Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Monday, July 28, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. Announcement of senior appointments 2. Govt sets to launch MPF Scheme by end-1998: SFS 3. Residential mortgage survey results for June 1997 4. Arrangements for Direct Subsidy Scheme clarified 5. Special Measles Vaccination Campaign launches today 6. Access for permit holders only 7. Producer price indices for manufacturing industries 8. Preparatory Committee on General Teaching Council set up 9. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results 10. Fresh water cut in Kowloon Tong 11. Water storage figure 1. Announcement of senior appointments *********************************** The Government announced today (Monday) that the Central People's Government has, on the nomination and recommendation of the Chief Executive, made the appointment and removal of the following Principal Officials: * Mr Nicholas Ng, JP, currently Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, will be removed from his present post and will be appointed as Secretary for Transport in place of Mr Gordon Siu. * Mr Michael Suen, JP, currently Secretary for Home Affairs, will be removed from his present post and will be appointed as Secretary for Constitutional Affairs in place of Mr Nicholas Ng. * Mr David Lan, JP, currently Principal Hong Kong Economic and Trade Representative, Tokyo, will be appointed as Secretary for Home Affairs in place of Mr Michael Suen. * Mr Gordon Siu, JP, currently Secretary for Transport, will be removed from his current post. The Chief Executive will appoint Mr Gordon Siu to take up the post of Head of the Central Policy Unit, which is equivalent to the Director of Bureau rank at D8. The Government also announced that the Chief Executive has agreed to the following senior appointments: * Mrs Fanny Law, JP, currently on secondment to the Chief Executive's Office, will take up the post of Commissioner for Transport. * Mr Paul Leung, JP, currently Deputy Secretary for Transport, will succeed Mr David Lan as Principal Hong Kong Economic and Trade Representative, Tokyo. * Mrs Carrie Yau, JP, currently Deputy Secretary for Security, will take up the post of the Director of Administration. The above appointments will take effect in August 1997. Commenting on the new appointment, Mrs Anson Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration, expressed full confidence in the seven officers, saying that "they are all capable and experienced officers who are well qualified for their new appointments". "Both the Chief Executive and I are confident that they will bring a wealth of experience and strong leadership to the new offices they are about to take up," Mrs Chan added. Following are their biographical notes: Mr Nicholas NG Wing-fui, JP --------------------------- Aged 50. Mr Ng joined the civil service in June 1970 and became an Administrative Officer in August 1971. He rose to his present rank of Director of Bureau (previously Secretary, Government Secretariat) in January 1995. During the early years of his career in the Administrative Service, Mr Ng served in a variety of branches and departments, including the Home Affairs Department, the former New Territories Administration, the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service and the former General Duties Branch. Over the years, Mr Ng has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service (1985-1987), Deputy Secretary for Trade and Industry (1987), Deputy Director of Information Services (1987-1989), Secretary-General of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service (1989-1991) and Director of Administration (1991-1994). He took up his present appointment as Secretary for Constitutional Affairs in January 1994. Mr Michael SUEN Ming-yeung, JP ------------------------------ Aged 53. Mr Suen joined the civil service in August 1966 and rose to his present rank of Director of Bureau (previously Secretary, Government Secretariat) in January 1991. During the early years of his career in the Administrative Service, Mr Suen served in a variety of branches and departments, including the former New Territories Administration, Finance Branch, the former Resettlement Department and the former Environment Branch. Over the years, Mr Suen has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Secretary for Environment (1980- 1981), Deputy Secretary for Transport (1981-1983), Director of City Services and Director of New Territories Services in Urban Services Department (1983-1985), Deputy Director of Regional Services (1985-1987), Regional Secretary (New Territories) (1987-1989) and Secretary for Constitutional Affairs (1989-1991). He took up his present appointment as Secretary for Home Affairs in November 1991. From March to July 1997, Mr Suen was seconded to the Chief Executive's Office. Mr David LAN Hong-tsung, JP --------------------------- Aged 57. Mr Lan joined the civil service in September 1961 and became an Administrative Officer in August 1966. He rose to his present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in January 1994. During the early years of his career in the Administrative Service, Mr Lan served in a variety of branches and departments, including the former Establishment Branch, the former Resettlement Department, Urban Services Department, the former New Territories Administration and Home Affairs Branch. Over the years, Mr Lan has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Director of Housing (1981-1984), Deputy Postmaster General (1984-1986), Deputy Secretary for Transport (1986-1987), Deputy Director of Education (1987-1988) and Regional Secretary (Hong Kong and Kowloon) (1988-1991). He took up his present appointment as Principal Hong Kong Economic and Trade Representative, Tokyo in October 1991. Mr Gordon SIU Kwing-chue, JP ---------------------------- Aged 51. Mr Siu joined the civil service in February 1966 and became an Administrative Officer in August 1968. He rose to his present rank of Director of Bureau (previously Secretary, Government Secretariat) in January 1995. During the early years of his career in the Administrative Service, Mr Siu served in a variety of branches and departments, including the former New Territories Administration, Finance Branch, the former Social Services Branch and Education Department. Over the years, Mr Siu has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service (1981- 1985), Secretary-General of the former Office of UMELCO (1985-1987), Postmaster General (1988-1989), Commissioner for Transport (1989-1992), Director, New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office (1992-1993) and Secretary for Economic Services (1993-1996). He took up his present appointment as Secretary for Transport in June 1996. Mrs Fanny LAW FAN Chiu-fan, JP ------------------------------ Aged 44. Mrs Law joined the civil service in September 1975 and became an Administrative Officer in October 1977. She rose to her present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in January 1997. During the early years of her career in the Administrative Service, Mrs Law served in a variety of branches and departments, including Security Branch, the former Medical and Health Department, Economic Services Branch, Housing Department, the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Administrative Service and Information Branch, Social Welfare Department and Civil Service Branch. Mrs Law attended the Harvard Mason Course in 1989-1990. Over the years, Mrs Law has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service (1991-1994), Deputy Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands (1994) and Senior Assistant Director of Housing (1994-1996). Since January 1997, Mrs Law has been on secondment to the Chief Executive's Office. Mr Paul LEUNG Sai-wah, JP ------------------------- Aged 49. Mr Leung joined the civil service in July 1971 and became an Administrative Officer in October 1973. He rose to his present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in January 1993. During the early years of his career in the Administrative Service, Mr Leung served in a variety of branches and departments, including the former Environment Branch, the former New Territories Administration, the former Office of UMELCO, Home Affairs Department, Civil Service Branch, Education and Manpower Branch and the former Deputy Chief Secretary's Office. Over the years, Mr Leung has held a number of senior positions, including Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service (1985- 1987), Deputy Regional Secretary (Hong Kong and Kowloon) (1987-1989), Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service (1989- 1991), Deputy Secretary for Recreation and Culture (1991- 1994) and Secretary-General of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service (1994- 1995). He took up his present appointment as Deputy Secretary for Transport in November 1995. Mrs Carrie YAU TSANG Ka-lai, JP ------------------------------- Aged 42. Mrs Yau joined the civil service in July 1977 and transferred to the Administrative Service in October 1977. She rose to her present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in January 1997. During the early years of her career in the Administrative Service, Mrs Yau served in a variety of branches and departments, including Finance Branch, the former New Territories Administration, Civil Service Branch, the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Buildings and Lands Department, Security Branch and Education and Manpower Branch. She was Deputy Secretary for Transport in 1994 and Deputy Information Co-ordinator from 1994 to 1995. She took up her present appointment as Deputy Secretary for Security in October 1995. End 2. Govt sets to launch MPF Scheme by end-1998: SFS *********************************************** The Secretary for Financial Services, Mr Rafael Hui, said today (Monday) that the target of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was to implement the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Scheme as soon as possible and he was hopeful that much of the preparatory work would be completed by the end of next year for the Scheme to commence operations. He said during the preparatory process, the Government had come across a lot of difficulties and in the course of setting the policy, controversial issues might arise and the short-term interest of some people might be affected. "However, as a responsible Government, we must take the long-term interest of the whole community as our primary consideration and try our best in balancing the interests of all affected parties," he said. "If anyone continued to insist that the MPF Scheme should meet all of his own interests and, thereby, upset the balance which we have achieved through tremendous efforts, thus causing delay to the implementation of the MPF, then he must be held accountable for the losses which the community and our next generation will have to bear." Addressing the