1
Motion on Radiation Regulation
Following is a speech by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, when moving the Radiation Ordinance (Cap 303) Radiation (Control of Irradiating Apparatus) (Amendment) Regulation 1997 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I move that the Radiation (Control of Irradiating Apparatus) (Amendment) Regulation 1997 as set out under my name in the paper circulated to Members be approved.
The Radiation Ordinance provides for the control on the import, export, possession and use of radioactive substances and irradiating apparatuses and the prospecting and mining for radioactive minerals and for related purposes.
Section 7 of the Radiation Ordinance provides for the requirement of a licence for a person to manufacture, sell, deal in or with, possess or use any irradiating apparatuses. The existing system requires every seller, possessor and user of irradiating apparatuses to hold a valid licence. The possession licence can cover any number of irradiating apparatuses provided that they are located in the same premises. All users of irradiating apparatuses have to hold a user licence. However, if the possessor of an irradiating apparatus is also the user of the apparatus, that person only needs a single licence to cover both the possession and use of the apparatus.
Fees for the grant or renewal of a licence are prescribed in Schedule 2 to the Radiation (Control of Irradiating Apparatus) Regulations.
When I moved the motion of approving the Radiation (Control of Irradiating Apparatus) (Amendment) Regulation 1994 for revising the fees payable under the Regulations, I noted the views of the subcommittee then set up under the chairmanship of Dr the Hon C H Leong for scrutinizing the Amendment Regulation that the system was not equitable because the same fee was levied for different types of licences notwithstanding the difference in time and effort incurred in processing each type of licence. I had assured Members then that we would recommend to the Radiation Board that it should adopt a charging system based on the principle of equity, taking into consideration the number of irradiating apparatuses involved and the time taken to inspect them.