XN000022-1996-03-04 — Page 17

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Turning to the objective of having all judicial proceedings conducted either in Chinese or in English and more judicial posts to be filled by local candidates by July 1997, Mr Wong said progress in both areas had been satisfactory.

He said legal history was made in December last year when for the first time in Hong Kong the High Court heard a civil case entirely in Chinese.

"This is a practice which the Judiciary will seek to use more and more whenever it is appropriate," he said.

Mr Wong also pointed out that further progress was achieved in mid-February when the restriction on the use of Chinese in the District Court and the Lands Tribunal was lifted.

"Also in the course of last year, five outstanding local lawyers joined the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the District Court. And six local lawyers, from both branches of the legal profession, volunteered to serve the community by accepting appointments to the Magistrates' Court."

"We are confident that by 1 July 1997, 50 per cent of all judicial posts would be filled by local candidates," he said.

On the Hong Kong Government's recruitment policy to the civil service, Mr Wong said since July 1993, it had been possible for officers originally recruited on overseas terms to transfer to local terms provided they were Hong Kong permanent residents.

He told the committee that as at January 1, there were 181,643 public servants, 179.999 (99.1 per cent) of them were on local terms and 1,644 (0.9 per cent) were on overseas terms, the latter having fallen from 3.5 per cent in 1960 and 2.3 per cent in

1980.

In conclusion. Mr Wong assured members of the committee that their comments and suggestions on the report would be faithfully reported back to London and llong Kong and would be given the utmost detailed and careful study.

The study will be done constructively and positively and with an open mind at all times with the aim, which the United Kingdom and Hong Kong governments shared with the committee, of securing and advancing the full enjoyment in the territory of the rights set out in the Convention, he said.

End