XN000022-1980-05-21 — Page 4

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1980

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TICD TOUR BY SIR PHILIP

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THE ACTING CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, TODAY TOURED THE OCEAN CENTRE OFFICES OF THE TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT AND DISCUSSED THE DEPARTMENT'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE AT A ONE-HOUR MEETING WITH THE FULL DIRECTORATE.

THESE PLANS COVERED THE MODERNISATION OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNCTIONS, CONSUMER PROTECTION, TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, AND THE NEW IMPETUS TO INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WHICH WILL COME FROM IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR, MR BILL DORWARD, SIR PHILIP VIEWED THE GROUND FLOOR LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION ISSUING OFFICES. HE WAS TOLD BY MR GORDON MORTIMER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR (ADMINISTRATION) THAT LAST YEAR THE DEPARTMENT ISSUED NEARLY 64 000 CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN AND GENERAL PREFERENCE CERTIFICATES FOR HONG KONG PRODUCTS VALUED AT $24 000 MILLION REPRESENTING 43 PER CENT OF ALL DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN 1979.

NEARLY 2.5 MILLION DECLARATIONS FOR IMPORTS, EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS WERE LODGED LAST YEAR, AND AD VALORUM CHARGES TOTALLING $81 MILLION WERE COLLECTED.

SIR PHILIP, WHO WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERS IF ICATION, WAS INTERESTED IN THE NEWLY-OPENED INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.

THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRY, MR ALEX PURVES SAID THE OFFICE WAS TO ASSIST TOWARDS THE COMMITTÉE'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE A ONE-STOP FACILITY SO THAT MOST QUESTIONS ASKED BY POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL INVESTORS, WHATEVER ASPECT THEY COVERED, COULD BE ANSWERED ON THE SPOT BY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS.

IN ADDITION TO DESCRIBING THE CURRENT REORGANISATION OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE TO MEET THE GROWTH AND CONTEMPORARY NEEDS OF HONG KONG TRADE, THE WORK OF THE TRADE INVESTIGATION BRANCH WAS OUTLINED TO SIR PHILIP BY THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND CONTROLS, MR DOUGLAS JORDAN,

LAST YEAR OFFICERS OF THE BRANCH INSPECTED 41 000 FACTORIES AND CONSIGNMENTS, LEGAL ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST 720 COMPANIES AND PERSONS, RESULTING IN COURTS IMPOSING FINES TOTALLING $2 MILLION.

ACCOMPANIED BY MR JUSTIN YUE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE (INTERNAL AFFAIRS), SIR PHILIP VISITED THE TEXTILE QUOTA OFFICES. MR YUE SAID THAT LAST YEAR 823 000 APPLICATIONS FOR TEXTILE EXPORT LICENCES WERE HANDLED, INCLUDING 372 000 FOR RESTRAINED TEXTILES.

THE NUMBER OF QUOTA HOLDERS ON THE DEPARTMENT'S BOOKS HAD DOUBLED, TO 16 000 COMPANIES, SINCE 1977. IN THE PAST YEAR THE SPEED OF PROCESSING HAD BEEN STEPPED UP FOLLOWING THE COMPUTERISATION OF QUOTA CONTROLS FOR THE UNITED STATES. A SIMILAR SYSTEM IS BEING DEVISED FOR THE EEC QUOTAS AND WILL BE OPERATIONAL IN 1982, HE TOLD SIR PHILIP.

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