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Following is the speech by the acting Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr Tam Wing-pong, in moving the second reading of the Industrial Training (Clothing Industry)(Amendment) Bill 1998 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Madam President,

I move the second reading of the Industrial Training (Clothing Industry)(Amendment) Bill 1998.

In today's fast-changing world of commerce, the ability to keep up with international trends is critical to continued success. With the birth of the electronic age, one of these trends is to replace paper-based procedures with electronic ones to improve efficiency and reduce cost.

The Government seeks to promote and accelerate the widespread use of electronic methods by gradually introducing the submission of a number of key government trade-related documents through electronic means. Import and Export Declarations are among these documents.

Electronic submission of Import and Export Declarations was first introduced in April 1997 and, under current Government plans, such declarations may only be lodged electronically in April 2000. To tie in with this, we will withdraw postal lodgement in early 1999 and to run down gradually the counters operated by Customs and Excise Department ending in complete withdrawal by April 2000.

This Bill, together with the Import and Export (Registration) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 1998 which was tabled in this Council on November 4, 1998, seeks to withdraw postal lodgement as one of the methods of lodging Import and Export Declarations.

Thank you.

End/Wednesday, November 18, 1998

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