Advances in open justice in England and Wales

1. " Good morning. It is a real pleasure for me to be back in Hong Kong after an interval of more than 20 years and to have been asked to address such a distinguished audience today. When I was a barrister, I came here several times to do construction cases. That was in the pre-1997 era. I always enjoyed my visits. This is such an exciting place. I imagine that most of the buildings that I saw have been replaced as being out of date. Nothing stands still here. There is no clinging to the past; no nostalgia for days gone by. Change is the name of the game, whether it is physical change to the environment or economic or constitutional change. But even in the UK, that most traditional of countries, changes have been taking place. Some of them have been forced on us by the economic crisis that has afflicted the world in recent years. Others have occurred as a response to the remarkable technological developments of our time. As I shall explain, these developments are relevant to the subject of this address.

2. My subject today is open justice and recent developments that have been introduced and are being considered in England and Wales to enhance it..."