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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. 29) Bill 1999 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Madam President,

I move the Adaptation of Laws (No. 29) Bill 1999 be read the second time.

The Bill seeks to adapt 11 ordinances relating to the law enforcement agencies 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.

Some references contained in the 11 ordinances such as "the Governor", "the Crown" and "the Colonial Regulations", are inconsistent with the Basic Law or with the status of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and therefore they need to be suitably amended. Although the Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance and the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance have laid down how such references should be construed, it is considered unacceptable to retain them in our laws. We thus need to introduce the Bill to effect the necessary textual amendments.

The amendments proposed to the 11 ordinances in the Bill are mainly terminological changes. The adaptations, when passed into the law, will take effect from the date of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The Bill obviates the need to make cross references to the Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance and the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance. I hope Members will support this Bill.

Thank you, Madam President.

End/Wednesday, July 14, 1999

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