Lawmakers want to know why the government has not acted on a report published two years ago
Legislators yesterday questioned why the government had not acted on a Law Reform Commission report published two years ago that recommended the regulation of debt collectors.
Independent lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, who raised the issue in Legco, said debt-collection agencies were now being used not only by banks, finance companies and telecommunications firms, but also by beauty service companies and tutors.
In reply, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong told the Legislative Council that the government was still studying the report and expected to present its views to the public next year.
He said the complex issue involved a number of government bureaus and departments as well as external bodies such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Some issues had to be re-examined because the Privacy Commissioner had amended the code on access to consumers' credit information, he said.
'We are still studying the Law Reform Commission's recommendations, and the matter involves many bureaus and policy areas - such as the Security Bureau, the Financial Services Bureau, the Home Affairs Bureau, the Social Welfare Department and organisations such as the HKMA,' Mr Lee said.