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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council Commission (the Commission) decided today (January 15) that a phased approach be adopted for the provision of simultaneous sign language and Putonghua interpretation services to all open meetings of the Council and its committees. The annual funding is expected to be about $13 million.
Speaking after the Commission meeting, the President of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Jasper Tsang, said that at its meeting in December last year, the Commission had agreed that as a policy objective, simultaneous sign language and Putonghua interpretation should be provided for all open meetings of the Council and its committees subject to the availability of qualified interpreters and necessary resources.
"Due to the limited supply of simultaneous sign language and Putonghua interpreters, the lead time required to identify more qualified interpretation service providers in the market, as well as the resources and funding implications, a phased approach be adopted for the extension of simultaneous sign language and Putonghua interpretation services to all open meetings of the Council and its committees," Mr Tsang said.
Mr Tsang pointed out that the first phase of the project, starting from January this year to March next year (i.e. 15 months), will provide simultaneous sign language interpretation service for Council meetings. Before new funding is approved, the cost in the interim which has to be met from the Commission's Operating Reserve is about $1.08 million. Subject to availability of funding from the Administration, phase 2 and phase 3 of the project will be implemented, with the aim to provide simultaneous sign language interpretation service for all open meetings of the Council and its committees. The recurrent annual funding and capital outlay required for the provision of this simultaneous sign language interpretation service are estimated to be $3.08 million and $1.9 million respectively.
As regards the provision of simultaneous Putonghua interpretation service for all open meetings of the Council and its committees, the annual funding required is estimated to be $10.67 million. Starting from the next legislative session (i.e. October 2013) to end of March 2014, the first phase of the service will provide to the meetings of the Council, the Finance Committee and its two committees and the House Committee, the estimated cost is $2.3 million and the expenses will be met from the Commission's Operating Reserve. Subject to the availability of annual funding of $10.67 million from the Administration, phase 2 of the service will be implemented so that simultaneous Putonghua interpretation service will be provided for all open meetings of the Council and its committees. At present, the Commission's Operating Reserve is about $100 million.
Ends/Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:47
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