Hong Kong Judiciary Annual Report 2015

	Since its establishment in 1997, until September 2015, the Court of Final Appeal was located in the Former French Mission Building at 1 Battery Path.

	In September 2015, the Court of Final Appeal relocated to 8 Jackson Road, a historic building which opened in 1912 as the former Supreme Court. This magnificent building is not just a fitting return home for the Judiciary, but is also a lasting and tangible symbol of Hong Kong’s rule of law.

	This Report provides an overview of the major events of the Judiciary during 2015. It also provides statistics on caseload and waiting time for various levels of court, and information about the operation of the Judiciary.

	We hope that you will find this Report useful and gain a better understanding of the work of the Judiciary.

	Geoffrey Ma Chief Justice

Review of 2015

	Following tradition, the year began with the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year on 12 January, at which the Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke about the rule of law as the foundation of any society. He said that the administration of justice by the courts was not influenced by extraneous factors such as politics or political considerations, and the courts and judges would apply only the law. The objective was to ensure that fundamental human rights were properly enforced by the courts, and that individual rights and the rights of others in our community were all respected. He said that equality, fidelity to the law and its spirit, and judicial independence were fundamental to the operation of the law, and were set out and protected under the Basic Law.

	He also provided an update on a few matters affecting the Judiciary and access to justice including the importance of legal aid which enhanced the access to justice, the review on the jurisdiction limits of the District Court and the Small Claims Tribunal, the removal of the “as of right” route of appeal to the Court of Final Appeal, the recruitment of judges and the relocation of the Court of Final Appeal to the former Supreme Court at Jackson Road.

	New Judiciary Logo
	The Judiciary introduced its new logo on 20 August to underline the independence of the Judiciary. The Judiciary logo is based on an elevation drawing of the Court of Final Appeal Building at 8 Jackson Road, the exterior of which is a declared monument. The logo in blue displays solemnity and dignity, representing the Judiciary's core value of administering open and impartial justice. The Judiciary is responsible for the administration of justice and is constitutionally independent of the executive Government and the Legislature. The Judiciary considers it helpful for it to have its own logo to reinforce this distinction. The Judiciary logo is now used on all Judiciary stationery when communicating with the public and external parties.

	Relocation of the Court of Final Appeal
	From its establishment in 1997, the Court of Final Appeal was located at the Former French Mission Building at 1 Battery Path. In September 2015, the Court of Final Appeal moved to the Old Supreme Court Building located at 8 Jackson Road, Central. The Old Supreme Court Building has a long history and its exterior is a declared monument. Opened in 1912, it was used as the Supreme Court until 1984. From 1985 to 2011, it was used as the Legislative Council. Upon the relocation of the Legislative Council Building to Tamar, the Old Supreme Court Building was returned to the Judiciary. Renovation works began in 2013 to reconvert the building to a court, as the location of the Court of Final Appeal from September onwards. The building provides adequate and appropriate facilities for the smooth and efficient functioning of the Court. Facilities include two courtrooms, a Registry, a lawyers' common room and robing rooms, four consultation rooms and a press room. There are also chambers for the Court of Final Appeal judges and office facilities for supporting staff.

	Establishment of the Competition Tribunal
	The Competition Tribunal came into full operation on 14 December 2015 at the High Court Building, 38 Queensway. The Competition Tribunal is a specialised court established under the Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619) to hear and decide cases connected with competition law in Hong Kong. The primary jurisdiction of the Competition Tribunal is to hear and adjudicate cases brought by the Competition Commission and the Communications Authority relating to alleged contraventions of the competition rules, follow-on private actions, alleged contravention of a conduct rule as a defence raised in proceedings before the Court of First Instance of the High Court, and reviews of certain determinations of the Competition Commission and the Communications Authority. The President and the Deputy President of the Competition Tribunal, namely the Honourable Mr Justice Godfrey Lam Wan-ho and the Honourable Madam Justice Queeny Au-Yeung Kwai-yue respectively, were appointed in August 2013 for a term of three years. They are Judges of the Court of First Instance. In addition, all the other Judges of the Court of First Instance are members of the Competition Tribunal, while the Registrar, Senior Deputy Registrars and Deputy Registrars of the High Court hold the corresponding positions in the Competition Tribunal.

	Exchanges with other Jurisdictions
	In 2015, our Judges and Judicial Officers attended various conferences and seminars for exchanges with their counterparts from other jurisdictions. The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Global Law Summit in the United Kingdom in February, the Third Seminar of Senior Judges of Cross-Strait and Hong and Macao in Macao in July, and the 16th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific in Australia in November. In September, the Court of Final Appeal hosted the biennial Asia-Pacific Judicial Colloquium attended by Chief Justices and Judges representing the Australian High Court, the New Zealand Supreme Court and the Canadian Supreme Court (Chief Justices attended included the Hon Chief Justice Robert French AC, the Rt Hon Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and the Rt Hon Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.).

	Appointment of Judges and Judicial Officers
	Many judicial appointments took effect in the year 2015. Among these were the appointment of the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON and the Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG as Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court and the appointment of the Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, the Hon Mr Justice David LOK, the Hon Mr Justice Joseph YAU and the Hon Mr Justice Albert WONG as Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.

	Caseload and Case Disposal
	In 2015, the overall performance was satisfactory, save for the High Court. The majority of the performance targets at various levels of courts were achieved. A few targets in the High Court were however not met. There are a number of reasons for this. First, there are insufficient judicial posts in the High Court, in particular the Court of Appeal of the High Court, to cater for the operational needs of the High Court. Secondly, the High Court has been experiencing some constraints in the deployment of judicial manpower as a result of elevation of Judges to higher positions and retirement of Judges over the past few years. We review our manpower situation regularly and have a comprehensive succession plan. The Judiciary will launch open recruitment exercises for filling judicial vacancies at appropriate time, having regard to the overall judicial manpower situation and succession plan for different levels of court. The Judiciary has been engaging and will continue to engage temporary judicial resources as far as practicable to help maintain the level of judicial manpower required at different levels of court.

	Membership of Boards and Committees
	The Chief Justice appointed Judges and Judicial Officers and invited representatives from the legal profession and relevant government departments to sit on a number of boards and committees to contribute valuable views to issues that are important to the operation of the Judiciary. These boards and committees include the Civil Justice Reform Monitoring Committee, Working Party on Mediation, Civil Court Users’ Committee, Criminal Court Users’ Committee， Family Court Users’ Committee, Competition Tribunal Users’ Committee and the Governing Body of the Hong Kong Judicial Institute.

	Visits and Visitors to the Judiciary
	In 2015, the Judiciary arranged more than 250 visits for about 7500 visitors. Among all, most visitors are local students. We treasure all opportunities to meet with visitors and introduce to them the work of the Judiciary. Since November 2015, a pilot scheme has been launched under which guided visits to the Court of Final Appeal Building are conducted for school students.

	You are cordially invited to visit our Photo Gallery for various memorable moments of the Judiciary in 2015.

