XN000022-1995-04-19 — Page 55

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40

The actual number of Engineering Graduates to be appointed as Assistant Engineers will depend on the number of vacancies and applications from these Engineering Graduates upon completion of their training in August/September 1995.

Still under training.

End/Wednesday, April 19, 1995

Expenses on Code on Access to Information

The following is a question by the Hon Christine Loh and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

The Government has recently asserted that in order to implement my proposed Access to Information Bill, 24 new posts and an additional $21 million per annum are estimated to be required for the Office of the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints (COMAC). Will the Government inform this Council :

(a)

(b)

how does the Government arrive at those figures; whether reference has been made to other jurisdictions and if so, how does the Government transpose any such examples into the Hong Kong context;

what the specific responsibilities and remunerations of the different posts are;

(c)

(d)

whether the additional $21 million includes what the Government is planning to spend on the Code on Access to Information; if not, whether the additional amount is above and beyond what the Government will spend on the Code;

whether the Government has consulted COMAC in arriving at these estimates; if so, what was the basis of COMAC's estimates; if not, why not;

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