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The following is the transcript of the meet-the-media session given by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, after his visit to the Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong districts this (Wednesday) afternoon:-

Reporter: How would you respond to the criticism that your spokesman is going to be offered the salary disproportionate to his responsibilities? And the second question is, will the Civil Service see pay freezes or even pay cuts next year?

Mr Tung: Let me put it this way that in so far as the Civil Service pay is concerned, we have a very good system to determine the pay of the Civil Service and the system has not been changed and has served us well and we will continue to use this system. Now as to what the results would be will depend on the review of this particular system. If you don't mind, you just bear with us and in due course, you will know how it will develop. Let me say about the Information Co-ordinator, it is a very, very important responsibility - the responsibility to communicate with you, with the community at large about Government policies as they have been formulated and until they have been formulated. At the same time, there has been criticism that we have not done enough of this as a Government so the objective is there to achieve better communication. At the same time, as I've said earlier on, I will do more, not less, more than before in communicating with you and with everybody else.

End/Wednesday, December 16, 1998

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Chief Executive's media session (Chinese part)