Senior judicial appointment: non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of the Honourable Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law and section 9 of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484).
Mr Lee said, "I am pleased to accept the JORC's recommendation on the appointment of Sir William Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Sir William Young retired from the judicial office of Permanent Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, New Zealand's final court of appeal, in April 2022. He is a judge of eminent standing and reputation. I am confident that he will contribute substantively to the Court of Final Appeal.
"With the appointment of Sir William Young, the list of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions will consist of six eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The presence of these esteemed overseas jurists as non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal is a manifestation of the independence of the Judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as protected by the Basic Law. Their participation demonstrates a high degree of confidence in the HKSAR's judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions. I am fully confident that these distinguished jurists from overseas with profound judicial experience will remain as a unique strength of the HKSAR's judicial system."
Article 90 of the Basic Law and section 7A of the Ordinance provide that the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council on the appointment of judges of the Court of Final Appeal. The Government will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment in due course.
The curriculum vitae of Sir William Young is at the Annex.
CS concludes visit to Beijing
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (April 2) led the delegation of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town (WG) under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis to continue their visit to Beijing.
The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, met with Mr Chan and other members of the delegation in the morning. Mr Chan thanked Mr Xia for his care and guidance for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's work on planning and constructing the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT). He also reported that, in the past three days, the delegation of the WG had visited several places, including the Ningbo Higher Education Park, the Xiasha Higher Education Park in Hangzhou, the Zhejiang University International Campus (Haining), the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, and Xiong'an New Area in Hebei. Through on-site visits to higher education developments in different places, and exchanges with experts and scholars on their successful experiences and development strategies, the delegation gained practical inspiration for the top-level design of the NMUT. This will help advance the deep integration of Hong Kong's academic excellence with industry, promoting industrial development through education. Mr Chan said that the WG will continue to push forward the development of the NMUT with enhanced quality, speed, and efficiency, in proactive alignment with the outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as contribute Hong Kong's strengths to the national goal of building China into a leading country in education, and helping Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the overall national development.
The meeting was attended by the Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xu Qifang. The Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, also reported on her work. The Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, Miss Linda So, and representatives from the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities attended the meeting together.
Mr Chan and other members of the delegation concluded their visit to Beijing and returned to Hong Kong this afternoon. Dr Choi continued her visit to Beijing this afternoon, and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (April 3).
CS concludes visit to Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CS concludes visit to Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
