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Other members appointed to LASC are Mrs Elsie Tu, Mr Jimson Chan Wing- tai, Dr Law Cheung-kwok, Mr Tang Kwai-nang, and four representatives from the legal profession. They are Mr John Mullick, Mr Ruy Barretto, Mr William Tsui Hing- chuen and Mr Anthony Chow Wing-kin.
The Director of Legal Aid, Mr Chan Shu-ying, will serve as an ex-officio member.
The tenure of the appointments is for a period of two years with effect from Sunday (September 1).
LASC, an independent corporate body established under the Legal Aid Services Council Ordinance enacted in May, is brought into operation today.
Its main function is to oversee the publicly-funded legal aid services operated by the Legal Aid Department, although it has no jurisdiction over the handling of individual cases and staff matters.
It will also act as the Government's advisory body on legal aid policies and related matters.
LASC will be supported by an independent secretariat funded by the Government and manned by staff seconded from the civil service during the initial stage. Its annual operation cost is estimated to be about $4 million.
"Hong Kong has developed over the years a comprehensive system of legal aid to ensure that access to justice is made available to people who are otherwise unable to bear the cost of protecting their lawful rights or freedom.
"The LASC will definitely play an important role in advancing the development of legal aid services in Hong Kong," the spokesman said.
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