XN000022-1996-04-10 — Page 2

1 -

Dinner invitation from Mr Zhou Nan welcomed

The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, welcomed the invitation from Mr Zhou Nan, Director of Xinhua News Agency (Hong Kong Branch), to dine with him and Mr Lu Ping, Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on April 18 (Thursday).

"I hope we will be able to make use of the opportunity to discuss a range of transitional issues which are of concern to the community," Mrs Chan said.

End

Transcript of remarks by Deputy to the Governor

The following is the transcript of what the Deputy to the Governor, Mrs Anson Chan, said to reporters before attending a concert at the City Hall this (Wednesday) evening:

Mrs Chan: I'll like, on behalf of the Governor and the people of Hong Kong, to welcome Director Lu to Hong Kong. I hope that during his stay here he will have an opportunity to seek the views of a wide cross section of the Hong Kong community. I am of course also very delighted that next Thursday there will be an opportunity to meet with Director Lu and Mr Zhou Nan at dinner. This will give us a very good opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest. I hope particularly to be able to discuss with Director Lu the concerns of the civil service.

End

Stamp duty on flat sale agreements to become permanent

**

The Government is to introduce to the Legislative Council a Bill which seeks to make the charging of stamp duty on agreements for sale of residential property permanent.

The Bill also seeks to implement the proposal of the Public Accounts Committee to charge a full cost recovery fee for voluntary adjudication service.