XN000022-1993-12-21 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1993

QUESTION: BUT IF THERE IS A STANDSTILL THAT THE LEGISLATORS DON'T PASS THE THE BILL PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT, WILL YOU BACK TO THE, I MEAN, VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT SCHEME NOW?

GOVERNOR: WE ARE A LONG WAY FROM TALKING ABOUT LEGISLATION. THERE IS A LOT OF DISCUSSION TO DO. THERE IS A LOT OF STUDY OF THE FIGURES TO DO. DISCUSS THESE AND I THINK EVERYBODY RECOGNISES THAT WE ALSO NEED TO MATTERS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS. THERE IS ONE OTHER POINT THAT I WOULD A ADD.

WE SET OUT IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN OCTOBER

ΤΟ HELP THE RETIRED, SERIES,

SERIES OF MEASURES A COMPREHENSIVE COVERING HOUSING, COVERING HEALTH, COVERING WELFARE SERVICES. WE ALSO SET UP A WORKING PARTY TO TRY TO POOL TOGETHER ALL THE VARIOUS ASPECTS IS THE WHOLE OF POLICY ON THE ELDERLY. NOW, ONE OF THOSE POLICIES

THEY ARE IN QUESTION OF THE INCOME WHICH THE ELDERLY RECEIVE WHEN

ALLOWANCES RETIREMENT, THE INCREASE THE AMOUNT THAT THEY RECEIVE, THE THAT THEY RECEIVE THIS YEAR. BUT WE NEED A MORE COMPREHENSIVE SET OF ARRANGEMENTS AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE NOW DISCUSSING. WE HAVE STARTED ON SERVICES WHICH THE BUSINESS OF GIVING THE ELDERLY OF HONG KONG THE

HEALTH BETTER ACCOMMODATION,

CARE THEY

MORE NEED,

SHELTERED PARTICULARLY AS PEOPLE LIVE FOR LONGER, BETTER WELFARE FACILITIES. ALL ALL OF THEM ARE THOSE THINGS MATTER. ALL OF THEM ARE COSTLY BUT DESERVED BY THE OLD PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

·

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, WILL YOU HAVE MEETING WITH DOUGLAS HURD AND MAJOR WHEN YOU GO TO LONDON TO ATTEND THE HEARING?

JOHN

GOVERNOR : I ALWAYS HAVE MEETINGS WITH DOUGLAS HURD AND JOHN MAJOR.

OF THEM, FIRST

BECAUSE OF ALL, WITH MEETINGS WILL HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN HONG KONG AND SECONDLY, BECAUSE THEY ARE TWO OF CLOSEST FRIENDS. THANKS VERY MUCH.

CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR NOVEMBER

I

MY

MY

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A)

HIGHER IN NOVEMBER WAS 8.4%

THAN

YEAR,

ΤΟ ACCORDING IN THE SAME MONTH LAST

FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT,

THIS WAS APPRECIABLY LOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING

9% IN OCTOBER.

INCREASE OF

WAS MAINLY DUE THE SLOWER INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) IN NOVEMBER TO A MODERATION

THE

THE PRICES OF FRESH

FOLLOWING VEGETABLES, EARLIER SURGE DUE TO BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS.

IN

FIRST 11 MONTHS AT

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT TAKING THE TOGETHER, THE YEAR-ON-YEAR RATE OF INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) AVERAGED 8.5%.

REVISED FORECAST INFLATION THIS WAS THE SAME AS THE RECENTLY

AS RATE FOR 1993

A

AND WHOLE,

THAN THE WAS CONSIDERABLY LOWER AVERAGES OF 12% RECORDED IN 1991 AND 9.4% IN 1992.

AND 9.5% THE CPI(B) AND THE HANG SENG CP1 WERE HIGHER BY 8.4%

THAN IN THE SAME MONTH RESPECTIVELY IN NOVEMBER

LAST YEAR. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN OCTOBER WERE 8.7% AND 9.4%.

/THE CONPOSITE