XN000022-1996-07-11 — Page 3

2 -

Furthermore, the employment of this age group of persons is prohibited in liquor selling premises between 6 am and 8 pm except with the written permission of the respective Municipal Council.

The amendment regulation will be published in the Gazette tomorrow and will become effective on the same day.

End

Government committed to meeting new arrivals' needs

The Government is committed to continue identifying the needs of new arrivals and exploring new measures to meet these needs, the Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Shelley Lau, said today (Thursday).

Speaking at the luncheon meeting of Y's Men Club of Hong Kong, Mrs Lau said the Administration aimed to assist new arrivals to integrate into the community as quickly, smoothly, and seamlessly as possible through a host of dedicated and general services meant to aid them in their integration process, with the Home Affairs Department (HAD) playing a vital co-ordination role in easing their process of integration.

Noting that the Administration was wary of the adverse effect of "labelling" new arrivals as a distinct group who has a separate set of entitlement to services, Mrs Lau said new arrivals, like other Hong Kong residents, were entitled to a wide range of general services which include social welfare, education and health care.

She stressed that the Government was aware that for some of these newly arrived members, adjustment to Hong Kong could be a challenge and they needed assistance with settling in and with orienting themselves in a society which might be very different from that to which they were accustomed different in terms of language, system, way of life and pace.

She said: "In this connection, dedicated services meant to assist new arrivals to quickly adapt to the local way of life and to meet their special needs are offered to them by various government departments in addition to the general services which are available to all Hong Kong residents.