XN000022-1995-12-06 — Page 17

- 15.

The Noise Control (Amendment) Bill seeks to elaborate on the regulation- making power of the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands under the Noise Control Ordinance to enable specific regulation to be made to control noise emission from motor vehicles for the purposes of first registration under the Road Traffic Ordinance. Under such regulation, the Director of Environmental Protection could be authorised to provide for the application of international or local noise emission standards and test procedures for control, to exempt certain motor vehicles from any requirements of the regulation, and to provide for the acceptance of other standards which are as stringent as or more stringent than the stipulated standards.

Traffic noise is a major cause of environmental nuisance and has an adverse impact on the quality of life. With increases in traffic flow, more stringent noise emission controls are necessary to minimise such pollution. I urge this Council to give this bill favourable consideration.

Thank you, Mr President.

End

Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill

Following is the speech by the acting Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Canice Mak, in moving the second reading of the Road Traffic (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 1995 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Mr President,

time.

I move that the Road Traffic (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 1995 be read the second

I explained, in the context of moving the Noise Control (Amendment) Bill 1995, details of the proposed scheme to require newly registered vehicles to meet noise emission standards. To effect the scheme, a link has to be established between the Noise Control Ordinance and the Road Traffic Ordinance.