Enclosure No. 4
A BILL
To
Amend certain Ordinances relating to the registration of births and deaths
and the adoption of children.
Enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent
of the Legislative Council thereof.
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Registration of Births, Short title and Deaths and Adoption (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 1979 and commencement. shall come into operation on a day to be appointed by the Governor
by notice in the Gazette.
2. Section 3 of the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance is Replacement repealed and replaced by the following-
"Registrar,
3.
(1) The Governor may appoint-
staff and
general register office.
(a)
(b)
First Schedule.
3.
a person to be the Registrar of Births and Deaths; subject to subsection (2), such deputy registrars, district registrars, clerks and subordinate officers as may be necessary for the purposes of this Ordinance;
(c) a general register office for keeping registers of all
births and deaths occurring in Hong Kong.
(2) Unless and until otherwise directed by the Governor, the officer in charge of each police station mentioned in the second column of the First Schedule shall be a district registrar of deaths for the district specified in relation to that police station in the first column of that Schedule.".
Section 2 in-
(a) the Births Registration (Special Registers) Ordinance;
(b) the Deaths Registration (Special Registers) Ordinance; and
(c) the Adoption Ordinance,
is amended in each case by deleting the definition of "general register office" and substituting the following-
""general register office" means the general register office appointed (Cap. under section 3(1)(c) of the Births and Deaths Registration 174.) Ordinance;".
of section 3. (Cap. 174.)
Amendments of section 2 of Cap. 175, 176 and 290.
Explanatory Memorandum
Under section 3 of the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Cap. 174) the responsibility for the registration of births and deaths rests with the Registrar General. It has been decided to transfer this responsibility (together with that of the registration of marriages) to the Director of Immigration, in his capacity as Commissioner for Registration under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177).
2. The Bill replaces section 3 of the Births and Deaths Registra- tion Ordinance (Cap. 174) with a new section which provides that the Governor may appoint a person to be the Registrar of Births and Deaths,