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Guidelines on Selection Committee strike a balance
In response to press enquiries about comments made by the NCNA on the Civil Service Branch circular on participation by civil servants in the Selection Committee, a government spokesman said today (Wednesday) that the government was satisfied that the guidelines did not go against the Bill of Rights and strike the right balance.
He said that it was necessary on the one hand to ensure that the public remained confident that those civil servants who were involved in policy formulation and promulgation; enforcement of public order and policy making roles, were seen not to be involved in political activities, which might lead to conflict of interest situations.
"On the other hand, the government does not want to restrict unnecessarily the ability of civil servants to participate in public affairs. The Government therefore has issued to civil servants guidelines on who can and who cannot sit on the Selection Committee," the spokesman said.
Noting that those restrictions in the guidelines were nothing new, the spokesman said: "They have been promulgated in 1990 and are well understood and accepted by staff. There is no need to make an exception to them on this occasion".
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Agreement on water prices endorsed
The agreement reached on water prices by the two parties representing Hong Kong Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government during their meeting in late June in Hong Kong has been endorsed by the respective Governments, a spokesman for the Water Supplies Department said today (Wednesday).
The agreed unit prices for the next three years are:
$2.613 per cubic metre for the period January 1, 1997, to December 31, 1997;
$2.839 per cubic metre for the period January 1, 1998, to December 31, 1998;
$3.085 per cubic metre for the period January 1, 1999, to December 31, 1999.