TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1984
3
HE SAID HE COULD NOT OFFER FURTHER DETAILS AT THIS STAGE BUT THAT A FULL EXPLANATION OF THE SCHEME WOULD BE GIVEN WHEN THE LEGISLATION WAS INTRODUCED.
AT PRESENT LEGAL AID IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WITH LIMITED MEANS WHO CAN SHOW THAT HE HAS REASONABLE GROUNDS TO COMMENCE, DEFEND OR CONTINUE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE DISTRICT COURTS OR THE HIGH COURT, AND COMMITTAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE MAGISTRACIES.
IT COVERS AN INCREASING VARIETY OF CASES, RANGING FROM TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES AT WORK TO NON-PAYMENT OF WAGES AND TENANCY AND CONTRACT DISPUTES.
AN APPLICANT FOR LEGAL AID MUST PROVE THAT AFTER DEDUCTION OF ALLOWANCES, HIS INCOME DOES NOT EXCEED $1 500 A MONTH AND HIS CAPITAL $15 000.
THE ALLOWANCES INCLUDE RENTS AND RATES PAID AND A CAPITAL VALUE OF NOT MORE THAN $300 000 FOR AN OWNER-OCCUPIED RESIDENCE.
APRIL CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES
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THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) AND CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) FOR APRIL WERE BOTH 154, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH, CPI(A) INCREASED BY ONE POINT OR 0.7 PER CENT AND THE CPI(B), BY TWO POINTS OR 0.7 PER CENT.
WHEN COMPARED WITH APRIL 1983, CPI(A) ROSE BY 12 POINTS OR 8.6 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 14 POINTS OR 9.3 PER CENT. (ALL PERCENTAGE CHANGES ARE DERIVED FROM THE UNROUNDED CPI FIGURES.)
THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED APRIL 1984, AT 148.1 AND 147.3 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 10.3 PER CENT AND 9.9 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED APRIL 1983. DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED APRIL 1984, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.3 PER CENT EACH MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(B), AT 0.4 PER CENT.
DURING APRIL, FOOD PRICES, RENTALS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DWELLINGS, AND PRICES OF CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR WERE HIGHER.
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