Hong Kong Judiciary Annual Report 2016

	This Report provides an overview of the major events of the Judiciary during 2016. It also provides statistics and information about the operation of the Judiciary.

	I wish to mention in particular the West Kowloon Law Courts Building in Sham Shui Po. The Judiciary proposed in 2009 the construction of the building in order to meet the increasing demand for court services and enhance the operational efficiency of the courts. Following the completion, the Small Claims Tribunal was the first to move into this new building in September 2016. Tsuen Wan Magistrates’ Courts, which was renamed as the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, was relocated to the building in December 2016. The Coroner’s Court and the Obscene Articles Tribunal will also be relocated to this building in January 2017. With the new building and modern facilities, we hope to enhance continuously our services to the court users.

	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 2016

	Following tradition, the year began with the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year on 11 January, at which the Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke about how the spirit of the law was implemented through the courts in dealing with different cases including the judicial review cases. He stressed that the concept of equality was key to an understanding of Hong Kong’s system of law, and a fundamental component of the rule of law. No one person or institution was above the law and the application of law. The public was entitled to be assured that a fair hearing was always guaranteed by the courts. The courts, as always, would only deal with the legal questions arising from disputes, and not the motives behind them.

	He also provided an update on a few matters affecting the Judiciary, including the Judiciary’s proposals to improve the conditions of service of judges, the ongoing review of the statutory retirement age for judges, the relocation of the Court of Final Appeal to Jackson Road in 2015 and the completion of the West Kowloon Law Courts Building in 2016.

	West Kowloon Law Courts Building
	The West Kowloon Law Courts Building in Sham Shui Po has been designed to put under one roof the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts, the Small Claims Tribunal, the Coroner's Court and the Obscene Articles Tribunal, providing much needed space for the effective operation of these courts. The architecture of the building is in keeping with the dignified stature of a court building.

	The Small Claims Tribunal was the first to move into this new building in September 2016 followed by the Tsuen Wan Magistrates’ Courts, which was renamed as West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, in December. The Coroner’s Court and the Obscene Articles Tribunal will also be relocated to this building in January 2017. With the full operation of the new building, there will be a total of 32 courtrooms together with other support facilities such as witness protection rooms, witness waiting rooms, consultation rooms, registries, an information centre and an accounts office.

	Exchanges with other Jurisdictions
	In 2016, our Judges and Judicial Officers attended various conferences and seminars for exchanges with their counterparts from other jurisdictions. The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the 2016 Bentham Association Presidential Address in the United Kingdom in March. In end June/early July, he visited the Supreme People’s Court and other courts in Beijing, Dalian and Shenyang and delivered a talk on "The Common Law System of Hong Kong: A Hong Kong Judge's Personal View” at the National Judges College. In September, he attended the Second Summit on Chinese Judicial Studies in Chongqing. In October, the Judiciary hosted the Fifth Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation attended by judges from 14 jurisdictions. In November, the Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the Birkenhead Lecture 2016 organised by Gray’s Inn, and the Allen & Overy Annual Law Lecture 2016 at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; the Hon Mr Justice Joseph FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, delivered a talk entitled "The influence of the Australian Judges on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal” organised by the Hong Kong Chapter, Law Council of Australia.

	Appointment of Judges and Judicial Officers
	Many judicial appointments took effect in 2016. Among these was the appointment of the Hon Mrs Audrey Patricia CAMPBELL-MOFFAT as Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in May 2016.

	Caseload and Case Disposal
	In 2016, 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 on the average waiting time for cases in the High Court were however not met. Shortfall in judicial manpower is one of the factors affecting the court waiting time for the High Court. The Judiciary has been paying attention to this issue, creating additional judicial posts in light of the actual situation and appointing Deputy Judges to assist in coping with the needs. At the same time, the Judiciary has embarked upon various measures, such as the reviews of the retirement ages and conditions of service of Judges and Judicial Officers and appropriate deployment of judicial resources, with a view to handling as many cases as possible and shortening the waiting time.

	In addition, to further explore the causes of this problem, the Chief Judge of the High Court formed some task groups in late 2015 to look into the different aspects of criminal listing and hearing matters, including a new draft Practice Direction on which the relevant stakeholders have been consulted. The Judiciary is following up on the matter and will make announcement at an appropriate juncture. On the other hand, in a judgment of a criminal appeal case in September 2016, the Court of Appeal of the High Court promulgated new guidelines on determining the discount on sentence upon a guilty plea. It is believed that, in the long run, it will be conducive to reducing the court waiting time for criminal cases.

	The Judiciary will continue to closely monitor the waiting time for court cases, review the relevant measures and the judicial establishment, in order to cope with the increasing workload.

	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, Admiralty Court Users’ Committee, Competition Tribunal Users’ Committee, Sub-Committee on Companies and Insolvency Matters of the Civil Court Users’ Committee and the Governing Body of the Hong Kong Judicial Institute.

	Visits and Visitors to the Judiciary
	In 2016, the Judiciary arranged more than 300 visits for about 8700 visitors. Among all, most visitors are local students. In May 2016, the pilot scheme of guided visits to the Court of Final Appeal Building was extended to primary 5 and 6 students. We treasure all opportunities to meet with visitors and introduce to them the work of the Judiciary.

	You are cordially invited to visit our Photo Gallery for various memorable moments of the Judiciary in 2016.

