WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1981
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HE POINTED OUT THAT THE COMPLEXITY AND IMPORTANCE OF LAND MATTERS COULD WELL JUSTIFY A LANDS BRANCH ON ITS OWN.
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+I AM THEREFORE OF THE OPINION, ALBEIT A LITTLE TOO LATE IN THE DAY THAT THE LAND PRODUCTION RELATED ENGINEERING SECTIONS OF THE PWD SHOULD COME UNDER A 'LANDS BRANCH WHICH WOULD HAVE TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LAND MATTERS.+
MR CHEN SAID THE HOUSING BRANCH WAS AN EXAMPLE WHERE HAVING AN OVERRIDING AUTHORITY HAD RESULTED IN EFFICIENCY OF OPERATION AND THE ABILITY TO MEET PROGRAMME TARGETS.
TURNING TO THE ECONOMY, MR CHEN STRESSED THE NEED TO BOLSTER THE MORALE AND STRENGTH OF INDUSTRY WHICH REMAINED THE BACKBONE OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMY.
IT PROVIDED THE BULK OF OUR EARNING WITHOUT WHICH OUR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE SUSTAINED.
+MOREOVER IT ALSO PROVIDES MORE THAN 40 PER CENT OF OUR TOTAL EMPLOYMENT, A VITAL FACTOR IN MAINTAINING THE SOCIAL STABILITY OF OUR COMMUNITY, HE SAID.
ALTHOUGH THE PREFERENTIAL INTEREST RATES OFFERED TO INDUSTRIAL BORROWERS BY SEVERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING LESS THAN WHAT THE INDUSTRIAL ISTS HAD HOPED FOR, MR CHEN NOTED THAT IT WAS NEVERTHELESS A HELPFUL RESPONSE.
HE HOPED SUCH A STEP WOULD ALSO INSPIRE MORE SUBSTANTIAL AND MEANINGFUL ASSISTANCE FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
+SUCH ASSISTANCE COULD TAKE THE FORM OF LONG-TERM LOW-INTEREST CREDIT FACILITIES FOR THE PURCHASE OF CAPITAL PLANT WHICH I SUGGESTED IN THE LAST BUDGET DEBATE.+h
HE NOTED THAT GOVERNMENTS OF MANY DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HAD ACCEPTED THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROVIDING SIMILAR CREDIT FACILITIES TO ASSIST THE IR INDUSTRIES.
MR CHEN ALSO SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL TO REVISE THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME BY EXCLUDING LAND VALUE FROM THE SALES PRICE.
HE REPEATED HIS EARLIER PLEA THAT THOSE WELL-OFF TENANTS IN SUBSIDISED PUBLIC HOUSING WHO WERE OWNERS OF PROPERTIES SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO VACATE THE IR UNITS TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEEDY.
THEY SHOULD ALSO BE EXCLUDED FROM CONSIDERATION FOR HOUSING UNITS OFFERED IN THE REVISED SCHEME, HE SAID.
ON THE SUBJECT OF MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT, MR CHEN HOPED THAT NO EFFORT WOULD BE SPARED TO ENSURE THE EARLIEST ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATUTORY VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL.
WITHOUT THIS BODY, HE SAID, THE IMPORTANT TRAINING SCHEMES PROPOSED BY THE TRAINING COUNCIL AND ACCEPTED BY GOVERNMENT COULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED.
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