This document sets out the main pieces of legislation which the Government plans to introduce into the Legislative Council during the 1999/2000 session. The Programme may need to be adjusted during the legislative session in the light of developments to reflect changing priorities.
| Title | Purpose of Legislation | Responsible Bureau
|
|---|
| District Court (Amendment) Bill
| To improve the operation of the District Court Ordinance and to impose higher jurisdictional limits for various types of civil cases heard by the District Court.
| Administration Wing
|
| Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill
| To implement the recommendations arising from the Legal Aid Policy Review. | Administration Wing
|
| Consular Relations Bill
| To provide a more flexible framework for according the appropriate privileges and immunities to consular posts and their members in Hong Kong.
| Administration Wing
|
| Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Bill
| To provide for the statutory framework on which foreign judgments in civil or commercial matters can be enforced in Hong Kong and vice versa.
| Administration Wing
|
| Bill on public corporation
| To establish a public corporation to provide certain public services and to set out the principles and mechanism for the corporation's operations.
| Business and Services Promotion Unit, Financial Secretary's Office
|
| Amendments to Legislative Council (Amendment) Ordinance 1999
| To amend the electorates of the Social Welfare and Medical functional constituencies. | Constitutional Affairs Bureau
|
| Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Amendment) Bill
| To implement the amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and International Convention on Load Lines (Load Line Convention).
| Economic Services Bureau
|
| Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill
| To enable the Chief Executive in Council to make regulations requiring operators of civil aircraft to purchase insurance to cover liabilities to third party and passenger etc.
| Economic Services Bureau
|
| Industrial Training (Construction Industry) (Amendment) Bill
| To provide clarification that the Construction Industry Training Authority could hold skills assessment tests and provide subsidy for the purpose of assisting the placement of its graduates. | Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Vocational Training Council (Amendment) Bill
| To allow for the establishment of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education and related issues.
| Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Amendments to the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board Ordinance
| To introduce technical amendments to improve the efficiency of the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board.
| Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Employees' Compensation (Amendment) Bill
| To empower the Commissioner for Labour to, inter alia, determine employees' compensation with no dispute between the parties concerned.
| Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Education (Amendment) Bill 1999
| To give statutory backing to Government's policy currently laid down in the Code of Aid for primary and secondary schools on the retirement of principals and teachers at the age of 60.
| Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Employment (Amendment) Bill
| To remove ambiguities in relation to the prohibition of the dismissal of an employee during pregnancy or paid sick leave.
| Education and Manpower Bureau
|
| Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill
| To exempt home brewing in domestic premises from duty payment and to implement proposals to tackle the problem of illicit fuel.
| Finance Bureau
|
| Stamp Duty (Amendment) Bill
| To implement a proposal endorsed by the Public Accounts Committee in respect of the charging of adjudication service on stamp duty, and to transfer some regulation-making powers from Chief Executive in Council to the Financial Secretary.
| Finance Bureau
|
| Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill
| To provide for a statutory corporate rescue procedures in Hong Kong and to allow the Official Receiver to appoint private sector insolvency practitioners as liquidators in summary cases. | Financial Services Bureau
|
| Securities and Futures Bill
| To modernise the regulatory framework for financial markets so as to allow Hong Kong to meet the challenges of global competition, advances in technology and financial innovations. | Financial Services Bureau
|
| Securities (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill
| To strengthen the regulation of short selling of securities so as to enhance market transparency and discipline.
| Financial Services Bureau
|
| Exchanges and Clearing Houses (Merger) Bill 1999
| To modify the existing regulatory framework for the securities and futures markets and introduce consequential amendments to existing securities-related legislation for the purpose of the merger of the two Exchanges Houses and three Clearing Houses.
| Financial Services Bureau
|
| Summary Offences (Amendment) Bill
| To tighten control over charitable fund-raising activities so as to enhance the accountability and transparency of these activities.
| Health and Welfare Bureau
|
| Health Related (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill
| To streamline the operations of the regulatory systems of a number of health care professions and to introduce minor rectification to some health related Ordinances.
| Health and Welfare Bureau
|
| Medicines and Poisons Bill and Pharmacists Registration Bill
| To update and streamline the statutory framework for the regulation of medicines, poisons and pharmacists.
| Health and Welfare Bureau
|
| Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill
| To streamline the structure of the Ordinance so as to facilitate the operation of the Human Organ Transplant Board.
| Health and Welfare Bureau
|
| Building Management (Amendment) Bill
| To implement long term measures for improving the management of private buildings and to rectify certain deficiencies in the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344).