Highlights of Events in 2016

January

11	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA declared opening of the 2016 Legal Year
12	The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord HOFFMANN, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
15	Mr Jonathan SMITHERS, President of the Law Society, United Kingdom and Mr Dominic HURLEY, Head of City and Engagement, Law Society, United Kingdom visited the Judiciary
18	Members from the Legislative Council Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services visited the Judiciary
19	A seven-member delegation led by ZHAO Jinshan, Deputy Director General of the Department of Enforcement of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
21-22	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA and the Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the International Conference: Doing Business Across Asia: Legal Convergence in an Asian Century held in Singapore
21-23	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended a Working Group meeting under the Hague Conference on Private International Law held in The Hague, the Netherlands
25	Mr WAN Chun, Director of the Law and Policy Research Office, Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
28	Ambassador HUANG Hui-kang, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Malaysia, visited the Judiciary

February

3	Ms Elisabeth WINKELMEIER-BECKER, member of the German Bundestag (Parliament) of Germany, visited the Judiciary
5	A 10-member delegation from the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court of Thailand visited the Judiciary
20	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Standard Chartered Hong Kong English Public Speaking Contest 2016
24	Mr XU Hong, Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary

March

1	Mr POW Wing-nin, Jason, SC; Ms WONG Kwok-ying, Lisa, SC; Mr Russell Adam COLEMAN, SC; and Mr Anthony Kenneth HOUGHTON, SC were re-appointed Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
3-4	The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, attended the International Business of Judging Course in Northampton, England
3-5	The Hon Mr Justice Kevin Paul ZERVOS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, delivered a keynote address and spoke in the panel sessions at the GENNEXT Counsel Congress 2016 in Mumbai, India
14-17	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the 2016 Bentham Association Presidential Address entitled "In Praise of an Old, Honourable and Distinguished Friend: the Bar" at the University College London and met with senior members of the Advisory Board of the Oxford Commercial Law Centre and a few very senior judges in London, the United Kingdom
14	A 10-member delegation led by Mr FENG Tie, Director-General of the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
23	A five-member delegation led by Mr SHEN De-yong, Executive Vice-President of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary

April

8	The Rt Hon Philip HAMMOND MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, visited the Judiciary
18	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA spoke at a dinner organised by the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association
18-19	A three-member delegation led by Mr Vincent HOONG, Registrar of the Supreme Court of Singapore, visited the Judiciary
26-27	The Hon Mr Justice Wally YEUNG, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, gave lectures at the Law School, Beijing Normal University in Beijing
28	Judge Allyson Kay DUNCAN, Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, visited the Judiciary
28	The Rt Hon the Lord CLARKE of Stone-cum-Ebony, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, delivered a talk entitled “Advocacy, Ethics and the Role of the Expert - Some English Reflections” at the High Court

May

10	A delegation led by Mr XIONG Yi, Vice President of Jiangsu Higher People's Court, visited the Judiciary
18-20	Ms WONG Sze-lai, Magistrate, attended the International Conference for Chief Coroners 2016 in London, United Kingdom
21	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Bar Association Debating Competition 2016
25	Mrs Audrey Patricia CAMPBELL-MOFFAT, SC, was appointed Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
30	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, spoke in a mediation conference held by the Dongguan Second People’s Court in Dongguan

June

3	The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, officiated at a seminar entitled “Seminar about the Revision of Penal Code – Crimes against Sexual Freedom and Self-Determination” in Macao
5-7	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the International Insolvency Institute’s 16th Annual Conference in Tokyo, Japan
10	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the opening remarks at the 6th LAWASIA Family Law & Children’s Rights Conference
11	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA presided over the 2016 Senior Counsel Admission Ceremony
15-17	His Honour Judge Douglas YAU, District Judge, conducted a study visit to the Judicial Commission of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia
16	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Law Council of Australia International Law Section Hong Kong Chapter’s Cocktail and Talk
17	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the Reviewing Officer's speech at the Correctional Services Department's Passing-Out Parade
21	A 23-member delegation led by Professor Andreas KELLERHALS, Director of the Europa Institute and the LLM Program of the University of Zurich, visited the Judiciary
23	Mr ZHAO Da-cheng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
27-1/7	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA led a delegation to Beijing, Shenyang and Dalian for a visit at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China
29-30	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, participated as a workshop moderator in the Asia Pacific Symposium on the 1980 Hague Convention in Tokyo, Japan

July

6-8	The Hon Mr Justice David LOK, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the International Conference on “Culture, Dispute Resolution and The Modernised Family” in London, United Kingdom
7	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a speech "The Law: cries or whispers?" at the 9th Humanities Research Symposium for Youth organised by the Diocesan Girls’ School
11-12	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended a subsidiary meeting of the Working Group on Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention held in London, the United Kingdom
14-15	The Hon Mr Justice Kevin Paul ZERVOS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the 3rd Criminal Law Conference in Singapore and delivered a keynote address
25	A 18-member delegation of the Legal and Judicial Training Centre of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China visited the Judiciary
28	An eight-member delegation led by Mr XU Jiaxin, Director of Political Department of the Supreme People's Court of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
29	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice James SPIGELMAN and the Hon Mr Justice William GUMMOW, Non-Permanent Judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years

August

1	The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM was re-appointed President, Competition Tribunal and the Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG was re-appointed Deputy President, Competition Tribunal
11	A seven-member delegation from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China visited the Judiciary
17	Ms Jan Adams AO PSM, Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
22	Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Intellectual Property and HH Judge Richard Hacon, Presiding Judge of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, visited the Judiciary

September

1	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
7	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the University of Birmingham reception in Hong Kong
21-23	The Hon Mrs Justice CAMPBELL-MOFFAT, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke on the topic of “Advocacy and the Handling of Expert Witnesses” at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
21-24	The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, attended the Global Constitutionalism Seminar 2016 held at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, the United States
26-27	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court and Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY, District Judge, participated in the Symposium on Cross-Border Disputes involving Children in Singapore
29-30	The Hon Madam Justice Bebe CHU, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court and Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY, District Judge, attended the Singapore International Family Law Conference 2016 in Singapore
29-30	The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended as a panel speaker at the 8th Asian Maritime Law Conference entitled “Asian Shipping in Focus: Opportunities and Challenges” in Singapore
30	The Rt Hon Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC, visited the Judiciary

