CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
To further enhance efficiency in archival management, and in the provision of reference services to the public, plans are in hand to automate the accession listing and search-aid facilities of the Public Records Office. The new systems will be installed in the new archives building when it opens in mid-1997.
Language
The official languages of Hong Kong are English and Chinese. Reports and publications of public interest issued by the government are always produced in both languages. Simultaneous interpretation is provided at meetings of the Legislative Council, Urban Council, Regional Council and other government boards and committees where English and Chinese are used. Correspondence from the public in Chinese is replied to in Chinese.
The government is vigorously promoting wider use of Chinese in the civil service. The government's ultimate objective is to develop a civil service which operates efficiently in Chinese and English and is conversant in spoken Cantonese, English and Putonghua. The establishment of the Official Languages Agency on April 1, 1996, gave impetus to the drive to promote the use of Chinese. The Agency has published guidelines and reference materials on Chinese writing to facilitate preparation of official documents in Chinese. In 1996, $24.3 million was spent on acquiring computers and training civil servants in Chinese word processing.
Good progress continued to be made by the Bilingual Laws Advisory Committee in advising the Governor in Council on the authentication of Chinese texts of laws enacted before April 1989. Since July 1992, the Chinese texts of 268 ordinances have been declared to be authentic. All new principal legislation enacted since April 1989 is in English and Chinese.
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