WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1988
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SUPPORTING THE MOTION MOVED BY THE SENIOR MEMBER, THE HON ALLEN LEE, "THAT THIS COUNCIL THANKS THE GOVERNOR FOR HIS ADDRESS, SIR DAVID SAID THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH, THOUGH IT WOULD NOT BE DUBBED IN POPULAR JARGON A POLITICAL SPEECH, DID CERTAINLY CARRY A POLITICAL MESSAGE.
"THE MESSAGE THAT THIS GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE ΤΟ GO FULL STEAM AHEAD WITH ITS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE, COMMITTED TO DOING ITS BEST FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, + SIR DAVID SAID.
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MUST BE CONSTRAINED
ON
ALL
THE GROWING PRESSURES FOR INCREASED PUBLIC EXPENDITURE SIDES, BOTH RECURRENT AND CAPITAL, MUST BE CONSTRAINED WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT'S GUIDELINES, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON PIERS JACOBS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
LEADING OFF THE OFFICIALS' REPLIES TO POINTS RAISED IN THE DEBATE ON THE MOTION OF THANKS FOR THE GOVERNOR'S ANNUAL ADDRESS, MR JACOBS SAID IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT'S UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY THAT THE GROWTH RATE OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE SHOULD NOT OUTSTRIP THAT OF THE ECONOMY.
"PUBLIC EXPENDITURE IS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR ABILITY
то RAISE REVENUE, BUT RATHER TO THE UNDERLYING PERFORMANCE OF OUR ECONOMY," HE SAID.
MR JACOBS NOTED THAT CIVIL SERVICE PAY COVERED NEARLY 40 PER CENT OF THE RECURRENT EXPENDITURE AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S GUIDELINE FOR THE GROWTH IN THE SIZE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE WAS 2.5 PER CENT PER ANNUM WHICH WAS RELATED TO THE GOVERNMENT'S FAIR SHARE OF THE LABOUR MARKET.
"YET IN THE CURRENT YEAR THE CIVIL SERVICE COULD GROW BY SOME SIX PER CENT, EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 9,000 POSTS.
"THIS EXCESSIVE GROWTH CANNOT BE PERMITTED TO CONTINUE AND, AS I SAID IN MY BUDGET SPEECH EARLIER THIS YEAR, IT IS MY INTENTION TO SLOW THIS RATE NEXT YEAR AND GET BACK TO OUR GUIDELINE THE FOLLOWING YEAR, MR JACOBS SAID.
JACOBS BY MY
NOTING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE BETTER VALUE FOR MONEY IN RELATION TO THE SERVICES OFFERED, MR SAID: "ON TOP OF ALL THE EXCELLENT EFFORTS MADE 30 FAR COLLEAGUES, I AGREE THAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE.
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