XN000022-1991-03-01 — Page 7

I

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1991

"THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SCHEME WAS TO PROVIDE LOCAL PEOPLE WITH AN OPTION OF AN INSURANCE POLICY AT A TIME WHEN HONG KONG WAS SUFFERING FROM A SERIOUS CONFIDENCE CRISIS. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SCHEME ACHIEVED THIS, HE SAID.

"

"THE SCHEME HAS SINCE EXERTED A STABILISING

COMMUNITY.

"MOREOVER, IT HAS ACTED AS A CATALYST COUNTRIES TO PROVIDE SIMILAR ASSURANCE SCHEMES PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AND THE RESULT HAS BEEN A OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO CHOOSE FROM.

EFFECT ON THE

IN ENCOURAGING OTHER SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MUCH WIDER RANGE OF

"ALL IN ALL, THE SCHEME HAS PLAYED ITS PART IN RESTORING LOCAL CONFIDENCE BY ANCHORING KEY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG," HE SAID.

ON SUGGESTIONS THAT THE SCHEME MIGHT CATCH APPLICANTS OF LOWER QUALITY AS A RESULT OF LESS COMPETITION INVOLVED, THE SPOKESMAN SAID A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE PROFILE OF APPLICANTS SHOWED THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.

"THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THE SCHEME TRANSPARENT, SO THAT ALL POTENTIAL APPLICANTS ARE ABLE THEIR OWN SCORES FAIRLY ACCURATELY.

18 TOTALLY TO ASSESS

"ONLY THOSE WHO FEEL THAT THEY ARE WELL QUALIFIED AND WOULD STAND A GOOD CHANCE OF SUCCESS HAVE APPLIED, HE SAID.

FE

0

APPOINTMENTS TO NEW TERM URBAN COUNCIL WELCOMED

* * * *

THE URBAN

COUNCIL TODAY

(FRIDAY) WELCOMED THE APPOINTMENT OF FIVE NEW MEMBERS AND RE-APPOINTMENT OF 10 THE NEW-TERM COUNCIL WHICH WILL TAKE EFFECT IN JUNE.

GOVERNOR'S MEMBERS TO

BNABLE THE CONTINUE WHILE

A COUNCIL SPOKESMAN SAID: "THE RE-APPOINTMENT WILL

то COUNCIL EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE OF THE EXISTING THE NEW APPOINTMENT WILL INJECT NEW IMPETUS TO THE COUNCIL.

A

DRAWN FROM HE SAID THAT THE NEW MEMBERS WERE PROFESSIONALS

COMMUNITY AND WIDE CROSS SECTION OF THE

WAS THE COUNCIL

LOOKING

FORWARD WITH EAGERNESS TO

VALUABLE ADVICE AND TO THE WIDE SPECTRUM OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE COUNCIL.

THEIR

CONTRIBUTIONS

THE BUILDING AND SOMEONE OF MR THE COSTS

"AT PRESENT, THE COUNCIL HAS NO MEMBER FROM CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND IT WOULD be helPFUL TO HAVE THOMAS KWOK PING-KWONG'S STANDING, BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE IN

WORKS PROGRAMME WHICH COUNCIL TO LOOK AFTER ITS LARGE PUBLIC OVER $600 MILLION A YEAR IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

++

/HE NOTED