TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1981
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+PREVIOUS CERTIFICATION RULES DID NOT ALLOW SUBCONTRACTION OUT OF HONG KONG OF A PART OF THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR PRODUCTS CLAIMING HONG KONG ORIGIN,+ SAID MR KWOK. NOW, GOODS THAT HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY WORKED IN HONG KONG NO LONGER LOSE THE IR IDENTITY WHEN EXPORTED TEMPORARILY FOR PROCESSING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY AND SUBSEQUENTLY RE-IMPORTED FOR FURTHER PROCESSING IN HONG KONG
ANOTHER PURPOSE OF THE OUTWARD PROCESSING ARRANGEMENTS IS TO FACILITATE THE IMPORT OF GOODS, LABELLED OR MARKED HONG KONG' TO BE FREE FROM CUSTOMS DETENTION AT THE POINT OF ENTRY PROVIDED SUCH GOODS MEET THE CRITERIA FOR THE ISSUE OF A CERTIFICATE OF HONG KONG ORIGIN, SAID MR KWOK. SUCH GOODS WITHOUT PRIOR REGISTRATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT ARE STILL LIABLE TO BE DETAINED AT THE BORDER FOR INVESTIGATION INTO A POSSIBLE FALSE TRADE DESCRIPTION OFFENCE.
MR KWOK POINTED OUT THAT THE CONCEPT OF OUTWARD PROCESSING IS NOT RESTRICTED TO HONG KONG. IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS PRACTICE TO OPERATE OUTWARD PROCESSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR DUTY-RELIEF OF GOODS TEMPORARILY EXPORTED FOR PROCESS ING WORK AND SUBSEQUENTLY RE-IMPORTED. FOR EXAMPLE, BOTH THE EEC AND JAPAN AT PRESENT OPERATE SUCH A SYSTEM.+
SO FAR THE DEPARTMENT HAS APPROVED 92 APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION FOR OUTWARD PROCESSING, OF THESE, NINE ARE IN THE TOY INDUSTRY, 23 IN THE TABLE AND KITCHEN METALWARE INDUSTRY, 22 IN THE KNIT GLOVE INDUSTRY AND 38 IN THE GARMENT AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES. ABOUT 100 APPLICATIONS ARE IN THE PIPELINE, MR KWOK SAID.
MOST OLD PEOPLE RECEIVE ALLOWANCE
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ALMOST 85 PER CENT OF PEOPLE AGED 70 YEARS AND OVER ARE RECEIVING OLD AGE ALLOWANCE, AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE FEMALE.
THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR SELWYN ALLEYNE, SAID THIS TODAY (TUESDAY) DURING HIS VISIT TO THE PO CHING HOME FOR AGED WOMEN AND THE PO CHING CARE AND ATTENTION HOME IN FANLING.
MR ALLEYNE SAID THE DEPARTMENT HAD COMPILED A REPORT OF A SAMPLE STUDY CONDUCTED IN 1979 ON THE GENERAL BACKGROUND OF OLD AGE ALLOWANCE RECIPIENTS. AT THAT TIME THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RECIPIENTS REPRESENTED 82 PER CENT OF PEOPLE AGED 70 AND ABOVE.
+ IT IS NOW EVEN HIGHER AT 84.7 PER CENT AS THE CASELOAD HAS INCREASED BY 20 000 SINCE THEN. AT PRESENT, MORE THAN 157 000 OLD PEOPLE ARE RECEIVING ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS WHICH TOTAL OVER $20.5 MILLION A MONTH,+ HE SAID.
MR ALLEYNE SAID THE STUDY SHOWED NEARLY 70 PER CENT OF THE RECIPIENTS WERE FEMALE AND THAT THE AVERAGE AGE WAS +YOUNGER+ AS 47 PER CENT WERE WITHIN THE 70-74 AGE GROUP.
THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE LOWERING OF THE ELIGIBILITY AGE LIMIT FROM 75 TO 70 IN 1978, WHICH HAS SIGNIFICANTLY BOOSTED THE NUMBER OF RECIPIENTS, HE SAID.
OTHER FINDINGS