XN000022-1989-07-19 — Page 42

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1989

40

EITHER CHINESE TREAT THAT

"ACCORDINGLY, PROVIDED A LAWYER CAN UNDERSTAND OR THE ENGLISH VERSION OF AN ORDINANCE HE WILL BE ABLE TO VERSION AS ACCURATE AND LEGALLY BINDING,

IN BOTH LANGUAGES

IT WOULD

HE SAID.

PROFICIENCY

NEVERTHELESS, WHILE MOST LAWYERS WOULD NOT REQUIRE

BE NECESSARY FOR A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF LAWYERS, BEING LEGISLATIVE DRAFTSMEN, TO ACQUIRE PROFICIENCY

NECESSARY THE IN BOTH LANGUAGES FOR ORIGINAL DRAFTING OF BILLS IN CHINESE.

WORK OF

TRANSLATION AND FOR

"IN

RECOGNITION

OF THAT NEED A

LAW BILINGUAL OF MY DIVISION

CHAMBERS DRAFTSMEN AND OF SEVEN CONSISTS

TEAM

WAS

IN

1986.

19

LAW

ESTABLISHED IN THE LAW DRAFTING PRESENTLY THIS TEAM TRANSLATORS," HE SAID.

"TO ACHIEVE THE GOVERNMENT'S OBJECTIVE OF HAVING KONG'S LEGISLATION AVAILABLE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE WILL BE NECESSARY TO EXPAND THIS TEAM.

ALL

OF HONG BY 1997 IT

AND

"MY CHAMBERS ARE SEEKING COMPETENT BILINGUAL LAW DRAFTSMEN

TO RECRUIT APPROPRIATELY TRANSLATORS AND EVERY EFFORT IS BEING MADE

DRAFTING QUALIFIED, BILINGUAL LAWYERS AND TRANSLATORS TO JOIN THE LAW DIVISION.

MR WONG HAD ASKED WHAT STEPS THE GOVERNMENT WAS TAKING TO LANGUAGES IN VIEW OF ENSURE HONG KONG LAWYERS' PROFICIENCY IN BOTH

ALL NEW LEGISLATION IN BILINGUAL THE PRESENT REQUIREMENT TO ENACT FORM.

FROM APRIL 7

T

IS TO NOT AMENDMENTS BOTH

ENGLISH

AND

THAT 1989 ALL NEW PRINCIPAL ORDINANCES, SAY ORDINANCES WHICH STAND ON THEIR OWN AND WHICH ARE

IN DRAFTED TO EXISTING LEGISLATION,

ARE TO BE

CHINESE.

WORK IS

ALSO WELL

UNDERWAY

WITHIN THE

ATTORNEY

GENERAL'S

CHAMBERS UPON THE TRANSLATION OF EXISTING LEGISLATION INTO CHINESE.

MEASURES TO MINIMISE HAZARDS TO FIRE FIGHTING

MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN TO MINIMISE HAZARDS TO FIRE FIGHTING OPERATIONS IN PREMISES WHERE WINDOWS ARE BOARDED OVER FOR DECORATIVE

THE SECRETARY PURPOSES,

FOR SECURITY, THE HON GEOFFREY BARNES, INFORMED THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON JAMES TIEN, BARNES POINTED OUT THAT THE COUNCIL HAD EARLIER BEEN INFORMED THAT WINDOW OPENINGS WERE NOT ESSENTIAL MEANS OF ACCESS AND ESCAPE IN EVENT OF A FIRE IN A MULTI-STOREY BUILDING.

MR

THE

HE NOTED