The Registration & Electoral Office (REO) has all along implemented stringent measures on inspection of registers to protect electors' particulars in the registers. The REO made the statement today in response to media enquiries concerning the arrangements for inspection of provisional register of electors, noting that audio recording, photo and video-taking and copying information are prohibited during the inspection. It explained that any individual who reproduces or permits any other person to reproduce in any form, uses or permits another person to use, or imparts to any other person any information contained in the registers for a purpose other than a purpose related to an election, commits an offence. Such measures are in compliance with the law and in line with the long-established practice. The REO also noted a judicial review from the Junior Police Officer’s Association (JPOA) on inspection of final registers of electors. It pointed out that the JPOA ap
The Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) will hold its Annual Session, from November 29 to December 1 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the first time. Securing international organisations to hold decision-making meetings in Hong Kong is conducive to developing Hong Kong into a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, which is one of the major policy initiatives in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address this year. When explaining policy initiatives at Legislative Council Panel on Administration of Justice & Legal Services, I pointed out that the Department of Justice is actively pursuing the feasibility of establishing an arbitration centre in Hong Kong with international legal and dispute resolution institutions. This will greatly enhance Hong Kong’s position and international image of being an international legal and dispute resolution hub. It is our honour that Premier Li Keqiang will attend an
The value of total retail sales in December, provisionally estimated at $33.3 billion, rose 6.2% compared with the same month in 2020, the Census & Statistics Department announced today. Of the total retail sales value in December, online sales accounted for 10.8%. Provisionally estimated at $3.6 billion, the value of online retail sales increased 31.5% year-on-year. After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales for the month increased 3.4% compared with a year earlier. The value of sales of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods, not elsewhere classified increased 5.5%. This was followed by sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (+24% in value); other consumer goods, not elsewhere classified (+10.8%); commodities in department stores (+2.5%); wearing apparel (+12%); medicines and cosmetics (+9.7%); motor vehicles and parts (+8.7%); fuels (+18.4%); footw