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Survey starts on building, construction and real estate
The Census and Statistics Department announced today (Tuesday) that the Survey of Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors for 1994 has started. The annual survey is part of a continuous programme to compile statistics on the structure and performance of various economic activities in Hong Kong.
The survey aims to obtain up-to-date statistical data for evaluating the contribution of the building, construction and real estate activities to Hong Kong's gross domestic product and for ascertaining their cost structure, operating characteristics and output levels. The survey results are useful to both the government and the private sector in formulating policies and making decisions.
The Commissioner for Census and Statistics, Mr Frederick Ho, appealed to the managements of all sampled establishments to fulfil their legal and social responsibilities by returning promptly the completed questionnaires and co-operating with officers of the department in the course of the survey.
He stressed that information relating to individual establishments would be treated in strict confidence under the Census and Statistics Ordinance. Only aggregate information that does not reveal details of individual establishments will be released.
Mr Ho also pointed out that audited accounts are not essential for the supply of income and expenditure data required in the survey. The Census and Statistics Department accepts figures based on preliminary accounts or estimates which are correct to the best of the respondents' knowledge at the time of submission of the questionnaire, if audited accounts are not yet available.
About 5,000 establishments engaged in the following activities will be enumerated in the present round of the survey, including a full coverage of prominent establishments and a random sample of smaller establishments:
building and civil engineering construction;
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real estate development;
architectural, surveying and project engineering; and
real estate leasing, brokerage and maintenance management.