Hong Kong Judiciary Annual Report 2007

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	The Judiciary Annual Report 2007 has a new format. Previously, our Annual Report contained a description of the work of the Judiciary. This information will no longer be set out in our Annual Report. We are issuing a new publication entitled "Hong Kong Judiciary" which will provide this information. It will be available to visitors to the Judiciary and need not be revised for about five years. The same information is already available on our Website.

	2. From this year onwards, our Annual Report will concentrate on the developments and events during the year in question, together with the relevant statistics. In an effort to contribute to the protection of the environment, we will no longer publish a paper version of the Annual Report. It will only be uploaded on our Website.

	The Court of Final Appeal
	3. 2007 is a year of significance. We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At the same time, the Court of Final Appeal has reached the milestone of the end of its first decade as our own final appellate court. The Court is judged by the quality of its jurisprudence. While that quality is best judged by others, I have every confidence that the Court has made good progress in establishing its stature within and outside Hong Kong.

	Civil Justice Reform
	4. In 2007, Civil Justice Reform continues to be an important area of our work. Under the Steering Committee on Civil Justice Reform, we consolidated the relevant legislative amendments under one Bill entitled Civil Justice (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill 2007. The Bill was gazetted in March for introduction into the Legislative Council in April. Revised proposals to amend seven sets of subsidiary legislation were also issued in October. The proposed legislative amendments are now being scrutinized by the Legislature. This complete set of legislative amendments will form the necessary framework for the implementation of the Reform. After the legislative framework is in place, we need to conduct training of judges and support staff and to prepare the necessary infrastructure. The plan is to bring the Reform into operation in about the start of the second quarter in 2009.

	Mediation
	5. Having regard to the growing importance of mediation as an alternative method of dispute resolution, a Working Party on Mediation was set up in January to look into how consensual mediation of civil disputes in the Court of First Instance, the District Court and the Lands Tribunal may be facilitated. As a result of its work, we are launching a pilot scheme on mediation for building management cases in the Lands Tribunal starting in January 2008. The details and procedures are contained in the Direction issued by the President of the Lands Tribunal The Judiciary will continue to work with stakeholders to promote mediation as an alternative means for dispute resolution in appropriate areas.

	Solicitors' Rights of Audience
	6. The subject of Solicitors' Rights of Audience has been much debated over the years. In October, the Working Party set up in 2004 to consider the issue finalized its Report and recommends that an Assessment Board should be established to deal with granting higher rights of audience to suitably qualified solicitors. I accepted the Report's recommendations and referred them to the Secretary for Justice in November to request the Administration to consider the matter and take it forward by appropriate legislation.

	Relocation of the Labour Tribunal
	7. To enhance its efficiency and provide better facilities to court users, the Labour Tribunal was relocated to the South Kowloon Law Courts Building in late December and will commence operation at the new premises in January 2008. The new premises are designed to suit the Tribunal's requirements. There is separate access for Presiding Officers, staff and members of the public as in all other court buildings. More spacious waiting areas, discussion rooms and registries, as well as designated space for wheelchairs at courtrooms for physically handicapped court users are provided.

	Chief Justices' Conference
	8. We hosted the 12th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific in June. This is the first time this Conference is held in Hong Kong. Over 30 Chief Justices, including Chief Justice Xiao Yang from Mainland China, and their representatives met to exchange views and share their experience on various issues in the administration of justice. It was a most successful Conference.

	Judiciary Administration
	9. The Judiciary Administration continues to strive to provide quality services in support of the administration of justice. We are delighted that the Court Orders Section of the Judiciary Administration obtained the ISO 9001:2000 certification for quality management system in May while the Registries of the Lands Tribunal and the Small Claims Tribunal and General Offices of six Magistrates' Courts achieved good results in the 2007 surveillance audits for ISO certification. The Judiciary Administration was also awarded the Ombudsman's Awards 2007 for Departments and Organisations in recognition of our support to the cause of improving the quality of service and promoting fairness in public administration.

10. We hope you will enjoy reading this Report and gain a better understanding of our work during 2007.

Andrew Li
Chief Justice

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