More support: Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam says ways to better support the Electoral Affairs Commission will be explored.

Acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Justice Woo Kwok-hing have welcomed the Report of the Independent Committee of Experts for the Review of the Management, Planning & Conduct of Elections.

The report affirmed the integrity, fairness and impartiality of the 2004 LegCo Election was not compromised despite the polling day chaos.

13 recommendations

Mr Tsang received the report today and thanked the committee for their dedication. The comprehensive report spells out conclusions regarding polling day problems, and sets out 13 recommendations.

"The Government accepts the report's conclusions and recommendations, and will, together with the Electoral Affairs Commission, consider how to take forward the recommendations with a view to improving the practical arrangements for future elections," he said.

Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam said ways to better support the commission with relevant expertise will be explored. Enhanced staff training, improvements to logistical arrangements and wider use of information technology will also be studied.

Room for improvement

Justice Woo said the recommendations will be studied in detail.

"Last year's LegCo Election revealed there was room for improvement in the management, planning and conduct of the elections. In light of the experiences gained, we have introduced a series of improvement measures in the recent Election Committee Subsector by-elections," he said.

These measures include preparing a detailed contingency plan, putting more senior officers in charge at the central command centre on polling day, and providing basic training on crisis management for polling staff.

The commission and the Registration & Electoral Office will follow up on recommendations in the report and the commission's report on the 2004 LegCo Election on ways to improve practical arrangements for future elections.