XN000022-1986-02-06 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1986

SIR DAVID LOOKS OVER PRINTING WORK

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SPECIAL FEATURES TO PREVENT FORGERY OF THE NEWLY-DESIGNED IDENTITY CARDS WERE AMONG SOME OF THE MATTERS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, DURING HIS VISIT TO THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT TODAY.

WATCHING WORK BEING CARRIED OUT IN THE SECURITY DIVISION, SIR DAVID ALSO LEARNED THAT SOME 1.6 MILLION NEW STYLE IDENTITY CARDS HAD BEEN PRINTED IN 1985.

AFTER A BRIEFING ON THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MR HARRIS MYERS, SIR DAVID WENT TO SEE HOW THE VARIOUS OTHER DIVISIONS, USING THE LATEST PRINTING PROCESSES, TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT, COPE WITH THE BIG TASK OF HANDLING ALL GOVERNMENT PRINTING,

SIR DAVID ALSO SAW FULLY COMPUTERISED ENGLISH LANGUAGE TYPESETTING WORK BEING CARRIED OUT. AND NOTED THAT FUNDS HAD BEEN APPROVED WHICH WOULD ENABLE CHINESE TYPESETTING TO BE COMPUTER ISED SHORTLY.

THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT HAD MOVED TO ITS PRESENT PREMISES IN CORNWALL HOUSE, QUARRY BAY, IN JUNE LAST YEAR, AND IS OCCUPYING EIGHT FLOORS, COVERING 14 000 SQUARE METRES.

PROPERTY REVIEW SHOWS DROP IN VACANCY RATES

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE 1986 PROPERTY REVIEW INDICATE THAT VACANCY RATES IN THE VARIOUS SECTORS OF THE PROPERTY MARKET, EXCEPT FOR FLATTED FACTORIES, HAD FALLEN, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE RATING AND VALUATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

FOLLOWING ARE SOME DETAILS:

PRIVATE DOMESTIC (ALL PREMISES)

BOTH SUPPLY AND TAKE-UP IN 1985 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THOSE IN 1984. VACANCIES HAD FALLEN SLIGHTLY FROM 22 400 AT THE END OF 1984 TO 22 100 AT THE END OF 1985. (1.E. 3.7 PER CENT OF TOTAL STOCK).

A RECORD SUPPLY OF 37 100 UNITS IS EXPECTED IN 1986.

/PRIVATE