LegCo Paper No. CB(2) 1251/95-96
(These minutes have been seen by the Administration)
Ref : CB2/BC/27/95
Minutes of the first meeting of the Bills Committee
to study the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 1996
held on Friday, 26 April 1996 at 2:15 p.m.
in Conference Room B of the Legislative Council Building
Members Present :
Hon Eric LI Ka-cheung, JP (Chairman)
Hon Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen, JP
Hon Margaret NG
Members Absent :
Hon Ronald Arculli, OBE, JP *
Hon IP Kwok-him *
Hon Bruce LIU Sing-lee *
Staff in Attendance :
- Mr Arthur CHEUNG
- Assistant Legal Adviser 5
- Mrs Betty LEUNG
- Clerk to the Bills Committee
Chief Assistant Secretary (2)3
- Miss Flora TAI
- Senior Assistant Secretary (2)3
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Action
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Election of Chairman
Mr Eric LI was elected Chairman of the Bills Committee.
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Views of the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services
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2. Members noted that the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services had discussed the issue about abolition of the corroboration rules in respect of sexual offences at its meeting on 11 December 1995. Extract of the notes of meeting with relevant attachments had been issued to members vide LegCo Paper No. CB(2) 1097/95-96.
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3. In the light that the aforesaid issue had already been deliberated at the Panels meeting, of which members of the Bills Committee were also the members, Miss Margaret NG suggested and members agreed that the Bills Committee would decide at the next meeting whether (a) there were any additional points to be raised; and (b) the Administration should be asked to further elaborate on the issue.
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Written submission on the Bill
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4. At the suggestion of the Chairman, members agreed that the Clerk should invite written submissions from the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Society of Accountants and the Joint Liaison Committee on Taxation on the Bill. Absent members were welcome to suggest other organisations for submissions. The Administration would then be requested to comment on the submission(s) if any.
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Clerk
Clerk
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Date of next meeting
5. The Chairman informed the meeting that the Joint Liaison Committee on Taxation comprising representatives from the Administration, the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Society of Accountants was deliberating the issue that the Bill would enable overseas jurisdictions to obtain tax information through High Court. He suggested that the Bills Committee should not study the Bill until such issue had been resolved so as to expedite the scrutiny process. Members therefore agreed that the next meeting should be held on Tuesday, 4 June 1996 at 4:30 p.m..
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6. The meeting ended at 2:30 p.m..
LegCo Secretariat
30 April 1996
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* -- Other Commitments
Last Updated on 10 December 1998
