XN000022-1986-01-13 — Page 5

MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1986–

+LATER IN THE YEAR, WE EXPECT THE SHATIN COURT HOUSE TO OPEN, BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RELIEF TO THE OVERCROWDED AND UNSATISFACTORY BUILDINGS AT FANLING, WHICH WILL THEMSELVES BE REPLACED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

+WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE COURT HOUSES IN TUEN MUN IN 1987, AND AT SHAUK IWAN, IN REPLACEMENT OF CAUSEWAY BAY, A YEAR OR TWO LATER, WE SHOULD BE WELL EQUIPPED WITH COURTS FOR THE NEXT DECADE BARRING ANY UNEXPECTED INCREASE IN WORK ON THE SCALE WHICH TOOK PLACE BETWEEN ABOUT 1975 AND 1982, + SIR DENYS SAID.

HE THEN ADMITTED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE JUDICIARY WERE CAPABLE OF IMPROVEMENT.

+LIKE ANY ORGANISATION, A JUDICIARY BENEFITS FROM A PERIODICAL EXAMINATION OF AN EXPERIENCED AND IMPARTIAL EYE TO SEE IF ITS OBJECTIVES ARE RIGHT AND ITS METHODS OF ACHIEVING THEM ARE ECONOMICAL AND EFFECTIVE,+ HE SAID.

HE SAID THAT MR PETER ROBINSON, DEPUTY CLERK TO THE CROWN IN CHANCERY. WOULD BE COMING TO HONG KONG ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF JULY THIS YEAR TO STUDY THE STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG'S COURTS AND TRIBUNALS.

+MR ROBINSON'S TASK WILL BE TO EXAMINE THE HONG KONG JUDICIARY'S ORGANISATION AND TO MEASURE IT AGAINST OBJECTIVE STANDARDS BASED ON EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE.

+HE WILL, IN DUE COURSE, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ME AS TO WHAT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMICAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE COURTS, AS TO WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE ANY REARRANGEMENT OF WORK BETWEEN COURTS AND TRIBUNALS OR ANY CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE AND HIERARCHY OF THE COURTS,+ SIR DENYS SAID.

LOOKING BACK TO 1985, SIR DENYS SAID THAT, IN GENERAL THE VOLUME OF WORK IN THE COURTS DIFFERED LITTLE IN 1985 FROM THAT OF 1984.

+THE COURT OF APPEAL SAT FOR MOST OF THE YEAR IN THREE DIVISIONS, ONE DEALING ONLY WITH CIVIL APPEALS, ONE WITH CRIMINAL APPEALS AND THE THIRD WITH THE REMAINDER. IT DEALT WITH 739 APPEALS, COMPARED WITH 793 IN 1984.

+THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE FILING OF A NOTICE OF APPEAL AND ITS HEARING HAS VARIED BETWEEN FIVE AND 10 WEEKS, WITH AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT SEVEN WEEKS FOR CRIMINAL APPEALS.

+FOR CIVIL MATTERS, THE INTERVAL HAS VARIED BETWEEN FIVE AND 18 WEEKS. THESE ARE, I THINK SATISFACTORY FIGURES, BEARING IN MIND THAT IT IS USUALLY POSSIBLE TO ARRANGE FOR A SWIFTER HEARING OF AN URGENT MATTER,+ SAID SIR DENYS.

/IN THE