Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Monday, October 20, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. Trade, travel and stronger ties on CE's European agenda 2. Latest unemployment and underemployment statistics 3. Planning for Hong Kong's sustainable development 4. Language Fund applications vetted 5. EMSTF comes through in flying colours 6. Value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand in August 1997 7. Seminar on AIDS education for secondary school principals 8. Non-confidential particulars of establishments updated 9. Tender for the fifth issue of 10-year Exchange Fund Notes 10. Water storage figure 11. Fresh water cut in Tai Po Market 1. Trade, travel and stronger ties on CE's European agenda ******************************************************* Forging closer trading and economic links are on the agenda for the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, during his first official visit to the European Union (EU). Mr Tung arrived last (Sunday) night in the Belgian capital Brussels - home of the EU headquarters - for a series of top-level meetings with the EU's political and business leaders. Mr Tung will also explain how Hong Kong has continued to run smoothly since the Handover on July 1 and is fully committed to free and open trade, the rule of law and the enforcement of international treaties on strategic commodities, intellectual property rights and human rights. He will also promote the HKSAR Passport and call for international efforts to resolve the Vietnamese refugee problem. On the political side, Mr Tung will meet European Commission (EC) President Mr Jacques Santer, the EC Vice President Mr Leon Brittan, members of the European Parliament and Belgian Prime Minister Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene. In a move to further consolidate trade ties between Hong Kong and the EU, Mr Tung will inaugurate the HK/EU and EU/HK Business Co-operation Committees and give the keynote address at the first Trade Development Council (TDC) Annual Dinner in Europe. The establishment of the bilateral co-operation committees has been spearheaded by the TDC to develop even closer links between European and Hong Kong manufacturing and service industry leaders. On Tuesday, Mr Tung will make his first official visit to the United Kingdom, which will include meetings with British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr Robin Cook, and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Margaret Beckett. Topics to be covered during the two-day London visit will include the latest developments in Hong Kong since the Handover and HK-UK business ties. Mr Tung will address a lunch hosted by the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, deliver keynote speeches to the influential Royal Institute of International Affairs and at the TDC Annual Dinner in London and attend a breakfast briefing with the Hong Kong Association. Mr Tung returns to Hong Kong on Friday. End 2. Latest unemployment and underemployment statistics ************************************************** The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the period June - August 1997 was 2.4%, while the underemployment rate was 1.2%, according to the latest labour force statistics released today (Monday) by the Census and Statistics Department. For the period July - September 1997, both the provisional seasonally adjusted unemployment rate and the provisional underemployment rate edged lower to 2.2% and 1.0% respectively. Commenting on these figures, a Government Secretariat spokesman said that overall labour market conditions tightened further in recent months. The latest three- monthly unemployment rate, at 2.2%, was the lowest recorded since the beginning of 1995. The underemployment rate, at 1.0%, was the lowest recorded in the past six years. Comparing the latest three-month period July - September 1997 with the period June - August 1997, notable declines in the unemployment rate were seen in the manufacturing and the transport sectors. The unemployment situation in the other major sectors was stable. As to the underemployment rate, there was also a notable decline in the transport sector, and even more so in the construction sector. The underemployment situation in the other major sectors was steady. The spokesman also pointed out that total employment continued to show robust growth, at a faster pace than overall labour force. In the three months ending August 1997, total employment increased by 4.1% over a year earlier, while total labour supply increased by 3.5%. During the period June - August 1997, the number of unemployed persons was estimated at 71,200, and the number of underemployed persons at 37,400. The unemployment and underemployment statistics were obtained from a continuous General Household Survey. The survey for June - August 1997 covered a quarterly sample of some 23,200 households or 77 700 persons, selected scientifically to represent the land-based civilian non- institutional population in Hong Kong. Data on labour force characteristics were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the households sampled. In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organisation. Being 'seasonally adjusted' refers to the fact that unemployment rate has been adjusted for seasonal variations in the proportion of first-time job-seekers in the labour force. Detailed analysis of labour force characteristics is given in the report on the General Household Survey which is published four times a year. The next report covering the quarter ending September 1997 will be on sale at the Government Publications