TNAG-1854-FCO40-2629-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 182

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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drafting process was delayed initially because of the need to amend the principal Ordinance to enable certain provisions and proposals recommended by the boards to be included in the regulations. Subsequently, the Supplementary Medical Professions, Midwives Registration and Nurses Registration (Amendment) Ordinance was passed in 1985 to give effect to these changes, while drafting of the various regulations continued.

The regulations for occupational therapists and medical laboratory technologists were completed last year. Those for the remaining three professions are being finalized. In the course of drafting these regulations, it became clear that further amendments to the Ordinance were necessary in order to implement the proposals for the discipline and control of the professions. Therefore, the Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Bill 1988, which sought to make those amendments, was introduced into this Council on 6 July 1988.

A Legislative Council ad hoc group was set up to consider the Bill. With regard to clause 8(2) of the Bill, which proposed to amend section 26 of the Ordinance by requiring all Codes of Practice and amendments to them to be notified by the para-medical boards to the Supplementary Medical Professions Council, the ad hoc group was of the view that the Bill did not adequately provide for a smooth working relationship between the council and the boards. In response, the Administration undertook to consult the Supplementary Medical Professions Council and the boards on the matter. There was, however, insufficient time for the consultations to be carried out before the dissolution of the Legislative Council at the end of its 1987-88 Session. As a result, it was not possible for the Bill to complete its passage through this Council before dissolution and the Bill therefore lapsed.

The Supplementary Medical Professions Council was consulted on the point in question in November last year. It did not consider it necessary, at this stage, to seek amendments to the Bill in respect of the relationship between the council and the boards. It recommended that the Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Bill 1988 be re-submitted to the Legislative Council.

Concerning the working relationship between the council and the boards in respect of the preparation and revision of Codes of Practice, the Supplementary Medical Professions Council concluded that the boards should be requested to submit their codes of practice to the council before they were finalized. The council considered that this arrangement would enable it to conduct its supervisory and co-ordinating functions properly and that, if there was any major disagreement between the council and the boards regarding such codes of practice, then both the council and the boards should be consulted as to whether