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The spokesman said that under the new arrangements, for existing cases, the Chief Justice would make recommendation for approval by the Governor, on the appropriate minimum term to be served, or the "tariff period".
"For new cases, the trial judge would specify, in open court, the tariff period, which would be part of the sentence.
"The new Board would consider recommending a determinate sentence after the prisoner has served his full tariff period," he said.
Prisoners transferred back to Hong Kong to serve the remainder of their sentences would also be eligible for consideration by the new Board for remission of sentences, the spokesman added.
The Long-term Prison Sentences Review Bill will be gazetted on Friday (March 7). It is expected to be introduced into the Legislative Council on March 19 this
year.
End
Registered Designs Bill to protect industrial designs
A Registered Designs Bill, which aims to establish an independent registered designs system in Hong Kong for the protection of industrial designs in line with international standards, will be gazetted tomorrow (Friday).
A spokesman for the Trade and Industry Branch said: "At present, Hong Kong does not have a separate designs registry. Under the existing provisions of the United Kingdom Designs (Protection) Ordinance, Cap. 44, a design is automatically protected in Hong Kong if it is registered in the United Kingdom.
"A new local registered designs law needs to be enacted before July 1, 1997 because the existing law is dependent on the United Kingdom designs law."
He said: "Agreement was reached by the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group Meeting in November 1995 on the proposals for localising the registered designs law in Hong Kong."