PLC Paper No. LS 85

Paper for the House Committee Meeting
of the Provisional Legislative Council on 23 January 1998

Legal Service Division Report on
Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) (Amendment) Bill 1998

Object of the Bill

To amend the Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance (Cap. 127) to impose a statutory time limit of nine months after the expiration of the period for lodging objections within which the Director of Lands is required to submit a proposed reclamation in relation to any foreshore and sea-bed and all objections to such proposal to the Chief Executive in Council for consideration.

Provisional LegCo Brief Reference

2. PELB(CR) 120/01/88/01(97) Pt. 4 issued by the Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau in January 1998.

Date of First Reading

3. 21 January 1998.

Comments

4. The amendment follows the statutory time limit for dealing with objections in the Railways Ordinance (59 of 1997). The same proposal has been made in the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 1998 published in the Gazette on the same day. Members may refer to Legal Service Division Report on that Bill contained in PLC Paper No. LS 84 for details.

5. Paragraph 11 of the PLC Brief sets out the reasons put forward by the Administration justifying why it is essential for the Bill to be introduced during this session.

Public Consultation

6. No public consultation has been carried out.

Consultation with the Provisional LegCo Panel

7. No consultation with any PLC Panel has been carried out.

Conclusion

8. The legal and drafting aspects of the Bill are in order. Subject to members’ views, the Bill is ready for resumption of the Second Reading debate.

Prepared by

Wong Sze-man, Bernice
Assistant Legal Adviser
Provisional Legislative Council Secretariat
20 January 1998