—
2
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1994
GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO PRESS AFTER SUMMIT MEETING
ON OPEN EMPLOYMENT FOR DISABLED PERSONS
*
GOVERNOR:
IN
AGO,
ΤΟ
GOOD MORNING. AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW JUST OVER A YEAR
MEETINGS BY RESPONSE TO A SUGGESTION PUT UP AT ONE OF MY PUBLIC
OF THE DISABLED, REPRESENTATIVES
WE HELD A SUMMIT BETWEEN REPRESENTATIVES OF THOSE WITH DISABILITIES AND TRANSPORT OPERATORS CONSIDER WHAT MORE COULD BE DONE TO MEET THE TRANSPORT NEEDS OF THOSE WITH HANDICAP OR DISABILITY. THAT WAS A CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS AND WE FEW ARE HOLDING A FOLLOW-UP TO SEE THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE IN A WEEKS' TIME.
SHA
MR LEO THE
A
WELL, I HAD A SIMILAR REQUEST AT MY PUBLIC MEETING IN TIN
AGAIN, A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DISABLED, IN THE AUTUMN. LAM,
WITH ASKED ME IF
TO DISCUSS J'D CALL A SIMILAR SUMMIT EMPLOYERS AND THE ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTING THOSE WITH DISABILITY, IF I DISCUSS WITH THEM WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD IMPROVE THE
THE EMPLOYMENT
FOR
IT'S THOSE WITH DISABILITY. WE ALL KNOW OPPORTUNITIES
BOTH OF REASONS, PROBLEM AND A HUGE OPPORTUNITY, A PROBLEM FOR ALL SORTS
THE CONTRIBUTIONS SOMETIMES IGNORANCE ABOUT
THOSE WHICH DISABILITY CAN MAKE, SOMETIMES PREJUDICE, SOMETIMES THE FACT THAT ARE A FAST CHANGING ECONOMY AND SOME OF THE JOBS WHICH HAVE IN THE PAST BEEN DONE BY THOSE WITH DISABILITIES DISAPPEAR. A JOB WHICH
OPERATORS MANY BLIND PEOPLE HAVE DONE IS TO WORK AS TELEPHONE BUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY IS REDUCING THOSE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. HAVE TO FIND OTHERS.
WITH
WE
SOMETIMES
WE
AFFORD, SIMPLY TO
SO, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, THE DISABLED HAVE DIFFICULTIES ANOTHER POINT IN GETTING THE JOBS WHICH THEY DESERVE. BUT THERE IS
ALL OF US SHOULD RECOGNISE IS THE COMMUNITY. WE CAN'T WHICH QUITE APART FROM THE REASONS OF HUMANITY, WE CAN'T AFFORD THROW AWAY THE ABILITIES, THE POTENTIAL OF THOSE WITH HANDICAP WHEN WE
EVERY SKILL WE CAN POSSIBLY GET IN HONG KONG TO DEVELOP AS
WE HAVE A VERY LOW UNEMPLOYMENT FAST AS WE'D LIKE.
NEED AND KONG.
AS FAR HONG
IN
ΚΕ HAVE A VERY TIGHT LABOUR MARKET. WE HAVE SHORTAGES, SO WE NEFÒ TO MAKE THE MAXIMUM SKILL SHORTAGES IN A NUMBER OF AREAS.
ON THE USE OF ALL OUR TALENTS AND WE'VE BEEN FOCUSSING THIS MORNING
WHAT'S BEEN REAL AND SUBSTANTIAL TALENTS OF THOSE WITH DISABILITY.
ABOUT VERY IMPRESSIVE 1S TO HEAR STORIES AFTER STORIES FROM EMPLOYERS
IN WE KNOW THEIR SUCCESSES IN EMPLOYING SOME WITH DISABILITY, CIVIL SERVICE THAT
LOWER TURNOVER, THERE IS, FOR EXAMPLE, A WASTAGE WITH OUR DISABLED, OUR HANDICAPPED COLLEAGUES IN
WE'VE HEARD EXPRESSIONS FROM EMPLOYERS ABOUT SERVICE. ABOUT THE COMMITMENT, ABOUT THE HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY WHICH OFTEN ACHIEVE WITH WORKERS WITH DISABILITY.
THE LFSS THE CIVIL THE LOYALTY,
THEY VERY
WE
AND
UPSTAIRS WE HAD A USEFUL EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE GROUPS
DISABLED REPRESENTING THE
AND EMPLOYERS AND I SET OUT AN ACTION PROGRAMME WHICH GOVERNMENT INTENDED TO PURSUE OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
DISABILITY GOING TO PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO EDUCATION ABOUT HANDICAP. WE ARE GOING TO PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO COUNSELLING. WE ARE AND ΤΟ GOING TO PRODUCE BOOKLETS TO HELP THE DISABLED AT INTERVIEWS HELP THOSE WHO WILL WORK WITH
THEIR THE DISABLED UNDERSTAND POTENTIALS. WE ARE GOING TO COMMIT OURSELVES TO INCREASING THE NUMBER
IN
OVER
NEXT OF THOSE
THE THE CIVIL SERVICE WHO ARE DISABLED AND
IN THOSE WAYS AND OTHERS WHICH I ELABORATED UPSTAIRS, WE ARE GOING TO, I HOPE, TAKE A LEAD.
COUPLE OF YEARS.
UTESYAL