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The following is the transcript (English portion) of the remarks made by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at a media session today (November 11) on further suspension to 2013 of the employees retraining levy:
Reporter: (inaudible)
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: We are proposing an option which strikes the right balance between meeting the needs of middle-class employers and foreign domestic helpers on the one hand, and ensuring the Employers Retraining Board has sufficient resources to continue its training programmes. I think that is very important. It is already a balancing option and win-win situation for all.
Reporter: Isn't it wasting time to have all this work done by the subcommittee now that they probably have to set up a new subcommittee...
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: It is entirely up to the subcommittee and the members to decide how to take things forward. In fact, our proposal is a very simple one. It stated our case and explained our position. It is for them to decide how to take forward. I really hope that they can deal with the whole issue swiftly and quickly.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:41
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