutional Development Task Force on this matter," he added.

Mr Tsang heads up the three-member task force, whose other members are Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam and Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung.

The standing committee decided yesterday to discuss the Chief Executive's report when it meets on April 25 and 26.

Task force to brief committee on Thursday

The task force will visit Shenzhen on April 22 at the committee's invitation to brief their representatives on its second report.

At the meeting, Mr Tsang said the task force will repeat the messages and conclusions it has drawn in the second report - which represents a broad spectrum of Hong Kong people's views on constitutional development.