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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1979
IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT PLANS TO BEEF
UP ITS COMPUTER FILING SYSTEM *****
THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT PLANS TO BEEF UP ITS COMPUTER FILING SYSTEM TO COPE WITH INCREASING WORKLOAD.
A CONSULTANT TEAM WILL SOON BE APPOINTED TO REVIEW THE PRESENT COMPUTER-INDEX MICROFILM FILING SYSTEM WITH THE VIEW OF EXPANDING IT, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
+ IF IT IS FEASIBLE AND FUNDS ARE APPROVED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, A NEW COMPUTER WILL BE ACQUIRED, HE SAID.
THE EXISTING SYSTEM, WHICH WAS INSTALLED IN 1977, HAS PROVED TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN RETRIEVING RECORDS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID. HOWEVER, IT IS ONLY CAPABLE OF PROGRAMMING FILES IN THE CHINESE RESIDENTS AND BRITISH PASSPORT SECTIONS.
IF GREEN LIGHT IS GIVEN TO THE NEW COMPUTER, IT WOULD COVER MOST OTHER SECTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT, HE SAID.
+ANOTHER MERIT OF EXPANDING THE COMPUTER FILING SYSTEM IS THAT IT WILL ENABLE ALL RECORDS OF THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT TO BE CENTRALISED AND THERE WILL BE NO PAPER FILES ON RECORD EXCEPT THOSE BEING PROCESSED, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THE EXISTING COMPUTER-INDEX MICROFILM SYSTEM IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN RECOVERING THE DATA OF A PERSON.
+ INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR PERSON CAN NOW BE OBTAINED WITHIN MINUTES BY FIRST CHECKING WITH THE COMPUTER FOR THE RELEVANT INDEX AND THEN THE MICROFILM,+ HE SAID.
THE SYSTEM IS ALSO SPACE SAVING AS IT OCCUPIES ONLY ABOUT ONE NINTH OF THE AREA USED FOR KEEPING PAPER FILES.
THE MICROFILM RECORDS OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT HAS SO FAR PROGRAMMED 1.4 MILLION NAME RECORDS AND MICROFILMED 1,6 MILLION FILES AND DOCUMENTS OF THE CHINESE RESIDENTS AND BRITISH PASSPORT SECTIONS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID,
THERE ARE STILL 700 000 FILES WAITING TO BE PROCESSED.
HOWEVER, IT IS EXPECTED THAT ALL RECORDS IN THE TWO SECTIONS WOULD BE PROGRAMMED AFTER THE NEW SYSTEM IS OPERATIONAL.