XN000022-1994-07-31 — Page 5

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 1994

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ACCORDING TO THE APRIL SURVEY, A LARGE MAJORITY 91 PER CENT OF THE RESPONDENTS SAID THE CENTRES HAD FULFILLED THEIR PLEDGE TO ATTEND TO PEOPLE WITHIN THREE MINUTES.

AND 94 PER CENT SAID THEY FOUND THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF THE CENTRES ACCEPTABLE, WHICH WAS THE SAME AS THE LAST SURVEY.

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THE TWO POLLS ARE PART OF A SERIES TO BE CONDUCTED AT INTERVALS GAUGE PUBLIC'S VIEWS TOWARDS PESC SERVICES SINCE THE PROMULGATION OF THE DEPARTMENT'S PERFORMANCE PLEDGE IN APRIL LAST YEAR.

MEANWHILE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID IMPROVEMENTS WERE BEING CARRIED OUT AT A NUMBER OF PESCS AT A COST OF $2.3 MILLION.

UP TO THE PRESENT, WORKS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AT THE SERVICE CENTRES OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN, WAN CHAI, SHAM SHUI PO, TUEN MUN, KWAI TSING AND YUEN LONG WHILE THAT AT WONG TAI SIN IS NEAR COMPLETION.

LAND REGISTRY STATISTICS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1994

THE LAND REGISTRY REGISTERED 70,752 SALES AND PURCHASE AGREEMENTS OF BUILDING UNITS DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.

THE FIGURE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 0.7 PER CENT AND 12.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE PRECEDING SIX MONTHS AND THE FIRST HALF OF 1993.

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THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED IN THESE AGREEMENTS WAS $277.86 BILLION, WHICH WAS UP BY 45.4 PER CENT AND PER CENT RESPECTIVELY COMPARED WITH THE SECOND AND FIRST HALVES 1993.

DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1994, 75,675 ASSIGNMENTS OF BUILDING UNITS, THE MAJORITY BEING RESIDENTIAL, WERE SUBMITTED FOR REGISTRATION.

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WHEN COMPARED WITH 89,163 AND 62,338 RECORDED RESPECTIVELY DURING THE SECOND AND FIRST HALVES OF 1993 THE FIGURE SHOWED A DECREASE OF 15.1 PER CENT AND AN INCREASE OF 21.4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED, AMOUNTING ΤΟ $208.37 BILLION, INDICATES INCREASES WHEN COMPARED WITH THE TWO PRECEDING SIX-MONTH PERIODS.

THE TOTAL AMOUNT SECURED UNDER MORTGAGES (OTHER THAN BUILDING MORTGAGES) WAS $49.82 BILLION, SHOWING A DECREASE OF 10.6 PER CENT AND AN INCREASE OF 3.1 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE PRECEDING SIX MONTHS AND THE FIRST HALF OF 1993 RESPECTIVELY.

SEARCHES OF LAND RECORDS MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 1994 TOTALLED 1,962, 127, UP BY 11.6 PER CENT AND 25 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SECOND AND FIRST HALVES OF 1993 RESPECTIVELY.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PROPERTY OWNERS ROSE BY 3.2 PER CENT FROM 1,532,459 IN JUNE 1993 TO 1,580,877 IN DECEMBER 1993, AND AGAIN BY 2.4 PER CENT TO 1,618,934 IN JUNE 1994.

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