Press Release

 

 

LC:Adaptation of Laws (No. 22) Bill 1999

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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip, in moving the second reading of the Adaptation of Laws (No. 22) Bill 1999 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Madam President,

I move the Adaptation of Laws (No. 22) Bill 1999 to be read the second time.

The Bill seeks to adapt 22 ordinances on security-related matters and their subsidiary legislation to bring them into conformity with the Basic Law and with the status of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

The Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance has introduced provisions to the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to stipulate the principles for interpretation of Hong Kong laws after the reunification so that they are consistent with the Basic Law and the status of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Bill which I now move is to introduce amendments to relevant legislation primarily on the basis of these principles. Most of our proposals are terminological changes, for examples, to replace "Governor" and "Governor in Council" by "Chief Executive" and "Chief Executive in Council" respectively.

The Bill will make the 22 security-related ordinances more comprehensible, obviating the need for referring to the Reunification Ordinance and the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance whenever we make reference to these 22 ordinances.

Regarding commencement of the Bill when passed into law, with the exception of the changes to the references to "Minister" and "Ministry" in the Dangerous Goods (General) Regulations, all the other provisions of the Bill will take effect retrospectively from the date of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As regards the amendments of the references to "Minister" and "Ministry", the original terms mean Her Majesty's Minister of Transport and Her Majesty's Ministry of Transport respectively. In order not to affect anything already done by the Minister or Ministry under the Dangerous Goods (General) Regulations, we propose that these amendments should only come into operation as from the date on which the relevant adaptation of laws ordinance is gazetted.

I urge Members to support this Bill. Thank you Madam President.

End/Wednesday, July 14, 1999

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