luncheon of the Association of Chairmen of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Mr Hui said that with the enactment of the principal Mandatory Provident Fund Ordinance, the Government started to prepare the draft subsidiary legislation with a view to implementing the MPF Scheme as soon as possible but had encountered numerous difficulties. "One of our main difficulties is the balance between 'individual' interests and 'overall' interests. What concerns the public most is what benefits a Government policy can bring to them individually. However, Government policies often cannot fully meet the individuals' expectations," he said. "As an accountable Government, we must start out from the long-term interests of the society as a whole. We have to strike a good balance among the conflicting interests of various parties." Mr Hui said in balancing the interests of various groups, the Government had come across a lot of conflicts and controversies at both the policy and implementation levels. The major conflicts from the policy perspective lie with the level of contributions; flexibility in Scheme operations; investment restrictions; and the level of supervision while the interests of employers and employees, the interests among various groups in the financial services sectors, such as banks, trustees, investment managers, insurance companies, Scheme administrators and the accountancy profession, give rise to some of the conflicts at the implementation level. The Secretary for Financial Services said each group within the financial services sector had their own strength and they could take a more positive stance, co-operate with each other and share the MPF market. "In this respect, the SAR Government will continue to provide a level playing field for all players and allow them to compete openly and fairly, regardless of size," Mr Hui said, adding that the Government had no obligation to take special care of the interests of any particular industry. Mr Hui noted that with the untiring efforts of all concerned, the preparation of the MPF subsidiary legislation had now been completed. In designing the MPF Scheme, the Government had adopted the objectives that it should be simple and easy to understand by both employers and employees, cost-effective to run and should be reliable and secure enough to protect the interests of Scheme members. "During the year-round consultation exercise, we have received valuable comments from the labour, business, financial and professional sectors to help us achieve these three objectives. We have striven to strike a good balance between conflicting interests and the objectives," he said. "Whilst the solutions may not be regarded as totally satisfactory by some quarters, our responsibilities and objectives are clear - we must safeguard the interests of Scheme members and the integrity of the MPF Scheme." Mr Hui said the proposals for the MPF Scheme had been developed after extensive consultation. During the process, the labour, business and financial sectors and other related bodies as well as the Government had spent a great deal of time, efforts and resources in discussions with a view to enhancing the system and striking a good balance among different parties' interests. "Our next steps are to study the comments made by various parties on the draft subsidiary legislation, and then submit the legislation for enactment as soon as possible. We hope that most of the preparatory work will be completed by the end of next year, and that the MPF Scheme can commence operations soon afterwards," he concluded. End 3. Residential mortgage survey results for June 1997 ************************************************* New mortgage lending slowed slightly in June according to the results of the latest monthly survey conducted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). However, the amount of outstanding loans continued the rapid growth of recent months. Gross new loans decreased during the month by 2% to $25.5 billion. The average size of new loans decreased to $1.88 million compared with $1.91 million in May. Repayment of loans however also dropped in June. As a result, the amount of outstanding loans increased by 2.7% to $379.6 billion in June, the same as the growth in May. The annualized rate of growth of outstanding loans in the three months to June increased to 35.8% from 30.0% in the three months to May. The average change over the last twelve months increased to 26.6% in June from 24.9% in May. New loans approved during the month rose by 4.8% to $31.5 billion, in line with the revival of market activity in May after a relatively quiet month in April. New loans approved but not yet drawn also rose to a record high level of $20.4 billion. "In the light of market conditions during the first half of the year, we have considered whether some additional tightening of lending criteria is required," said Mr David Carse, Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA. "At present further tightening does not seem necessary, though it is not ruled out for the future. The market has cooled recently in the light of the Government's intention to increase the supply of residential property and to deal resolutely with speculation." "What seems required at this stage therefore is that authorised institutions should strictly apply existing criteria, including those in respect of loan to value ratios, "top-up" loans, and debt servicing ratios," Mr Carse continued. "To this end, we have issued a letter to all authorised