7
Before the enactment of Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance, marine safety was regulated by the Merchant Shipping Ordinance. When the Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance came into effect in 1981 to consolidate the local legislation relating to marine safety, certain provisions about survey services and requirements under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance were transferred to the former. Fees for survey services however continue to be charged under the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulation, which is the subsidiary legislation of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance. We intend this to continue, but believe it would be appropriate for there to be explicit reference to this arrangement in the main Ordinance. The amendment bill makes a minor amendment to the Merchant Shipping Ordinance to achieve this.
End
Immigration (Amendment) Bil! 1996
Following is the speech by Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, in moving the second reading of the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 1996 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday);
Mr President,
I move the Second Reading of the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 1996.
The purpose of the Bill is to prevent certain Vietnamese migrants from seeking release from detention in the wake of a recent Privy Council judgment.
Since 16 June 1988, Vietnamese migrants arriving in the territory who request to stay are detained pending determination as to whether they are refugees and, if they are determined to be non-refugees, pending removal to Vietnam. They are encouraged to return to Vietnam through the UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme. Otherwise, they are subject to the orderly repatriation programme run by the Hong Kong Government. Clearance by the Vietnamese authorities is required before a Vietnamese migrant can be repatriated. This applies to both the voluntary and the orderly return programmes.