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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1986
+ THE FUNCTION OF THE COMMITTEE IS PRIMARILY TO ADVISE THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL UPON THE PUBLICATION OF AUTHENTIC CHINESE TEXTS OF EXISTING LAWS,+ HE SAID.
THE COMMITTEE WAS ENVISAGED AS A WORKING COMMITTEE CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF SCRUTINISING TEXTS SUBMITTED TO IT BY THE LAW DRAFTING DIVISION OF HIS CHAMBERS.
+CAREFUL THOUGHT IS CURRENTLY BEING GIVEN TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE BEARING IN MIND THE SCOPE OF THE TASK TO BE CARRIED OUT,+ HE SAID.
+MEMBERS WILL OF COURSE HAVE NOTED THAT THE COMMITTEE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH SUB-COMMITTEES AND TO APPOINT SUITABLY QUALIFIED PERSONS TO ASSIST THOSE SUB-COMMITTEES.
+IT IS THOUGHT THAT THIS ARRANGEMENT WILL ENSURE THAT THE BURDEN OF THE WORK WILL BE DISTRIBUTED MORE EVENLY AND EFFECTIVELY THAN WOULD BE THE CASE WITHOUT THAT KIND OF FLEXIBILITY IN ITS STRUCTURING.+
MR THOMAS SAID THE COMMITTEE NEED NOT COMPRISE A LARGE NUMBER OF MEMBERS AND CAREFUL THOUGHT WAS BEING GIVEN TO THE OPTIMUM NUMBER.
+THE BASIC REQUIREMENT AS LAID DOWN BY THE BILL IS THAT THERE MUST BE AT LEAST THREE LEGAL MEMBERS AND TWO MEMBERS WITH LANGUAGE SKILLS, + HE NOTED,
MR THOMAS POINTED OUT THAT CLAUSE ONE OF THE BILL PROVIDED THAT THE AMENDMENTS WOULD NOT COME INTO OPERATION UNTIL A DATE OR DATES TO BE FIXED BY THE GOVERNOR. THE INTENTION IS THAT THERE WILL BE PARTICULAR DATES FOR DIFFERENT PROVISIONS,+ HE SAID.
IN ADDITION, HE REFERRED TO SUPPORTING ARRANGEMENTS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE IN PLACE, INVOLVING PERSONNEL AND ALSO THE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER NEEDED TO ORDER BECAUSE OF THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF PRODUCING BILINGUAL LEGISLATION IN AN ACCEPTABLE FORMAT.
+ IN THE MEANTIME, I AM HOPEFUL THAT THE INTERVENING TIME CAN BE PUT TO GOOD USE BY PUTTING IN HAND ONE OR MORE DUMMY RUNS THIS IS, BY PRESENTING NEW SUBSTANTIVE BILLS TO THIS COUNCIL WHICH ARE PRINTED IN A BILINGUAL FORMAT BUT ARE INTENDED FOR ENACTMENT IN ENGLISH ONLY, HE SAID.
/+THE OBJECT