October

5-7	The Hon Mr Justice David LOK, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the 6th Annual Competition Law Workshop for Asia-Pacific Judges in Seoul, South Korea
10-11	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended as an observer at the Judicial Insolvency Network Conference held in Singapore
11	An 11-member delegation from the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam visited the Judiciary
12-16	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew Colin MACRAE, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, attended the 15th International Criminal Law Congress “30 Years On” held in Adelaide, Australia
17	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Symposium on Developing Commercial Law through the Courts: Rebalancing the Relationship between the Courts and Arbitration organised by Hong Kong Academy of Law
17	Thirty-three Mainland judges participating in the 10th Advanced Programme for Chinese Senior Judges of the City University of Hong Kong visited the Judiciary
18	Twelve Mainland judges participating in the 4th Doctor of Juridical Science Programme for Chinese Senior Judges of the City University of Hong Kong visited the Judiciary
20	A six-member delegation led by Madam HU Ze-jun, Executive Deputy Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China, visited the Judiciary
20-21	Mr Registrar LUNG Kim-wan, Registrar of the High Court, participated as a speaker in the 4th Asian Mediation Association Conference “New Global Trend of Mediation – Similarities and Differences (國際調解新趨勢 – 共性與差異)” held in Beijing
20-22	Together with the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Supreme Court of Singapore, the Judiciary organised the Fifth Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation in Hong Kong
21	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
30	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Hong Kong Scout Rally 2016

November

1-4	Mr Registrar LUNG Kim-wan, Registrar of the High Court, attended the 10th International Forum on the Electronic Apostille Program and the Special Commission Meeting on the Practical Operation of the Apostille Convention in the Hague, the Netherlands
3	A 13-member delegation from the Justice Departments/Bureaux of the People's Republic of China visited the Judiciary
8-11	Mr LEE Hing-nin, Clement, Chief Magistrate and Mr HO Chun-yiu, Magistrate, attended the 2016 Asia Pacific Coroners’ Society Conference in Perth, Australia
9	A three-member delegation from Singapore Academy of Law visited the Judiciary
11	The Rt Hon the Baroness HALE of Richmond, Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, delivered a talk entitled “A Child’s Human Rights” at the High Court
13-19	The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Chief Judge of the High Court, the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, the Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, His Honour Judge Justin KO, Acting Chief District Judge, Master Andy HO, Senior Deputy Registrar of the High Court and His Honour Judge Anthony KWOK, District Judge, visited various law court buildings at Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia
13-20	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered the Birkenhead Lecture 2016 with the topic "Straight and Crooked Thinking: The Search for What is Right" organised by Gray's Inn; the Cambridge Allen & Overy Annual Law Lecture 2016 with the topic "What Have Ships Ever Done for You? The Impact of Maritime Law" organised by the University of Cambridge and a speech for the University of Birmingham Leaders in Law Series. He also gave talks to Hong Kong students at the University College London and at the lunch organised by the Hong Kong Association.
21	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Annual Cocktail Reception of The Law Society of Hong Kong

December

1	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA was conferred to the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, and delivered a speech at the 82nd Congregation for the Conferment of Degrees of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
10	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Hong Kong Scout Centennial Building Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of the Scout Association of Hong Kong
12	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a speech at the School of Law Graduation Ceremony of the City University of Hong Kong
13	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the ceremony for the Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day
14	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Bar Scholarship Presentation Ceremony
16	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the 2016 Law Society Pro Bono and Community Service Award Presentation Ceremony
17	The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Law Week and Teen Talk 2016 Opening Ceremony

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 S K S BOKHARY, GBM
	The Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, GBM
	The Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, GBS
	The Hon Mr Justice Michael J HARTMANN, GBS (up to 31.8.2016)
	The Rt Hon the Lord HOFFMANN, GBS
	The Rt Hon the Lord MILLETT, GBS
	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

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
	The Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG, JA
-	Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
	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 Anthony TO, GBS #
	The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON
	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
	The Hon Mr Justice David LOK
	The Hon Mr Justice Joseph YAU
	The Hon Mr Justice Albert WONG
	The Hon Mrs Justice Audrey P CAMPBELL-MOFFAT (w.e.f. 25.5.2016)
-	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
	Ms TAM Wan-chi, Winnie, SC
	Mr WONG Kai-ming, Stewart, SC
	Ms CHAN Ching-fan, Linda, SC
	Mr WHITEHEAD Robert John, SC
-	Registrar, High Court
	Mr LUNG Kim-wan
-	Senior Deputy Registrars, High Court
	Mr HO Chi-yin, Andy
	Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon

#	Retired in 2016

District Court

-	Chief District Judge
	His Honour Judge S T POON
-	Principal Family Court Judge
	His Honour Judge Bruno CHAN
-	District Judges
	Her Honour Judge Marlene NG
	Her Honour Judge Susana M D'ALMADA REMEDIOS
	His Honour Judge Michael WONG
	His Honour Judge Stanley CHAN
	His Honour Judge C M LEUNG
	Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY
	His Honour Judge Eddie YIP
	Her Honour Judge Katina LEVY
	His Honour Judge C K CHAN
	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

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 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
	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 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
-	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

@	It is with great sadness that Dr CHEUNG Kwan-ming passed away on 24.7.2016
*	Left service in 2016
#	Retired in 2016

