Speech by SJ at signing ceremony of MOU between DoJ and Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Empowering justice: sj's inspiring speech at historic mou signing with saudi ministry of justice

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation between the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today (April 22) to strengthen their co-operation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution:

Your Excellency Dr Waleed Mohammed Alsmani (Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great honour to sign the Memorandum of Understanding, on behalf of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, with the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This Memorandum is the first memorandum on legal co-operation that Hong Kong signs with a Middle East jurisdiction. This signifies the great value and importance Hong Kong attaches to fostering stronger and closer relationship with the Middle East, in particular, Saudi Arabia.

Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has the unrivalled advantages of enjoying strong support of the Central People's Government of China and at the same time being closely connected to the world. As the only common law jurisdiction within China, our well-established legal system and top-notch legal and dispute resolution services give Hong Kong a unique edge which attracts business opportunities from across the globe. These distinctive features afford Hong Kong the solid foundation to act as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" connecting China and countries around the world.

Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia have nurtured a close friendship and partnership over the years, especially since the visit to Riyadh by our Chief Executive last year. The signing of the Memorandum will no doubt strengthen the relationship between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to the next level by enhancing our communication, collaboration and co-operation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution, and facilitating development of the related services. I am very confident that the Memorandum will promote cross-fertilisation of legal talent and encourage exchanges between the legal profession of the two jurisdictions at the international level. It is worth mentioning that the Department of Justice is going to establish the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding we signed, our initiative in this respect, namely the setting up of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, will be one of the means to implement various objectives under the Memorandum.

Another thing that is worth mentioning to highlight Hong Kong's status as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre is that Hong Kong is going to host the biennial International Council for Commercial Arbitration Congress from May 5 to 8 this year. This is the most important international commercial arbitration event. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia and other interested participants from Saudi Arabia are most welcome to join this important event.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Saudi Arabia for their trust and support, and the warm hospitality that they extended to the Hong Kong delegation led by the Deputy Secretary of Justice, Mr Horace Cheung, during their visit in Riyadh last month for participating in the Riyadh International Disputes Week. I myself will also lead a delegation from the legal and dispute resolution sectors and other related sectors to visit Saudi Arabia in a few weeks' time. So the timing for the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is perfect for my upcoming visit. It lays a very good foundation for Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to further discuss and exchange on various areas of legal co-operation. I very much look forward to the upcoming visit as well as the myriad opportunities to deepen collaboration and co-operation between our two respective jurisdictions in the future, which would be in the mutual interests of Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Thank you very much.

Employers, contractors and employees should be aware of electrical safety at work during rainstorm

As the rainstorm warning has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and contractors that they should adopt necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures to protect the safety of their employees when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

A spokesman for the LD said today (July 27) that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work (like electric arc welding work) or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms, and should refer to the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the LD.

Even if electrical work is carried out or electrical plant is handled at places not affected by the rainstorm, suitable safety measures must still be adopted to prevent electric shock as the air would be more humid. Such measures include:

(i) Ensure that all live parts of an electrical installation are isolated from the power supply source and rendered dead, and the isolation from the power supply source must be maintained as long as electrical work is being carried out;

(ii) Before carrying out any electrical work or handling any electrical plant, cut off and lock out the power supply source, then test the circuit concerned to confirm it is dead and display suitable warning notices, and issue a work permit thereafter;

(iii) Ensure that protective devices (such as suitable and adequate fuses and circuit breakers) for the electrical installations or electrical plant have been installed and maintained in good working order, and portable electric tools must be double-insulated or properly earthed;

(iv) Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as insulating gloves and insulating mats for employees; and

(v) If live electrical work is unavoidable, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted by a competent person and the appropriate safety precautions should be taken to remove or properly control the electrical hazards involved before such work can proceed.

In addition, employees should co-operate with the employer or contractor to follow the safety instructions and use the safety equipment provided.

The LD has published guidebooks and leaflets on electrical work safety. These safety publications are available free from divisional offices of the department or can be downloaded from its website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm).

Should there be any questions about occupational safety and health matters, please contact the Occupational Safety Officer of the LD at 2559 2297.

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