### Hong Kong Trade Development Council Ordinance 《香港貿易發展局條例》

9. Seal of the Council
(1) The Council shall have a common seal, and the fixing of the seal shall—
(a) be authorized or ratified by resolution of the Council; and
(b) be authenticated by the signatures of any 2 members of the Council, authorized by resolution of the Council either generally or specially to act for that purpose.
(2) Any document purporting to be a document duly executed under the seal of the Council shall be received in evidence and shall, unless the contrary is proved, be presumed to be a document so executed.

10. Certain contracts and instruments not required to be under seal
Any contract or instrument which, if entered into or executed by a person not being a body corporate, would not be required to be under seal may be entered into or executed on behalf of the Council by any person generally or specially authorized by the Council for that purpose.

### Hong Kong Trade Development Council Ordinance 《香港貿易發展局條例》

12. Vice-chairman
The Council may, from amongst the members of the Council appointed under section 11(1)(d), appoint a vice-chairman of the Council, and the vice-chairman shall, unless some lesser period is fixed by the Council, hold office as such until his term of office as a member of the Council expires or he earlier ceases to be a member of the Council.

13. Chairman at meeting, and restriction on voting
(1) The Chairman or, in his absence from any meeting, the vice-chairman appointed under section 12 or, in the absence from any meeting of both the Chairman and the vice-chairman, the person appointed under subsection (2) shall preside at every meeting of the Council but the person presiding at a meeting shall not vote thereat except in the case of an equality of votes when he shall have a casting vote.
(2) In the absence from any meeting of the Council of both the Chairman and the vice-chairman, the members present at the meeting shall, before any other business is transacted at that meeting, appoint a person from among the members present to preside thereat.

14. Meetings of the Council
(1) Meetings of the Council shall be held at such times and places as the Chairman may from time to time appoint.
(2) The Chairman shall, if requested by notice in writing signed by not fewer than 5 members of the Council, convene a meeting of the Council within 14 days of that notice. (Amended 2 of 1986 s. 4)
(3) No business shall be transacted at a meeting of the Council unless at least 9 members of the Council are present thereat. (Amended 2 of 1986 s. 4)
(4) Every question arising at any meeting of the Council shall be decided by a majority of votes of the members present and voting thereon, each such person having not more than one vote thereon.
(5) If a member has any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, in any contract or proposed contract or other matter, and is present at a meeting of the Council at which the contract or other matter is the subject of consideration, he shall, as soon as practicable after the commencement of the meeting, disclose to the Council the fact and the nature of his interest.
(6) Subject to this Ordinance, the Council may by resolution make rules for the procedure at and conduct of its meetings and the adjournment of any meeting at which a quorum of members is not present.

### Hong Kong Trade Development Council Ordinance 《香港貿易發展局條例》

15. Transaction of business by circulation of papers
The Council may, if it thinks fit, transact any of the business by the circulation of papers, and a resolution in writing approved in writing by a majority of the members thereof shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Council by the votes of the members so approving the resolution.

16. Validity of proceedings
The validity of any proceeding of the Council shall not be affected by any defect in the appointment or nomination of any member or by any vacancy among members of the Council.

17. Meetings of committees
Subject to any rules made by the Council under section 5(2), the quorum, proceedings and place of meeting of a committee of the Council shall be such as the committee may determine.

18. Validity of proceedings
The validity of any proceeding of a committee of the Council shall not be affected by any defect in the appointment of any member of the committee or by any vacancy among the members of the committee.

19. Qualifications, terms and conditions of service of Executive Director
No person shall be appointed by the Council to the office of Executive Director—
(a) without the prior consent of the Chief Executive; and
(b) except upon such terms and conditions of service as are approved by the Chief Executive.
(Amended 66 of 2000 s. 3)

20. Termination of contracts of service by notice
The contract of service of every officer and servant of the Council shall contain a provision whereby the contract may be terminated by either party by the giving of such period of notice, in no case exceeding three months or such longer period as the Financial Secretary may in any particular case approve, as may be agreed between the Council and the officer or servant.

21. Grants
Each financial year there shall be paid to the Council out of moneys provided by the Legislative Council such sum as the Chief Executive may approve for the purpose of assisting the Council to exercise its functions.
(Amended 66 of 2000 s. 3)

### Hong Kong Trade Development Council Ordinance 《香港貿易發展局條例》

22. Estimates
(1)  Each year, before a date to be appointed by the Financial Secretary, the Council shall forward to the Financial Secretary, for the approval of the Chief Executive, a programme of its proposed activities for the next financial year together with or incorporating estimates of its income and expenditure for the same year:
Provided that the programme and estimates for the first financial year of the Council shall be forwarded as soon as is practicable after the commencement* of this Ordinance. 
(2) The estimates of the Council shall set out the source of all income, and shall show the distribution of expenditure under the following major heads—
(a) staff emoluments (including provision for provident fund benefits, medical expenses and other ancillary pecuniary benefits);
(b) capital expenditure exceeding $25,000 on any one item;
(c) recurrent expenditure other than expenditure shown under head (a) aforesaid and capital expenditure other than expenditure shown under head (b) aforesaid;
(d) other non-recurrent expenditure on activities,
and the estimates shall also show all unallocated balances and surpluses available for use during the year to which the estimates relate.
(3) Each major head of expenditure shall show clearly the destination of all moneys and where several matters are dealt with under the one head each such matter shall be itemized and be shown in a separate sub-head relating to similar items of expenditure, and shall contain such particulars and information as may be required by the Chief Executive.
(4) Notwithstanding the approval of the Chief Executive of the estimates of the Council, the Council may at any time or from time to time—
(a) transfer from its unallocated balances or surpluses (if any) shown in its estimates to any major head of expenditure or from any major head or heads of expenditure to any other major head of expenditure a sum not exceeding or sums in the aggregate not exceeding 20 per cent of the amount approved for the major head to which such sum is or sums are transferred; and
(b) transfer any sum or sums, without restriction, from any sub-head to any other sub-head within the same head of expenditure,
but save as permitted by paragraph (a) no sum shall be transferred to any major head of expenditure without the approval of the Chief Executive.
(5) The Council may expend on any major head of expenditure or on any sub-head thereof only such sums as have been approved therefor by the Chief Executive (and not transferred to any other major head or sub-head) and such sum as have been transferred thereto under subsection (4).
(Amended 66 of 2000 s. 3) Editorial Note:
* Commencement date: 30 September 1966.