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*
	2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
Applications for leave to appeal
- Criminal	76	71	61	69 (35)	70 (47)	68 (39)
- Civil	65	56	68	46 (19)	62 (27)	63 (31)
Total	141	127	129	115	132	131
Substantive appeals
- Criminal	11	9	19	11	7	18
- Civil	12	22	13	23	19	15
Total	23	31	32	34	26	33
Miscellaneous proceedings	1	0	0	2	0	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)
	Target	2014	2015	2016
Applications for leave to appeal
From notice of hearing to hearing
-Criminal	45	41	42	42
-Civil	35	32	31	33
Substantive appeals
From notice of hearing to hearing
-Criminal	100	92	96	98
-Civil	120	107	112	117

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

High Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE HIGH COURT

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
Court of Appeal
Appellate
-	Criminal
	Appeals from the Court of First Instance	185	190	172	185	170	151
	Appeals from the District Court	261	251	222	255	261	229
	Sub-total	446	441	394	440	431	380
-	Civil
	Appeals from the Court of First Instance	219	225	214	220	219	226
	Appeals from the District Court	18	19	12	14	29	16
	Miscellaneous Appeals	25	35	20	27	29	31
	Sub-total	262	279	246	261	277	273
Review of Sentences
-	Criminal
	Reviews from the Court of First Instance	2	0	2	2	1	0
	Reviews from the District Court	4	1	2	6	0	1
	Reviews from the Magistrates' Courts	0	0	2	0	0	0
	Sub-total	6	1	6	8	1	1
	Total	714	721	646	709	709	654

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

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
Court of First Instance
Appellate
-	Criminal
	Appeals from Magistrates' Courts	771	777	702	765	756	713
-	Civil
	Appeals from Labour Tribunal	29	47	27	22	31	30
	Appeals from Small Claims Tribunal	66	76	44	66	67	49
	Appeals from Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board	7	3	2	3	5	3
	Miscellaneous Appeals	0	2	5	0	2	2
	Sub-total	102	128	78	91	105	84
	Total	873	905	780	856	861	797

First Instance
-	Criminal Jurisdiction
	Criminal Cases	545	503	497	503	493	506
	Confidential Miscellaneous Proceedings	346	402	405	346	402	405
	Application for Discharge	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Sub-total	891	905	902	849	895	911
-	Civil Jurisdiction
	High Court Actions	2 641	3 125	3 448	1 658	1 955	2 093
	Miscellaneous Proceedings	3 362	3 471	3 617	2 424	2 478	2 577
	Bankruptcy & Companies Winding-up+	11 267	11 087	10 298	11 058	11 008	10 107
	Personal Injuries Actions	1 405	1 418	1 447	1 037	1 173	1 255
	Other cases ^#	590	656	579	288	256	381
	Sub-total	19 265	19 757	19 389	16 465	16 870	16 413
	Total	20 156	20 662	20 291	17 314	17 765	17 324

-	Masters Chambers
	Interlocutory hearings^**	25 591	27 250	27 684	22 880	24 407	24 798
	Taxation bills	697	643	654	544⁽¹⁾	448⁽¹⁾	426⁽¹⁾
-	Probate
	Applications	17 931	19 127	18 368	17 498⁽²⁾	18 583⁽²⁾	18 189⁽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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
Court of Appeal
-	Criminal - from setting down of a case to hearing	50	51	53	46
-	Civil - from application to fix date to hearing	90	117	112	86
Court of First Instance
-	Criminal Fixture List - from filing of indictment to hearing	120	227	272	291
-	Criminal Running List - from setting down of a case to hearing	90	86	81	96
-	Civil Fixture List - from application to fix date to hearing	180	193	140	155
-	Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing	30	19	7	13
-	Appeals from Magistrates' Courts - from lodging of Notice of Appeal to hearing	90	104	100	105

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Competition Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE COMPETITION TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Application for Review	-	0	0	-	0	0
-	Enforcement Action	-	0	0	-	0	0
-	Action	-	0	0	-	0	0
-	Miscellaneous Proceedings	-	0	0	-	0	0
	Total	-	0	0	-	0	0

The Competition Tribunal commenced operation on 14 December 2015
*	Case disposal refers to applications / claims which have been successfully made or dismissed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE COMPETITION TRIBUNAL

As there is no application / claim filed in the Competition Tribunal, the waiting time is inapplicable.

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

District Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE DISTRICT COURT

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Criminal Jurisdiction
	Criminal Cases	1 079	1 118	1 215	1 033	1 009	1 075
-	Civil Jurisdiction
	Civil	5 090	5 950	6 269	4 088	4 122	4 650
	Tax Claim	2 640	1 585	1 679	2 359	1 413	1 259
	Distress for Rent	3 745	3 658	4 265	3 720	3 645	4 232
	Employee's Compensation	2 744	2 799	2 929	2 415	2 586	2 647
	Other civil cases ⁺	6 420	6 354	6 760	5 401	5 549	5 904
	Sub-total	20 639	20 346	21 902	17 983	17 315	18 692
-	Family Jurisdiction
	Matrimonial Causes	17 219	16 652	16 966	15 913	15 544	12 961
	Joint Applications	4 761	4 815	4 988	4 106	4 531	4 235
	Miscellaneous Proceedings	337	284	273	328	284	257
	Adoption Applications	99	83	70	98	76	62
	Sub-total	22 416	21 834	22 297	20 445⁽¹⁾	20 435⁽¹⁾	17 515⁽¹⁾
	Total (Civil)	43 055	42 180	44 199	38 428	37 750	36 207
	Total	44 134	43 298	45 414	39 461	38 759	37 282