Highlights of Events in 2015

January

1	Ms CHENG Yeuk-wah, Teresa, SC; Ms TAM Wan-chi, Winnie, SC; Mr WONG Kai-ming, Stewart, SC; and Ms CHAN Ching-fan, Linda, SC were appointed Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
5-9	Judge John WAIT and Judge Simon TONKING, Circuit Judges of the United Kingdom, visited the Judiciary
8	The Rt Hon Hugo SWIRE MP, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, visited the Judiciary
12	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA declared opening of the 2015 Legal Year
14	An eight-member delegation from the Justice Departments/Bureaux of the People's Republic of China visited the Judiciary
22	President SAM Hou-fai of the Court of Final Appeal of Macao visited the Judiciary

February

2	Ms Susan A. THORNTON, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US Government visited the Judiciary
6	Mrs Sotheavy CHAN, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Justice of Cambodia, visited the Judiciary
11	Dr Christophe BERNASCONI, Secretary General, Hague Conference on Private International Law visited the Judiciary
22-25	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at a plenary session entitled “Global economy and the Rule of Law” of the Global Law Summit launched by the Secretary of State for Justice of the United Kingdom; delivered a speech at the University of Cambridge on the topic of “The Rule of Law in Hong Kong: Concepts, Conceptions and Misconceptions”; delivered a speech at the London School of Economics and Political Science on the topic of “The Rule of Law in changing times” and delivered a speech on the topic of “The impact of the Rule of Law in changing times” at the lunch organized by the Hong Kong Association and called on a few very senior judges in England and Wales
23	Ms SOONG Wing-sum was appointed Magistrate
26-27	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA visited the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands and called on its judges

March

1	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice Murray GLEESON, the Rt Hon the Lord NEUBERGER of Abbotsbury and the Rt Hon the Lord WALKER of Gestingthorpe, Non-Permanent Judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
1-6	The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the Economics Institute for Competition Judges in Singapore
9	A ten-member delegation from the Legislative Council visited the Judiciary
14	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 13th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot
19	A ten-member delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China visited the Judiciary
20	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators - Centennial in 2015
21-24	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the Eleventh Multinational Judicial Colloquium on Insolvency and the INSOL International Annual Regional Conference in San Francisco, the United States

April

6-10	Mr Registrar LUNG Kim-wan, Registrar of the High Court, attended a course entitled “Strategies of Case Management: Challenges, Solutions and Innovation” organised by the Singapore Judicial College in Singapore
11	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Grand Finals and Closing Ceremony of the World Championship Speaking Competition
23-24	The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG attended the 7th Asian Maritime Law Conference entitled “Winds of Change in the Asian Shipping Law Practice” in Singapore and delivered a keynote speech
24	Her Honour Judge Bebe CHU, Principal Family Court Judge; His Honour Judge David LOK; His Honour Judge Joseph YAU; and His Honour Judge Albert WONG were appointed Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
25	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Bar Association Debating Competition 2015
30	Mr Robert John WHITEHEAD, SC was appointed Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

May

5	Mrs Justice Karen WEILER QC of the Ontario Court of Appeal of Canada visited the Judiciary
11-12	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a lecture entitled “Strength and Fragility in Tandem: The Rule of Law in Hong Kong” at the 9th Annual International Rule of Law Lecture in London, gave a talk on “Adapting to a Constitution: The Hong Kong Basic Law turns 25” at the University of Oxford and met with senior members of the Oxford Commercial Law Centre and a few judges in England and Wales
12	An 11-member delegation of judges from the People's Republic of China visited the Judiciary
13	Mr David GREEN, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, the United Kingdom, visited the Judiciary
21-22	An eight-member delegation led by Ms TANG Humei, Deputy Director General of the Department of Judicial Administration and Equipment Management of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
28	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at the Annual Dinner of the Hong Kong Insurance Law Association

June

15	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Law Reform Essay Competition 2015 Certificate Award Ceremony
15-16	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the International Insolvency Institute’s 15th Annual Conference in Naples, Italy
18	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered speech on Magna Carta for The Royal Geographical Society
22	A 10-member delegation from the Public Intellectuals Program of the National Committee on US-China Relations visited the Judiciary
25-26	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court; Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY and His Honour Judge C K CHAN, District Judges; Deputy District Judge WONG Lai-wing; Master TO Kit-ling, Doris, Temporary Deputy Registrar of the District Court; and Ms Susan WONG and Ms LAU Yee-wan, Winnie, Magistrates, attended the Asia-Pacific Symposium entitled “Towards the Well-Being of the Child Through the Hague Child Abduction and Protection of Children Conventions” in Macao

July

2	A group of 32 law students participating in the Asia-American Institute in Transnational Law visited the Judiciary
13	A group of 16 law students from Peking University of the People’s Republic of China visited the Judiciary
14	A group of 16 law students from Shantou University of the People’s Republic of China visited the Judiciary
20-24	Master TAM Sze-lok, Isaac, Temporary Deputy Registrar of the High Court, conducted a study visit to the Criminal Appeal Registry of the Judiciary of England and Wales in London, the United Kingdom
24	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 39th Annual General Meeting of Scout Association of Hong Kong
24	A group of forty-two students from Renmin University of China visited the Judiciary
26-28	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA; the Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Chief Judge of the High Court; The Hon Mr Justice Wally YEUNG, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; Deputy High Court Judge S T POON; and Mr LEE Hing-nin, Clement, Chief Magistrate, attended the Third Seminar of Senior Judges of Cross-Strait and Hong Kong and Macao in Macao
27-31	Master HO Chin-pang, Dick, Temporary Deputy Registrar of the District Court, attended the Judicial Governance Programme organised by the Singapore Civil Service College in Singapore
28	The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord MILLETT, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
31	An 11-member delegation from 2015 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Group of the National Committee on US-China Relations visited the Judiciary

August

14	His Honour Judge Richard HACON, Judge of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court of the United Kingdom, visited the Judiciary
17-21	Master TAM Sze-lok, Isaac, Temporary Deputy Registrar of the High Court, paid a study visit to the Criminal Appeals Registry of the Victorian Court of Appeal in Melbourne, Australia
25	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended as a panel speaker at the seminar entitled “AEC and Cross-Border Insolvency Law” held in Bangkok, Thailand

September

2-4	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA and the Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Chief Judge of the High Court, visited Beijing to attend the Commemorative Activities for 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
3	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO, Acting Chief Justice, attended the Ceremony to Commemorate 70th Anniversary Day of Victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
7	The Court of Final Appeal commenced operations at 8 Jackson Road
16-19	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, attended the Global Constitutionalism Seminar 2015 held at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, the United States
17	His Honour Judge Bruno CHAN was appointed Principal Family Court Judge
21	The Hon Mr Justice S C POON and the Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG were appointed Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
22-24	The Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong hosted the biennial Asia-Pacific Judicial Colloquium attended by Chief Justices and Judges representing the Australian High Court, the New Zealand Supreme Court and the Canadian Supreme Court
24	The Rt Hon The Lord JUDGE delivered a talk about Magna Carta at the High Court
24	Mr Justice Barry LEON, Commercial Court Judge in the British Virgin Islands for the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, visited the Judiciary
25	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA gave an opening remarks at a seminar hosted by Middle Temple
25	Ceremonial Opening of the Court of Final Appeal Building at 8 Jackson Road and Grand Dinner
29	Inaugural sitting at the Court of Final Appeal at 8 Jackson Road

