XN000022-1992-05-20 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1992

THE VAST MAJORITY OF CASES DEALT WITH IN THE TRIBUNAL AND THE LABOUT TRIBUNAL WERE ALSO CONDUCTED SAID.

IN

SMALL CLAIMS CHINESE, HE

BE CONDUCTED

CASES DEALT WITH BY PERMANENT MAGISTRATES MIGHT IN CHINESE OR ENGLISH, OR PARTLY IN CHINESE AND PARTLY IN ENGLISH, DEPENDING ON THE CHOICE OF THE MAGISTRATE AND COUNSEL.

"HOWEVER, NO STATISTICS ARE KEPT," THE CHIEF SECRETARY ADDED.

AS REGARDS THE LANGUAGE USED IN PROCEEDINGS IN HIGHER COURTS, SIR DAVID SAID BECAUSE OF THE GREATER COMPLEXITY OF THE LEGAL LANGUAGE USED, ENGLISH CONTINUED TO BE THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE PROCEEDINGS WERE CONDUCTED IN THE DISTRICT AND SUPREME COURT.

NEVERTHELESS, SECTION 5 (3) OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ORDINANCE PROVIDED THAT ANY PARTY OR WITNESS IN ANY PROCEEDINGS IN ANY COURT MIGHT USE EITHER ENGLISH OR CHINESE OR ANY OTHER LANGUAGE AS THE COURT MIGHT PERMIT, HE ADDED.

SLOPES STABILISATION WORKS IN PROGRESS

*

HAS

A LONG-TERM PROGRAMME OF GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY INVESTIGATIONS BEEN IN PROGRESS DURING THE PAST 16 YEARS TO DEAL WITH 10,000 OR SO SLOPES OR ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN CATALOGUED ON A RISK PRIORITY BASIS.

OF THE 4,300 INVESTIGATED SO FAR, 880 REQUIRED PREVENTIVE WORKS AND IMPROVEMENT WORKS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED ON 750 SLOPES.

IN

THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON HUANG CHEN-YA, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

"OF THE REMAINING 130, ON WHICH PREVENTIVE WORKS ARE IN HAND OR WILL COMMENCE SHORTLY, 35% ARE LOCATED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, 10% IN KOWLOON AND 55% ON HONG KONG ISLAND, HE SAID.

"

MR BLAKE EXPLAINED THAT A SLOPE WAS ONLY CLASSIFIED AS DANGEROUS WHEN IT POSED AN IMMEDIATE AND OBVIOUS THREAT ΤΟ PUBLIC SAFETY, IN WHICH CASE IMMEDIATE STEPS WERE TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AND REMOVE THE DANGER.

"FOR OTHER SLOPES IT IS ONLY AFTER A DETAILED GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY INVESTIGATION THAT WE KNOW WHETHER OR NOT A SLOPE IS LIABLE TO BECOME DANGEROUS DURING EXTREME RAINSTORMS, HE SAID.

"

MR BLAKE SAID IF ANY SLOPE WAS OF IMMEDIATE AND OBVIOUS DANGER, IT WAS INJECTED IMMEDIATELY INTO THE LANDSLIP PREVENTIVE MEASURES PROGRAMME AND MONITORED CLOSELY UNTIL WORKS HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND THE SLOPE STABILISED.

/"EMERGENCY MEASURES