| Home Affairs Bureau
|
| Gambling (Amendment) Bill
| To outlaw unauthorised gambling activities with extraterritorial elements.
| Homes Affairs Bureau
|
| Sales Descriptions of Uncompleted Residential Properties Bill
| To require developers to provide sufficient and accurate information in sales brochures of uncompleted residential flats.
| Housing Bureau
|
| Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Bill
| To simplify tenancy renewal procedures, increase penalties for harassment and unlawful evictions and enhance compensation for sub-tenants in case of repossession of premises by the landlord on the ground of intention to rebuild.
| Housing Bureau
|
| Broadcasting Bill
| To provide for a technology and transmission neutral licensing and regulatory framework for television programme services.
| Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau
|
| Noise Control (Amendment) Bill
| To post a stronger deterrent effect to abate noise nuisances by extending the liability for offences from a body corporate to its top management.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Urban Renewal Authority Bill
| To introduce legislation to establish the Urban Renewal Authority.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Bill
| To prescribe fees payable for licences issued by Government under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Town Planning Bill
| To improve accountability, efficiency and streamline statutory planning procedures. | Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Conveyancing and Property (Amendment) Bill
| To make provisions for preventing the disposition of properties affected by unauthorised rooftop structures.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Buildings (Amendment) Bill
| To enhance the statutory requirements relating to building control and the built environment, and to modify the fees structure for the registration of building professionals. | Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Waste Disposal (Amendment) Bill
| To strengthen the control on the disposal of waste imported from areas outside Hong Kong, to implement a bar for movement of hazardous waste under the Basel Convention and to introduce legislative framework for control of clinical waste.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Protection of the Harbour (Amendment) Bill 1999
| To expand the geographical area of the harbour covered by the existing Protection of Harbour Ordinance.
| Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau
|
| Security and Guarding Services (Amendment) Bill
| To update the regulatory scheme in the light of experience gained in the course of implementation of the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance.
| Security Bureau
|
| Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) and Organized and Serious Crimes (Amendment) Bill
| To enhance the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering provisions under the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance and the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.
| Security Bureau
|
| Bill on licensing system for Karaoke establishments
| To establish a licensing system for Karaoke establishments which will cover fire safety, building safety, public safety and health requirements.
| Security Bureau
|
| A bill to provide for a registration scheme for drug treatment and rehabilitation centres
| To replace the Drug Addicts Treatment and Rehabilitation Ordinance with a new legislation to provide for drug addicts treatment and rehabilitation centres.
| Security Bureau
|
| Dangerous Goods (Amendment) Bill
| To modernise and update the Dangerous Goods Ordinance to bring it in line with international standards, and to introduce other improvements.
| Security Bureau
|
| Rehabilitation Centres Bill
| To introduce legislation to provide for a short-term residential rehabilitation programme for young offenders.
| Security Bureau
|
| Immigration (Amendment) Bill
| To provide for genetic tests for verifying the status of applicants for Certificate of Entitlement whose parentage is in doubt.
| Security Bureau
|
| Industrial Training (Clothing Industry) (Amendment) Bill
| To make electronic submission the only means of lodging declarations for exports of clothing items by deleting the provision for lodging such declarations in person.
| Trade and Industry Bureau
|
| Chemical Weapons (Convention) Bill
| To implement locally the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention in respect of control over the production, use, development and storage of chemical weapons.
| Trade and Industry Bureau
|
| Civil Liability for Unsafe Products Bill
| To enact an Ordinance to provide explicit civil liability protection against unsafe products for consumers.
| Trade and Industry Bureau
|
| Bill on intellectual property rights
| To further enhance our intellectual property regime against bootlegging and corporate infringing activities.
| Trade and Industry Bureau
|
| Mass Transit Railway Bill
| To implement the privatisation of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation and to provide for the regulatory framework for the privatised Mass Transit Railway Corporation.
| Transport Bureau
|
| Amendments to section 6 and the schedule of Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance
| To extend the scope of the Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance to cover the new probationary driving license scheme for inexperienced motorcyclists.
| Transport Bureau
|
| Amendments to section 41 of the Road Traffic Ordinance
| To rationalise the penalty system to deter excessive speeding.
| Transport Bureau
|
| Amendments to Road Traffic Ordinance
| To refine the legal definition and update penalties for certain dangerous driving behaviour under the Road Traffic Ordinance.
| Transport Bureau
|
