XN000022-1988-02-03 — Page 4

MR BARNES NOTED

CLOSELY RELATED TO THE

OPPORTUNITIES.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1988

THE

PROVISION

WAS

SUCCESSFUL

OF HOUSING PROVISION OF OR ACCESS ΤΟ EMPLOYMENT

OF INTEREST IN

INDUSTRIAL

HE REFERRED TO THE RECENT REVIVAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN NEW TERRITORIES.

"THIS HAS BEEN REFLECTED BOTH IN THE SALES OF NEW LOTS AND ALSO IN THE NUMBER OF EXCHANGES INVOLVING DEVELOPMENT BEING PROCESSED IN ON LOK TSUEN INDUSTRIAL AREA,

INDUSTRIAL MORE INTENSIVE HE SAID.

"THIS REVIVAL APPEARS TO BE MORE CONNECTED WITH THE EVOLUTIONARY STAGE OF OUR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT THAN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FANLING/SHEUNG SHUI.

TO

PRESENT GENERAL

PROVIDE

"BUT IT DOES SUGGEST THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD AIM MORE SUCH SITES FOR DISPOSAL IN THE FUTURE, THIS WILL BE LOOKED AT NOW.

H

MORE POSTS FOR LANGUAGE OFFICERS

*

ESTIMATES ARE

THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BY FIVE

AND ANNUALLY

WITH THE

CHINESE LANGUAGE SIMULTANBOUS INCREASE IN

OFFICERS WILL EXPAND

PER CENT INTERPRETERS BY 10 PER CENT ANNUALLY TO COPE WORKLOAD IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID FORD, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

A REPLYING TO

QUESTION BY THE HON YEUNG PO-KWAN ON THE PROJECTED SHORTAGE OF TRANSLATORS AND SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETERS, AND MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO REDUCE SUCH A SHORTAGE, SIR DAVID SAID HE NOT ENVISAGE ANY MAJOR DIFFICULTIES IN FILLING MOST OF THE NEW POSTS.

DID

WERE MOST HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT PUTONGHUA INTERPRETERS DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT BUT THIS PROBLEM WAS BEING OVERCOME BY IN-SERVICE TRAINING.

IN "IN THE EVENT OF ANY UNFORESEEABLE DIFFICULTY

MEETING THE TRANSLATION WORK ΤΟ PRIVATE DEMAND, WE CAN ARRANGE TO CONTRACT OUT

INTERPRETATION, HE AGENCIES OR HIRE PART-TIMERS FOR TRANSLATION AND SAID.

"THE

OF POOL

TRANSLATION

AGENCIES

AND

PART-TIMERS

IS

AT

PRESENT BEING EXPANDED.

"AT

PRESENT THERE ARE 436 CHINESE FULL-TIME AND NINE PART-TIME SIMULTANEOUS

SERVICES FOR TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION

LANGUAGE OFFICERS, INTERPRETERS, WHO PROVIDE

14

GOVERNMENT BOARDS AND

COMMITTEES.'

-

/4