-	Masters Chambers
	Interlocutory hearings^**	7 911	7 618	7 976	7 162	6 084	6 491
-	Taxation bills
	Divorce	1 503	1 407	1 011	1 443	978	1 209
	Others	395	392	459	207	165	173
	Sub-total	1 898	1 799	1 470	1 650⁽²⁾	1 143⁽²⁾	1 382⁽²⁾
	Total	9 809	9 417	9 446	8 812	7 227	7 873

*	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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
Criminal - from first appearance of defendants in District Court to hearing		100	63	79	118
Civil Fixture List - from date of listing to hearing		120	99	101	99
Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing		30	10	12	15
Dissolution of marriage - from setting down of a case to hearing
-	Special Procedure List	35	32	34	34
-	Defended List (all hearings)	110	97	93	65
-	Financial applications - from setting down of a case to hearing	110-140	84	91	86

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Lands Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Appeal cases	188	227	252	351	235	194
-	Compensation cases	6	9	17	10	5	8
-	Building management cases	371	386	297	282	271	272
-	Tenancy cases	4 136	4 098	4 047	3 346	3 270	3 359
-	Lands compulsory sale applications	25	18	11	22	14	15
-	Miscellaneous proceedings applications	7	2	5	5	2	5
	Total	4 733	4 740	4 629	4 016	3 797	3 853

*	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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
From setting down of a case to hearing
-	Appeal cases	90	25	36	30
-	Compensation cases	90	37	63	41
-	Building management cases	90	30	36	35
-	Tenancy cases	50	22	28	26

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Magistrates' Courts

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

		Caseload			Disposal *
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Charge Cases	34 419	33 299	31 440	34 278	32 969	31 554
-	Hawker Cases	7 988	7 710	4 988	8 002	7 712	4 988
-	Departmental & Private Summonses	190 671	179 425	181 670	188 164	178 830	178 042
-	Driving-Offence Points Summonses	2 359	2 086	1 786	2 343	2 020	1 901
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Traffic)	757	606	611	762	614	611
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)^{^}	139	115	112	145	126	113
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Smoking Offences)	38	15	29	37	19	28
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Vehicle Idling)	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Mandatory Window Inspection)	0	1	6	0	1	6
-	Fixed Penalty Summonses (Plastic Shopping Bag)⁺	-	0	3	-	0	2
-	Miscellaneous Proceedings	11 266	11 212	11 213	11 338	11 619	11 378
-	Departmental Notice	706	613	810	691	649	755
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Traffic)	71 733	78 978	98 383	72 569	76 227	95 398
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)^{^}	1 990	2 169	2 142	2 037	2 128	2 206
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Smoking Offences)	898	775	846	903	792	796
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Vehicle Idling)	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	Fixed Penalty Notice (Mandatory Window Inspection)	0	1	4	0	0	5
-	Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Plastic Shopping Bag)⁺	-	1	5	-	1	5
	Total	322 964	317 006	334 048	321 269	313 707	327 788

*	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
^{^}	Case types renamed pursuant to the amendment of the title of Cap. 570 from "Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance" to "Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance" which came into effect on 24 September 2016

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
Summonses - from plea to date of trial		50	67	67	67
Charge cases except for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial
-	For defendants in custody	30-45	36	39	36
-	For defendants on bail	45-60	44	49	41
Charge cases for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial
-	For defendants in custody	30-45	45	72	49
-	For defendants on bail	45-60	45	60	39

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Labour Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Claims	4 039	4 006	4 326	4 710	3 639	4 048
-	Reviews	54	79	78	49	77	77
-	Restore claims	37	38	46	34	39	43
-	Set-aside awards	67	56	81	63	59	60
	Total	4 197	4 179	4 531	4 856	3 814	4 228

*	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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
-	From appointment to filing of a case	30	27	30	27
-	From filing of a case to first hearing	30	25	25	26

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Small Claims Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Claims	50 083	49 775	49 169	48 968	50 570	48 794
-	Reviews	268	311	216	251	288	206
	Total	50 351	50 086	49 385	49 219	50 858	49 000

*	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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
-	From filing of a case to first hearing	60	36	35	34

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Obscene Articles Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

		Caseload			Disposal*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Articles for determination	11 907	3 459	0	38 053	3 459	0
-	Articles for classification	236	819	226	242	823	222
-	Articles for review	2	5	0	2	5	0
-	Articles for reconsideration	0	0	0	1	0	0
	Total	12 145	4 283	226	38 298	4 287	222

*	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)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
-	From referral by a magistrate to determination	21	12	18	-^#
-	From receipt of application to classification	5	3	4	3
-	From receipt of application to review	35	34	41	-^{^}
-	From receipt of application to reconsideration	35	- *	- *	- *

	^#		As there is no application for determination filed, the waiting time is inapplicable.
	^{^}		As there is no application for review filed, the waiting time is inapplicable.
	*		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*
		2014	2015	2016	2014	2015	2016
-	Death inquests with jury	141	86	66	139	93	63
-	Death inquests without jury	5	7	17	9	7	14
	Total	146	93	83	148	100	77

*	Case disposal refers to death inquests concluded

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE CORONER'S COURT

		Average Waiting Time (days)
		Target	2014	2015	2016
-	From date of listing to hearing	42	40	35	39

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
		Master Simon C M LEUNG High Court Master
		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	Mrs Erika HUI 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 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
		The Hon Mr Justice David LOK Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		His Honour Judge Justin KO District Judge
		Mr Simon LEE Department of Justice
		Mr Chris CHONG Legal Aid Department
		Ms Elaine Liu Hong Kong Bar Association
		Mrs Cecilia WONG Law Society of Hong Kong
		Mr CHAN Bing-woon, SBS, JP
		Mr John BUDGE, SBS, MBE, JP up to 28.9.2016
-	In Attendance	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Ms April LAM Senior Mediation Affairs Officer
-	Secretary	Ms Ada LAW Mediation Affairs Officer (1) up to 29.9.2016
		Ms Eva Kong Mediation Affairs Officer (2) w.e.f. 30.9.2016