Centre at ground floor, Low Block, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong, by the end of December 1997. End 3. Planning for Hong Kong's sustainable development ************************************************ Local town planners must take a broader perspective in finding ways to achieve Hong Kong's sustainable development in a wider context of regional development, member of the Provisional Legislative Council, Mr Edward Ho Sing-tin, said today (Monday). "With an increasing interaction between Hong Kong and one of the world's fastest growing regions, the Pearl River Delta, the planning profession will no doubt strengthen further its positive role to sustain the competitiveness of Hong Kong in the global economy," Mr Ho said. Mr Ho was speaking at the opening ceremony of the "Planning With Vision" exhibition at the Times Square in Causeway Bay. Also officiating at the ceremony were the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung and the Director of Planning, Dr Peter Pun. Mr Ho pointed out that Hong Kong was moving towards a more open society with a diversity of interests. "It is also necessary for the planning system to provide certainty in the use of land to guide public and private investment as well as flexibility to meet any changing community needs and circumstances," he said. Mr Ho paid tribute to government town planners for their contribution to the formulation of a comprehensive land use planning framework which provided the necessary guidance and control on land development in the past 50 years. He noted that the exhibition was the first of five to be held in Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou. "The organisation of such an event is most timely, not only because it celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of a dedicated government town planning office but also because it is the first of its kind to be held in the Mainland since Hong Kong's return to China. "Activities of this kind will promote mutual understanding and experience sharing which will certainly be beneficial to both the Mainland and Hong Kong," he said. The exhibition, in the second floor lobby of Times Square, will be open to the public from 10 am to 9 pm daily until this Friday (October 24). Admission is free. Apart from giving an overview on the role of town planning in the development of Hong Kong, the exhibition highlights the land resources, the planning for various city functions, including housing, industry, commerce and community facilities, as well as environmental and heritage conservation. It features project models including South East Kowloon Development, Green Island Reclamation, the new airport in Chek Lap Kok and Jubilee Street/Queen's Road Central Redevelopment. A bilingual documentary video is shown during the exhibition and a leaflet on town planning will also be available. The exhibition will be staged at Sha Tin New Town Plaza from Saturday (October 25) to November 2 (Sunday). End 4. Language Fund applications vetted ********************************* The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) has made recommendation for funding for five applications involving a total amount of $3.6 million after completion of the first round vetting of the applications to the Language Fund. Of the 132 applications received, two research tenders and three general applications have been recommended for funding, while other applications are still being considered. All successful applications will be announced subsequently by the end of the year. The Chairman of the SCOLAR, Dr Daniel C W Tse, said after a meeting of the Committee today (Monday): "We are assessing each proposal on the basis of its feasibility, relevance to the objectives of the Language Fund, priority of the topic, as well as the number of people who may benefit from the project. "We will also seek the expert opinion of external advisors on the viability and merits of the proposals," Dr Tse added. To ensure that the stated objectives of the projects are fulfilled, SCOLAR has decided to adopt a two-tier mechanism for evaluation of the projects. While the grantees have to devise and conduct self-evaluation of the success and usefulness of their projects, the SCOLAR Support Unit may also undertake an independent evaluation of the projects. The two-tier mechanism will provide a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the Language Fund projects and allow SCOLAR to consider follow-up plans for wide dissemination of the results of the projects. At today's meeting, members also discussed the proposed new Native-speaker English Teacher (NET) Scheme. Their response to the scheme was positive. It was decided that a task group would be set up under SCOLAR to keep close contacts with schools, to advise on the operation of the NET Scheme, to evaluate its effectiveness in terms of upgrading students' English language standard, and to develop other measures to improve English language learning and teaching in Hong Kong. End 5. EMSTF comes through in flying colours ************************************* The Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund (EMSTF) achieved an average return of 16.8 per cent on fixed assets in the year 1996-97, 3.3 percentage points higher than the target set by the Financial Secretary. In the first annual report since its operation in August last year, the General Manager of the EMSTF, Mr Hugh Phillipson, said the good performance had been made possible through a combination of cost containment and a number of operational changes. "We have undertaken a number of initiatives to meet the different needs and priorities of our