TRADE AND INDUSTRY
standard of fineness of articles of gold and platinum, including their alloys. The branch will also undertake enforcement of the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance when it is brought into effect.
Trade in Endangered Species
The import, export and possession of endangered species of animals and plants, including parts and derivatives, are strictly regulated by the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance, which gives effect to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The licensing policy follows closely the principles of the convention. Commercial trade in highly-endangered species is prohibited, and trade in less endangered species is subject to strict licensing requirements.
The ordinance is administered by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, and enforced by officers of the department and the Customs and Excise Department through checking at entry points, markets, shops and restaurants, as well as inspection of endangered species shipments. All suspected offences are investigated and prosecutions are instituted if there is evidence of a breach of the ordinance. During 1994, there were 518 seizures and 557 prosecutions under the ordinance.
Government Supplies Department
The Government Supplies Department is the government's central organisation for procurement and supply of stores and equipment required by government departments and certain subvented organisations.
Since 1979, the department has represented the Hong Kong Government as an entity in the Agreement on Government Procurement of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Under the agreement, except for special requirements, all purchases exceeding Special Drawing Rights 130 000 ($1.41 million in 1994) are widely advertised and open to competitive bidding internationally. All purchases, ranging from simple office sundries to complex computer systems, are made entirely on the basis of the 'best value for money', regardless of the source of supply. Due to its open procurement policy, goods and services are purchased from over 40 countries and some 4 100 registered local and overseas suppliers.
To ensure continuity of supply, the department maintains goods which are generally required by other departments in its main stores on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon and in two sub-stores especially established to serve the government's engineering workshops. To achieve more economical use of resources and greater efficiency, the department is planning to move to a new purpose-built warehouse in 1996. It also seconds supplies staff to other departments to ensure a professional approach to the acquisition and maintenance of stores and equipment.
In 1993-94, the department placed orders totalling about $3 billion. The major sources of supply were the United States of America, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong itself. Major items of purchase included computer systems, rations and pharmaceuticals.
In the purchase of goods and equipment, the department always takes into consideration environmental protection factors.
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