October

1	The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord PHILLIPS of Worth Matravers, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
13-15	The Hon Mr Justice David LOK, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the Competition Law Workshop for Asia-Pacific Judges in Busan, South Korea
15	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended Multilaw 25th Anniversary Dinner
15	Chief Judge Sharon Prost, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit of the United States of America, visited the Judiciary
24	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew C MACRAE, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, attended as a guest speaker at the seminar entitled “Enhancing Professionalism and Efficiency in Prosecution and Investigations in the Administration of Justice” held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
25	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice S K S BOKHARY, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
28	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA gave opening remarks at UNCITRAL Asia-Pacific Judicial Summit
29	A group of 18 judges participating in UNCITRAL Asia-Pacific Judicial Summit visited the Judiciary
31	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO, Acting Chief Justice, attended the Honours and Awards Presentation Ceremony

November

6-9	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 16th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific held in Australia
10	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at the official opening of Magna Carta 800 Global Tour – Hong Kong
13	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at The Third Children’s Issues Forum
14	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 10th Law Society Recreation and Sports Night
16-19	The Hon Mr Justice Peter CHEUNG, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; The Hon Mr Justice David LOK, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court and His Honour Judge C K CHAN, District Judge, attended the Commonwealth and Common Law International Family Justice Conference in Coogee, Australia
18	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Bar Scholarship 2015 Presentation Ceremony
18-20	The Hon Mr Justice Joseph FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, attended the Third Rule of Law Conference in Beijing
23	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Third Rule of Law, HK Conference
23	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Law Society Annual Cocktail Reception
23	The Hon Mr Justice Wally YEUNG, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, gave lecture at the National Judges College in Beijing
24-27	A delegation from the Supreme Court of Singapore visited the Judiciary
25-26	A four-member delegation led by Ms HE Rong, Vice-President of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
28	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Law Week 2015 Opening Ceremony

December

1	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA and the Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Chief Judge of the High Court, visited the First Circuit Court of the Supreme People’s Court and the Qianhai Court in Shenzhen, and met with judges and officials from the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China
4	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 2015 Law Society Pro Bono and Community Service Award Presentation Ceremony
9	A three-member delegation led by Mr Jiang Jianchu, Deputy Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
13	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Ceremony on the Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day
14	Competition Tribunal came into full operation

List of Judges and Judicial Officers

Court of Final Appeal

-	Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA, GBM
-	Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal
	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO
	The Hon Mr Justice Robert TANG, SBS
	The Hon Mr Justice Joseph P FOK
-	Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal
	The Hon Mr Justice John Barry MORTIMER, GBS (up to 27.7.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Henry Denis LITTON, GBM (up to 13.9.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, GBS
	The Hon Mr Justice Michael J HARTMANN, GBS
	The Hon Mr Justice S K S BOKHARY, GBM
	The Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, GBM
	The Hon Sir Anthony MASON, GBM (up to 27.7.2015)
	The Rt Hon the Lord HOFFMANN, GBS
	The Rt Hon the Lord MILLETT, GBS
	The Rt Hon Sir Thomas Munro GAULT @
	The Hon Mr Justice Murray GLEESON
	The Rt Hon the Lord NEUBERGER of Abbotsbury
	The Rt Hon the Lord WALKER of Gestingthorpe
	The Rt Hon the Lord COLLINS of Mapesbury
	The Rt Hon the Lord CLARKE of Stone-cum-Ebony
	The Rt Hon the Lord PHILLIPS of Worth Matravers
	The Hon Mr Justice James SPIGELMAN
	The Hon Mr Justice William GUMMOW
-	Registrar of the Court of Final Appeal
	Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon

@	It is with great sadness that The Rt Hon Sir Thomas Munro GAULT passed away in May 2015

High Court

-	Chief Judge of the High Court
	The Hon Mr Justice CHEUNG
-	Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
	The Hon Mr Justice Wally YEUNG, V-P
	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, V-P
	The Hon Mr Justice Michael V LUNN, V-P
	The Hon Mr Justice Peter CHEUNG, JA
	The Hon Madam Justice Maria C YUEN, JA
	The Hon Madam Justice Susan KWAN, JA
	The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA
	The Hon Mr Justice Aarif T BARMA, JA
	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew C MACRAE, JA
	The Hon Mr Justice Ian C McWALTERS, JA
	The Hon Mr Justice S C POON, JA (w.e.f. 21.9.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG, JA (w.e.f. 21.9.2015)
-	Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
	The Hon Mrs Justice Verina S BOKHARY, SBS #
	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHUNG
	The Hon Mr Justice Louis TONG
	The Hon Mr Justice Barnabas FUNG
	The Hon Mrs Justice Judianna W L BARNES
	The Hon Mr Justice S C POON (up to 20.9.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Anthony TO
	The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON
	The Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG (up to 20.9.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice H C AU
	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS
	The Hon Mr Justice Mohan T BHARWANEY
	The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG
	The Hon Mr Justice Patrick LI
	The Hon Madam Justice Esther TOH
	The Hon Mr Justice Louis CHAN
	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHAN
	The Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN
	The Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN
	The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM
	The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG
	The Hon Mr Justice Kevin P ZERVOS
	The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG
	The Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW
	The Hon Madam Justice B. CHU (w.e.f. 24.4.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice David LOK (w.e.f. 24.4.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Joseph YAU (w.e.f. 24.4.2015)
	The Hon Mr Justice Albert WONG (w.e.f. 24.4.2015)
-	Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
	Mr POW Wing-nin, Jason, SC
	Ms WONG Kwok-ying, Lisa, SC
	Mr COLEMAN Russell Adam, SC
	Mr HOUGHTON Anthony Kenneth, SC
	Ms CHENG Yeuk-wah, Teresa, GBS, SC, JP (w.e.f. 1.1.2015)
	Ms TAM Wan-chi, Winnie, SC (w.e.f. 1.1.2015)
	Mr WONG Kai-ming, Stewart, SC (w.e.f. 1.1.2015)
	Ms CHAN Ching-fan, Linda, SC (w.e.f. 1.1.2015)
	Mr WHITEHEAD Robert John, SC (w.e.f. 30.4.2015)
-	Registrar, High Court
	Mr LUNG Kim-wan
-	Senior Deputy Registrars, High Court
	Mr HO Chi-yin, Andy
	Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon

#	Retired in 2015

District Court

-	Chief District Judge
	His Honour Judge S T POON
-	Principal Family Court Judge
	Her Honour Judge B. CHU (up to 23.4.2015)
	His Honour Judge Bruno CHAN (w.e.f. 17.9.2015)
-	District Judges
	His Honour Judge Bruno CHAN (up to 16.9.2015)
	His Honour Judge David LOK (up to 23.4.2015)
	Her Honour Judge Marlene NG
	Her Honour Judge Susana M D'ALMADA REMEDIOS
	His Honour Judge Michael WONG
	His Honour Judge Joseph YAU (up to 23.4.2015)
	His Honour Judge Stanley CHAN
	His Honour Judge C M LEUNG
	Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY
	His Honour Judge Garry TALLENTIRE #
	His Honour Judge Eddie YIP
	Her Honour Judge Katina LEVY
	His Honour Judge C K CHAN
	His Honour Judge Albert WONG (up to 23.4.2015)
	His Honour Judge Frankie YIU
	His Honour Judge K W WONG
	His Honour Judge Justin KO
	His Honour Judge Douglas YAU
	His Honour Judge W K KWOK
	His Honour Judge Josiah LAM
	His Honour Judge Anthony KWOK
	His Honour Judge David J DUFTON
	His Honour Judge S M SHAM
	Her Honour Judge Amanda J WOODCOCK
	His Honour Judge K H HUI
	His Honour Judge Jack WONG
	Her Honour Judge Katherine LO
	His Honour Judge Johnny CHAN
	His Honour Judge Gary LAM
	His Honour Judge Andrew LI
	His Honour Judge Herbert AU-YEUNG
	His Honour Judge W T LEE
	His Honour Judge Wilson CHAN
	His Honour Judge Harold LEONG
	His Honour Judge Kent YEE
	His Honour Judge Roy YU
	His Honour Judge C P PANG
	His Honour Judge Timothy H CASEWELL
	His Honour Judge Simon LO
	His Honour Judge S L TAM

