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The Government will publish the Adaptation of Laws Bill 2009 in the Gazette tomorrow (January 30).
The Bill seeks to amend four ordinances to provide that these ordinances will, apart from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), also apply to the three offices set up by the Central People's Government (CPG) in the HKSAR, namely the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR; and the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
The four ordinances involved are The Legislative Council Commission Ordinance (Cap. 443), the Plant Varieties Protection Ordinance (Cap. 490), the Patents Ordinance (Cap. 514) and the Registered Designs Ordinance (Cap. 522). At present, these four ordinances expressly bind the Government but are silent on the applicability to the offices set up by the CPG in the HKSAR.
"The Government has been studying the matter and discussing it with the relevant authorities of the CPG. In accordance with the consensus attained, we will introduce the Bill to amend the four ordinances in the 2008-09 legislative session to apply them to the offices set up by the CPG in the HKSAR," a spokesman for the Government said.
The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on February 11.
Ends/Thursday, January 29, 2009
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