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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1987
WINDING UP THE DEBATE, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON PIERS JACOBS, SAID MR CHENG'S REMARKS ON PREVIOUS RATES RELIEF SCHEMES HAD HELPED TO GET THE PRESENT PROPOSAL INTO A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
RATES RELIEF SCHEMES HAD, BY THEIR NATURE, A TEMPORARY EXISTENCE. THEIR PURPOSE WAS TO PHASE IN, WHERE NECESSARY, THE CHANGES IN THE RATES BURDEN BROUGHT ABOUT BY A GENERAL REVALUATION.
+THEY ARE NOT SOME FORM OF CONTINUOUS FINANCIAL SOCIAL WELFARE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO PAY THEIR REATES AND, IN THIS RESPECT, I WOULD STRESS THAT THOSE RATE-PAYERS CURRENTLY RÉCEIVING RATES RELIEF ARE BEING SUBSIDIZED BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT, MR JACOBS SAID.
+1 CAN ASSURE MR CHENG, MR CHAN AND MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE CONDUCTING FUTURE REVALUATIONS AT REGULAR INTERVALS AND, AS A RESULT, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT ANY FUTURE INCREASES IN RATEABLE VALUES WILL BE SO DRAMATIC AS TO WARRANT THE RE- INTRODUCTION OF THE RATES RELIEF SCHEME.
+IF, HOWEVER, A FUTURE REVALUATION MAKES THIS NECESSARY, THE GOVERNMENT WILL ENSURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION IS SUBMITTED IN GOOD TIME FOR CONSIDERATION BY BOTH THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS.+
COMMISSION LIKELY TO REVIEW TERTIARY EDUCATION STRUCTURE
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CONSIDERATION WOULD BE GIVEN TO ASKING THE EDUCATION COMMISSION TO EXAMINE THE STRUCTURE OF TERTIARY EDUCATION IN THE NEXT PHASE OF ITS WORK, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON RON BRIDGE, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
WINDING UP THE SECOND DEBATE ON THE EDUCATION COMMISSION'S REPORT NO. 2, MR BRIDGE FOCUSSED ON ISSUES SURROUNDING SIXTH FORM EDUCATION AND RELATED SUBJECTS.
HE NOTED THERE WAS CRITICISM THAT THE COMMISSION HAD NOT RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN THE TERTIARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SECTORS, AND THERE HAD BEEN SUGGESTIONS TO HAVE ANOTHER OVERALL REVIEW ON EDUCATION.
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THE COMMISSION