#	Retired in 2015

Lands Tribunal

-	Members, Lands Tribunal
	Mr PANG Ho-chuen, Lawrence
	Mr NG Siu-lam, Alex

Magistrates' Courts and other Tribunals

-	Chief Magistrate
	Mr LEE Hing-nin, Clement
-	Principal Magistrates
	Mr LIN Kam-hung, Ernest Michael
	Mr MA Hon-cheung, Andrew
	Mr CHOW Siu-wo, Anthony
	Mr TAM Lee-cheung
	Ms CHAINRAI Bina
	Mr LAW Tak-chuen, Peter
	Ms WOO Huey-fang, Bernadette
	Mr LUI Kin-man, Simon
-	Magistrates
	Mr LI Wai-chi #
	Mr CHEUNG Wai-tat, Ronald
	Mr WAHAB Abu Bakar bin
	Mr YUEN Wai-ming, Anthony
	Ms KOT Sin-yee, Angela
	Mrs WU CHAU Yuen-man, Mary
	Ms CHOW Yin-chu, Merinda
	Mr LEE Ka-chai, Lambert
	Mr WONG Yu-wing, Symon #
	Ms CHAN Ling-ling, Tracy
	Mr CHAN Kam-cheong, Rickie
	Mrs TSE CHING Adriana Noelle
	Miss YIM Shun-yee, Ada
	Mr WONG Wai-kuen
	Mr LAI Tat-cheung, Reuden
	Mr OWN George
	Mr MAK Kwok-cheung
	Mr TO Ho-shing
	Miss CHAN Yuk-fan, Grace
	Mr CHEANG Kei-hong
	Mr SO Man-lung, Don
	Mr WONG Kwok-fai, Raymond
	Ms CHAN Wai-mun
	Miss CHOW Pok-fun, Josephine
	Mr PANG Ka-kwong
	Mr WONG Lai-wing
	Mr HO Chin-pang, Dick
	Mr YIP Sue-pui, Lawrence
	Mr SO Wai-tak
	Dr CHEUNG Kwan-ming
	Mr WAN Siu-ming, Jason
	Miss CHUI Yee-mei, Ivy
	Mr LI Kwok-wai *
	Mr LI Chi-ho
	Ms WONG Susan
	Ms LAU Yee-wan, Winnie
	Mr TANG Siu-hung, Daniel
	Mr CHEUNG Chi-wai, David
	Mr CHENG Lim-chi
	Ms LAM Mei-sze, Michelle
	Mr CHUM Yau-fong, David
	Mr SHUM Kei-leong, Timon
	Mr KO Wai-hung
	Miss HO Wai-yang
	Ms CHEUNG Kit-yee
	Ms CHEUNG Tin-ngan, June
	Ms WONG Sze-lai
	Miss NG Chung-yee, Debbie
	Ms HEUNG Shuk-han, Veronica
	Mr CHU Chung-keung
	Ms TO Kit-ling, Doris
	Ms SHUI Kelly
	Ms CHENG Kam-lin, Catherine
	Mr CHAN Ping-chau, Kenneth
	Mr LEE Siu-ho
	Mr CHOW Chi-wei, Raymund
	Ms CHU Yuen-yee
	Mr CHAN David
	Ms WONG Nga-yan, Peony
	Mr WONG Sze-cheung, Colin
	Ms SO Ka-yin, Rita
	Miss LEE Kar-lok, Jacqueline
	Mr HO Chun-yiu
	Ms SOONG Wing-sum (w.e.f. 23.2.2015)
-	Special Magistrates
	Mr TAM Ka-huen
	Mr CHAN Chi-kim
	Mr SO Kai-cheung
	Miss HO Lai-ming
	Miss LAU Suk-han
	Ms LEUNG Ka-kie
	Mr YUE King-tin, Robin
	Mr MOK Tze-chung, Andrew
	Miss LEUNG Nga-yan, Frances
	Mr YU Chun-pong
	Mr LAM Hei-wei, Arthur

*	Left service in 2015
#	Retired in 2015

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Court of Final Appeal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

	Caseload			Disposal*
	2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
Applications for leave to appeal
- Criminal	63	76	71	77 (46)	69 (35)	70 (47)
- Civil	50	65	56	50 (21)	46 (19)	62 (27)
Total	113	141	127	127	115	132
Substantive appeals
- Criminal	8	11	9	13	11	7
- Civil	23	12	22	33	23	19
Total	31	23	31	46	34	26
Miscellaneous proceedings	3	1	0	2	2	0

*	Case disposal refers to applications for leave to appeal/appeals which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, abandoned or discontinued
	The figures in brackets indicate the number of applications dismissed under Rule 7 of the Court of Final Appeal Rules, Cap. 484A

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
Applications for leave to appeal
From notice of hearing to hearing
-Criminal	45	40	41	42
-Civil	35	33	32	31
Substantive appeals
From notice of hearing to hearing
-Criminal	100	97	92	96
-Civil	120	111	107	112

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

High Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE HIGH COURT

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
Court of Appeal
Appellate
-	Criminal
	Appeals from the Court of First Instance	158	185	190	168	185	170
	Appeals from the District Court	291	261	251	365	255	261
	Sub-total	449	446	441	533	440	431
-	Civil
	Appeals from the Court of First Instance	233	219	225	195	220	219
	Appeals from the District Court	21	18	19	29	14	29
	Miscellaneous Appeals	27	25	35	18	27	29
	Sub-total	281	262	279	242	261	277
Review of Sentences
-	Criminal
	Reviews from the Court of First Instance	2	2	0	2	2	1
	Reviews from the District Court	2	4	1	6	6	0
	Reviews from the Magistrates' Courts	0	0	0	2	0	0
	Sub-total	4	6	1	10	8	1
	Total	734	714	721	785	709	709

*	Case disposal refers to appeals/reviews which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, discontinued or abandoned with or without court order

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
Court of First Instance
Appellate
-	Criminal
	Appeals from Magistrates' Courts	809	771	777	840	765	756
-	Civil
	Appeals from Labour Tribunal	23	29	47	22	22	31
	Appeals from Small Claims Tribunal	53	66	76	53	66	67
	Appeals from Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board	2	7	3	3	3	5
	Miscellaneous Appeals	1	0	2	0	0	2
	Sub-total	79	102	128	78	91	105
	Total	888	873	905	918	856	861

