- 11 -
District Court (Amendment) Bill 1996 to be gazetted
The District Court (Amendment) Bill 1996 will be published in the Gazette tomorrow (Friday).
The Bill seeks to raise the various financial limits of the civil jurisdiction of the District Court to enable more civil cases dealing with claims in contract or tort to be heard in the District Court and also to cover inflation and the rise in property prices and rental values since these limits were last reviewed.
Other amendments to the District Court Ordinance are also proposed.
A Working Party under the chairmanship of the Hon Mr Justice Kempster was appointed by the Chief Justice in October 1991 to review the Ordinance. The recommendations in a report submitted to the Chief Justice in June 1993 were accepted.
The legal profession has been consulted on the draft bill. The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on November 20.
End
Submarine Telegraph Bill 1996
The Executive Council has approved the introduction of the Submarine Telegraph Bill 1996 into the Legislative Council.
The purpose of the Bill is to localise the UK Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 which currently forms part of the law of Hong Kong.
A Government spokesman said today (Thursday): "The Bill provides protection for submarine cables landed in Hong Kong. Persons who deliberately break or damage such cables are liable unless they come within the scope of certain defences such as showing that the action which led to the damaging of the cable was necessary to avoid injury, loss of life or of a vessel.
"The Bill confers jurisdiction over acts committed outside Hong Kong's territorial waters against such cables."
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.