XN000022-1994-04-18 — Page 4

MONDAY, APRIL 18, 1994

QUESTION: THE TARGET LIST OF ICAC, DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPONSE ON REPORTS?

AND

THOSE

GOVERNOR: YES, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OR THREE STATEMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN BEEN MADE VERY CLEARLY, WHICH I REITERATE ONCE AGAIN. THERE HAS NEVER AND THERE ISN'T TODAY ANY POLITICISATION OF THE ICAC. THE RULES WITHIN

THE ICAC WHICH

OPERATES, THE LAWS WITHIN WHICH IT OPERATES ARE LAWS. THE ABSOLUTELY PLAIN AND IT CONTINUES TO OPERATE WITHIN THOSE POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE ICAC ARE BEING EXAMINED AT THE MOMENT BY A

WHICH

LATER WILL REPORT

THIS HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE

YEAR. EVERY WHICH ACTIVITY OF THE ICAC IS FOLLOWED BY AN OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ON

IS THERE

A MAJORITY OF OUTSIDERS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, OF ORDINARY CITIZENS. SO, THERE ARE EXISTING CHECKS REPRESENTATIVES

BALANCES.

THESE AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN

TOTALLY UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS ARE SWEPT ASIDE, WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS TO CONCENTRATE ONE SIMPLE AND CLEAR ISSUE - DO WE WANT HERE IN HONG KONG EFFECTIVE COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION WHICH CAN BATTLE CORRUPTION INSTITUTIONS SUCCESSFULLY, WHICH CAN PREVENT CORRUPTION CORRODING THE OF OUR

OR DO WE NOT. IF WE WANT AN EFFECTIVE COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, THEN WE SHOULD SUPPORT THAT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, OF COURSE, REVIEWING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS FROM TIME TO

RECOGNISING THAT TIME BUT

AND NEEDS OUR SUPPORT

NEEDS OUR

I HOPE THAT UNDERSTANDING, AND

THIS SORT OF TOTALLY UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE WON'T, IN ANY WAY, UNDERMINE PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR A BODY WHICH STANDS IN THE FRONT LINE OF OUR DETERMINATION IN HONG KONG TO KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN. THANKS VERY MUCH.

IS

SOCIETY

IT

ON AN

UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS FOR DECEMBER 1993 FEBRUARY 1994

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR DECEMBER

1.9%, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FEBRUARY 1994 WAS

WAS

1.6%,

TO THE ACCORDING

LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

1993

THE

THE PROVISIONAL SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR

MARCH 1994 WAS 2.2%, WHILE THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.7%.

PERIOD

JANUARY

THE LABOUR MARKET

RECENT

WORKERS

IN HAS REMAINED GENERALLY STABLE MONTHS. THE LATEST UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES ARE AFFECTED BY SOME LEAVING THEIR JOBS AFTER THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS AND THUS BECOMING TEMPORARILY UNEMPLOYED.

UNEMPLOYED

OF

DURING THE PERIOD DECEMBER 1993 FEBRUARY 1994, THE NUMBER

OF FIRST- PERSONS, ADJUSTED FOR VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER

WAS ESTIMATED

WHILE THE AT 55,600,

NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS WAS ESTIMATED AT 46,600.

TIME

JOB-SEEKERS,

OBTAINED

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

/THE SURVEY