THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994
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YOU
THIS YOU
MR MARTIN LEF:
MR GOVERNOR, I THINK THAT'S RATHER UNFAIR. WAIT TILL THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER BEFORE YOU COME TO A DECISION. WILL BE UNFAIR TO THE POLITICAL PARTIES AND TO THE CANDIDATES. SHOULD TELL THEM IN ADVANCE BEFORE THE ELECTIONS OR PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT YOU WILL SEE WHO WILL WIN IN THE ELECTIONS AND THEN YOU WILL APPOINT THEM TO EXCO. SO YOU SHOULD NOT COME TO A DECISION AFTER THE ELECTIONS; YOU SHOULD DECIDE BEFORE THE ELECTIONS AND YOU SHOULD
TELL ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT YOUR DECISION.
GOVERNOR:
I'LL BEAR IN MIND THAT ARGUMENT. I CAN SEE THE FORCE OF WHAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAYS, THOUGH THERE ARE OF COURSE ARGUMENTS ON THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL.
MR JAMES TIEN:
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GOVERNOR, IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS YESTERDAY, YOU MENTIONED HOW THE EXPANSION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE BUSINESS AND ECONOMY IS SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR LONG TERM FUTURE. ON THAT SIDE YOU MENTIONED THINGS LIKE YOU'RE SETTING ASIDE 70 HECTARES OF NEW LAND FOR INDUSTRIAL USE I ASSUME IT'S THE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE IN JUNK BAY AND SO FORTH
AND YOU ALSO MENTIONED SOMETHING LIKE THE $50 MILLION APPLIED RESEARCH CENTRE. HOWEVER, ON THE OTHER HAND WE SEE THE CURRENT STATISTICS AS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED DOWN TO 1.6 PER CENT AND INFLATION EDGING UP. SO GOVERNOR, MAY I ASK YOU, AS AN EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT, WOULD YOU CONSIDER INCREASING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CURRENT 25,000 IMPORTED LABOUR TO LET'S SAY 50,000, IN VIEW OF ALL THE POINTS THAT YOU HAVE MADE?
GOVERNOR:
INCREASE
NO, I WOULDN'T CONSIDER A UNILATERAL OF THAT DIMENSIONS AND I SUSPECT THAT IF I PUT ONE FORWARD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD FIND A LOT OF REASONS FOR OBJECTING TO
IT. I THINK IT IS SOMETIMES IMPORTANT TO LOOK NOT JUST AT THE SIZE OF THE IMPORT SCHEME AND THE VARIOUS OTHER IMPORT SCHEMES, FOR EXAMPLE THE SENSIBLE PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED TO ALLOW GRADUATES FROM CHINESE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TO COME AND WORK IN AREAS OF THEIR EXPERTISE IN HONG KONG, I THINK IT IS SOMETIMES IMPORTANT TO LOOK BEYOND THOSE SCHEMES TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THE LABOUR MARKET. I BELIEVE I AM RIGHT IN SAYING THAT THE SIZE OF THE LABOUR
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MARKET WENT UP BY ALMOST THREE PER CENT LAST YEAR AND IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR WENT UP BY THREE-AND-A-HALF PER CENT. THAT'S WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THE LABOUR MARKET AND THANKS TO THE STRENGTH OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY AND I SHOULD HAVE PERHAPS SAID THIS ΤΟ THOSE WHO WERE LOBBYING ME OUTSIDE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BUILDING WHEN I CAME IN THANKS TO THE STRENGTH OF THE ECONOMY, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE SEEN THAT INCREASE IN LABOUR SUPPLY OVER THE LAST YEAR-AND-A-HALF, WE'VE ALSO SEEN A FALL IN UNEMPLOYMENT.
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So, I THINK THAT PEOPLE LIKE THE HONOURABLE
MEMBER AND MYSELF HAVE TO GET ACROSS AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO CRITICISE ANY IMPORTATION OF LABOUR, THE FACT THAT IMPORTING LABOUR CAN AND VERY OFTEN DOES MAKE OUR ECONOMY EVEN STRONGER AND EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE. BUT I REPEAT THAT I DON'T THINK THAT I'LL BE IN THE BUSINESS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS OF PROPOSING UNILATERALLY A DOUBLING IN THE SIZE OF THE LABOUR IMPORT SCHEME, THOUGH THERE WILL BE PARTICULAR MEASURES THAT WE'LL WANT TO LOOK AT, LIKE THE IMPACT OF LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON OUR LABOUR MARKET AND THE NEED THEREFORE TO BRING IN WORKERS FOR PARTICULAR PROJECTS LIKE THAT.
MR JAMES TIEN:
GOVERNOR, WOULD YOU THINK THAT THE 1.6 PER CENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AS NOW WILL BE ACCEPTABLE FOR OUR FUTURE MANPOWER CONSTRAINT FOR OUR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT?
/GOVERNOR: