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Electricity (Amendment) Bill 1996
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Gordon Siu, in moving the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 1996, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I move that the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 1996 be read a second time.
In March 1995, safety requirements for plugs and adaptors came into effect. These requirements were widely publicised and were targeting the improvement of safety of plugs and adaptors and increasing public awareness of electrical product safety.
The Electricity (Amendment) Bill introduced today takes this process a step further, in paving the way for enactment of regulations stipulating safety requirements for all household electrical products.
The Bill has three main provisions.
First, it enables the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, to prohibit the supply of an unsafe electrical product, in the interests of safety.
Second, it provides for a product owner to claim compensation against Government for loss or damage resulting from the Director's seizure of a prohibited electrical product when that seizure is overturned on appeal and the appeal board has ordered that the product be returned.
Third, it increases the maximum penalty for supplying a prohibited product from a fine of $50,000 on a first conviction and $100,000 on a subsequent conviction for the same offence and in either case imprisonment for six months, to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on a first conviction and a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent conviction.
After the Bill has been passed by this Council, the Government will introduce a new regulation prescribing safety requirements for household electrical products. The new regulation will require that all electrical products designed for household use should comply with essential safety requirements to protect the user from electrical shock and other dangers from hazardous materials or design.