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The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
The Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, has accepted the recommendations made by the Working Party on Family Procedure Rules in its Final Report to improve the court procedures for Hong Kong's family justice system, a spokesman for the Judiciary said today (May 28).
The Working Party has conducted a thorough consultation on the 136 proposals put forward in its Interim Report and Consultative Paper issued in February 2014.
"Most of the proposals have received overwhelming support from the respondents. One of the key proposals is to adopt a single set of self-contained procedural rules for the family justice system (the New Code). The other is the setting up of a new Family Procedure Rules Committee as the single rule-making authority for making the New Code and any subsequent amendments," the spokesman said.
"Having studied in detail the comments received, the Working Party has made a total of 133 recommendations in its Final Report. The recommendations largely reflect the original proposals, with refinements in the light of the comments received."
The recommendations taken together seek to reduce the adversarial excesses in the culture of family litigation. They also facilitate a more streamlined procedure and contribute to a common approach across the Family Court and the High Court, resulting in a more efficient, cost-effective and user-friendly family justice system. The time and costs needed for family proceedings are likely to be reduced as a result.
"The Judiciary will now proceed with the legislative work required to implement the recommendations in the Final Report," the spokesman added.
Given the complexity involved, the legislative work is expected to take quite a number of years. An implementation committee within the Judiciary has been set up to oversee this.
The Working Party, which was appointed by the Chief Justice in March 2012, was chaired by Mr Justice Jeremy Poon, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court (CFI Judge). Members included Madam Justice Bebe Pui Ying Chu, CFI Judge (Deputy Chairman); Mr Justice David Lok, CFI Judge; Deputy High Court Judge Marlene Ng; Acting Principal Family Court Judge Bruno Chan; District Judge Sharon Melloy; District Judge C K Chan; Deputy District Judge Ivan Wong; Mr Jeremy Chan of the Hong Kong Bar Association; Mr Dennis Ho of the Law Society of Hong Kong; Mr Ian Wingfield of the Hong Kong Family Law Association; Ms Sherman Cheung of the Legal Aid Department; and Ms Daphne Siu of the Department of Justice.
During the consultation period, which ended in August 2014, the Working Party conducted a mass briefing mainly for stakeholders from the legal profession and the welfare sector, and attended briefing/discussion sessions to collect views from various committees and organisations.
Written views have been received from various stakeholders, such as the legal professional bodies, the relevant government bureaux and departments, and advisory committees of the Government such as the Family Council.
Interested parties can obtain copies of the Final Report from the Information Counter of the High Court Building, the High Court Library and the Family Court Registry.
In addition, the Final Report is also available at the Judiciary's website at
www.judiciary.gov.hk/en/other_info/family_review.htm.
Ends/Thursday, May 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:23
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