TNAG-1486-FCO40-2040-Public-finance-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 15

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Paragraphs 6.89 6.96 The expenditure of $250 million a year on the student travel scheme and its relevance to the Government's overall policy objectives

has

The interdepartmental working group considered the policy objectives to be achieved by subsidizing student travel, and on the basis of this assessment, criteria for reviewing, the present scheme have been agreed by the Chief Secretary's Committee, including a reassessment of the position of post-secondary students who benefit from the university student finance scheme as well as the student travel scheme. The working group is now drawing up proposals for a revised scheme.

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS .

CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION

K

Paragraphs 7.1 - 7.6 The wisdom of keeping a large number of the City and New Territories Administration quarters vacant during the unnecessarily lengthy negotiations with the Lands Department on how the quarters should be divided between the two authorities causing nugatory expenditure with the possible reduced operational effectiveness of the district administration

The Secretary for District

Administration has

noted the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee and taken tighter control over the allocation of departmental quarters in

in the districts. As as 24 March 1986, out of an existing stock of 90 departmental quarters managed by the

the City and New Territories Administration, only one, which has been vacant for around six weeks, is pending allocation.

Departmental quarters identified as no longer required for operational purposes have been returned to the Secretary for Administrative Services and Information for alternative allocation. Since 1982, a total of 16 quarters have been so returned.

CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT

Paragraphs 7.7-7.15

-

The cost-effectiveness of the Air

Passenger Departure Tax collection system

A Working Group

Group chaired by the

by

Civil Aviation

Department, with representatives of the Finance Branch and the Treasury as members and with representatives of the Audit Department as observers, has been formed to re-examine the possibility of a flat rate fee.

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