clients, the first being the setting up of a Customer Support Unit which has embarked on an annual, thorough customer satisfaction poll," Mr Phillipson said. Information from the opinion survey will help to develop appropriate improvement measures tailored specifically for each customer's requirements. Moreover, senior directorate officers have been assigned as client managers to ensure satisfactory service to customers. To provide better and speedier services to customers, a regionalisation plan was launched in June with more than 1,000 service staff being redeployed and relocated to strategic locations. Upon full implementation of this plan, considerable savings will be achieved in travelling time between the depots and the clients' work sites, and in accommodation and transportation costs. An example is that at 18 attended venues of the provisional municipal councils, the fault response time has been reduced from three hours to 15 minutes, with a compliance ratio of almost 100 per cent. Moreover, through the Business Process Improvement exercise which reduces the time required to keep a vehicle in the workshop, the availability of ambulances has been raised from 88 to 91 per cent. "This improvement is equivalent to seven additional ambulances in the street everyday," Mr Phillipson said. Another example is in the reduction in energy consumption in hospitals. With the modification of the lighting system in the Main Block of Queen Mary Hospital, an annual cost saving of $467,000 in electricity fees and lamp bulb replacement cost has been made possible. "We are excited that this new partnership will bring increased efficiencies to our customers, help them achieve the maximum reliability and long life from the equipment that underpins their day-to-day business," Mr Phillipson said. The EMSTF will continue to cut costs in order to bring further benefit to the customers. Mr Phillipson said: "In the coming two years, our aim is to improve productivity by five per cent per annum and to achieve ISO accreditation for all our business units." "In addition to ongoing skills training, we are introducing management and customer services training initiatives, to ensure that the EMSTF fully takes on its new responsibilities," he added. End 6. Value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand in August 1997 ***************************************************** The value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand for local production in August 1997 increased by 1% over a year earlier, according to the provisional results of a monthly survey released today (Monday) by the Census and Statistics Department. Comparing August 1997 with August 1996, increases in the value of orders were recorded in the printing and publishing industry (+14%); the wearing apparel industry (+2%); the textiles industry (+2%); and the electronic products industry (+2%). However, decreases in the value of orders were recorded in the plastic products industry (-27%), the fabricated metal products industry (-11%) and the electrical products industry (-8%). Compared with July 1997, and bearing in mind that this comparison may be affected by seasonal factors, the value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand in August 1997 increased by 2%. The Monthly Survey of Orders-on-hand covers a sample of some 300 manufacturing firms engaging 50 or more workers. Manufacturers' orders-on-hand refer to orders and parts of orders received earlier by manufacturers for local production which remain unfilled as at the end of the reference month. Orders received by traders not engaged in production are included if such orders are further placed to manufacturers for production locally. However, orders placed to manufacturing firms for production in the mainland of China and other places outside Hong Kong are not included in this series of orders-on-hand statistics. A spokesman for the department pointed out that caution should be exercised in interpreting the manufacturers' orders-on-hand figures in a single month. Instead, the trend movement of the series as displayed over a wider span of time points should be looked at. The survey report for August 1997, at $6 a copy, is now available for sale at the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, ground floor, Queensway, and at the Census and Statistics Department Publications Unit, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Enquiries about the survey results may be made to the Industrial Production Statistics Section of the Census and Statistics Department on 2805 6441. The following table shows the year-on-year percentage changes in the value of orders-on-hand in different manufacturing industries. Percentage changes in the value of orders-on-hand in July 1997 August 1997 over July 1996 over August 1996 -------------- ---------------- (Revised) (Provisional) All industries covered in - 5 + 1 the survey * Wearing apparel - 7 + 2 * Textiles - 6 + 2 * Electronic products - 2 + 2 * Electrical products - 5 - 8 * Fabricated metal products -21 -11 * Plastic products -24 -27 * Printing and publishing +16 +14 End 7. Seminar on AIDS education for secondary school principals ********************************************************* Some 200 secondary school principals or their representatives will attend a seminar on AIDS education tomorrow (Tuesday). Jointly organised by the Education Department and the Committee on Education and Publicity on AIDS of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS, the seminar aims to familiarise participants with the epidemiology of HIV infection. School heads will learn about the policy and strategies