TNAG-0330-FCO40-366-Visit-of-Parliamentary-Under-Secretary-of-State--Anthony-Roy-1972 — Page 101

to the

20x7MX Bublic in Chinese.

In its Third Report, the Chinese Language

Committee considered the extent to which

Chinese can have equal status with English in

court proceedings and as a language of the law

With one exception, the Hong Kong Government

have accepted the recommendations of this

report and, subject to slight modifications,

are gradually putting them into effect.

These include a wider use of Cantonese in

Magistrates' Courts and quasi-judicial bodies

of comparable rank; a glossary of legal terms

to be compiled in Ehinese and English; A list

of titles together with a brief description

of existing ordinances and subsidiary

legislation, to be published in Chinese; publication

in Chinese of explanatory booklets on the more

important ordinances; pleadings made by

litigants not legally represented should be

accepted in either English or Chinese (but for

the purpose of appeals and in the case of

version

discrepancy, the English/should prevail);

all statements to be taken down in the

Cind

language in which they are made; statutory

forms, government licences and certificates

prescribed by law in both English and Chinese

should be equally authoritative.

The recommendation which was not accepted

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