institutions reminding them of the key aspects of such criteria, and the fact that HKMA will take a serious view if institutions are not compliant." The trend of price cutting continued in June. Of new loans approved during June, 31.8% were priced at best lending rate, compared with 18.0% in May. Loans granted at 0.25% above best lending rate dropped to 46.9% in June from 56.7% in May. Gross loans for the purchase of properties in China decreased to $181 million in June from $228 million in May. The amount of outstanding loans increased by 1.14% to $6.75 billion. End 4. Arrangements for Direct Subsidy Scheme clarified ************************************************ In response to enquiries, a spokesman for the Education Department today (Monday) clarified some of the arrangements for schools formerly under the Bought Place Scheme (BPS) which then joined the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS). The spokesman stressed that pupils formerly allocated to such a school under the BPS are not required to pay extra school fees, or move to other premises of the same school, after the switch to DSS. The spokesman added that such ex-BPS pupils who remain at the same school premises without paying extra school fees after the school's admission into the DSS, should not have their rights as students affected in any way. These are the arrangements made between Government and the schools concerned. The spokesman explained that schools which are admitted to the DSS will be paid a government subsidy to cover all eligible pupils, whether self-recruited or ex-BPS. He said all ex-BPS pupils of the school concerned will be entitled to complete their education at the same premises until Secondary 3, Secondary 5 or Secondary 7, whichever is applicable. Those pupils who were previously allocated to the school under the BPS are not required to pay any extra school fees after the switch to DSS. In the 1997-98 school year, for example, these pupils in S2 and S3 will not be required to pay any school fees while those in Secondary 5 and Secondary 7 will only need to pay the standard fee of $5050 and $8750 per year respectively. Ex-BPS pupils who remain at the school premises without paying extra school fees should enjoy no fewer facilities and treatment in the new school year than their predecessors in the current school year, the spokesman said. The Man Fuk Road premises of New Method College will be the first school under the BPS to join the DSS. The school is aware of, and has consented to, the Government's terms and conditions for admission into the DSS. Parents who have enquiries may contact the Education Department on 2892 6639 or 2713 9615. End 5. Special Measles Vaccination Campaign launches today *************************************************** More than 13 300 young people today (Monday) received measles vaccination at Department of Health (DH)'s General Out-patients Clinics (GOPCs), Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs), and Student Health Services Centres on the first day of the Special Measles Vaccination Campaign. The Director of Health, Dr Margaret Chan, visited a number of inoculation centres early this morning to see that everything was in place to facilitate the smooth running of the Campaign. Dr Chan said: "The Special Measles Vaccination Campaign is very important in preventing a predicted major measles outbreak in Hong Kong next year. "This is the biggest vaccination campaign ever mounted in Hong Kong. The number of people that will require this special vaccination is estimated to be about 1.2 million. "The success of the Campaign depends very much on the support of the community and response so far has been encouraging." She noted that more than 290,000 appointment discs had been distributed on the two weeks before the start of the Campaign, representing about 50 per cent of the eligible target population in the first phase. "In some of the more popular centres, all discs between July 28 and September 6 have been given out. These include the Shek Wu Hui Jockey Club Clinic, the Tuen Mun Clinic, the Yan Oi Polyclinic, the Tai Po Jockey Club Clinic and the Lek Yuen Clinic," Dr Chan said. "A second round of additional discs for vaccination in these centres has to be issued to cater for the demand." "This is made possible by adjusting the quota of some clinics and re-deploying staff from the less patronised centres to the more popular ones," she added. Dr Chan was confident that with the co-operation of the public, the Department of Health could complete the Special Measles Vaccination Campaign in good time to prevent a major measles outbreak next year. She called upon people aged 12 to 19 who had not received measles vaccination before or who had only received one dose of the vaccine to come forward for vaccination between now and September 6. "They should avoid a last minute rush by obtaining an appointment disc in advance." Dr Chan first visited the Lam Tin GOPC this morning. There she exchanged views with parents and vaccinees on the arrangements of the Campaign. She also briefed them on the possible reactions after vaccination and advised them to contact the nearest MCHC or consult their own doctors in case of any problems. The first phase of the Special Measles Vaccination Campaign for people aged 12 to 19 will run from July 28 to September 6, 1997. Measles vaccination can be obtained free of charge at DH's GOPCs and MCHCs. Appointment disc is now available for collection from these clinics and centres. Secondary school