Membership List of the Court Users' Committees

Admiralty Court Users’ Committee

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
-	Members	Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		Mr Bill AMOS
		Mr Nigel BINNERSLEY
		Ms Brenda CHARK
		Mr Jeevan HINGORANI
		Mr Andrew HORTON
		Mr Jim JAMES
		Mr Matthew LAM
		Mr George LAMPLOUGH
		Mr Damien LARACY
		Mr William LEUNG
		Mr Rory MACFARLANE
		Mr Nicholas MALLARD
		Mr Peter MILLS
		Mr Chris POTTS
		Mr Jason TOMS
		Mr Sam TSUI
		Mr Richard WILMOT
		Mr Colin WRIGHT
		Mr Jon W. ZINKE
		Mr Sunny KWAN Chief Bailiff (Administration and Admiralty)
-	In Attendance	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
-	Secretary	Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

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 (up to 6.11.2016)
		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
		The Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court (w.e.f. 7.11.2016)
		Mr LUNG Kim-wan Registrar, High Court
		His Honour Judge Justin KO Acting Chief District Judge
		Miss Joyce CHAN Department of Justice (up to 6.11.2016)
		Mr Francis KWAN Department of Justice (w.e.f. 7.11.2016)
		Ms Sherman CHEUNG Legal Aid Department
		Ms Fiona LEE Official Receiver's Office (up to 25.7.2016)
		Ms Ophelia LOK Official Receiver's Office (w.e.f. 26.7.2016)
		Mr Paul SHIEH, SC
		Mr Thomas SO (up to 6.11.2016)
		Mr Brian W. Gilchrist (w.e.f. 7.11.2016)
		Mr Peter CHUA
-	In Attendance	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Mr Kenneth LIU Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)2 (up to 15.3.2016)
		Mr M K LAM Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)2 (w.e.f. 16.3.2016)
-	Secretary	Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

Sub-Committee on Companies and Insolvency Matters of the Civil Court Users’ Committee

-	Chairman	The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
-	Members	The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
		Master Reuden LAI
		Master HUI Ka-ho
		Mr William MF WONG, SC
		Mr HO Man-kei, Keith
		Mr Mat NG
		Ms Agnes MAK
		Ms Ophelia LOK Official Receiver's Office
		Mr Joseph HUI Companies Registry
-	In Attendance	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Mr M K LAM Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)2
-	Secretary	Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

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 CHOI Yuk-kwong, Donnie Hong Kong Police Force
		Mr WOO Ying-ming, Danny Correctional Services Department
		Mr WONG Man-kit, SC
		Mr Kenneth NG
		Mr HO Yat-wan, Alec
-	In Attendance	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Ms Peggy CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)3
-	Secretary	Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

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	Mrs Erika HUI Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
		Ms Jackie LUI Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
-	Secretary	Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

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

Mrs Erika HUI, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations) [w.e.f. 13.1.2016]

(a)	Information Technology Office (Technical)	Mr Kenneth YEUNG	Chief Systems Manager (Information Technology)
(b)	Information Technology Office (Operational)	Mr Wilson CHIU	Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology) [up to 4.1.2016]^{Note 1}
		Mr Wilson CHIU	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology) [w.e.f. 5.1.2016]^{Note 1}
(c)	Operations Division	Ms Winifred CHAN	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)
(d)	Support to Judges Section	Ms Gloria POON	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)1 [up to 15.3.2016]
		Mr Kenneth LIU	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)1 [w.e.f. 16.3.2016]
		Mr Kenneth LIU	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)2 [up to 15.3.2016]
		Mr M K LAM	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)2 [w.e.f. 16.3.2016]
		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	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)
		Mr M K LAM	Chief Judicial Clerk (Courts, District Court) [up to 15.3.2016]
		Ms Clare TSANG	Acting Chief Judicial Clerk (Courts, District Court) [w.e.f. 16.3.2016]
(j)	Family Court Registry	Ms Jackie LUI	Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
(k)	Lands Tribunal Registry	Ms Evelyn CHEUNG	Chief Judicial Clerk (Lands Tribunal) [up to 22.5.2016]
		Mr Joe CHENG	Acting Chief Judicial Clerk (Lands Tribunal) [w.e.f. 23.5.2016]
(l)	Magistrates' Courts General Office	Ms Elsa CHAN	Senior Judiciary Executive (Magistracies)
(m)	Probate Registry	Ms Memory WONG	Chief Probate Officer
(n)	Labour Tribunal Registry	Mr W M WONG	Acting Registrar (Labour Tribunal) [up to 7.9.2016]
		Ms Wendy Shum	Acting Registrar (Labour Tribunal) [w.e.f. 8.9.2016]
(o)	Small Claims Tribunal Registry	Mr Calvin YAU	Chief Judicial Clerk ( Small Claims Tribunal )
(p)	Court Language Section	Ms Celina WONG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)1
		Ms Millia TANG	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 Section	Ms April LAM	Senior Mediation Affairs Officer
		Mrs Heidy KWONG	Mediation Coordinator (Family)
(s)	Information Technology Office (Technical)	Ms Mimi WONG	Acting Senior Systems Manager (1) [up to 10.4.2016]
		Mr Kenneth CHAN	Acting Senior Systems Manager (1) [w.e.f. 11.4.2016]
		Ms Candy CHAN	Senior Systems Manager (2)
		Mr Kelly LAU	Senior Systems Manager (3)
		Mr Jeffrey FUNG	Senior Systems Manager (4)
(t)	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 [up to 10.10.2016]
		Ms Mimi HO	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)11 [w.e.f. 17.10.2016]^{Note 2}
		Ms Carol FUNG	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)12 [w.e.f. 17.10.2016]^{Note 2}
		Ms Wendy SHUM	Acting Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)4 [up to 7.9.2016]
		Mrs Joanne WONG	Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)13 [w.e.f. 8.9.2016]^{Note 3}

