11-JUN-1993 16:07
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS BR
+ 852 840 1976 P.02
布政司署
香港下
港下亞 亞麻 He 道
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
本署檔 OUR REF :
CAB B3/11
來西擋號 YOUR REF
Mr R AJ Bunten
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom
BY FAX
11 June 1993
ра
Dear Rod
Letter from Article XIX
26
2.
Thank you for your letter of 8 June 1993.
The review of laws having an impact on press and the case for freedom of information legislation completed in March 1993. A press release was issued on 17 March (attached)..
freedom
was
3.
The line to take is as follows :-
The review has found that the freedom of the press is secure under Hong Kong law. However, some laws are either obsolete or may be at odds with the Bill of Rights. We will amend or repeal them as soon as the legislative programme allows.
We all agree that the public should have greater access to official information but we are not convinced that a piece of general declaratory legislation such as a Freedom of Information Ordinance is the right way to achieve this objective. We also need to address the related question of data protection and privacy.
Privacy
The
law Reform Commission Sub-committee is consulting the public on matters concerning privacy, including questions of data protection and access to personal records. We will consider the adoption of a general policy and/or legislation on such matters in the light of the outcome of this exercise. In the meantime, we will introduce arrangements to allow an individual access to personal data he or she has supplied to
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