TNAG-1854-FCO40-2629-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 165

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 January 1989

香港立法局 —————————一九八九年一月十一日

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MR. MCGREGOR: Sir, would the Government keep in mind the necessity to protect Hong Kong's good name internationally in terms of intellectual property protection legislation and the application of that legislation in Hong Kong?

FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Yes, Sir, our reputation in the field of intellectual property is very high. We do take a number of steps to enforce our intellectual property laws. Certainly I agree with Mr. McGREGOR that we should take every step to protect our good name.

MR. PETER WONG: Sir, the Financial Secretary has pictured us as the "good guys". Have we identified which of our trading partners are not playing fair, and how have we dealt with those "bad guys"?

FINANCIAL SECRETARY: "Good" and "bad" not always easy to define. I do not think this afternoon I should single out any of our trading partners or others as necessarily "bad" guys. We have our views as to those who we would like to steer in the direction of better conduct, but perhaps enough has been said this afternoon, Sir.

MR. PAUL CHENG: Sir, in view of the increasing attention being paid to trade and services internationally, as exemplified by the GATT negotiations, will the Government advise the Council whether a general review is being planned so that measures can be taken to maintain Hong Kong as a leading example of an open market observing GATT rules to the fullest?

FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Sir, I do not think we are planning a general review. All the aspects of this question are kept under review all the time, but I do not think that a formal general review is something that would necessarily be of benefit to us. I am not sure whether that is what Mr. CHENG was

suggesting.

Hazardous electrical wiring

7. PROF. POON asked: Since hazardous electrical wiring is a potential cause of fire in buildings, will Government inform this Council what control measures are currently in force to identify such fire hazards and whether more stringent controls would be introduced to ensure that electrical wiring installations are properly maintained?

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