Development Division

Ms Patricia SO, Acting Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Development) [up to 31.3.2016]
Ms Patricia SO, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Development) [w.e.f. 1.4.2016]

(a)	Development Office	Ms Wendy CHEUNG	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Development) [up to 24.1.2016]
		Ms Wendy CHEUNG	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Development)1 [w.e.f. 25.1.2016]
		Mr David LAU	Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Development)2 [w.e.f. 25.1.2016]
(b)	Press & Public Relations Office	Ms Rita MA	Principal Information Officer [up to 10.10.2016]
		Ms Daisy KWOK	Principal Information Officer [w.e.f. 11.10.2016]
(c)	Secretariat for Complaints against Judicial Conduct	Mr Victor NG	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Secretariat for Complaints against Judicial Conduct) [up to 19.10.2016]
		Ms Lilian PO	Acting Chief Judiciary Executive (Secretariat for Complaints against Judicial Conduct) [w.e.f. 20.10.2016]

Quality Division

Mr Wilson CHIU, Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology) [up to 4.1.2016]
Mr Wilson CHIU, Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology) [w.e.f. 5.1.2016]

(a)	Complaints Office	Ms Crystal LEE	Senior Judiciary Executive (Complaints)
(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	Senior Judiciary Executive (Management Information)
(e)	Management Review Section	Mr William CHUNG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Management Review)

Corporate Services Division

Mrs Connie NGAN, Acting Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Corporate Services) [up to 4.1.2016]
Mrs Connie NGAN, Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Corporate Services) [w.e.f. 5.1.2016]

(a)	Project Planning and Accommodation Section	Mr Hermes CHAN	Acting Principal Executive Officer (Project Planning and Accommodation) [w.e.f. 1.2.2016]
(b)	Finance Section	Ms Cindy LEE	Acting Chief Treasury Accountant [up to 13.4.2016]
		Mr Raymond NG	Acting Chief Treasury Accountant [w.e.f. 14.4.2016]
(c)	Judges and Judicial Officers Section	Ms Olivia TSANG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Judges and Judicial Officers)
(d)	Support Staff Section	Ms Ivy TANG	Chief Judiciary Executive (Support Staff)


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).
Note 2:	Temporarily sharing the duties of Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)3 w.e.f. 17.10.2016.
Note 3:	Temporarily sharing the duties of Senior Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)4 w.e.f. 8.9.2016.

Judicial Training

Local Judicial Training Activities Organised by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute

Date	Activity
2 - 4.2.2016	Hong Kong Competition Tribunal Workshop
10.3.2016	Coroners’ Workshop
28.4.2016	Talk entitled “Advocacy, Ethics and the Role of the Expert – Some English Reflections” by The Rt Hon The Lord CLARKE of Stone-cum-Ebony, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
28.5.2016	Workshop at Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home
30.5.2016	Talk on Chinese Judgment Writing by the Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
14-15, 25-26 & 28-29.7.2016	Judgment Writing Workshops by Professor Anselmo REYES, Professor of Legal Practice of the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong
20.7.2016	Talk entitled “The Law against Money Laundering: The June Cases” by the Hon Mr Justice Joseph FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
September - October 2016	Case Management Workshops by the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
22.9.2016	Talk on Public Order Offences by His Honour Judge KWOK Wai-kin and His Honour Judge Alex LEE
11.11.2016	Family Law Seminar
11.11.2016	Talk entitled “A Child’s Human Rights” by The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond, Deputy President of The Supreme Court, United Kingdom
16.11.2016	Talk entitled “Case Management and Decision Making by District Court Judges and Masters” by the Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court and the Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
21 - 22.11.2016	Judgment Writing Workshop by Professor Anselmo REYES, Professor of Legal Practice of the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong
1.12.2016	Case Management Workshop by the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal

Other Local Judicial Training Activities Attended by Judges and Judicial Officers

Date	Activity
14.1.2016	Talk entitled “Expert Evidence in Criminal Trials - Assessing Reliability, Ensuring Independence and Promoting Scientific Rigour”, organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association
21.1.2016	Talk entitled “Reading Statutes – the Vital Aspect of All Legal Practice?” by the Hon Mr Justice William GUMMOW AC, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the Hong Kong Chapter, Law Council of Australia
2.2.2016	Lecture entitled “Reading Law - Justice Scalia and Professor Garner discuss their co-authored book, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
10.3.2016	Talk entitled “Open Justice – Seen to be Done or Seem to be Done” by the Hon Mr Justice James SPIGELMAN AC QC, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the Hong Kong Chapter, Law Council of Australia
14.3.2016	Lecture entitled “Equality and the Law: A Canadian Journey”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
22.3.2016	Seminar entitled “Hong Kong’s Hidden Stories: I am Hong Kong Too”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
23.3.2016	Lecture entitled “The Art of Being a Judge”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
11.4.2016	Seminar entitled “Advocacy in Times when The Rule of Law is under Threat”, organised by the Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council
12.4.2016	Lecture entitled “Freedom of Expression for Those Who Wish to Destroy Freedoms for Others”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
9 - 11.6.2016	6th LAWASIA Family Law & Children's Rights Conference 2016, organised by the LAWASIA
16.6.2016	Talk entitled “A comparison of the approached of the Australian Constitution and the Basic Law to rights and freedoms” by the Hon Mr Justice Murray GLEESON AC, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the Hong Kong Chapter, Law Council of Australia
21.6.2016	Co-parenting Seminar entitled “The Crossroad to Parental Responsibility – Pilot Practice of Child-focused Co-parenting Work in Hong Kong”, organised by the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society
12.9.2016	Seminar entitled “When Judges Must Play Moral Philosopher”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
27.10.2016	Common Law Lecture entitled “Outraging public decency: In your face and up your skirt – the dynamism and limits of the common law” by the Hon Mr Justice Joseph FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the University of Hong Kong
3.11.2016	Talk entitled “The influence of the Australian Judges on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal” by the Hon Mr Justice Joseph FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, organised by the Hong Kong Chapter, Law Council of Australia
17.11.2016	Lecture entitled “Understanding Cross-Border Insolvency in the Hong Kong Context” by the Hon Mr Justice Jonathan HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, organised by the University of Hong Kong
5.12.2016	12th Annual Conference entitled “Innovation, Creativity, Technology: The Impact of Competition Law in Asia”, organised by the Asian Competition Forum
8.12.2016	Talk entitled “R v Jogee, and Mary Jane Veloso”, organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association

