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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Paul Tang, visited the Legal Aid Department (LAD) this afternoon (October 24) to learn more about the work of the department and to take the opportunity to meet its staff.
Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Raymond Wong, Mr Tang first met with the Director of Legal Aid, Mr Thomas Kwong, and the directorate. He was pleased to hear that the LAD is committed to ensuring no one who qualifies for legal aid is denied access to justice because of lack of means and is working in partnership with the legal profession to be a cornerstone of the rule of law in Hong Kong by delivering quality legal aid services.
Mr Tang started with a tour of the Legal and Management Support Section (LMS) under the Policy and Administration Division. The LMS provides information technology and management support in the department. The Section assesses bills of cost/fees submitted by assigned lawyers, attends legal aid taxation hearings and conducts enforcement proceedings for the recovery of judgment debts and costs in legally aided cases. He also noted that the LAD continues with the implementation of Electronic Information Management solutions including content and record management integration.
Mr Tang then proceeded to the Application and Processing Section (A&P) and the Information and Application Services Unit (IASU) of the Application and Processing Division, where he was briefed by staff on the duties of the Division. The Application and Processing Division assesses the applicant's eligibility for civil legal aid through means and merits tests. To assist the public in applying for legal aid, the Division also provides an information and enquiry service through the IASU. The Unit deals with enquiries from the public on matters such as the scope of legal aid, financial eligibility limits and application procedures. Mr Tang noted that under the guidance of the Home Affairs Bureau, the scope of the Ordinary Legal Aid Scheme and Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme were expanded to cover more types of proceedings.
Later, Mr Tang visited the Crime Section and Civil Litigation Section 1 of the Litigation Division to gain a better understanding of its litigation services. The LAD introduced an improved payment structure of the criminal legal aid fees system with a view to ensuring general compatibility of the fees payment system between the prosecution and the criminal legal aid regimes. The review also resulted in the expansion of the scope of criminal legal aid to include appeals to the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal on criminal matters not involving a conviction. He was then briefed on the in-house civil litigation work of the Civil Litigation Section 1, which mainly relates to claims for compensation under Employees¡¦ Compensation Ordinance and the Pneumoconiosis and Mesothelioma (Compensation) Ordinance, and claims for common law damages for personal injuries.
Before concluding his visit, Mr Tang met with staff representatives of various grades at a tea gathering to exchange views on relevant issues. He encouraged the staff to continue offering their high-quality, efficient and professional services to the public.
Ends/Friday, October 24, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:31
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