Legal Aid department annual report 2006
Contents
 
中文
 Chapter 5  Publicity Programmes    
           
             
   

Chapter 5 Publicity Programmes

The Department aims to promote public awareness and understanding of the services we provide and to enhance communication with our stakeholders.

Promotional Activities

"Law Week 2006"

The Department teamed up with the Law Society to promote awareness of the rule of law and availability of legal aid services during the "Law Week 2006". The Opening Ceremony of "Law Week 2006" was held on 4 November at Chater Garden. The officiating guests included the Chief Justice, the Honourable Mr Justice Andrew Li, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Wong Yan Lung, SC, Legislative Council member, the Honourable Ms Margaret Ng, the Chairman of Legal Aid Services Council, Mr Paul Chan Mo Po, the President of the Law Society of Hong Kong, Mr Peter Lo, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Mr Philip Dykes, SC and the Director of Legal Aid, Mr Benjamin Cheung.

 

Talks Delivered to and Visits of Non-Governmental Organisations and Other Organisations

To enhance public understanding and awareness of legal aid services and to elicit views on our services for improvements, the Department had arranged talks to non-governmental organisations and other bodies interested in legal aid. During the year, talks on legal aid services were delivered to diverse groups such as volunteers from the Family Resource Centre (Tuen Mun) of Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, and the Hong Kong University Students' Union.

 

Visits to Department

During the year 2006, the Department received a total of 30 delegations/groups:

 

 10 November
Acting Assistant Director Legal Aid (Policy and Development), Mr Thomas Kwong (centre) and Assistant Official Solicitor, Mrs Annie Williams took a group photo with Mr Robert Seabrook, QC, Recorder, Deputy High Court Judge, UK after his visit to the Department to learn about the legal development in Hong Kong.

 

Media Enquiries

During the year 2006, the Department's Information Unit handled 1 000 enquiries from the media.

 

LAD News

The Legal Aid Department News (LAD News) is published to enhance public awareness and understanding of legal aid and to keep the public informed of developments in legal aid services.

Printed copies of the newsletter were placed in the reception areas of the various offices of the Department. Past and current issues of the LAD News were also uploaded onto the Department's website.

 

Publications

Subsequent to the five-yearly review of the criteria for assessing the financial eligibility of legal aid applicants that extended the items which could be deducted from a legal aid applicant's income to cover (i) maintenance payment and (ii) provision for care of dependants who could not take care of themselves when the applicant is at work, amendments were made to the following two publications:

  • Guide to Legal Aid Services in Hong Kong How
  • How Your Financial Resources and Contributions are Calculated

With the Policy and Administration Division, Legal and Management Support Section (Costing and Enforcement Units) and Civil Litigation Section 1 moving to a five-day week on 1 July 2006, leaflets detailing the new opening hours were made available to the public for collection at the reception counters of LAD offices.

A list of publications of the Department is at Appendix 6.

 

Website

As a result of the implementation of the five-day week, the Department added a webpage on its website detailing the revised working hours of its divisions/sections starting from 1 July 2006. The Department continues to update the contents of its website regularly to provide comprehensive and timely information to the public. To further publicise the services provided by the Department, two sets of video clips on legal aid services were uploaded for public access.

 16 November
Assistant Director Legal Aid (Policy and Development), Mr Thomas Kwong (first from right); Director of Legal Aid, Mr Benjamin Cheung (second from right) and Deputy Director of Legal Aid (Policy and Administration), Mr William Chan received a delegation from the Singapore Ministry of Law.

 

 
   
 
   
 
       
       
   
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