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Following is a question by the Hon Tommy Cheung and a reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Frederick Ma, in the Legislative Council today (November 1):
Question:
Regarding the impact of implementing five-day work week on the canteens in Government office buildings, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of canteens operated by contractors in Government office buildings; whether the authorities had, before implementing five-day work week, consulted operators of such canteens and assessed the possible impact of the measure on their business turnovers;
(b) whether it has conducted surveys on how the business turnovers of such canteens after the implementation of five-day work week compare to those before that; if so, of the survey results; and
(c) whether it will exercise discretion to reduce the rent of the affected canteens to compensate for their losses?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) There are currently 84 government canteens operated by contractors and managed by individual departments concerned, out of which three are located in buildings mainly for office use. Most of the canteens are operating in buildings (e.g. police stations) where the relevant departments have continued to provide services on Saturday (and on Sunday in certain cases). The majority of the government employees in these buildings have not shifted to the five-day week initiative. Our assessment is that implementation of the five-day week generally will not have significant impact on the business turnover of government canteens and therefore we consider it not necessary to consult the canteen contractors prior to the implementation of the five-day week.
(b) Departments concerned have not conducted surveys to compare the business turnovers of government canteens before and after implementation of the five-day week initiative.
(c) If canteen contractors suffer hardship in operating their canteens as a result of the five-day week initiative, they may apply to the departments concerned for rental concession. Each application will be considered on the individual merits of the case and where justified, rent concession may be granted.
Ends/Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:03
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