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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in moving the seconding reading of the Adaptation of Laws (No. 33) Bill 1999 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

President,

I move that the Adaptation of Laws (No. 33) Bill 1999 be read the second time.

The Bill seeks to effect necessary adaptations to ten Ordinances and their subsidiary legislation on matters relating to labour relations, vocational training, retraining of employees, employment conditions and employees' compensation 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 of the references contained in these ten Ordinances, such as "the Governor", "the Governor in Council" and "the Crown" are inconsistent with the status of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and need to be amended as appropriate. Although the Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance and the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance already set out how terminologies inconsistent with the Basic Law or with the status of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China are to be construed, it is considered inappropriate to retain such terminologies in our laws. Accordingly, we now need to introduce the Bill to effect the necessary textual amendments.

The proposed amendments are mainly terminological changes. Most of the adaptations when passed into law shall take effect retrospectively as from the date of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Adaptations which deal with provisions that are yet to come into operation shall take effect as from the date when the relevant provisions come into operation.

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

Thank you, President.

End/Wednesday, July 14, 1999

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