XN000022-1995-05-17 — Page 30

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Future of subsidised schemes of home ownershin

Mr President, as I have indicated earlier, both the Home Ownership Scheme and the Private Sector Participation Scheme have successfully promoted home ownership in the community, and have helped over 209,000 families to acquire their own homes. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that some problems have emerged and we believe that further improvements can be made. For this reason, the Home Ownership Committee of the Housing Authority has decided recently to conduct a comprehensive review of these two schemes. Although the review may not be completed within six months, we support the spirit of the motion and will be happy to furnish this Council with a progress report in six months' time. With these remarks, Mr President, we support the motion.

Thank you.

End/Wednesday, May 17, 1995

Bill to amend anti-corruption laws introduced

A bill which seeks to make legislative amendments needed to implement the recommendations in the report of the ICAC Review Committee published in December last year was introduced into the Legislative Council today (Wednesday).

Moving the second reading of the Prevention of Bribery (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1995, the Attorney General, the Hon Jeremy Mathews, said in promoting the Bill, the Government's objectives were to strike a balance between two potentially conflicting views held in the community: that the ICAC needed to have sufficient powers to be effective in the continuing battle against corruption; and that it should be more accountable and transparent in the use of those powers.

"This Bill is an essential step in reaffirming the ICAC's mandate in the light of present day circumstances and the changing expectations of the people of Hong Kong 20 years after the establishment of the ICAC," Mr Mathews said.

He said the Bill proposed amendments to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, the Independent Commission Against Corruption Ordinance and the Magistrates Ordinance. The amendments could be grouped into three categories.

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