First Instance
-	Criminal Jurisdiction
	Criminal Cases	571	545	503	503	503	493
	Confidential Miscellaneous Proceedings	326	346	402	326	346	402
	Application for Discharge	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Sub-total	897	891	905	829	849	895
-	Civil Jurisdiction
	High Court Actions	2 602	2 641	3 125	1 595	1 658	1 955
	Miscellaneous Proceedings	3 479	3 362	3 471	2 495	2 424	2 478
	Bankruptcy & Companies Winding-up+	10 712	11 267	11 087	10 761	11 058	11 008
	Personal Injuries Actions	1 108	1 405	1 418	911	1 037	1 173
	Other cases ^#	593	590	656	226	288	256
	Sub-total	18 494	19 265	19 757	15 988	16 465	16 870
	Total	19 391	20 156	20 662	16 817	17 314	17 765

-	Masters Chambers
	Interlocutory hearings^**	23 194	25 591	27 250	21 556	22 880	24 407
	Taxation bills	603	697	643	444⁽¹⁾	544⁽¹⁾	448⁽¹⁾
-	Probate
	Applications	16 967	17 931	19 127	16 664⁽²⁾	17 498⁽²⁾	18 583⁽²⁾

*	Case disposal refers to appeals which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, discontinued or abandoned with or without court order; criminal cases where defendants have been convicted or acquitted; and civil cases where claims have been successfully made or dismissed
+	Cases include bankruptcy proceedings, companies winding-up proceedings, applications for Interim Order (Bankruptcy) and applications to set aside Statutory Demands
#	Other cases include constitutional and administrative law proceedings, admiralty actions, adoptions, bill of sale registrations, book debt registrations, commercial actions, construction and arbitration cases, matrimonial causes, applications under the Mental Health Ordinance, probate actions and stop notices
**	The caseload figure represents the number of interlocutory applications listed with hearings, and the disposal figure represents the number of the interlocutory applications heard in the reporting period
	Note (1) : Case disposal refers to taxation bills processed
	Note (2) : Case disposal refers to grants issued/grants resealed/estates administration completed by the Official Administrator in summary manner

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE HIGH COURT

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
Court of Appeal
-	Criminal - from setting down of a case to hearing	50	50	51	53
-	Civil - from application to fix date to hearing	90	138	117	112
Court of First Instance
-	Criminal Fixture List - from filing of indictment to hearing	120	211	227	272
-	Criminal Running List - from setting down of a case to hearing	90	83	86	81
-	Civil Fixture List - from application to fix date to hearing	180	261	193	140
-	Civil Running List - from setting down of a case to hearing ^△	-	85	-	-
-	Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing ^△	30	-	19	7
-	Appeals from Magistrates' Courts - from lodging of Notice of Appeal to hearing	90	105	104	100

^△

Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, the target for Civil Running List of the Court of First Instance of the High Court is revised from the previous description, i.e. “from setting down of a case to hearing” to that of “from not-to-be-warned date to hearing”, which is considered as a more appropriate way in measuring the waiting time for Civil Running List. The target is set at 30 days effective from 1 January 2014.

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

District Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE DISTRICT COURT

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Criminal Jurisdiction
	Criminal Cases	1 190	1 079	1 118	1 214	1 033	1 009
-	Civil Jurisdiction
	Civil	5 154	5 090	5 950	3 779	4 088	4 122
	Tax Claim	3 035	2 640	1 585	2 990	2 359	1 413
	Distress for Rent	3 913	3 745	3 658	4 024	3 720	3 645
	Employee's Compensation	2 339	2 744	2 799	2 168	2 415	2 586
	Other civil cases ⁺	6 195	6 420	6 354	5 156	5 401	5 549
	Sub-total	20 636	20 639	20 346	18 117	17 983	17 315
-	Family Jurisdiction
	Matrimonial Causes	18 651	17 219	16 652	18 323	15 913	15 544
	Joint Applications	4 309	4 761	4 815	3 948	4 106	4 531
	Miscellaneous Proceedings	319	337	284	315	328	284
	Adoption Applications	113	99	83	94	98	76
	Sub-total	23 392	22 416	21 834	22 680⁽¹⁾	20 445⁽¹⁾	20 435⁽¹⁾
	Total (Civil)	44 028	43 055	42 180	40 797	38 428	37 750
	Total	45 218	44 134	43 298	42 011	39 461	38 759

-	Masters Chambers
	Interlocutory hearings^**	7 462	7 911	7 618	5 879	7 162	6 084
-	Taxation bills
	Divorce	1 844	1 503	1 407	1 722	1 443	978
	Others	418	395	392	254	207	165
	Sub-total	2 262	1 898	1 799	1 976⁽²⁾	1 650⁽²⁾	1 143⁽²⁾
	Total	9 724	9 809	9 417	7 855	8 812	7 227

*	Case disposal refers to those where defendants have been convicted or acquitted and those where claims have been successfully made or dismissed
+	Other civil cases include Miscellaneous Proceedings, Stamp Duty (Ordinance) Appeals, Equal Opportunities Actions, Personal Injuries Cases, Occupational Deafness (Compensation) Appeals, Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Appeals and Estate Agents Appeals
**	The caseload figure represents the number of interlocutory applications listed with hearings, and the disposal figure represents the number of the interlocutory applications heard in the reporting period
	Note (1) : Case disposal refers to Decree Absolute granted and Adoption orders made
	Note (2) : Case disposal refers to taxation bills processed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE DISTRICT COURT

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
Criminal - from first appearance of defendants in District Court to hearing		100	60	63	79
Civil - from date of listing to hearing ^△		-	91	-	-
Civil Fixture List - from date of listing to hearing ^△		120	-	99	101
Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing ^△		30	-	10	12
Dissolution of marriage - from setting down of a case to hearing
-	Special Procedure List	35	33	32	34
-	Defended List (one day hearing) ^#	-	108	-	-
-	Defended List (all hearings) ^#	110	-	97	93
-	Financial applications - from filing of summons to hearing ^{^}	-	86	-	-
-	Financial applications - from setting down of a case to hearing ^{^}	110-140	-	84	91

^△	Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, separate targets are set for Civil Fixture List and Civil Running List for the District Court with effect from 1 January 2014. The target for Civil Fixture List remains to be measuring “from date of listing to hearing”. It is set at 120 days effective from 1 January 2014. The target for Civil Running List measures “from not-to-be-warned date to hearing”. It is set at 30 days effective from 1 January 2014.
^#	Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, all Defended List hearings (instead of just one-day hearing) in the Family Court are covered under the target effective from 1 January 2014. The target remains unchanged.
^{^}	Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, the target for financial applications in the Family Court is re-worded as “from setting down of a case to hearing” effective from 1 January 2014. The target remains unchanged.

