XN000022-1983-12-21 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1983

+ANOTHER MAJOR SECTOR IS THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN THE U.S. AND SEVERAL OTHER EXPORT MARKETS. THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE IN REAL TERMS OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS ACCELERATED TO 18 PER CENT IN THE THIRD QUARTER, FROM THREE PER CENT IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND 14 PER CENT IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

+WITH DOMESTIC DEMAND STILL RELATIVELY WEAK, THE RECOVERY OF THE EXPORT SECTOR HAS PROVIDED THE MAIN IMPETUS TO ECONOMIC GROWTH AND HAS RESULTED IN MORE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, SO THAT UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES ARE NOW CONSIDERABLY BELOW THE IR PEAKS RECORDED EARLIER THIS YEAR.

+THE OUTLOOK FOR 1984/85 IS THUS ENCOURAGING, HE SAID.

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COMPUTER DATA PROTECTION UNDER STUDY

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THE WORKING GROUP ON PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION, SET UP IN JUNE THIS YEAR, HAS BEEN MEETING REGULARLY SINCE THEN, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, SIR PHILIP SAID, HOWEVER, THAT DATA PROTECTION IS A COMPLEX SUBJECT WHICH HAD BEEN STUDIED IN BRITAIN FOR 10 YEARS BEFORE THE DATA PROTECTION BILL REACHED PARLIAMENT.

HE EXPECTS THAT IT WILL BE SOME TIME YET BEFORE THE WORKING GROUP WILL BE IN A POSITION TO PRESENT ITS FINAL REPORT,

SIR PHILIP SAID THE WORKING GROUP IS CONDUCTING THE EXERCISE IN THREE STAGES STAGE ONE, AN EXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT POSITION IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS; STAGE TWO, AN EXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT POSITION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND STAGE THREE, IN THE LIGHT OF THE RESULTS OF THESE RESEARCH EXERCISES, AN EXAMINATION OF THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION COVERING BOTH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

HE SAID STAGE ONE IS WELL IN HAND AND A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF INFORMATION HAS BEEN COLLECTED BY THE WORKING GROUP ABOUT THOSE COMPUTER SYSTEMS CONTAINING PERSONAL DATA WHICH ARE BEING OPERATED BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

THE WORKING GROUP HAS COMMISSIONED THE GOVERNMENT DATA PROCESSING AGENCY TO DETERMINE JUST HOW PERSONAL DATA IS HANDLED AT PRESENT BY COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN SELECTED GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS,

AT THE SAME TIME, SIR PHILIP SAID, THE WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACTION THAT IS BEING TAKEN IN THIS FIELD IN OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM, WHERE A DATA PROTECTION BILL IS NOW BEFORE PARLIAMENT.

+AND, IN THE LIGHT OF THIS INFORMATION, THE WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN CONSIDERING WHAT GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DATA PROTECTION MIGHT BE SUITABLE FOR ADOPTION IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

SIR PHILIP SAID FOR STAGE ONE, THE WORK ING GROUP CONSISTS SOLELY OF OFFICIALS. HOWEVER, WHEN THE WORKING GROUP MOVES ON TO STAGE TWO, WHICH WILL BE FAIRLY SOON, IT WILL INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

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