XN000022-1974-01-17 — Page 2

1-

Thursday, January 17, 1974

TOUGH NEW MEASURES MAY BE INTRODUCED TO PROFECT THE ENVIRONMENT

The Secretary for the Environment, Mr. James Robson, said boday

it is becoming increasingly apparent that stringent legislation will be

required to protect Hong Kong's environment and safeguard its quality

of life.

Addressing the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Advisory

Committee on Environmental Pollution, Mr. Robson indicated that this

legislation could well take the form of an Environmental Protection Bill

patterned upon existing legislation in the United Kingdom.

Agency

-

He added that an effective control authority possibly a Central Contral

- would also be needed to enforce this legislation.

Mr. Robson told members of the new committee that they had been

selectod for the contribution which their expertise and experience, in

respect of various fields of industry, Urban Council and New Territories

affairs, the universities and the Conservancy Association, could make

to the committee's deliberations on the many problems confronting it.

Some members had served on the earlier Advisory Committees on

To the rol.c Air Pollution and Environmental Pollution on Land and Water.

of those earlier committees had been added the further responsibility

of considering noise pollution and what could be done about it.

The new committee would be all-embracing, and would therefore

be equipped to give greater impetus to the activities of the many government

departments and other bodies engaged in controlling all forms of pollution,

/As Secretary