WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1982
5
BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO BE SET UP SOON
****
A BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE FORMALLY SET UP WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE MONTHS TO DEAL WITH MATTERS AFFECTINA THE BUILDING INDUSTRY, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS,
MR DAVID MACDONALD, SAID TODAY.
HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE IN THE LEGT. COUNCIL DURING WHICH HE REPLIED TO POINTS RAISED EARLIER BY H UNOFFICIAL COLLEAGUES.
REPLYING TO THE HON F.K. HU, MR MCDONALD SAID THAT HE HAD MADE REFERENCE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH & BODY IN AN ADDRES: TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST NOVEMBER.
HE ADDED THAT HIS PROPOSALS FOR THE STRUCTURE, MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND FOR ITS VARIOUS SPECIAL SUB-COMMITTEES HAD NOW BEEN FINALISED AND WERE ABOUT TO BE CIRCULATED TO INTERESTED PARTIES FOR COMMENT.
MR MCDONALD WAS HOPEFUL THAT HIS PERMANENT NON-STATUTORY COMMITTEE WOULD BE FORMALLY ESTABLISHED AND WOULD HOLD ITS FIRST MEETING WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE MONTHS.
DURING THE BUDGET DEBATE, SEVERAL UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS REFERRED TO THE GROWTH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND TO ITS PRODUCTIVITY.
IN THE CONTEXT OF PRODUCTIVITY, THE HON. S.L. CHEN SUGGESTED THAT WHILE THE WORK OUTPUT OF MANY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WAS DIFFICULT TO ASSESS, A DIRECT COMPARISON COULD BE MADE BETWEEN PUBLIC WORKS AND SIMILAR WORKS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
HE SUBMITTED FIGURES RELATING TO THE EXPENDITURE AND PERSONAL EMOLUMENTS OF THE ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE AND FROM THE RESULTS OF HIS ANALYSIS HE QUESTIONED WHETHER THE WORK COULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT MORE ECONOMICALLY BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
MR CHEN WENT ON FURTHER TO SUGGEST THAT HIS COMPARATIVE FIGURES WOULD HAVE PROVED EVEN MORE UNFAVOURABLE HAD THE EXPENDITURE ON WORKS CARRIED OUT BY CONSULTANTS BEEN DEDUCTED FROM THE CALCULATIONS.
IN REPLY, MR MCDONALD SAID THAT WHILE HE AGREED THAT EXPENDITURE ON WORKS DONE BY CONSULTANTS SHOULD BE DEDUCTED, HE SUGGESTED THAT OTHER ELEMENTS SUCH AS EXPENDITURE ON MAINTENANCE WORKS AND THE PERSONAL EMOULMENTS OF MAINTENANCE STAFF AND SITE SUPERVISORY STAFF SHOULD ALSO BE DEDUCTED AS NONE OF THESE ELEMENTS WAS INCLUDED IN NORMAL CONSULTANCY SERVICES AND FEE SCALES.
ED
HE SAID MR CHEN STATED THAT IN HIS ANALYSIS HE WAS INTERESTED IN ONLY A BROAD INDICATION RATHER THAN PRECISE FIGURES.
BUT MR