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In view of the overwhelming response to the past few issues of special stamps and the sale of the remaining stock of definitive stamp sheets featuring the Queen's head, the Post Office is undertaking a thorough review of the arrangements for selling special stamps. One of the objectives of this review is to reduce the need for people to queue. A number of options is being considered, including further extending the advance order service, issuing of special stamps on Sundays as far as possible, balloting in special circumstances and extending quota arrangements to the second and subsequent days of issue, until there is no queuing.
So far, there have not been any proven cases of postal staff abusing their authority so as to reap profits from stamp sales in the past two years. The Independent Commission Against Corruption is currently investigating a number of cases of this nature involving postal staff.
End
Monitoring of institutions running mock examinations
Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Man-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
At present, some educational institutions run mock examinations which attract a large number of students participating in such examinations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the following:
(a)
(b)
whether the running of mock examinations is regarded as a teaching activity and falls within the activities stipulated in the definition of 'school' set out in the Education Ordinance, and whether such educational institutions are required to register with the Education Department;
if the answer to (a) is in the affirmative, whether there are any of the educational institutions running mock examinations which have not yet applied to the Education Department for registration; if so, whether the running of mock examinations by these unregistered educational institutions is in breach of the relevant provisions in the Education Ordinance; and