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The Chief Justice is fully committed to stepping up the pace of localisation of the Bench. Apart from encouraging suitable practitioners from the private sector to take up a judicial career, the Judiciary is also providing more acting and training opportunities for local judicial officers to gain wider exposure and experience. The Judiciary is encouraged by the growing interest that members of the legal professions in Hong Kong have shown in possible judicial appointments.
Mr President, with these remarks, I commend the Bill to Members.
End/Wednesday, March 29, 1995
Speech by Secretary for Education and Manpower on budget debate
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Michael Leung, at the Legislative Council budget debate today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I am grateful for the many relevant comments and helpful suggestions from Members on the education and manpower programmes in the Debate last week. I wish to respond to the main concerns expressed by Members this afternoon. First education.
Education
One common concern is about the relatively smaller percentage increase in recurrent spending on the school sector than in the tertiary sector in the coming year, and its possible impact on the quality of school education, in particular primary education. As Members are aware, of a total recurrent expenditure of $30.3 billion included in the 1995-96 Draft Estimates, 62% or $18.8 billion is for schools, 34% or $10.3 billion for the tertiary sector and 4% or $1.2 billion for vocational training. It is obvious that the school sector has continued to enjoy a major share, reflecting fully its fundamental importance in our education system. This has been the pattern for the past few
five and is expected to continue. The fact that the years
past
have seen a years more steep increase in spending in the tertiary sector is to achieve the policy objective of providing, by 1994-95, first year first degree places for at least 18% of the relevant age group. But this has certainly not been achieved at the expense of the school
sector.