XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 48

47

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

QUESTIONER!

IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS YOU HAVEN'T REALLY PENSION AND OTHER BENEFITS. WHY AREN'T THEY THERE?

TOUCHED ON

FAIRLY BASICALLY, BASIC RATES FOR THING

GOVERNOR:

I DID TALK ABOUT BENEFITS. I PUT FORWARD SOME SWEEPING, WIDE RANGING PROPOSALS, ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. WHAT WE ARE DOING, AS YOU KNOW, IS INCREASING THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD; PERHAPS

TRANSLATOR:

AND WHICH IS A SMALL

WELL, MR PATTEN, HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE

PENSION FOR

THE CIVIL SERVANTS, RATHER.

GOVERNOR:

ALSO TALKED SO FAR DISCUSSION

I WAS GOING TO COME TO THAT BUT HE HAD I THINK ABOUT, I THOUGHT HE'D TALKED ABOUT BENEFITS AS WELL. AS PENSIONS ACROSS THE BOARD ARE CONCERNED, WE'VE GOT A DOCUMENT COMING FORWARD ON PENSIONS IN HONG KONG. CIVIL SERVANTS THERE ARE GUARANTEES, AS YOU KNOW, BRITAIN AND CHINA AND I HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT THAT THOSE WILL BE KEPT TO.

FACT, NOTICED

MR

SERVICE

ON

PENSIONS FOR AGREED BETWEEN GUARANTEES

A

MATTER BECAUSE

THE

OF

I CIVIL

BIT MORE

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED ME TO SAY AS YEUNG? I ASK IN A GENUINE SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY THAT IN SOME OF THE COMMENTS ON MY SPEECH, ONE OF UNION LEADERS HAD SAID HE'D LIKE ME TO HAVE SAID A ABOUT PENSIONS. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED ME TO HAVE SAID?

QUESTIONER:

VERY

BASIC

PROBLEM

-

AND

THAT'S A VERY MAY HAVE

FOR INSTANCE, FRINGE BENEFITS, HOUSING BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MANY MARRIED OFFICERS FACE SERIOUS

THERE. IN MANY DEPARTMENTS, WHERE THEY DEPARTMENTAL QUARTERS, BUT IT MAY TAKE THREE TO FOUR YEARS BEFORE THEY CAN GET A UNIT AND THEY ARE IN REMOTE AREAS OF THE AND,

NEW TERRITORIES THEREFORE, THERE IS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE FAMILY AND SAME TIME IT'S A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY CAN GET TO THE OFFICE; AND THAT AT THE

ALSO MEANS MORE EXPENSES AS WELL.

GOVERNOR:

OF

SERVANTS HOUSING WITH THE IF THERE'S AN

YOUR

IF THESE ARE WORRIES OF YOUR UNION AND YOUR COLLEAGUES, I WILL BE VERY HAPPY TO DISCUSS THEM WITH PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS.

THE CIVIL SERVICE OBVIOUSLY, I IMAGINE SOME CIVIL WILL BE HELPED BY THE PROPOSALS THAT I MADE ON SANDWICH CLASS YESTERDAY, WHICH I HOPE WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON SUPPORT

THE SINO-BRITISH LAND COMMISSION, BUT ADDITIONAL AGENDA, I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH SERVICE UNION LEADERS ABOUT IT. I HAD A USEFUL MEETING WITH GROUPS OF TRADE UNION LEADERS RECENTLY AND MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN THESE SORT OF DISCUSSIONS HOWEVER, I DO HAVE TO MAKE ONE OTHER POINT, THAT MY WALLET ISN'T ALWAYS OPEN BUT I AM ALWAYS PREPARED AND TO TALK AND TO SEE IF WE CAN RESOLVE PROBLEMS, IF POSSIBLE.

CIVIL

FOUR FOR

то LISTEN

FUTURE.

QUESTION:

GOOD MORNING SIR. YOU SAID THAT HONG GOVERNED

KONG WILL BE BY EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT, SO NO DOUBT THAT THE COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE IS GOING TO PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE WHEN YOU APPOINTED THE MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL YESTERDAY, DIDN'T GIVE ANY SINGLE SEAT FOR THE DIRECTLY ELECTED LEGISLATOR. IT BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE FROM CHINA, OR BECAUSE THAT THEY BELONG PARTY THAT IS FIGHTING FOR THE DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA? THIS MEAN THAT ANYONE BELONG TO ANY PARTY HAS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL?

NO FUTURE IN THE

BUT

YOU

IS

ΤΟ

DOES

/GOVERNOR: WHAT