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TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1992
NO PLANS TO CHANGE THE FUNCTIONS OF EXCO: MINISTER
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THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG, MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD SAID TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT THERE ARE NO PLANS WHATSOEVER TO CHANGE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A MEETING WITH THE BRITISH SENIOR TRADE COMMISSIONER, MR STEPHEN DAY, MR GOODLAD SAID THAT THE CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MIGHT BE SOMETHING WHICH THE GOVERNOR-DESIGNATE MIGHT WISH TO CONSIDER.
"THERE ARE NO PLANS THAT I'M AWARE OF TO CHANGE THE FUNCTIONS OF EXCO," THE MINISTER SAID.
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LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, MR GOODLAD SAID AFTER VISITING THE WHITEHEAD DETENTION CENTRE, THAT THE BEST THING FOR THOSE WHO HAD BEEN SCREENED OUT WAS TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMELAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE DETENTION CENTRE, HE SAID HE HOPED THAT WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED SPEEDILY AND EASILY AND THAT THE PEOPLE WOULD BE SETTLED BACK INTO VIETNAM.
HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE NUMBER OF NEW ARRIVALS HAD BEEN REDUCED TO SEVEN THIS YEAR WHILE THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS TO GO BACK WAS AT A RECORD HIGH.
MR GOODLAD SAID THAT THE ENORMOUS RESOURCES THAT HAD BEEN DEVOTED BY THE HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENTS WERE VERY WELL DEPLOYED.
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CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR APRIL
THE RATE OF INFLATION CONTINUED TO MODERATE IN APRIL THIS YEAR.
ACCORDING TO THE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS & STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) WAS 8.9% HIGHER THAN IN APRIL 1991.
THIS COMPARED WITH 9.5% IN THE PRECEDING MONTH AND THE PEAK FIGURE OF 13.9% IN APRIL LAST YEAR.
THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI IN APRIL 1992 WERE HIGHER BY 9.2% AND 9.7% RESPECTIVELY THAN IN APRIL LAST YEAR.
THEIR CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN MARCH WERE 9.7% AND 10.1%.
/THE COMPOSITE