7
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1984
THIS POSITION WILL BE MAINTAINED UNDER THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION SO THAT IN FUTURE ONLY THE FOLLOWING THREE CATEGORIES OF DOCTORS WILL BE ALLOWED TO PRACTISE IN HONG KONG ■
(A)
HOLDERS OF A HONG KONG DIPLOMA;
(B)
HOLDERS OF A UNITED KINGDOM OR IRISH DIPLOMA
OR A RECOGNISED COMMONWEALTH DIPLOMA; AND
(C) LICENTIATES,
IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE BILL WILL HAVE ITS FIRST READING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON JANUARY 25 AND WILL COMPLETE ITS LEGISLATIVE STAGES ON FEBRUARY 15.
ANYONE WHO WISHES TO COMMENT ON ITS PROVISIONS MAY WRITE TO UMELCO, AT SWIRE HOUSE, 12TH FLOOR, CHATER ROAD, HONG KONG OR TO THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, AT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES, LOWER ALBERT ROAD, HONG KONG.
DECEMBER CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES *****
THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) AND CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) FOR DECEMBER 1983 WERE 150 AND 149 RESPECTIVELY, THE SAME AS IN THE PRECEDING MONTH, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.
COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1982, CPI(A) ROSE BY 15 POINTS OR 11.1 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 14 POINTS OR 10.4 PER CENT.
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE WHOLE OF 1983 WERE 143.3 AND 142.5 RESPECTIVELY, WHICH WERE 10.0 PER CENT AND 9.6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR THE PRECEDING YEAR.
DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED IN DECEMBER 1983, BOTH THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 1.3 PER CENT EACH MONTH.
DURING DECEMBER, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRESH FRUITS WERE LOWER. ON THE OTHER HAND, CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS WENT UP.
THE CPI(A) AND CPI(B) ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF 50 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT, RESPECTIVELY, OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WHICH WERE DERIVED FROM THE 1979/80 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.
THE CPI(A) REFERRED TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $1 000 AND $3 499 A MONTH, AND THE CPI(B) TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $3 500 AND $6 499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME,
THE INDEXES