XN000022-1996-10-10 — Page 7

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HAB commitments highlighted

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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, asserted today (Thursday) that the Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate and timely preparations are made to facilitate the staging of the Handover Ceremony next year.

In a presentation to the Legislative Council's Home Affairs Panel on the policy commitments for the coming year, Mr Suen said the Co-ordination Office for the Handover Ceremony has been laying the ground work for the ceremony and related events.

"The Joint Liaison Group has just reached agreement on the Handover Ceremony. Detailed arrangements will continue to be discussed by both sides.

"However, on the basis of preliminary planning we have undertaken in the past months, the major expenditure items will consist of the establishment of a Press and Broadcasting Centre to facilitate media coverage of the Handover Ceremony; preparing the Handover Ceremony venue for the occasion; receiving and accommodating "foreign dignitaries"; and provision for a programme of community events to complement the Handover Ceremony and to facilitate wider community involvement," Mr Suen said.

"We will be submitting detailed estimates to the Finance Committee for approval," he said, adding that the total cost will be fairly moderate.

Turning to the issue of new arrivals from China, Mr Suen reiterated that the Government's ultimate objective was to ensure that they can integrate smoothly and quickly into the community and contribute to Hong Kong's long-term success.

"To this end, we have established a Steering Committee, chaired by the Director of Home Affairs, as a forum for liaison and exchange of information among the relevant policy branches and departments. The Steering Committee's work is complemented by a similar inter-departmental committee in each of the 18 District Offices."

An information handbook in simplified Chinese characters listing the services relevant to new arrivals and the means to access them has also been produced while surveys are being conducted regularly to establish their profile to better understand their needs and difficulties.

"In the months ahead, we will focus our action on giving greater publicity to the services available to new arrivals such as preparing a second edition of the Service Handbook with enriched information, re-targeting services to districts where more new arrivals live, enhancing co-ordination among all parties providing services to new arrivals and encouraging community participation among new arrivals," Mr Suen

added.