34

is

to society. The Department, in conjunction with the Technical Education and Industrial Training Department, adapting its vocational training

qualifications

programmes to provide

identical to those in other educational

institutions in Hong Kong.

111.

(£) Law Reform and the Courts

(i) Community Service Orders

On a related matter, the Government has accepted

the Law Reform Commission's recommendation that the courts be

allowed to impose community service orders on certain

A Community Service Orders Bill will be

offenders.

introduced early in this session.

112.

(ii) Adjudicators in Commercial Crime Cases

The Attorney General has recently issued a

of

consultative document on the trial

commercial crimes.

This envisages introducing a system of experienced adjudicators sitting with a judge to try more complex cases. Such a system would relieve jurors of onerous duties, save the courts considerable time, and add to the expertise of the

tribunal. But its introduction must await the outcome of

discussion within the community.

113.

(iii) Legal Aid

Finally, I come to legal aid. This year has seen

the introduction of the Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme. It is designed to assist those who would not normally qualify for legal aid, yet could not afford to pursue litigation

without considerable sacrifice.

/114.

A ...

Share This Page