XN000022-1995-10-25 — Page 15

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We having been working with educational institutions and industrial support bodies to ensure the adequate and timely provision of a well-trained labour force, the adequate supply of industrial land, and the acquisition and transfer to Hong Kong of new skills and technologies. We have increased also the resources for facilitating and encouraging Hong Kong's manufacturing industries to undertake more applied research and development (R & D) so as to move up the technology ladder. A number of new schemes are in place. These include the Applied R&D Scheme under which loans or equity finance may be provided to private companies to undertake applied R&D; the Co-operative Applied R&D Scheme which encourages collaborative applied R&D between Hong Kong and China; and the Industrial Support Fund which provides grants to projects which would benefit the overall industrial and technological development of Hong Kong.

To strengthen the technology infrastructure of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre was opened in March 1995 to promote the development particularly of small and medium technology-based enterprises. We have completed a study on the feasibility of establishing a science park for high technology industries and are consulting widely on the proposal.

End/Wednesday, October 25, 1995

Plan for the issue of SAR passport underway

The following is a question by the Hon Philip Wong Yu-hong and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether the Immigration Department has any plan to deploy sufficient manpower to meet the future increase in workload arising from the public's demand for passports of the Special Administrative Region (SAR);