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The Department of Justice (DoJ) will establish a cross-sector working group to study and consider the proposals of the Law Reform Commission (LRC)'s Report on Class Actions and to make recommendations to the Administration on how to take the matter forward.
The DoJ today (November 27) provided its interim response to the Report, informing the LRC of the Administration's decision to set up the working group.
The working group, chaired by the Solicitor General, will comprise members representing stakeholders in the private sector, the relevant government bureaux and departments, the two legal professional bodies and the Consumer Council, as well as a representative from the Judiciary whose role is confined to providing input to the deliberations from the perspective of interface with court operations.
The first meeting is expected to be held in the first quarter of 2013. The Administration will map out the way forward in light of the recommendations to be made by the working group.
The LRC published the Report on Class Actions on May 28, 2012, proposing that a mechanism for class actions should be adopted in Hong Kong. In view of the complexity of the issues, the report recommended that a working group comprising representatives of the major stakeholders should be formed to consider the details of the proposed regime.
The DoJ, the responding government agency for this subject, is required to provide at least an interim response to the LRC within six months from publication of the report.
Ends/Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:30
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