The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today revealed today that in addition to establishing a long-term mechanism to train talented individuals, the Government is also contemplating introducing a grassroots training mechanism based on the employment needs of the working population.
Speaking at the Questions and Answers session of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Chui said these mechanisms are aimed at enhancing the upward mobility of local residents and facilitate the sustainable development of Macao. He pointed out that establishing a long-term mechanism to effectively administer the cultivation of talent is a major policy of the Government for this year. To this end, the Government has set up a manpower development committee to implement the Elite Cultivation Programme, Expert Incentive Programme and Applied Talent Promotion Programme, to provide a mechanism to encourage talented Macao people to stay in or return to Macao. More training will also be offered to increase the opportunities and upward mobility of local residents, he said.
The Chief Executive said he learned of the lack of human resources in social services, tourism, convention and exhibition, information technology, nursing and education sectors from an earlier survey, especially in the demand for translators and legal professionals fluent in both Chinese and Portuguese. The Government will therefore strengthen talent training in these fields and allocate the budget to develop a comprehensive training programme to balance the demand and supply of capable people in the future.
In response to a legislator's question, Mr Chui reiterated that the "Homes for all in a contented society" is the goal of the Government's housing policy, while the public housing policy is "Public housing as the core supplemented by the Home Ownership Scheme". The present housing policy is mainly targeted on realising fairness. However, he said, he understood that the public's focus is on Home Ownership Scheme housing, and he would also be concerned about the ability of local citizens' to purchase housing in the private market.
Mr Chui also revealed that the Government, to support the development of Macao businesses, has filed a formal application to the central government to seek additional land in Hengqin through a compensated leasing mechanism.
This afternoon, the Chief Executive responded to questions from 27 members of the Legislative Assembly on a variety of subjects ranging from government policy and social issues, which included food safety, improvement in statistical work, legislation co-ordination, support for Small-and Medium-sized businesses, remuneration of junior civil servants, government performance, administrative reform, environmental improvement in Ka-Ho, medical services, moderate economic diversity, regional co-operation, development of the gaming industry, local competitiveness, living environment, inflation, pensions, light rail transit, family policies, environmental protection and sports.