I am not a civil servant, nor do I work in the mapping or survey sector. However, I am concerned about the proposal to corporatise the Government's Survey and Mapping Office. The proposal would result in a Survey and Mapping Corporation (SMC), solely owned by the Government but operated on commercial principles and independent of the Lands Department. I oppose this proposal. It shows a lack of social responsibility on the part of the administration. The provision and maintenance of maps, land boundary records and survey control networks are essential for all development works. It is proposed that survey and mapping services would be provided by the SMC in the form of what will be called a service level agreement. However, there is no indication of how this agreement will operate, and if survey and mapping services are not maintained at the present level this will undoubtedly hamper the long-term economic growth of the SAR. For many years, the Government has played an active role in the training of land-surveying professionals, employing a large number of university graduates. This has ensured an adequate supply of land-surveying professionals and technicians for the development of Hong Kong. However, in the proposals there is no commitment that this arrangement will continue. Without a clear commitment and sufficient financial support for training, the future of the profession will be at risk. I urge the Government to think again about the corporatisation of the Survey and Mapping Office, and look at possible alternatives. The proposal is not financially viable and it will not help the community. Also, as it would become the custodian of existing survey records, the proposed SMC would have a monopoly of the market which would be unfair to other surveying firms. ANGEL WONG North Point
