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13
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1994
QUESTION:
GOOD EVENING MR PATTEN.
JOB THE
AGAINST
MY SURNAME IS YEN. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A FEW POINTS. FIRSTLY ON HOUSING. THEN, I AM AGAINST THE IMPORTATION OF LABOUR BECAUSE IMPORTED LABOUR THREATENS THE OPPORTUNITIES OF LOCAL WORKERS AND ALSO I HOPE YOU WOULD INCREASE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RATE AND ALSO, YOU SHOULD SPEED UP THE ALLOCATION TIME FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AND ALSO, I AM AGAINST DISCRIMINATION THE DISABLED AND THE MENTALLY ILL. AND ALSO, WITH THE PRESENT MENTAL HEALTH ORDINANCE AND FOR INVOLUNTARY ADMISSION TO MENTAL HOSPITALS IT NEEDS THE APPROVAL GIVEN BY A JUDGE. I HOPE THAT PROCEDURE CAN BE CHANGED. I DON'T THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE SENT TO MENTAL HOSPITALS IF THEY ARE NOT DOING SO VOLUNTARILY.
SOMETIMES THEY'VE
GOVERNOR:
FIRST OF ALL, LABOUR IMPORTATION. I AM ALWAYS SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT LABOUR IMPORTATION IS DESTROYING JOBS HERE IN HONG KONG. AFTER ALL, THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED IN HONG KONG IS ABOUT HALF THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED JOB VACANCIES. WE'VE GOT ONE OF THE LOWEST LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN ANY DEVELOPED ECONOMY THE AND, IF ANYTHING, THE PRESSURES ON US ARE TO FIND MORE PEOPLE FOR JOBS THAT NEED TO BE DONE RATHER THAN FINDING OURSELVES WITH AN EMBARRASSMENT OF PEOPLE LOOKING FOR JOBS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE AREN'T SOME PROBLEMS. THERE ARE PROBLEMS WHEN PEOPLE GET RE-TRAINED AND CAN'T FIND A JOB IN THE SECTOR FOR BEEN RE-TRAINED AND WE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT. BUT I DON'T MYSELF BELIEVE THAT THE OBJECTIONS TO THE LABOUR IMPORTATION SCHEME OR TO THE IMPORTATION OF SKILLED LABOUR ELSEWHERE, OR TO LABOUR FOR PARTICULAR PROJECTS LIKE THE AIRPORT ARGUMENTS ARE GOOD ECONOMICALLY OR SOCIALLY. THING. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORKING IN HONG KONG HAS ACTUALLY BEEN INCREASING QUITE STEADILY AND THE LATEST FIGURE SHOWED AN INCREASE I THINK OF OVER 3-1/2 PER CENT IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR. AND THAT'S BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CONTINUING HIGH LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT. SO WHAT WE ARE MANAGING TO DO BECAUSE WE ARE GROWING SO RAPIDLY IS CONTINUING TO FIND MORE JOBS AND INDEED REQUIRE MORE PEOPLE TO COME IN AND DO THEM, WE HAVE TO RESTRICT IT, WE CAN'T HAVE NO CHECKS AT ALL ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING IN, BUT I THINK THE PRESENT SYSTEM WORKS RATHER BETTER THAN YOU WERE SUGGESTING AND I AM UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE FROM EMPLOYERS IN BUSINESS THE WHOLE TIME TO ALLOW MORE PEOPLE TO COME INTO HONG KONG.
THE IMPORTATION OF I DON'T THINK THOSE I'LL JUST SAY ONE OTHER
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WE HAVE PROPOSED SOME QUITE IMPORTANT INCREASES IN CSSA SCALE RATES IN THE COMING YEAR. WE'VE CONCENTRATED THE ASSISTANCE ON SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES AND ON CHILDREN AND I THINK THAT'S THE CORRECT PRIORITY. BUT WE ARE ALSO USING THE, WHAT'S CALLED THE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY OVER THE NEXT YEAR TO LOOK AT WHETHER THE WHOLE BASIS FOR OUR CSSA RATES IS THE RIGHT ONE. I AM ALSO INTERESTED IN SEEING WHETHER WE CAN CONSOLIDATE INTO THE BASIC RATES SOME OF THE SPECIAL GRANTS WHICH ARE GIVEN AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET A RATHER DISTORTED VIEW OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE ΤΟ CLAIMANTS BECAUSE THEY IGNORE THE NUMBER OF SPECIAL GRANTS THAT ARE BEING QUITE PROPERLY TAKEN UP.
/ON ALLOCATION