ENG-1988 — Page 55

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

declarations, therefore, the British and Chinese Governments have taken the necessary concrete steps to secure the continuance of Hong Kong's participation in the GATT and the MFA in the years leading to and beyond 1997.

Hong Kong Government Offices Overseas

The Hong Kong Government maintains offices in Geneva, Brussels, London, Washington, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo mainly to safeguard and advance Hong Kong's economic and commercial interests overseas.

The Geneva Office represents Hong Kong in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The office keeps under review developments arising from the deliberations in the GATT and other international organisations in Geneva and has been closely involved in the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The Brussels Office represents Hong Kong's economic and related interests concerning the European Community and the governments of Member States (other than the United Kingdom). Hong Kong's commer- cial relations with the United Kingdom, Austria and the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden and Norway) are handled through the London Office. The Washington, New York and San Francisco offices keep under review economic or other developments, proposed legislation, and other matters in the United States of America that might affect Hong Kong's economic interest in general and two-way trade with the United States in particular. The new Hong Kong Economic and Trade office in Tokyo was established in September 1988 for the development of Hong Kong's commercial, economic and public relations interests in Japan. The Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo offices also incorporate the Industry Department's industrial promotion units which advise firms in the host countries about opportunities for investing in Hong Kong industries. All overseas offices, except the Geneva Office, act as a point of direct contact betwen Hong Kong and the host country, the media and organisations with an interest in Hong Kong, keep under review the commercial, economic and industrial developments and official thinking on international trade policies, and advise the Hong Kong Government on the likely repercussions of these developments. The London Office, in addition, provides assistance to Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom, including Hong Kong students, and super- vises the recruitment and training of Hong Kong public servants in the United Kingdom. The Marine Adviser based in London is Hong Kong's permanent representative to the International Maritime organisation, and provides an information centre for technical, legal and general maritime matters pertaining to Hong Kong. Details of representation overseas are at Appendix 6.

Public Service

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The Public Service provides the staff for all government departments and other units of the Administration. With Hong Kong's centralised form of government, the Public Service operates a wide range of services which in many countries would be administered by other public authorities. These include medical services, public works and utilities, urban cleansing and public health, education, fire services and the police force. The depart- ments in charge of these areas namely, the Medical and Health Department, with an establishment of 27 222, the Lands and Works group of departments (22 908), the Municipal Services group of departments (26 890), the Education Department (6 691), the Fire Services Department (7 389), and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force (32 467) account for 65 per cent of the establishment of the entire Public Service. To meet the demands for new and improved services, the size of the Public Service in 1987-8 was increased by three