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Magistrates' Courts

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Charge Cases	34 250	34 419	33 299	34 521	34 278	32 969
-	Hawker Cases	9 534	7 988	7 710	9 523	8 002	7 712
-	Departmental & Private Summonses	184 221	190 671	179 425	188 949	188 164	178 830
-	Driving-Offence Points Summonses	2 197	2 359	2 086	2 340	2 343	2 020
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Traffic)	856	757	606	832	762	614
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Public Cleanliness Offences)	164	139	115	175	145	126
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Smoking Offences)	35	38	15	35	37	19
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Vehicle Idling)	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Mandatory Window Inspection)	0	0	1	0	0	1
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Plastic Shopping Bag)⁺	-	-	0	-	-	0
-	Miscellaneous Proceedings	11 166	11 266	11 212	11 231	11 338	11 619
-	Departmental Notice	764	706	613	770	691	649
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Traffic)	73 178	71 733	78 978	73 821	72 569	76 227
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Public Cleanliness Offences)	2 291	1 990	2 169	2 286	2 037	2 128
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Smoking Offences)	1 045	898	775	1 024	903	792
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Vehicle Idling)	1	0	0	1	0	0
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Mandatory Window Inspection)	0	0	1	0	0	0
-	Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Plastic Shopping Bag)⁺	-	-	1	-	-	1
	Total	319 702	322 964	317 006	325 508	321 269	313 707

*	Case disposal refers to cases where defendants have been convicted or acquitted after trial or hearing, pre-hearing payments of all penalties and costs, and applications which have been granted, refused, withdrawn or struck out
⁺	New case types pursuant to section 28A of the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance, Cap. 603 came into effect on 1 April 2015

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
Summonses - from plea to date of trial		50	66	67	67
Charge Cases - from plea to date of trial ^△
-	For defendants in custody	-	41	-	-
-	For defendants on bail	-	49	-	-
Charge cases except for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial ^△
-	For defendants in custody	30-45	-	36	39
-	For defendants on bail	45-60	-	44	49
Charge cases for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial ^△
-	For defendants in custody	30-45	-	45	72
-	For defendants on bail	45-60	-	45	60

^△

Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, separate targets are set for charge cases for the Juvenile Court in the Magistrates’ Courts with effect from 1 January 2014. The targets adopted for charge cases for the Magistrates’ Courts are applied to the charge cases for the Juvenile Court effective from 1 January 2014.

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Lands Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Appeal cases	228	188	227	205	351	235
-	Compensation cases	6	6	9	11	10	5
-	Building management cases	346	371	386	337	282	271
-	Tenancy cases	4 437	4 136	4 098	3 584	3 346	3 270
-	Lands compulsory sale applications	17	25	18	45	22	14
-	Miscellaneous proceedings applications	1	7	2	0	5	2
	Total	5 035	4 733	4 740	4 182	4 016	3 797

*	Case disposal refers to appeals which have been allowed or dismissed and trials or hearings which have been concluded

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
From setting down of a case to hearing ^△
-	Appeal cases	90	27	25	36
-	Compensation cases	90	53	37	63
-	Building management cases	90	39	30	36
-	Tenancy cases	50	29	22	28

^△	Upon endorsement by the Court Users’ Committees, the targets for the Lands Tribunal are revised downward effective from 1 January 2014 (i.e. from 100 days to 90 days for appeal cases, compensation cases and building management cases; from 60 days to 50 days for tenancy cases).

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Labour Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Claims	4 154	4 039	4 006	4 000	4 710	3 639
-	Reviews	48	54	79	47	49	77
-	Restore claims	37	37	38	34	34	39
-	Set-aside awards	74	67	56	71	63	59
	Total	4 313	4 197	4 179	4 152	4 856	3 814

*	Case disposal refers to claims which have been concluded, including claims awarded, dismissed, settled, withdrawn and transferred

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
-	From appointment to filing of a case	30	21	27	30
-	From filing of a case to first hearing	30	25	25	25

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Small Claims Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Claims	48 982	50 083	49 775	49 584	48 968	50 570
-	Reviews	267	268	311	231	251	288
	Total	49 249	50 351	50 086	49 815	49 219	50 858

*	Case disposal refers to claims which have been made successfully or dismissed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
-	From filing of a case to first hearing	60	37	36	35

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Obscene Articles Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Articles for determination	41 820	11 907	3 459	16 841	38 053	3 459
-	Articles for classification	309	236	819	307	242	823
-	Articles for review	1	2	5	2	2	5
-	Articles for reconsideration	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total	42 131	12 145	4 283	17 150	38 298	4 287

*	Case disposal refers to those articles which have been determined or classified; those in respect of which determination or classification is not required with consent of both parties; and those in respect of which determination or classification has been reviewed or reconsidered

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
-	From referral by a magistrate to determination	21	16	12	18
-	From receipt of application to classification	5	2	3	4
-	From receipt of application to review	35	21	34	41
-	From receipt of application to reconsideration	35	30	-^{^}	-^{^}


	^{^}		As there is no application for reconsideration filed, the waiting time is inapplicable.

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Coroner's Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE CORONER'S COURT

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2013	2014	2015	2013	2014	2015
-	Death inquests with jury	120	141	86	140	139	93
-	Death inquests without jury	36	5	7	36	9	7
	Total	156	146	93	176	148	100

*	Case disposal refers to death inquests concluded

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE CORONER'S COURT

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		2015 Target	2013 (Actual)	2014 (Actual)	2015 (Actual)
-	From date of listing to hearing	42	41	40	35

Membership List of
the Civil Justice Reform Monitoring Committee

-	Chairman	Chief Judge, High Court
-	Members	The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, JA Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Thomas H C AU Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Mohan T BHARWANEY Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Registrar, High Court
		Chief District Judge
		Registrar, District Court
		His Honour Judge Simon C M LEUNG District Judge
		Mr Herbert LI Department of Justice
		Mr Thomas Edward KWONG Legal Aid Department
		Mr Kumar RAMANATHAN, SC Hong Kong Bar Association
		Mr Brian GILCHRIST Law Society of Hong Kong
		Mr John BUDGE, SBS, JP
		Miss Emma LAU Judiciary Administrator
-	In Attendance	Mr NG Sek-hon Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
-	Secretary	Ms Wendy CHEUNG Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Development)

Membership List of the Working Party on Mediation

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, V-P
-	Members	The Hon Mr Justice S C POON, JA Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Barnabas FUNG Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice H C AU Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Madam Justice B. CHU Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		His Honour Judge S T POON Chief District Judge
		Mr Simon LEE Department of Justice
		Mr Chris CHONG Legal Aid Department
		Ms Lisa WONG, SC Hong Kong Bar Association
		Mrs Cecilia WONG Law Society of Hong Kong
		Mr CHAN Bing-woon, SBS, JP
		Mr John BUDGE, SBS, MBE, JP
-	In Attendance	Mr NG Sek-hon Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations) (w.e.f. 1.6.2015)
		Ms April LAM Senior Mediation Affairs Officer
-	Secretary	Ms Ada LAW Mediation Affairs Officer (1) (w.e.f. 1.6.2015)

Membership List of the Court Users' Committees

Civil Court Users' Committee

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, V-P Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
-	Members	The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice S C POON, JA Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		His Honour Judge Justin KO Acting Chief District Judge
		Miss Joyce CHAN Department of Justice
		Ms Sherman CHEUNG Legal Aid Department
		Ms Fiona LEE Official Receiver's Office
		Mr Paul SHIEH, SC
		Mr Thomas SO
		Mr Peter CHUA
-	In Attendance	Mr NG Sek-hon Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Mr Kenneth LIU Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)2
-	Secretary	Ms Betty CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (up to 7.9.2015)
		Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (w.e.f. 8.9.2015)

