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4
As to the 10 undertakings made last year and the three outstanding since 1992, Mr Mathews reported that the department had completed six, was on schedule on six, and was taking active measures to speed up the progress on the one item which was behind schedule.
The six targets achieved are:
* to provide additional staff to conduct prosecutions in the Magistrates Courts
to reduce the need to brief out work to private counsel;
* to publish the consultation paper on legal services in early 1995;
* to advance the publication of the legal glossary and to publish the first issue
in March of this year;
* to introduce a new Succession Posts Scheme to accelerate the promotion of
local counsel to the senior directorate;
to resume reciprocal legal study visits, subject to the Chinese Government's agreement; and
* to make special arrangements to ensure that three of the five Law Officer
posts are filled by local officers by the end of 1995.
The one project where progress is behind schedule is the proposed provision of training in the common law for government lawyers from China, which is subject to a positive response from the Chinese authorities.
"I and my colleagues are continuing to pursue this idea and we are taking every opportunity to emphasise to the Chinese authorities the benefits to both sides of the proposed scheme," Mr Mathews said.
End/Wednesday, October 18, 1995