Judicial Training Activities Organised with/by Other Jurisdictions/Organisations

Date	Activity
3 - 4.3.2016	International Business of Judging Course in Northampton, England, organised by the Judicial College, England and Wales
18 - 20.5.2016	International Conference for Chief Coroners 2016 in London, United Kingdom, organised by the Chief Coroner of England and Wales
5 - 7.6.2016	International Insolvency Institute’s 16th Annual Conference in Tokyo, Japan
15 - 17.6.2016	Study Visit to Judicial Commission of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia
6 - 8.7.2016	International Conference on “Culture, Dispute Resolution and The Modernised Family” in London, United Kingdom organised by the International Centre for Family Law, Policy and Practice
5 - 7.10.2016	6th Annual Competition Law Workshop for Asia-Pacific Judges in Seoul, South Korea, organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development / Korean Policy Centre
8 - 11.11.2016	Asia Pacific Coroners’ Society Conference in Perth, Australia organised by the Asia Pacific Coroners’ Society

Number of Visits and Visitors to the Judiciary

	2015	2016
Local
No. of visits	203	239
No. of visitors	6 349	7 704
The Mainland
No. of visits	30	42
No. of visitors	875	771
Overseas
No. of visits	21	30
No. of visitors	275	280
Total
No. of visits	254	311
No. of visitors	7 499	8 755

	Number of Visitors
Category of Visitors	2015	2016
Judges and legal profession	212	444
Government officials	494	196
Students and others	6 793	8 115
Total	7 499	8 755

Expenditure and Revenue of the Judiciary in 2015-2016

Recurrent Expenditure

		2015-2016 ($' 000)
-	Personal Emoluments	1,035,850
-	Departmental Expenses	336,975
-	Other Charges	7,344
	Total	1,380,169

Revenue*

		2015-2016 ($' 000)
-	Fees & Charges	193,192
-	Fines	280,496
-	Forfeitures & Others	153,355
	Total	627,043

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

Complaints against Judges and Judicial Officers

Number of Complaints Disposed of by the Chief Justice and the Court Leaders	Nature of Complaints				2016 Total
	Judicial / Statutory Decision	Judicial Conduct	Both Judicial / Statutory Decision and Judicial Conduct	Dissatisfaction with the Court Leader’s handling and / or findings of the original complaints	2016 Total
Chief Justice	4	0	0	5	9
Chief Judge of the High Court	21	2	0	NA	23
Chief District Judge	10	1	6	NA	17
Chief Magistrate	21	3	4	NA	28
Sub-total	56	6	10	5	77

Notes:
i.	The total number of cases filed in 2016 is 478,141.
ii.	Complaints related to judicial conduct can be broadly classified according to their nature. Among complaints on judicial conduct above, 5 cases are related to attitude and behavior in court, 5 cases are related to handling of actual proceedings in court, 1 case is related to conduct not directly related to court work and 5 cases are related to mixed nature.
iii.	Among complaints not concerning judicial / statutory decisions above, there is one partially justified case relating to the conduct not directly related to court work. The complainant made four allegations against a Magistrate: (i) The Magistrate allowed the private painting teacher for prolonged free parking at a court building. (ii) The Magistrate allowed the private painting teacher to give lessons at the chamber of court, which involved the usage of government resources (water and electricity). (iii) The Magistrate occupied all the washrooms at a floor of the court building and did not allow other staff to use them. (iv) The Magistrate bought a number of shredders with public funds and the reasons for which were unknown. The Court Leader found that the Magistrate did arrange the painting teacher parked a car at the courts building once every week for a short period when the teacher came to give private lessons during lunch hour. On the use of car parking facilities, although the Magistrate has notified the venue manager of the above arrangement, the Court Leader advised the Magistrate that that was inappropriate, and that all judges and judicial officers should display propriety in all matters of conduct, both in and out of court. The Magistrate accepted the advice. The car parking by the painting teacher has ceased. As regards the allegations concerning the use of toilet facilities, this was not justified and untrue. As regards paper shredders, it was noted that two additional shredders were ordered and placed at different locations of the court building for use by other Magistrates and staff.

Complaints against the Judiciary Administration

	Nature of Complaints	2016*
-	Complaints about procedures	31
-	Complaints about facilities	17
-	Complaints about the judicial support services	57
-	Complaints against staff of the Judiciary Administration	42
	Total	147

*	Oral complaints included