WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1986
8
BENCH SEEKS MORE CANTONESE SPEAKERS
*****
BOTH THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE ADMINISTRATION ARE CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED FOR MORE CANTONESE SPEAKERS ON THE BENCH AND VARIOUS STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO ATTRACT THEM, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING A QUESTION BY THE HON LYDIA DUNN, SIR DAVID SAID: +IN THE CASE OF MAGISTRATES, SINCE 1981 IT HAS BEEN STIPULATED IN ADVERTISEMENTS THAT CANTONESE-SPEAKING CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT FULLY MEET THE NORMAL APPOINTMENT REQUIREMENTS OF BEING AT LEAST 40 YEARS OLD AND HAVING AT LEAST 10 YEARS' PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SINCE ADMISSION MIGHT ALSO APPLY.
+ THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR THESE CANDIDATES WERE FURTHER RELAXED TO 30 YEARS OF AGE AND FIVE YEARS' PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN 1984.+
SIR DAVID SAID THESE MEASURES HAD HELPED. TWO CANTONESE- SPEAKING CANDIDATES WERE APPOINTED AS MAGISTRATES BETWEEN 1981 AND 1984 AND, FOLLOWING FURTHER RELAXATION OF THE AGE AND EXPERIENCE CRITERIA, ANOTHER SIX SUCH APPOINTMENTS WERE MADE IN 1985.
AS FOR JUDGES, SIR DAVID SAID IT HAD BEEN THE ADMINISTRATION'S POLICY TO FILL VACANCIES WITH CANTONESE-SPEAKING CANDIDATES WHERE POSSIBLE.
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, SIX CANTONESE-SPEAKING DISTRICT JUDGES HAVE BEEN APPOINTED, FIVE OF WHOM WERE PROMOTED FROM WITHIN THE JUDICIARY.
+IN ADDITION, A CANTONESE-SPEAKING DISTRICT JUDGE WAS APPOINTED A JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT, HE NOTED.
HE ADDED THAT DIRECT APPROACHES HAD ALSO BEEN MADE TO MEMBERS
OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION.
ELABORATING ON THIS, SIR DAVID SAID: THE REGISTRAR, SUPREME COURT, HAS ADVISED THE BAR ASSOCIATION AND THE LAW SOCIETY THAT THE JUDICIARY IS PREPARED TO CONSIDER, AT ANY TIME, LOCAL BARRISTERS OR SOLICITORS WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN BECOMING MAGISTRATES OR JUDGES.
+SIMILARLY, THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE REGISTRAR, SUPREME COURT, HAVE ALSO WRITTEN TO MEMBERS OF THE PROFESSION TO SEE WHETHER THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING APPOINTED TO THE BENCH. +
/HE SAID