- 8
The Consultancy team to study the setting of benchmarks for teachers using English as the medium of instruction and English language teachers in primary and secondary schools are Dr David Coniam, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Dr Peter Falvey, Department of Curriculum Studies, University of Hong Kong.
The Task Force was chaired by Professor Felice Lieh Mak, and comprised ACTEQ members as well as co-opted members who are front-line language teachers.
End
Bill seeks to ban unsafe household electrical products
The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 1996, to be gazetted by the Government tomorrow (Friday), paves the way for enactment of regulations to provide for safety requirements of household electrical products.
The Bill will enable the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, to prohibit the supply of an unsafe electrical product, in the interests of safety, with "supply" being defined to include all of the commercial means through which a product may reach a consumer.
The Bill increases the maximum penalty for a first conviction of supplying a prohibited electrical product from a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment to a fine of $100,000 and one year's imprisonment.
The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on April 3.
If enacted by the Legislative Council, the Bill will be followed by new regulations requiring that all electrical products designed for household use should comply with certain essential safety requirements to ensure that, during normal use of the product, the user is protected from electrical shock and other dangers from hazardous materials or design.
In addition, some electrical products will have to comply with specific safety requirements. These products are plugs, adaptors, lampholders, flexible cords, extension units (plug, flexible cord and socket) which frequently bring the public into close proximity with live terminals or conductors and pose particular danger if not designed for safe handling and operation, and unvented thermal type electric water heaters, which require special safety devices to regulate temperature and pressure inside them.