Criminal Court Users' Committee

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Louis TONG Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
-	Members	The Hon Mrs Justice Judianna W L BARNES Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHAN Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		His Honour Judge Justin KO Acting Chief District Judge
		Mr LEE Hing-nin, Clement Chief Magistrate
		Mr William TAM, SC Department of Justice
		Ms Juliana O Y CHAN Legal Aid Department
		Ms Grace WONG The Duty Lawyer Service
		Mr TONG Wing-tak, Eric Independent Commission Against Corruption
		Mr Matthew P J HEMMINGS Hong Kong Police Force (up to 29.5.2015)
		Mr CHOI Yuk-kwong, Donnie Hong Kong Police Force (w.e.f. 30.5.2015)
		Mr WOO Ying-ming, Danny Correctional Services Department
		Mr WONG Man-kit, SC
		Mr Kenneth NG
		Mr HO Yat-wan, Alec
-	In Attendance	Mr NG Sek-hon Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Ms Peggy CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)3
-	Secretary	Ms Betty CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (up to 7.9.2015)
		Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (w.e.f. 8.9.2015)

Family Court Users' Committee

-	Chairman	His Honour Judge Bruno CHAN Principal Family Court Judge
-	Members	His Honour Judge Justin KO Acting Chief District Judge
		Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY Family Court Judge
		His Honour Judge C K CHAN Family Court Judge
		Mr LI Chi-keung, Ben Legal Aid Department
		Mr FUNG Man-chung Social Welfare Department
		Ms Jacqueline LEONG, SC
		Ms Corinne REMEDIOS
		Mr Jonathan MOK
		Mr Dennis HO
		Ms Jain BROWN
-	In Attendance	Mr NG Sek-hon Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Ms Jackie LUI Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
-	Secretary	Ms Betty CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (up to 7.9.2015)
		Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) (w.e.f. 8.9.2015)

Competition Tribunal Users' Committee

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM President of the Competition Tribunal
-	Members	The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU YEUNG Deputy President of the Competition Tribunal
		Mr. HUI Ka-ho Temporary Deputy Registrar, High Court
		Mr Francis KWAN Department of Justice
		Mr Philip MONAGHAN Competition Commission
		Mr Benson CHENG Office of Communications Authority
		Mr P.Y. LO
		Mr NG Sing-yip, Kenneth
-	Secretary	Miss Priscilla WONG Senior Judicial Clerk I (Competition Tribunal)

Membership List of the Governing Body of the Hong Kong Judicial Institute

-	Chairman	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA, GBM Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
-	Members	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
		The Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, GBS Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
		The Hon Mr Justice CHEUNG Chief Judge of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Michael V LUNN, V-P Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
		The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHAN Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		The Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		His Honour Judge S T POON Chief District Judge
		His Honour Judge Justin KO Acting Chief District Judge
		Mr LEE Hing-nin, Clement Chief Magistrate
		Miss Emma LAU Judiciary Administrator

Judiciary Administration

Miss Emma LAU , Judiciary Administrator

Operations Division

Mr NG Sek-hon, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations) [up to 19.11.2015]

(a)	Information Technology Office (Technical)	Mr Kenneth YEUNG	Acting Chief Systems Manager (Information Technology) [up to 10.5.2015]
		Mr Kenneth YEUNG	Chief Systems Manager (Information Technology) [w.e.f. 11.5.2015]
(b)	Information Technology Office (Operational)	Mr Wilson CHIU	Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology)^{Note 1}
(c)	Operations Division	Ms Betty CHAN	Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) [up to 7.9.2015]
		Ms Winifred CHAN	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations) [w.e.f. 8.9.2015]
(d)	Support to Judges Section	Ms Gloria POON	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)1
		Mr Kenneth LIU	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)2
		Ms Peggy CHAN	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)3
(e)	Clerk of Court's Office	Mrs Pamela PANG	Clerk of Court
(f)	Court of Final Appeal Registry	Ms Wendy CHUI	Acting Senior Judicial Clerk I (Court of Final Appeal)
(g)	High Court Registry	Ms Catherine LI	Chief Judicial Clerk (High Court Registry)
(h)	Competition Tribunal Registry	Ms Priscilla WONG	Senior Judicial Clerk I (Competition Tribunal)
(i)	District Court	Mr Barry LEE	Chief Judicial Clerk (Registry, District Court)
		Mrs Flora CHUNG	Chief Judicial Clerk (Courts, District Court) [up to 12.4.2015]
		Mr M K LAM	Chief Judicial Clerk (Courts, District Court) [w.e.f. 13.4.2015]
(j)	Family Court Registry	Ms Jackie LUI	Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
(k)	Lands Tribunal Registry	Ms Evelyn CHEUNG	Chief Judicial Clerk (Lands Tribunal)
(l)	Magistrates' Courts General Office	Ms Elsa CHAN	Senior Judiciary Executive (Magistracies)
(m)	Probate Registry	Ms Memory WONG	Acting Chief Probate Officer
(n)	Labour Tribunal Registry	Mr W M WONG	Acting Registrar (Labour Tribunal)
(o)	Small Claims Tribunal Registry	Mr Calvin YAU	Acting Chief Judicial Clerk ( Small Claims Tribunal )
(p)	Court Language Section	Ms Celina WONG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)1
		Ms Millia TANG	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)2
		Ms Patience IP	Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)3
(q)	Bailiff Section	Mr Sunny KWAN	Chief Bailiff (Administration and Admiralty)
		Mr T M CHOI	Chief Bailiff (Operations)
(r)	Mediation Information Office	Ms April LAM	Senior Mediation Affairs Officer
(s)	Family Mediation Coordinator's Office	Mrs Heidy KWONG	Mediation Coordinator (Family)
(t)	Building Management Mediation Coordinator's Office	Ms S F CHAN	Mediation Coordinator (Building Management) [up to 1.10.2015]
(u)	Information Technology Office (Technical)	Ms Mimi WONG	Acting Senior Systems Manager (1)
		Ms Candy CHAN	Senior Systems Manager (2)
		Mr Kelly LAU	Senior Systems Manager (3)
		Mr Jeffrey FUNG	Senior Systems Manager (4)
(v)	Information Technology Office (Operational)	Mr James WONG	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)1
		Ms Hedy WU	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)2
		Ms Grace LAW	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)3
		Mr M K LAM	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)4 [up to 12.4.2015]
		Ms Wendy SHUM	Acting Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)4 [w.e.f. 13.4.2015]

Development Division

Mr Esmond LEE, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Development) [up to 3.3.2015]
Ms Patricia SO, Acting Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Development) [w.e.f. 4.3.2015]

(a)	Development Office	Ms Wendy CHEUNG	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Development)
(b)	Press & Public Relations Office	Ms Florence WONG	Principal Information Officer [up to 14.10.2015]
		Ms Rita MA	Principal Information Officer [w.e.f. 15.10.2015]

Quality Division

Mr Wilson CHIU, Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology)

(a)	Complaints Office	Ms Crystal LEE	Acting Senior Judiciary Executive (Complaints) [up to 12.1.2015]
		Ms Crystal LEE	Senior Judiciary Executive (Complaints) [w.e.f. 13.1.2015]
(b)	Court Reporters Office	Ms Maggie CHENG	Senior Court Reporter (Development)
(c)	Legal Reference and Library Section	Ms Miranda FUNG	Senior Judiciary Executive (Legal Reference and Library)
(d)	Management Information Section	Ms Eva LEE	Acting Senior Judiciary Executive (Management Information) [up to 16.10.2015]
		Ms Eva LEE	Senior Judiciary Executive (Management Information) [w.e.f. 17.10.2015]
(e)	Management Review Section	Mr William CHUNG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Management Review)

Corporate Services Division

Mrs Connie NGAN, Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Corporate Services)

(a)	Accommodation Section	Mr Roger NG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Accommodation)
(b)	Finance Section	Ms Cindy LEE	Acting Chief Treasury Accountant
(c)	Judges and Judicial Officers Section	Ms Doreen KWAN	Chief Judiciary Executive (Judges and Judicial Officers) [up to 21.10.2015]
		Ms Olivia TSANG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Judges and Judicial Officers) [w.e.f. 22.10.2015]
(d)	Support Staff Section	Ms Ivy TANG	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Support Staff) [up to 8.1.2015]
		Ms Ivy TANG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support Staff) [w.e.f. 9.1.2015]
(e)	West Kowloon Law Courts Building Integrated Team	Mr Sonny CHING	Senior Architect


Note 1:	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology) reports to the Judiciary Administrator direct in respect of areas of his portfolio other than those related to Information Technology Office (Operational).

