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Following is the full text of the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, at the EMSD 50th Anniversary Reception at the Jockey Club, San Kwong Road, Happy Valley today (Friday):

Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to celebrate with you here today the 50th anniversary of Electrical and Mechanical Services in Hong Kong.

The Electrical and Mechanical Office, the forerunner of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, came into existence in 1948.

It was a time when Hong Kong was just emerging from the aftermath of the war years, a time of picking up pieces and rebuilding after the chaos and upheavals of the 1940s.

It was in this climate of hope and recovery that the E&M Office, under the auspices of the then Public Works Department, was born.

Since then, Hong Kong has grown from a small entrepot to the international commercial hub and financial centre that it is today.

The E&M Office has also come a long way, first into a full-fledged department and more recently into a Trading Fund operation as it is now.

In writing this story EMSD colleagues have the added virtue of modesty, as they are the unsung heroes working quietly behind the scenes to make sure that the plant, equipment, vehicles and facilities of the Government and other public bodies function smoothly around the clock.

Perhaps I should take this opportunity to make a few observations about the Trading Fund, which as you all know is at the heart of our public sector reform.

EMSD, together with a few other trading fund operations in the Government, have done a remarkable job in transforming themselves into customer-focused and service-oriented organisations.

This is no small feat for EMSD, considering the size of its staff and the complexity of its operations.

After all, culture change is probably one of the most difficult tasks in organisational management, and EMSD is to be congratulated on its successful transition to a much more efficient and responsive service provider in such a short time.

It may be premature to conclude that the EMS Trading Fund is a total success. Yet all signs to date suggest that it is well on track to achieving its mission. I am glad to see that the Trading Fund achieved a five per cent improvement in productivity in 1997/98, resulting in reduced charges for E&M services. I am optimistic that with sustained efforts, an overall 15 per cent improvement in productivity can be achieved up to 2000/2001.

On behalf of the Administration, let me once again congratulate the EMSD on this auspicious occasion. I would like to thank all EMSD colleagues, in both the Trading Fund and the Regulatory Services, for their dedication and hard work over the past decades. Hong Kong would have been a very different place without their efforts.

Thank you.

End/Friday, October 30, 1998

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