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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
Industrial Land The Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation, a statutory body established in March 1977, develops and manages industrial estates intended to accommodate industries with a relatively high level of technology that cannot be operated in the ordinary multi-storey factory buildings which house the bulk of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry. The first two stages of the Tai Po Industrial Estate provide 55 hectares of industrial land. The third stage, now under construction, will produce a further 14 hectares by 1987. A second estate at Yuen Long provides an additional 67 hectares of land.
The corporation offers land at a fixed premium, although it may be varied to reflect the current market conditions. By the end of 1985, 111 of the 248 applications received by the corporation had been approved and sites were granted to 56 companies in the Tai Po and Yuen Long Industrial Estates. Besides offering sites to industrialists for the construction of their own purpose-built factory buildings, the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation also offers pre-built factory premises for purchase by those who wish to begin production with a minimum of delay. The standard factories are fully serviced and units are designed with maximum flexibility to suit the varied requirements of potential occupiers. Two blocks of four-storey standard factories at the Tai Po and Yuen Long Industrial Estates have been occupied. Six units of single-storey standard factories are scheduled for completion in 1986. Outside the industrial estates, nine sites with an overall area of 20 264 square metres were sold by public auction in 1985 for industrial use.
Industrial Support Facilities and Technical Back-Up Services
Since its establishment in October 1983, the Industry Development Board, chaired by the Financial Secretary and comprising representatives from trade and industry, and tertiary education institutions, and officials, has been considering the various industrial matters that fall within its purview. Three committees and two sub-committees have been established to assist the board in its work. The General Development Committee is respon- sible for the consideration of the needs of industry, for example, through techno-economic and marketing research studies and for the supervision of industrial development projects. The Science and Technology Support Committee provides advice on technical and scientific issues relating to industry including the provision of technical information for industry. The Infrastructure and Support Services Committee considers all other issues relating to the provision, by government, of a suitable infrastructure within which industry can operate. Two sub-committees have been established under the Science and Technology Support Committee to advise on the development of electronics technology and computer- aided design and computer-aided manufacture technology.
Throughout the year, the Industry Development Board and its committees continued to work towards improvements in the provision of industrial support facilities and technical back-up services for industry.
The government's Standards and Calibration Laboratory, which came into operation in September 1984, maintains local reference standards of measurement which are traceable to international standards. It also provides a calibration service, primarily to meet the needs of the electrical and electronics manufacturing sector of industry. Planning is in hand to expand this service to cover other fields. The Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme - which is administered by the Industry Department on behalf of the government - was launched in May with the assistance of the Australian National Association of Testing Authorities. The scheme seeks to enhance local quality certification services. The first formal assessment for accreditation took place in November.