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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1981
AS TO THE FIRE IN THE WIG FACTORY ON JANUARY 20, MR DAVIES SAID IT WAS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION SO NO STATEMENT AS TO ITS CAUSE COULD BE MADE AT THIS STAGE. THE INVESTIGATION IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY EARLY NEXT WEEK.
GOVERNMENT INTERVENES ON OIL SHORTAGE
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THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY WHEN THERE ARE PROSPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL ENERGY SHORTAGES, IS TO INTERVENE TO ENSURE THAT STEPS CAN REASONABLY BE TAKEN TO GUARD HONG KONG AGAINST SUCH SHORTAGES,
+THEN WHEN THERE ARE SHORTAGES, THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENES TO ENSURE THAT THE SUPPLIES WE DO HAVE ARE USED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE ECONOMY AND BASIC EVERYDAY LIVING ARE AFFECTED AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, SAID THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON PETER C. WONG AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES ON ENERGY WERE BASED ON DOMESTIC RATHER THAN INTERNATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS, AS HONG KONG WAS NOT A SUPPLIER OF SOURCES OF ENERGY AND WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT CONSUMER BY WORLD STANDARDS.
THE POLICIES ARE ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE FACT THAT ALL SOURCES OF ENERGY IN HONG KONG WERE IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR, HE ADDED.
+ IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY APPLICABLE WHEN THERE ARE NO INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS OVER SUPPLIES, IS TO KEEP A WATCH ON THE COMPANIES CONCERNED TO SEE THAT IMPORTERS OF SOURCES OF ENERGY ARE SATISFYING HONG KONG'S NEEDS, HE SAID.
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F.S. AWARE OF TAX COMMENT
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THE HON THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY THAT HE WAS AWARE CF PUBLIC COMMENT RELATING TO PERSONAL ALLOWANCES FOR SALARIES TAX.
SIR PHILIP, IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON OSWALD CHEUNG SAID HE MONITORED THE MEDIA, LETTERS AND PERSONAL COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE.
+NOT THAT PUBLIC CONCERN, NO MATTER HOW WIDESPREAD IT MAY IE OR MAY NOT EE, CAN ONLY BE DETERMINANT OF PUBLIC POLICY THE PUBLIC INTEREST MUST BE CONSIDERED AS WELL, + SAID SIR PHILIP.
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