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He said the working party recognised that the success of the above improvements would not depend solely on the resources available.

"Rather, we need to change our management culture in sheltered workshops, we need to monitor service performance continuously and above all, we need to demonstrate a commitment to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities," he added.

Mr Strachan said the Advisory Committee for the Marketing and Resources Unit, proposed by the report, had been set up to improve on the productivity and marketing aspects of sheltered workshops.

"With the back-up support from these experts, I am confident that the Marketing and Resources Unit will be established and will function effectively to promote the general productivity of sheltered workshops," he said.

The Lok Fu Compute-able Workshop, operated by the Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth, is another excellent example of a workshop set up on a business basis to promote independence for persons with disability.

End

Hong Kong dollar debt market survey

The size of the Hong Kong dollar debt market, as measured by the outstanding amount of Hong Kong dollar debt paper, stood at $197 billion as at end 1995, according to the first comprehensive survey on local debt market activities conducted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

As at end-1995, the outstanding amount of exchange fund bills and notes stood at $58.7 billion while that of private sector paper stood at $138.2 billion (Annex A).

Putting the figures into perspective, the size of the Hong Kong dollar debt market was roughly:

17% of Hong Kong's gross domestic product;

16% of Hong Kong dollar money supply;

10% of Hong Kong dollar-denominated assets of the banking system; and

8% of stock market capitalisation.

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