China's top legislature on Sunday read for the second time the draft emergency response law which bans fabrication and spread of false information on accidents and disasters and requires government to provide accurate and timely information.

The draft emergency response law was on Sunday submitted to the 28th session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), or China's top legislature, for the second reading.

The draft said "any units or individuals are prohibited from fabricating or spreading false information regarding emergencies and government's efforts to cope with emergencies."

The draft said "people's governments which take charge of emergencies should provide unified, accurate and timely information on the emergencies and its development."

The draft emergency response law was submitted for first review in June 2006.

The top legislature deliberated draft amendments to the Law on Conserving Energy, in an effort to improve energy efficiency and cut pollution emission, and the Law on Lawyer which aims to make lawyers easier to meet criminal suspects, obtain evidences, improve their moral standards and allow them to open individual law firms.

Under the 1996-2010 five-year plan, China pledged to cut its energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent, or 4 percent each year. But the consumption actually fell by just 1.23 percent last year.

"We are confronted with many problems and difficulties in attaining the objective in consequence of the fact that energy consumption in some regions and industries keeps rising," Fu Zhihuan, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee with the National People's Congress (NPC), told lawmakers on Sunday's session.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2007)