XN000022-1996-07-12 — Page 5

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"Consultants will be needed not only for architectural services, but also for structural, building services, quantity surveying, site supervision and project management.

"In the long run, it is unlikely that any overall saving can be achieved by employing consultants, and Urban Council will lose the expertise of the government's building agency which constructs all other buildings for Government and thereby has a wealth of professional and specialist experience from other projects that can be brought to bear on Urban Council projects as well.

"The Department accepts that difficulties can occur during construction of projects. Most of these can be foreseen or overcome quickly but some are sometimes out of both its own and the contractor's control and it is then a question of finding the right solution and minimising delays.

"While the Architectural Services Department regrets any delays to projects, and is always constantly striving to improve its services to the public, it feels that it has made its best efforts to overcome difficulties and meet schedules in the Jordon Valley Swimming Pool project, and using one single project as a general criticism of all the department's services is unfair and unwarranted..

"The Department would welcome the opportunity to meet Urban Councillors to review the system and explain the position both in regard to the Jordan Valley Swimming Pool, and regarding the Capital Works Programme in general."

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Application for HCFCs free quota invited

The Gazette today (Friday) published a notice inviting applications for phase II allocation of free quotas for the retained imports of 34 types hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for the year.

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"To protect the ozone layer and to meet the requirements of the Montreal Protocol, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is implementing a quota system to control the local consumption of HCFCs," Senior Environmental Protection Officer, Mr Chan Mai, said.