students who have appointments with DH's Student Health Service (SHS) between July 28 and November 15, 1997 will be offered the vaccination at the SHS centres. For persons aged six to 11 or those studying in primary schools, vaccination will be given at their schools by inoculation teams from DH between September and November this year. For persons aged one to five and those in kindergartens, vaccination will be provided at the GOPCs and MCHCs between September 8 and November 15, 1997. Appointment discs for this group will be available for collection from August 25, 1997. Alternatively, members of the public may also obtain vaccination from their private medical practitioners at their own expense. For enquiries, members of the public can call the special hotline on measles on Tel. No: 2833 0111. End 6. Access for permit holders only ****************************** The trial scheme for relaxation of the existing 24-hour prohibited zone on Tung Chung Road to 7 am - 9 pm daily from Mondays to Fridays will be implemented tonight (Monday). A spokesman for Transport Department said: "The new arrangement will not apply to motorists who have no valid Lantau Closed Road Permits as Tung Chung Road and all roads on South Lantau are closed roads. "They will not be allowed to enter Tung Chung Road and other closed roads of Lantau Island." He warned: "The Police will enforce stringent control on the new arrangements to prevent vehicles without a valid closed road permit entering the prohibition zone." This relaxation will enable holders of Lantau Island Closed Road Permits but without prohibited zone permits to drive their cars through Tung Chung Road to and from South Lantau for transport needs during the non-prohibition period. However, round-the-clock prohibition will still be maintained on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for reasons of traffic and road safety. End 7. Producer price indices for manufacturing industries *************************************************** The producer price index for the manufacturing sector as a whole in the first quarter of 1997 decreased slightly, by 0.5% over the same quarter of 1996, according to the results of a survey released today (Monday) by the Census and Statistics Department. Analysed by manufacturing industry, the producer prices of the consumer electrical and electronic products industry showed the largest decrease, by 5.4%. Decreases in producer prices were also recorded in the fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) industry (-2.3%) and the machinery, equipment, apparatus, parts and components industry (-1.3%). However, the producer prices of the plastic products industry and the paper products and printing industry increased by 2.2% and 1.3% respectively. The producer prices of the wearing apparel (except footwear) industry and the textiles (including knitting) industry also increased albeit marginally, by 0.2% and 0.1% respectively. Comparing the first quarter of 1997 with the fourth quarter of 1996, the producer price index for the manufacturing sector recorded a marginal increase of 0.1%. This is the first time that the producer price indices for manufacturing industries are released by the Census and Statistics Department. The producer price index, with 1990 as the base period, reflects changes in the prices of local manufacturing output. Producer prices refer to the actual prices (net of any discounts or rebates allowed to buyers, plus any surcharges) received by manufacturers. Transportation and other incidental charges are not included. The producer price indices for manufacturing industries are compiled from data on producer prices of industrial goods/services collected from the Quarterly Survey of Industrial Production. The survey also collects production data for the compilation of the indices of industrial production which measure the changes in volume of local manufacturing output. During the period 1991 to 1996, the producer price index for the manufacturing sector recorded an average annual rate of increase of 1.5%. A Government Secretariat spokesman commented that this was substantially lower than the average rate of consumer price inflation of about 8% over the same period. This reflected that there had been significant improvement in productivity in the manufacturing industry, which had helped to contain the rise in production cost, as well as to maintain the competitiveness of Hong Kong's products in the world market. As for individual manufacturing industries, the producer prices of the paper products and printing industry, the plastic products industry, and the textiles (including knitting) industry recorded average annual rates of increase of 3.6%, 2.0% and 1.8% respectively from 1991 to 1996. When compared with the manufacturing sector as a whole, the producer prices of these industries were more volatile, because they are subject to the impact of fluctuations in the prices of imported raw materials. The producer prices of the wearing apparel (except footwear) industry and the fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) industry also increased only mildly during the period 1991 to 1996, with average annual rates of increase of 1.4% and 1.2% respectively. Meanwhile, the producer prices of the machinery, equipment, apparatus, parts and components industry showed virtually no increase, rising by only 0.2% on average during the same period. On the other hand, the producer prices of the consumer electrical and electronic products industry declined