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Two laboratories accredited locally are equipped to perform inspection and safety tests on some of these products. These and two other laboratories have expressed interest in expanding their facilities to cope with the demand for testing after the Regulation is brought into effect in about 12 months' time. There are only six types of products subject to specific safety requirements and the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services will continue to liaise with local laboratories with a view to ensuring that, when the Regulation is brought into effect, the demand for testing and certification of these products can be met satisfactorily. Overseas certification bodies will also be recognized by the Director for such purposes.

Lastly, I am pleased to confirm that the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services will prepare guidance notes to assist the trade in understanding and complying with the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation and will consult the trade on the draft guidance notes after the Bill has been passed by this Council.

Thank you.

End

Environmental Impact Assessment Bill

Following is the speech by the Deputy Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Tony Cooper, in resuming the second reading of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Bill in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Mr President,

I would like first to thank Members of the Bills Committee, especially its Chairman, the Honourable Edward Ho, for their hard work and thorough examination of this Bill. This process has helped the Administration to fine-tune the Bill in a manner that enhances its public participation in the statutory environmental impact assessment process on the one hand, and that provides greater certainty to development planning and programming on the other. We have also responded positively to most of the ideas put forward by Members of the Bills Committee and these are reflected in the Committee Stage Amendments which I will move later. However, it will be useful if I explain the Administration's response to several points raised by the Bills Committee and other organisations, such points concerning the arrangements for public participation in the EIA process, the timing of the EIA process, the scope of projects designated under the Bill, and the provisions for exempting projects from the EIA process.

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