WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1982
16
BRIEFING POLICY ***
MAJOR GOVERNMENT ISSUES ARE EXPLAINED AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE BY WRITTEN MATERIAL, VERBAL PRESENTATIONS AND AT PRESS CONFERENCES, THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, THE HON DENIS BRAY, SAID TODAY.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE REV. THE HON JOYCE BENNETT, MR BRAY SAID ALL THE WRITTEN MATERIAL IS PRODUCED IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE. THE PRESS CONFERENCES ARE HELD IN A ROOM WHERE SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION IN ENGLISH AND CANTONESE ARE AVAILABLE.
+ALL THE WRITTEN MATERIAL IS DISTRIBUTED TO ALL LOCAL NEWS MEDIA AND TO NEWS AGENCIES AND IS AVAILABLE TO ANY OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENTS, HE SAID.
+ALL PRESS CONFERENCES ARE OPEN TO ALL NEWS MEDIA IRRESPECTIVE OF THE IR LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION.
+ IN SHORT WE TRY TO BE AS EVENHANDED AND AS COMPREHENSIVE AS POSSIBLE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF MATERIAL RELATING TO ALL MAJOR GOVERNMENT ISSUES, MR BRAY SAID.
MORE HOLIDAYS FOR EMPLOYEES PROPOSED
***
AN AMENDMENT BILL WHICH PROVIDES FOR AN ADDITIONAL FLOATING HOLIDAY, WAS TABLED AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND READING.
MOVING THE EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL 1982, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, DR THE HON J.W. HAYES, SAID IT WAS INTENDED THAT THE BILL, IF APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL, WOULD COME INTO EFFECT ON JANUARY 1 NEXT YEAR.
SPEAKING OF THE BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSAL, DR HAYES RECALLED THAT IN JUNE LAST YEAR PUBLIC OPINION WAS SOUGHT BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION AND THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE DISPARITY BETWEEN GENERAL HOLIDAYS AND STATUTORY HOLIDAYS.
SUBSEQUENTLY, IT WAS PROPOSED AS A FIRST STEP TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STATUTORY HOLIDAYS TO 11 A YEAR FROM 1983.
DR HAYES POINTED OUT THAT THE BILL WAS AIMED AT BRINGING THE PROPOSAL INTO OPERATION,
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IT ALSO PROPOSES THAT WHERE A STATUTORY HOLIDAY, AN ALTERNATIVE HOLIDAY OR A SUBSTITUTED HOLIDAY FALLS ON A REST DAY, ALL EMPLOYEES WILL BE GRANTED A HOLIDAY ON THE NEXT DAY THEREAFTER.