Hong Kong – Dangerous Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 to be gazetted on Friday

     A spokesperson for the Security Bureau said today (June 30) that the Government will publish the Dangerous Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 (the Bill) in the gazette this Friday (July 2). The Bill seeks to make technical consequential and related amendments to various ordinances and subsidiary legislation pursuant to the legislative amendments made to the Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295) (the Ordinance) and its subsidiary legislation.
 
     The spokesperson said, “To update the regulatory system of dangerous goods with a view to aligning it with the international standards, we have reviewed the Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation and have been making legislative amendments by phases. With the completion of our phased legislative amendment work to the Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation, we now enter into the final phase of legislative work. As various ordinances and subsidiary legislation involving different regulatory authorities contain references to dangerous goods classified under the existing classification system under the Ordinance and other matters in relation to the storage, conveyance and use of dangerous goods under the Ordinance, technical consequential amendments and other related amendments have to be made to these ordinances and subsidiary legislation so as to avoid inconsistencies among legal provisions on the implementation of the new dangerous goods classification and regulatory regime under the Ordinance.
 
     “We will also take the opportunity to introduce refinements to the Ordinance. As international standards on the classification and transportation of dangerous goods are updated regularly, the Bill proposes to empower the Secretary for Security to amend the Schedules to regulations made under the Ordinance so as to streamline the process for regular updating of the technical details of the subsidiary legislation (such as the list and exempt quantity of dangerous goods) in future. Similarly, the Bill proposes to remove the requirement that the forms of licences have to be provided by regulations, and to empower public officers who may issue licences to specify the forms of licences for administrative convenience.”
 
     The Government will introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council on July 14 for First and Second Reading.