5.
It seeks to safeguard the position of innocent bystanders
who may unintentionally become involved in circumstances
constituting an offence.
Consultation with interested bodies
6. The Bill has been referred to certain interested bodies
in Hong Kong, for their comments before it is published for
general information. These are bodies which have made
detailed criticisms of the Ordinance.
7.
To be used only if pressed7 The bodies concerned are
the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong
and the Hong Kong Branch of Justice.
Date of Publication of Bill
8. I cannot indicate a date for publication.
The bodies
to which the Bill has been referred will need time to present
their views.
Need for powers to control public meetings and processions
9. In Hong Kong's densely crowded conditions, large crowds
can gather very quickly and the activities of trouble-makers
can lead without warning to widespread disturbances. It is
necessary to be able to exercise control over public meetings
and processions at all times. The Ordinance is designed to
meet this need on a permanent basis.
Emergency Legislation
10.
There is no emergency legislation in force relating to
public assemblies.
Reply to Supplementaries requesting detailed information on
public assembly or other provisions of the Bill
11. The draft Bill is a complex one and in order to avoid
any possible misunderstanding in these short exchanges I
would ask the hon. Member to await its publication.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.