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Data on business firms available for public retrieval

A comprehensive database containing up-to-date particulars of about 350,000 active business establishments in Hong Kong is available for retrieval by members of the public from the central register of establishments of the Census and Statistics Department.

The register serves mainly as the sampling frame for various economic surveys conducted by the department. A sample listing containing 20 per cent of non- confidential records randomly selected from the Register is accessible by prospective

users.

The records of the Register is now widely used by many government departments and private organisations in their publicity, business promotion, survey and research work.

Application for the supply of information such as the name, address, major type of business activity and employment size class of all or part of the listed records can be made to the Central Register of Establishments Section of the department. Records kept in the Register is updated on a quarterly basis and information for the first quarter of 1996 is now available.

Information can be supplied in the form of photocopies or specially-run magnetic tapes with a service charge to be levied at the following rates:

$5.6 per page of photocopy for the first 20 pages and $1.3 for each additional page thereafter; or

a charge of about $1,000 for a job requiring special computer run (exact amount depending on the complexity of the job concerned); and

if the information is required on magnetic tapes, the magnetic tape can be provided by the applicant, or by the department at a charge of $143 per tape.

Further details can be obtained from the Central Register of Establishments Section on 2582 4760.

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