WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1978
HK GOVERNMENT BECOMES ONE OF BIGGEST USERS OF COMPUTERS IN ASIA
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THE GROWING PUBLIC DEMANDS ON THE GOVERNMENT FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE HAVE RESULTED IN A RAPID EXPANSION IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS IN A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
THERE ARE ABOUT 30 COMPUTERS INSTALLED IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS MAKING THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ONE OF ASIA'S BIGGEST USERS OF ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES.
DISCLOSING THIS TODAY, MR. LEE TATE, MANAGER OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT'S DATA PROCESSING DIVISION, SAID THAT MORE AREAS OF GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES WHICH COULD BENEFIT THE PUBLIC SERVICE FROM COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ARE BEING LOOKED INTO.
MR. TATE SAID, IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS HAS BEEN GREATLY EXPANDED WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT. THE DATA PROCESSING DIVISION (DPD), WHICH SERVES AS THE GOVERNMENT'S CENTRAL COMPUTER BUREAU, IS HANDLING SOME 50 SYSTEMS FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
+TO COPE WITH THE EVER INCREASING NEEDS, THE STAFF OF DPD HAVE GROWN FROM 40 IN 1973 TO THE PRESENT 300, INCLUDING 75 PROFESSIONALS. IT IS HOPED TO FURTHER INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STAFF TO 350 NEXT YEAR.
+ACCORDINGLY, COMPUTER RENTALS PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT HAS GONE UP FROM $1 MILLION A YEAR IN 1973 TO $1 MILLION A MONTH AT PRESENT, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO RISE WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS.
+EVEN THIS EXPANSION DOES NOT REFLECT THE INCREASED LEVEL OF ACTIVITY, MR. TATE SAID.
+ THE GOVERNMENT'S EXPENDITURE ON CONTRACTING OUTSIDE COMPUTING SERVICES, WHICH MAINLY CONCERN WITH DEVELOPING NEW SYSTEMS, HAS ALSO INCREASED FROM $45,000 IN 1973 TO ALMOST $8 MILLION THIS YEAR.+
TO CATER FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS THE DPD TOOK DELIVERY IN JULY THE FIRST PHASE OF A DUAL ICL 2970 COMPUTER SYSTEM, WHICH IS IN OPERATION, AND THE SECOND PHASE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL BY MARCH NEXT YEAR.
THE NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM PROCESS JOBS 35 PER CENT MORE QUICKLY THAN THE DPD'S CURRENT RANGE OF COMPUTERS WHICH WILL BE GRADUALLY PHASED OUT BY MID-1978.
+WITH THE INSTALLATION OF NEW MACHINES, MR. TATE SAID, +THE DPD WILL BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO MEET SYSTEM DEVELOPMENTS NOW IN THE PIPE-LINE. +