TNAG-1589-FCO40-21741-Future-of-the-judiciary-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-1-of-2-1987 — Page 177

(4) reporting progress at regular intervals to

the Registrar or Judiciary Administrator when

appointed.

Meanwhile the Registrar, armed with this Report, will wish to press for the necessary finance and any other aids from the Government towards

the provision of an adequate service.

21.

of action.

The management team will as soon as possible propose a plan

The strategic options for future development are these :-

(1) manuscript shorthand and typewriter transcription;

(2) machine shorthand and typewriter transcription;

(3) machine shorthand and C.A.T.;

(4)

sound recording and typewriter transcription.

They are not necessarily exclusive.

22.

The surest way of providing an early major extension of the

service is sound recording. The equipment has greatly improved in

recent years.

Many courts in the United Kingdom are receiving a

satisfactory service as they are in Australia. The current experiment

here looks hopeful although transcription may be a problem.

23.

Given that recruitment and training of shorthand writers is

difficult and given also that only machine shorthand writers can work

with C.A.T. it may be sensible to concentrate future recruiting and

training effort on machine shorthand and on audio-typists for

transcription from sound.

24.

The C.A.T. system is widely used in the United States and is

very highly spoken of in the courts of Northern Ireland. Once its

operators are fully trained it

exceptionally effective in the

production of transcripts. The system now operating in the Hong Kong

Judiciary can reproduce one hour of court proceedings in a period of

between two and four hours of transcribing whereas one hour in court is

- 69-

-

燎