XN000022-1987-01-07 — Page 44

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1987

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NO FULL RECORD KEPT ON EMIGRATION

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THERE ARE NO COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS GIVING THE NUMBER AND DETAILS OF PEOPLE EMIGRATING FROM HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JE AFFRESON, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON SELINA CHOW ON INFORMATION ABOUT THE OUTFLOW OF EMIGRANTS FROM HONG KONG OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, MR JE AFFRESON SAID THE ONLY STATISTICS THAT GAVE AN INDICATION OF THE NUMBERS INVOLVED WERE THE NUMBERS OF PERSONS LEAVING HONG KONG EACH YEAR ON HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND THE NUMBERS RETURNING.

HE NOTED THAT THESE STATISTICS HAD BEEN KEPT SINCE 1964.

+THE AVERAGE NET ANNUAL OUTFLOW UP TO THE END OF 1985 HAS BEEN 19 385.

+BY CONTRAST, THE AVERAGE FOR THE FIVE YEARS 1981 TO 1985 WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER AT 18 848 WHICH IN TURN WAS APPRECIABLY LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE OF 23 295 FOR THE FIVE YEARS 1976 TO 1980 AND OF 27 741 FOR THE FIVE YEARS 1971 TO 1975, + MR JE AFFRESON SAID.

HE OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS DANGER IN COMPARING ANNUAL FIGURES BUT FOR WHAT IT WAS WORTH THE FIGURES FOR 1985 AT 11 175 WAS THE LOWEST SINCE 1971 SINCE WHEN THE POPULATION HAD INCREASED BY ABOUT 1.5 MILLION, AND WAS ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE ANNUAL FIGURES FOR 1975 AND 1976.

IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, MR JE AFF RESON SAID, THERE WAS NO ACCURATE PROFILE OF THE SORT OF PEOPLE EMIGRATING, BUT IT COULD BE SAID THEY COVERED A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY.

ADVANTAGES IN TRADE WITH UK HAVE FADED

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THE COMMONWEALTH PREFERENCE SCHEME WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE UNLIMITED ENTRY OF HONG KONG PRODUCTS INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM COVERED LESS THAN 0.008 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN 1985 AND IT CANNOT BE SEEN HOW HONG KONG CAN QUALIFY FOR EVEN THESE LIMITED BENEFITS AFTER 1997.

THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, THE HON ERIC HO, SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON LEE YU-TA!.

/MR HO