There were several limitations in the 1988 Commissioner for Administrative Complaints Bill. Firstly, the Ordinance required complaints to be first made to Legislative Councillors instead of the Commissioners, adding an obstructive layer of bureaucracy. Besides, the powers of the Commissioners were limited in application to only 52 governmental departments. They were not allowed to investigate acts of the police or ICAC, affairs related to security, international relations, legal actions or contracts, or even public enterprises and the administration of civil servants. This created a failure to meet the legislative aim, which was to investigate minor mistakes by civil servants. As well as such a failure of reach, the Commissioner also faced significant constraints in the conduct of investigations. The targeted administrative departments could hinder an investigation into maladministration involving the public interest but without specific victims by refusing to disclose documents, claiming insufficient legitimate and persuasive explanation by the Commissioner.