HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL-14 March 1984
7
territory during any emergency situation. Fire appliances equipped with lift will cope with any incidents involving people trapped in lifts. Action is now in hand to provide fire stations at strategic locations with additional lift keys so as to enhance their capability to meet any sudden demand for lift rescue.
With regard to the second part of Mr. YEUNG's question, the China Light and Power Company, Limited has instituted an enquiry in order to ascertain the exact cause of the power failure. Whilst the Company has the necessary expertise to carry out an investigation of this nature, it has in addition engaged consultants from the U.K. and the U.S.A. to assist in identifying measures that can be taken to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents in future. I have been informed by China Light that it will announce the result of its investigations as soon as possible, but an investigation of this nature must take some time.
MR. YEUNG PO-KWAN:—Sir, how long does the Government expect the result of this investigation would be made known to the public?
SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES: Sir, I am told about two months.
Statement
Government minute in response to the report of the Public Accounts Committee dated December 1983
THE CHIEF Secretary:-Sir, the Government Minute in response to the Sixth Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the accounts for the year 1982-83 is laid on the table today. The Minute reports the action taken, or about to be taken, by the Administration upon the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Mr. S. L. CHEN, when speaking in this Council on 11 January last, said that the Committee had gained the impression, when interviewing some of the witnesses who appeared before it, that value for money and other financial considerations were often a poor second to other concerns in the minds of some Controlling Officers. He suggested that the Government should second more cost accountants from the Treasury to departments to advise Controlling Officers and promote awareness of ways to measure cost-benefits and improve productivity and efficiency.
Treasury Accountants, whose duties include cost analysis, are already, of course, on the staff of a number of the larger departments, including Agriculture and Fisheries, Civil Aviation, Water Supplies, Correctional Services, Educa- tion, Medical and Health Services and the Police Force to mention but a few. But I can assure Members that the Director of Accounting Services will review continually the need for accountants in departments and seek the creation of additional posts where needs are identified. For example, the accounting staff in