XN000022-1995-10-12 — Page 48

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Supplementary Labour Scheme a good decision: acting FS

The Supplementary Labour Scheme proposed by the Governor in his policy address is a good decision which provided a point of balance between the interests of Hong Kong's workforce and the future possible needs of the economy, the acting Financial Secretary, Mr T H Chau, said today (Thursday).

He hoped that workers, labour unions and the business community would find the proposal acceptable after they had studied the details of the scheme.

Mr Chau was speaking to reporters after officiating at the opening ceremony of the Quick Response Centre, a new facility of the Clothing Technology Demonstration Company Limited and a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Productivity Council. Mr Chau said the Hong Kong Government was determined to maintain and improve Hong Kong's competitiveness so that it can compete with other trading partners in the world.

"One of the ways in which we hope to increase competitiveness is to improve the productivity of workers, manufacturers and other commercial enterprises.

"The setting up of the Quick Response Centre, funded by the Hong Kong Government through the Industrial Support Fund, is a perfect example of the Government's determination to support Hong Kong's industrial development," he said.

Mr Chau said: "Industrial development is still very important because we cannot have a community in which there is no more manufacturing and only services.

"We do need to retain a certain amount of manufacturing and our industry should head towards higher technology and higher value-added products.

"As a consequence, the development of an infrastructure of skills is of vital importance."

He noted that this year, the Government would allocated $272 million to the universities in Hong Kong on academic research and development. a 133 per cent increase compared with 1992.

"In the area of industrial research and development," he said: "since 1993, we have provided $372 million for research projects in manufacturing technology.