XN000022-1981-09-20 — Page 10

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1981

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BUSY TIME AT PUBLIC ENQUIRY CENTRES

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THE PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER, AND THE NATURE OF THE IR QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS FOR SERVICES OR ADVICE, CAN VARY QUITE WIDELY.

SOME MAY ASK ABOUT LEGAL AID SOME OTHERS MAY LOOK FOR THE BEST WAY TO SETTLE THEIR GRIEVANCES AGAINST PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PARTIES.

MANY OTHERS HAVE PERSONAL DOMESTIC MATTERS ON WHICH THEY MIGHT WANT ADVICE - LIKE THE MOTHER SEEKING A SCHOLARSHIP FOR HER SON, OR LIKE THE ANXIOUS PARENTS WISHING TO KNOW HOW BEST TO DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT CHILD.

CHALKED UP, THE FIGURE IS STAGGERING.

IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THERE WERE NEARLY FOUR MILLION ITEMS OF QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED, REQUESTS FOR SERVICES TO BE DEALT WITH, AND ADVICE TO BE GIVEN.

ALL OF THESE ARE HANDLED BY THE EXISTING 31 PUBLIC ENQUIRY COUNTERS OF THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND THE 16 CENTRES OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION.

+WHATEVER THE PROBLEM, WE DO OUR VERY BEST TO COMPLY,+ SAID A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT'S SERVICE, WHICH DEALT WITH NEARLY THREE MILLION ITEMS FROM JANUARY TO JUNE THIS YEAR.

COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR, THE VOLUME OF WORK INCREASED BY 22 PER CENT.

WHEN THE PUBLIC ENQUIRY SERVICE WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE CITY DISTRICT OFFICES WHICH WERE FIRST SET UP IN 1968, THERE WERE 10 COUNTERS HANDLING SOME 341 000 REQUESTS FOR THE YEAR.

+ IN THE TIME SINCE THEN, THE SERVICE HAS EXPANDED FOURTEEN-FOLD

IN TERMS OF VOLUME OF WORK HANDLED, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+OUR PEOPLE CAN ANSWER AND GIVE ASSISTANCE ON NEARLY ALL SORTS

OF ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS FROM THE PUBLIC.+

AS FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES CENTRES, MOSTLY LOCATED IN TSUEN WAN, THEY HAVE DEALT WITH SOME ONE MILLION ITEMS, OR ABOUT A QUARTER

THE TOTAL VOLUME, IN THE IR 18 LOCATIONS.

/THIS WAS

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