Press Release

 

 

LC: Amendment to the Rules of the District Court (1)

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The following is the speech (English only) by the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Michael Suen, in moving a motion to amend the Rules of the District Court at the Legislative Council today (June 22):

Madam President:

The District Court (Amendment) Ordinance, passed by the Legislative Council on 17 May 2000, aims to adjust the various financial limits of the civil jurisdiction of the District Court and to introduce a civil procedural framework into the District Court which is more akin to that of the Court of First Instance. Following the passage of the Amendment Ordinance, the District Court Rules Committee made the Rules of the District Court and the District Court Civil Procedure (Fees) (Amendment) Rules at its meeting on 20 May. The Rules of the District Court were made to provide a comprehensive procedural framework for actions in the District Court. The District Court Civil Procedure (Fees) (Amendment) Rules incorporate the necessary amendments adopted from the corresponding provisions in the High Court Fees Rules. The two sets of Rules were presented to this Council for negative vetting on 24 May.

A Sub-Committee of this Council was set up to examine the Rules. I am grateful to the Honourable Margaret Ng, the Chairman, and other members of the Sub-Committee for their advice and useful comments in scrutinising the Rules. Taking into account Members' comments, I now move the amendments to the Rules of the District Court as attached to my notice submitted to this Council on 14 June. The amendments are minor and technical in nature and seek to bring the rules in line with the Rules of the High Court, to make both English and Chinese versions of the rules consistent, and to put matters beyond doubt. These amendments have been considered and approved by the District Court Rules Committee at its meeting on 10 June 2000.

It is our intention to bring both the District Court (Amendment) Ordinance and the two sets of Rules into operation in early September 2000 to allow adequate time for the legal profession and members of the public to familiarize themselves with the new civil procedural framework of the Court.

Madam President, I beg to move.

End/Thursday, June 22, 2000

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