Judicial Training

Local Judicial Training Activities Organised/Coordinated by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute

Date	Activity
22.1.2015	Common Law Lecture entitled "Vicarious Liability on the Move", organised by the University of Hong Kong
27.1.2015	Talk entitled "Private Financial Adjudication in Family Cases", organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association
28 – 30.1.2015	Induction Course for Magistrates and Special Magistrates
28.3.2015	Magistrates’ Workshop on “Introduction to the Work of the District Court”
6.5.2015	Seminar on Handling Financial Expert Witnesses, organised by the Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council
8.5.2015	Seminar entitled "Issue Estoppel Under the New York Convention", organised by the University of Hong Kong
12.5.2015	Colloquium on the 1958 United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the “New York Convention”), organised by the International Council for Commercial Arbitration
20.5.2015	Talk entitled "Developments in Celebrity Image Rights", organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association
24.6.2015	Lecture entitled "Parental Responsibility Disputes in the Australian Family Court: Lessons from a Decade of Reform", organised by the University of Hong Kong
23.9.2015	DVC Oxford / HKU Fellowship Lecture on Competition Law, organised by the University of Hong Kong
24.9.2015	Talk about Magna Carta by The Rt Hon The Lord JUDGE
29.9.2015	Lecture entitled "Money Laundering and its Combat: Art, Football, and Churches", organised by the University of Hong Kong
26.10.2015	Talk entitled "Hearsay Reform", organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association
27.10.2015	Common Law Lecture entitled “Developing Common Law in Hong Kong” by the Hon Mr Justice Robert TANG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the University of Hong Kong
27.10.2015	Seminar entitled "The Recent Reform of the Application for Judicial Review in England: Lessons for Hong Kong?", organised by the University of Hong Kong
30.10.2015	Seminar entitled "Legislation and Adjudication of Juvenile crimes in Mainland China", organised by the University of Hong Kong
31.10.2015	Seminar entitled "Magna Carta and the Rule of Law in Hong Kong", jointly organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong
6.11.2015	Talk on Money Laundering, organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association
9.11.2015	Lecture entitled "The Right to Vote and Restrictions on Eligibility: a Critical Assessment of the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights", organised by the University of Hong Kong
11 – 13.11.2015	Meeting of the International Hague Network of Judges in Hong Kong, organised by the Hague Conference on Private International Law
12.11.2015	Lecture entitled "Challenges in the Development of International Family Law: Reflections by the Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia", organised by the University of Hong Kong
13 – 14.11.2015	The Third Children's Issues Forum, jointly organised by the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Family Law Association, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong
21.11.2015	Visit to Correctional Services Department’s Institutions at Lantau – Shek Pik Prison, Sha Tsui Correctional Institution, Lai Chi Rehabilitation Centre and Tong Fuk Correctional Institution
23.11.2015	Conference entitled “Financial Crime, Risk and the Rule of Law” jointly organised by the University of Hong Kong and University College London
24.11.2015;1.12.2015	Lectures entitled "Judicial Review" and "The Importance of Simplicity and Clarity of Language in the Law", organised by the University of Hong Kong
26.11.2015	Lecture entitled “Aspects of Criminal Justice in Hong Kong” by the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the University of Hong Kong
18.12.2015	Case Management Workshop by the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal

Judicial Training Activities Organised with/by Other Jurisdictions/Organisations

Date	Activity
1 – 6.3.2015	Economics Institute for Competition Judges Programme in Singapore, organised by the Global Antitrust Institute
21 – 24.3.2015	The Eleventh Multinational Judicial Colloquium and the INSOL International Annual Regional Conference in San Francisco, the United States, organised by the INSOL International, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and the World Bank
6 – 10.4.2015	Singapore Judicial College Course entitled “Strategies of Case Management: Challenges, Solutions and Innovation” in Singapore
15 – 16.6.2015	International Insolvency Institute’s Fifteenth Annual Conference in Naples, Italy
25 – 26.6.2015	Asia-Pacific Symposium entitled “Towards the Well-Being of the Child Through the Hague Child Abduction and Protection of Children Conventions” in Macao, jointly organised by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau of the Macao SAR, the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, and the Asia Pacific Regional Office of the Hague Conference on Private International Law
27 – 31.7.2015	Judicial Governance Programme in Singapore, organised by the Singapore Civil Service College
13 – 15.10.2015	Competition Law Workshop for Asia-Pacific Judges in Busan, South Korea, organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development / Korean Policy Centre
16 – 19.11.2015	Commonwealth and Common Law International Family Justice Conference in Coogee, Australia, organised by the Family Court of Australia
18 – 20.11.2015	Third Rule of Law Conference in Beijing, jointly organised by the University of Hong Kong, University College London and the Peking University

Number of Visits and Visitors to the Judiciary

	2014	2015
Local
No. of visits	179	203
No. of visitors	5 590	6 349
The Mainland
No. of visits	32	30
No. of visitors	876	875
Overseas
No. of visits	22	21
No. of visitors	361	275
Total
No. of visits	233	254
No. of visitors	6 827	7 499

	Number of Visitors
Category of Visitors	2014	2015
Judges and legal profession	293	212
Government officials	465	494
Students and others	6 069	6 793
Total	6 827	7 499

Expenditure and Revenue of the Judiciary in 2014-2015

Recurrent Expenditure

		2014-2015 ($' 000)
-	Personal Emoluments	973,650
-	Departmental Expenses	294,287
-	Other Charges	7,561
	Total	1,275,498

Revenue*

		2014-2015 ($' 000)
-	Fees & Charges	176,421
-	Fines	267,838
-	Forfeitures & Others	200,798
	Total	645,057

*	Revenue collected by the Judiciary forms part of the Government's General Revenue

Complaints against Judges and Judicial Officers

	Nature of Complaints	2015
(1)	Complaints against judicial decisions	107
(2)	Complaints against judicial conduct	14
(3)	Complaints against both the judicial decisions and the judicial conduct	29
(4)	Complaints against Court Leaders in handling complaints	9
	Total	159

Note

The total number of cases filed in 2015 is 464,769.

Complaints against the Judiciary Administration

	Nature of Complaints	2015*
-	Complaints about procedures	34
-	Complaints about facilities	16
-	Complaints about the judicial support services	58
-	Complaints against staff of the Judiciary Administration	35
	Total	143

*	Oral complaints included