ENG-1981 — Page 41

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Estate. is scheduled for completion in early 1983, but there are sites already available for allocation. Both industrial estates are managed by the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation which is a statutory body established in March 1977. By the end of the year, 186 applications had been received by the corporation and sites had been granted to 35 companies in the Tai Po Industrial Estate and in the Yuen Long Industrial Estate.

Besides offering sites to industrialists for the construction of their own purpose-built factory buildings, the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation is also in a position to offer pre-built factory premises for purchase or rental by those who wish to commence production with the minimum of delay. The standard factory blocks are four-storey, with units constructed with maximum flexibility to suit the varied requirements of potential occupiers.

Outside the industrial estates, 53 sites were sold for industrial use. These had an overall area of 150 037 square metres and special development conditions were attached to 22 of them. These lease conditions called for the provision of heavy floor loading capacities and high ceilings on some floors to accommodate certain types of machinery; and, in the case of smaller sites, for 20 per cent of the space provided to consist of units not larger than 75 square metres to cater for small industries.

The government also proceeded with the construction of flatted factories to accommo- date, in permanent buildings, squatter workshops and small operators cleared for public purposes. One of these factory blocks was completed in 1981 and another four are scheduled for completion in 1982.

Industrial Development Board

Following the government's acceptance of the Advisory Committee on Diversification's recommendation that the government should seek to improve the provision of industrial support facilities and technical back-up services for manufacturing industries, the Indus- trial Development Board was established in August 1980 to plan, monitor and to advise on the provision of such services. It is chaired by the Financial Secretary and membership consists of representatives of trade and industry, the academic field and government officials. During 1981, the board advised and initiated action on various aspects of industrial development, such as the provisions of facilities on technical research and development, technology transfer, technical information for industry, quality certification and primary standards and applied research for Hong Kong industries.

Industrial Investment Promotion

The Trade Industry and Customs Department continued to work closely with leading trade and industrial organisations in the promotion of industrial investment in Hong Kong. The responsibility for advising on overall promotion policy and strategy is vested in the Industry Advisory Board. The task of drawing up a co-ordinated plan of investment promotion activities rests with the Industrial Promotion Committee, a standing committee of the Industry Advisory Board.

Major activities undertaken in 1981 included a series of industrial investment promotion missions to Australia, Austria, Britain, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Sweden and the United States. These missions were combined, where appropriate, with visits to or participating in trade, industrial and technology exchange fairs.

Although most industrial enterprises are Hong Kong-financed and managed, at the end of the year there were at least 430 factories either fully or partly-owned by overseas