XN000022-1995-11-22 — Page 43

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(a) of the respective numbers of factories in the textiles, clothing and spinning industries which have closed down over the past three years, as well as the number of workers dismissed as a result of the closure of these factories; and

(b) whether it has any interim measures and long-term policies to assist these declining industries and to provide protection for those workers who are left jobless as a result of the closure of factories in these industries?

Reply:

Mr President.

(a) We have no statistics on the number of textiles and clothing factories which have closed down during the past three years, or the number of workers affected by such closures. Statistics are however collected on the number of establishments and workers engaged in the textiles and clothing industries. It is however not possible to ascertain from the aggregate statistics for the past three years as shown in the Annex the number of such establishments which have closed down and the number of workers affected.

(b) The Government has been encouraging the manufacturing industries to improve their competitiveness through increasing productivity and producing higher value-added products. We have adopted the following measures in respect of the textile and clothing industry:

(i) conducting consultancy studies regularly to assist the textiles and clothing industries to assess their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;

(ii) providing facilities to help the textiles and clothing industries to improve their productivity and operational efficiency, such as the Clothing Technology Demonstration Centre and the Quick Response Centre;

(iii) working closely with tertiary educational institutions, the Vocational Training Council, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Clothing Industry Training Authority to develop consultancy services and training programmes for the industries; and

(iv) funding, through the Industrial Support Fund, projects which are conducive to the technological development of the textile and clothing industries as a whole, such as those which will facilitate the industries to shift to higher-tech, higher value-added production.