for AIDS prevention in Hong Kong. They will also share experiences on AIDS education at the forum of the seminar. The Chief Inspector of Schools of the Education Department, Ms Susanna Cheung, will deliver a welcoming speech at the seminar. Speakers will include the Senior Medical Officer of the Department of Health, Dr Teresa Choi, the Chairman of Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS, Dr Conrad Kui Shing Lam and the Principal of Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School, Ms Grace Wong. The seminar will be held at the Theatre, Low Block, City Hall, Edinburgh Place, Central between 2.30 pm and 5 pm. End 8. Non-confidential particulars of establishments updated ****************************************************** The Census and Statistics Department maintains a comprehensive and up-to-date computerised Central Register of Establishments which contains information relating to some 350,000 active establishments in Hong Kong. The register serves mainly as the sampling frame for various economic surveys conducted by the department. Besides, many other government departments and private organisations also make use of the records kept in the Register in their publicity, business promotion, survey and research work. Information kept in the Central Register of Establishments is updated on a quarterly basis. Updated information in respect of the second quarter of 1997 is now available. A sample listing containing 20 per cent of the records randomly selected from the register is accessible by prospective users. Application for the supply of non-confidential particulars (including the name, address, major type of business and employment size class) of all or part of the listed records can be made to the Central Register of Establishments Section of the department. The information can be supplied in the form of photocopies, specially-run magnetic tapes or floppy diskettes. A charge will be levied for this service, at the following rates: * $6.1 per page of photocopy for the first 20 pages and $1.4 for each additional page thereafter; or * a charge of about $1,000 for a job requiring special computer run (exact amount depending on the complexity of the job concerned), if the information is required on magnetic tapes or floppy diskettes. The magnetic tapes and floppy diskettes can be provided by the applicant, or by the department at a charge of $144 per tape and $3 per diskette respectively. Further details about the provision of this service can be obtained from the Central Register of Establishments Section of the department on 2582 4760. End 9. Tender for the fifth issue of 10-year Exchange Fund Notes ********************************************************* The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced today (Monday) that the tender for the fifth issue of 10-year Exchange Fund Notes will be held on Monday, October 27, 1997 for settlement on Tuesday, October 28, 1997. An amount of HK$500 million 10-year Notes will be offered. Another HK$100 million will be held as reserve by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority for supply to Market Makers in the secondary market. The Notes will mature on October 29, 2007 and will carry interest at the rate of 6.93% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears. Terms and conditions of the issue are described fully in the Information Memorandum. Members of the public who wish to tender for the Notes may do so through any of the Market Makers or Recognised Dealers on the published list which can be obtained at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 30th floor, 3 Garden Road, Hong Kong (or telephone 2878 8150). Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof. HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY EXCHANGE FUND NOTE PROGRAMME TENDER INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- Tender information for the fifth issue of 10-year Exchange Fund Notes:- Issue Number : 1710 Tender Date and Time : Monday 27 October 1997, 9.30 am to 10.30 am Issue and Settlement Date : Tuesday 28 October 1997 Amount on Offer : HK$500 million plus an additional HK$100 million as reserve stock for the Monetary Authority Maturity : 10 years Maturity Date : 29 October 2007 Interest Rate : 6.93% per annum payable semi annually in arrears Interest Payment Dates : 28 Apr 1998, 29 Oct 1998, 28 Apr 1999, 28 Oct 1999, 28 Apr 2000, 30 Oct 2000, 30 Apr 2001, 29 Oct 2001, 29 Apr 2002, 28 Oct 2002, 28 Apr 2003, 28 Oct 2003, 28 Apr 2004, 28 Oct 2004, 28 Apr 2005, 28 Oct 2005, 28 Apr 2006, 30 Oct 2006, 30 Apr 2007, 29 Oct 2007 Tender Amount : Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof. Members of the public who wish to tender for the Notes may approach Market Makers or Recognised Dealers on the published list Other details : Please see Information Memorandum published or approach Market Makers or Recognised Dealers End 10. Water storage figure ******************** Storage in Hong Kong's reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 91.3 per cent of capacity or 535.256 million cubic metres. This time last year the reservoirs contained 565.260 million cubic metres of water, representing 96.5 per cent of capacity. End 11. Fresh water cut in Tai Po Market ******************************** Fresh water supply to some premises in Tai Po Market will be suspended from 11 pm on October 23 (Thursday) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains. The suspension will affect all premises in the area bounded by Kwong Fuk Road, Tung Cheong Street, Plover Cove Road and Po Yick Street including Plover Cove Garden, Po Wu Lane and Po Yick Lane. End
