WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1980
RATE.
+THEY WILL BE CHARGING INTEREST AT AN APPROPRIATE COMMERCIAL
+THE PART GOVERNMENT WILL PLAY IN PROMOTING THIS SCHEME IS CONFINED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CIVIL SERVICE FINANCE ADVISORY OFFICE WHICH IS TO ASSIST CIVIL SERVANTS TO APPLY FOR REFINANCING LOANS AND GENERALLY TO GIVE ADVICE ON PERSONAL FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, + HE SAID.
MR LI ALSO POINTED OUT THAT ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE WORK ING GROUP SET UP TO REVIEW EXISTING GOVERNMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADVANCES OF SALARY AND LOANS AND RULES GOVERNING THE BORROWING OF MONEY BY CIVIL SERVANTS, ANY INFORMATION MADE AVAILABLE BY CIVIL SERVANTS TO THE FINANCE ADVISORY OFFICE WOULD BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.
+ HAVE BEEN ASSURED BY THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE THAT, WHEN THE SCHEME IS INTRODUCED, EVERY EFFORT AND CARE WOULD BE MADE TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY.
+CIVIL SERVANTS NEED THEREFORE HAVE NO FEAR THAT INFORMATION GIVEN BY THEM TO THE FINANCE ADVISORY OFFICE IN CONNECTION WITH THE INDEBTEDNESS WOULD BE PASSED BACK TO THEIR DEPARTMENTS OR THE SECRETARIAT TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE IR CAREERS.
+AS THE SUCCESS OF THE REFINANCING SCHEME DEPENDS VERY MUCH ON THE TRUST WHICH CIVIL SERVANTS PLACE ON THE ADVISORY OFFICE'S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY, I HOPE THIS POINT WILL BE MADE VERY CLEAR TO CIVIL SERVANTS WHEN THE SCHEME IS ANNOUNCED.+ MR LI SAID,
IMPROVEMENTS IN BUS SERVICES ****
OVER THE PAST YEAR KMB HAS INCREASED ITS FLEET SIZE BY MORE THAN 200 BUSES, AFTER ALLOWING FOR SCRAPPING AND CMB BY OVER 100 BUSES, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE HON DEREK JONES TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY,
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN, MR JONES SAID KMB SHOULD ADD A FURTHER 400 BUSES OR SO BY THE END OF 1981 AND CMB A FURTHER 120.
HE ALSO NOTED THAT OVERALL EXCESSIVE OVERCROWDING ON MANY BUS ROUTES HAS BEEN REDUCED, ALTHOUGH THE POSITION IS STILL NOT SATISFACTORY.
HOWEVER HE SAID PART OF THE IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICES THAT THE TWO BUS COMPANIES HAVE INTRODUCED SO FAR HAVE BEEN NULLIFIED BY THE EFFECTS OF GROWING ROAD CONGESTION. +THIS HAS SLOWED DOWN, AND IN SOME CASES SERIOUSLY SLOWED DOWN, THE SPEED OF BUSES, PARTICULARLY IN THE PEAK HOURS WHEN COMMUTER DEMAND IS HEAVY.+
AR JONES