XN000022-1996-04-12 — Page 3

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Seven government departments have also been brought within COMAC's jurisdiction. They are the General Office of the Government House, Civil Aid Services (department), Auxiliary Medical Services (department), the Secretariat of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Secretariat of the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Official Languages Agency and the Civil Service Training and Development Institute.

Of these, the Official Languages Agency and the Civil Service Training and Development Institute have become independent agencies on April 1 this year. As a result of their new status, they needed to be listed separately in order to remain within the purview of COMAC.

"To enable COMAC to continue to deal with complaints against these new agencies, it is necessary to include them in Schedule 1 to the COMAC Ordinance," the spokesman said.

The other five newly included departments have little interface with the public.. "As COMAC is the independent review body under the Code on Access to Information, and as the Code is to be extended throughout the Government by the end of this year, we consider that it is now necessary to bring them within COMAC's purview," the spokesman added,

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Shenzhen and Hong Kong hold IPR discussion

A seven-member delegation comprising representatives from the various agencies involved in intellectual property protection work in Shenzhen arrived in Hong Kong for two days of discussions with their Hong Kong counterparts yesterday (Thursday).

Following discussions with Intellectual Property Department and the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department, and a visit to the Judiciary, the Shenzhen delegation and the Intellectual Property Department and Customs and Excise Department issued the following joint statement: