6
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1986
+ IF THERE IS A COMMON VIEW IT IS THIS BE CAREFUL, BE GRADUAL AND FOR THE SAKE OF HONG KONG, GET IT RIGHT.+
MR THOMAS SAID THAT NOW WAS THE TIME FOR THOUGHT, FOR OPINIONS TO BE EXPRESSED AND ANALYSED AND THERE AFTER FOR PROPOSALS TO BE DEVELOPED.
+MEMBERS' SPEECHES ARE PART OF THIS PROCESS AND THEMSELVES FORM PART OF THE MATERIAL AND THE BACKGROUND FOR THE DRAFTING OF THE GREEN PAPER TO BE PUBLISHED IN APRIL OR MAY NEXT YEAR, MR THOMAS CONTINUED.
+ BUT I CANNOT STRESS STRONGLY ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE AT THIS TIME, OF REASONED, CONSIDERED ANALYSIS, NOT MERELY OF THE SINGLE ISSUE OF DIRECT ELECTIONS BUT OF THE OBJECTIVES, THE MECHANISMS, AND THE IMPLICATIONS, OF ANY PARTICULAR COURSE OF ACTION.+
MR THOMAS NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN MORE WIDE-RANGING DEBATES, MORE ADJOURNMENT DEBATES, MORE QUESTIONS AND MORE PROBING QUESTIONS - -- IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
LAST YEAR, A TOTAL OF 296 QUESTIONS OF TOPICAL CONCERN WERE ANSWERED BY OFFICIAL MEMBERS, AND 68 BILLS WERE PASSED INTO LAW.
+ AND WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, IT IS LEGISLATION AND THE CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT OF THE LAW IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS THAT LIES AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT,+ MR THOMAS SAID.
MR THOMAS SAID ABOUT 100 BILLS WERE EXPECTED TO BE INTRODUCED DURING THE CURRENT SESSION.
TURNING TO LOCALISATION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE, MR THOMAS SAID FOR A LONG TIME TO COME THERE WOULD BE A PLACE FOR BOTH LOCAL AND OVERSEAS OFFICERS.
HE SAID: +OUR LONG ESTABLISHED POLICY IS TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO LOCAL CANDIDATES ON RECRUITMENT WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE AND TO RECRUIT OVERSEAS OFFICERS TO FILL AN INTERIM SHORTAGE IN FIELDS WHERE LOCAL EXPERTISE IS NOT AVAILABLE.
+AT THE SAME TIME, STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE LOCAL SUPPLY OF TRAINED STAFF AND TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL OFFICERS TO ENABLE THEM TO ACQUIRE QUALIFICATIONS IN PARTICULAR DISCIPLINES.
+ THE EXPANSION OF OUR TERTIARY EDUCATION PROVISION IN RECENT YEARS HAS ALSO GREATLY IMPROVED THE PROSPECTS OF RECRUITING QUALIFIED LOCAL CANDIDATES TO FILL CIVIL SERVICE VACANCIES.+
/MR THOMAS NOTED