throughout the period from 1991 to 1996. The average annual rate of decrease over the period was 3.5%. This was mainly attributable to the advancement in technology which reduced the production costs of consumer electrical and electronic products. More detailed information can be obtained from the "Quarterly Producer Price Indices for Manufacturing Industries, 1st Quarter 1997" report, which is on sale at $8 a copy at the Government Publications Sales Centre, Ground Floor, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong, or at the Census and Statistics Department Publications Unit, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Enquiries about the indices may be directed to the General Economic Surveys Section of the Census and Statistics Department at telephone 2805 6643. The following tables show the percentage changes in the producer price indices. Table 1 Quarterly producer price indices for manufacturing industries (1990 = 100) Manufacturing industry Index %change over for 1st Qtr. 1st Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1997 1996 1996 1. Wearing apparel 111.5 +0.2 -0.3 (except footwear) 2. Textiles 115.4 +0.1 * (including knitting) 3. Paper products and 125.6 +1.3 -0.5 printing 4. Plastic products 114.1 +2.2 +1.9 5. Fabricated metal products (except machinery and 106.1 -2.3 -1.1 equipment) 6. Consumer electrical and electronic products 82.5 -5.4 +2.5 7. Machinery, equipment, apparatus, parts and components 101.8 -1.3 -0.1 8. Other manufacturing industries 119.6 * +0.3 ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES 110.9 -0.5 +0.1 Table 2 Annual producer price indices for manufacturing industries (1990 = 100) Manufacturing 1991 1995 1996 Average annual industry rate of change (%) 1991 to 1996 1. Wearing apparel (except footwear) 104.2 111.2 111.6 1.4 2. Textiles (including knitting) 105.5 115.1 115.4 1.8 3. Paper products and printing 104.9 122.9 125.1 3.6 4. Plastic products 102.5 112.7 113.4 2.0 5. Fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) 102.8 109.2 109.1 1.2 6. Consumer electrical and electronic products 100.0 87.2 83.6 -3.5 7. Machinery, equipment, apparatus, parts and components 101.7 104.2 102.6 0.2 8. Other manufacturing industries 103.4 118.5 119.0 2.8 ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES 103.4 111.2 111.1 1.5 Notes to Table 1 and Table 2: As from the first quarter of 1992, the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) has been used to delineate the manufacturing industries. For the exact coverage of the manufacturing industries in terms of HSIC codes, please refer to the publication 'Quarterly Producer Price Indices for Manufacturing Industries, 1st Quarter 1997'. * Change within +/-0.05%. End 8. Preparatory Committee on General Teaching Council set up ****************************************************** The Education Commission has appointed a Preparatory Committee to work out the detailed arrangements for the establishment of a General Teaching Council (GTC) in Hong Kong. Speaking to the media after the meeting of the Education Commission today (Monday), the Chairman, Professor Rosie Young, said: "Following the agreement to set up a GTC in Hong Kong at the last meeting, the Commission decided to appoint a Preparatory Committee to draw up the implementation details for establishing the GTC, and to conduct the necessary consultation on various aspects of the GTC." The Chairman of the Preparatory Committee is Mr Andrew Leung, who was the Chairman of the Working Group on GTC. Members are mainly drawn from the Working Group on GTC, the Council on Professional Conduct in Education and the 13- member GTC Panel of Education Organisations. "The Preparatory Committee's membership includes front- line education workers and members of major education bodies such as the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, the Education Convergence, and the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers. "There are also representatives from the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Education Department. Many of the Preparatory Committee members have been closely involved in the past in the deliberation on establishing a GTC in Hong Kong," Professor Young said. Professor Young said that the Preparatory Committee would start working soon. End 9. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results ******************************************* Tender date : 28 July 1997 Paper on offer : EF Notes Issue number : 1707 Issue date : 29 July 1997 Maturity date : 30 July 2007 Coupon : 6.80% Amount applied : HK$1,980 MN Amount allotted : HK$500 MN Average price accepted (yield) : 101.10 (6.76 PCT) Lowest price accepted (yield) : 101.10 (6.76 PCT) Pro rata ratio : About 50 PCT Average tender price (yield) : 100.87 (6.79 PCT) End 10. Fresh water cut in Kowloon Tong ******************************* Fresh water supply to some premises in Kowloon Tong will be suspended from 10 pm on Thursday (July 31) to 6 am the following day for alteration work on watermains. The suspension will affect all premises in Broadcast Drive, Fessenden Road, Marconi Road, Beacon Hill Road, Ede Road, Eastbourne Road, Warwick Road, Alnwick Road and Pheonix House. End 11. Water storage figure ******************** Storage in Hong Kong's reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 95.5 per cent of capacity or 559.834 million cubic metres. This time last year the reservoirs contained 555.714 million cubic metres of water, representing 94.8 per cent of capacity. End
