16
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1993
PRACTISE
A REGISTERED FOREIGN LAW FIRM WILL BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH A LOCAL PRACTICE IF ALL OF THE PARTNERS IN HONG KONG ARE ADMITTED TO AS HONG KONG SOLICITORS AFTER THREE YEARS,
IN BE
CRITERIA
EXPERIENCE
OF
ADDITION, NON-DISCRIMINATORY AND COMPETENCY-BASED
AND INTRODUCED TO ASSESS THE QUALIFICATIONS FOREIGN LAWYERS WHO WISH TO BE ADMITTED AS HONG KONG SOLICITORS.
WILL
COUNCIL,
IF THE BILL IS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE LEGISLATION WILL BE MADE TO IMPLEMENT THESE PROPOSALS.
SUBSIDIARY
JOINT LAW ON THE PROBLEM OF TOUTING AND COMMISSION-TAKING, A SOCIETY AND BAR ASSOCIATION WORKING PARTY RECOMMENDED IN A REPORT LAST YEAR THAT AMENDMENTS BE MADE TO THE SOLICITORS' PRACTICE RULES TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DETECT COMMISSION-TAKING.
AN
IT WAS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THE LAW SOCIETY SHOULD APPOINT INSPECTOR TO CONDUCT CHECKS ON SOLICITORS AND EMPLOYEES OF SOLICITORS' FIRMS TO SEE IF THEY WERE INVOLVED IN TOUTING OR COMMISSION-TAKING.
ON
THE LAW SOCIETY HAS PROCEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS. AMENDMENTS ΤΟ THE SOLICITORS' PRACTICE RULES WILL BE GAZETTED APRIL 30.
AN
THE LEGAL PRACTITIONERS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993 WILL EMPOWER INSPECTOR APPOINTED BY THE LAW SOCIETY TO EXAMINE SOLICITORS' FILES TO out ENSURE THAT THE PRACTICE RULES ARE BEING OBSERVED, AND TO CARRY AUDITS OF THESE FILES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE UNAUTHORISED PAYMENT OF FEES.
HAS
BEEN ANY
0
STATEMENT ON RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STUDY
* * * * *
IN RESPONSE TO PRESS ENQUIRIES ABOUT AN EDITORIAL IN A CHINESE NEWSPAPER, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY (THURSDAY) SAID IT WAS INCORRECT TO SAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO BUILD A RAIL LINK TO THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES (NWNT), WITH WORK STARTING IN 1995.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID: "THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT HAS MADE IT CLEAR ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT TAKE A VIEW ON THE FINDINGS OF THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STUDY BEFORE THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN CONSULTED."
"WE ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CONSULTING THE PUBLIC. IT IS PREMATURE TO TALK ABOUT FINANCING THE PROPOSALS OR THEIR COMPLETION DATES, AT A TIME WHEN THE LONG-TERM PLAN FOR RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT HAS YET TO BE DECIDED.
**
"THE COSTINGS PROVIDED IN THE STUDY ARE NO MORE THAN VERY ROUGH INDICATIONS AND, IF IT WERE DECIDED LATER TO IMPLEMENT THE PROPOSALS, THEY WOULD FIRST BE SUBJECTED TO DETAILED FINANCIAL AND ENGINEERING STUDIES."
THE SPOKESMAN ALSO STRESSED THAT IT WAS INCORRECT TO SUGGEST THAT THE GOVERNMENT SOUGHT TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT (LRT) IN FORMULATING THE NWNT RAIL LINE PROPOSAL.
/IN FACT