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provided that a married woman, whether an infant or not, can appoint an attorney on her behalf for the purpose of executing any deed or doing any other act which she may execute or do.
"The Intestates' Estate Ordinance, which came into effect in October 1971, has abolished the inequality between males and females in rights of succession to estates and gives a widow and a female child rights of inheritance on intestacy." (File ref: UM 50/3 (44), 1975)
The statement made no reference to Article 26 of the ICCPR, nor did the Governor request any reservation to be entered in respect of any of the articles of the Covenants referring to discrimination on grounds of sex.
16. Thus, there was again no reference to the New Territories land question while the statement that the inequality mentioned in 1967 had "all but disappeared" implied that no substantial discriminatory practices remained in force.
17. After receiving the Governor's replies, the FCO consulted him further on certain points following advice from Mrs Denza (Legal Advisers) (file ref: UM 50/3 (37, 47A and 52), 1975) but the only aspect raised relating to equal treatment of the sexes was that of equal pay under Article 7 of the ICESCR. Accordingly, this was the only such aspect relating to Hong Kong which was the subject of a reservation by the UK on ratification of the Covenants on 17 May 1976. (The UK also entered reservations concerning the application in Hong Kong of certain unrelated provisions of the ICCPR, ie Articles covering immigration, review of deportation decisions and electoral rights.) (File ref: UNR 241/548/2 (89), 1976).
Reports and statements to the Human Rights Committee, 1978
18. In accordance with Article 40 of the ICCPR, the UK submitted reports to the HRC on the application of the provisions of the Covenant in the UK and in the dependent territories of the UK. The initial report on the UK itself (ie Great Britain and Northern Ireland) was submitted in August 1977 and that on the dependent territories in November 1978. An Annex on Hong Kong attached to the latter report included the following observation on Article 3 of the ICCPR:
"The measures which give effect to the rights recognised in the Covenant apply equally to men and women.
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19. The Annex also included the following observation on Article 26, based closely on the observation concerning the same article in the previously submitted report on Great Britain and Northern Ireland: -
Kong.
"The rule of law is a fundamental principle in Hong
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