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ADJOURNMENT DEBATE : THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG
SPEAKING NOTES
General
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1. Grateful to the hon. Member for Howden for raising the question of the UK's largest remaining dependency. Hong Kong has grown from 600,000 in 1945 to 44 million today. The overwhelmingly Chinese population have chosen to live in Hong Kong of their own
Up to this year free will. This has been to the benefit of all. Real wages have increased by about 5 per cent a year over the last ten years and are now the highest in the region outside Japan.
The Hig has painted a glowing picture but there are many comics pasblume
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to be Gauld.
2. Rapid expansion has, however, brought congestion and grave social problems. In parts of Kowloon the population is over 400,000 to the square mile, ten times the rate in Tokyo. There has been a grave shortage of housing. In the early 1960's there was an overwhelming squatter problem which has even now not been completely resolved. Education and health services have had to be continuously expanded to meet the demand. The Hong Kong Government's social programme, which started in 1972, is a ten-year programme to provide satisfactory living standards for all. It is ambitious programme dunque to mul onquut human needs.
3. As with so many other countries world economic problems in the last year have posed great difficulties, for Hong Kong, which
Lapours are down the y- is totally dependent on trade. The Government is faced with a need to raise new revenue to keep the social programme going. Real wages have dedined by about 12 per cent in the last year and future prospects are still doubtful. In this situation there may have to be some review and re-phasing of the social programme. Tarelive But the Governor has confirmed that it will go forward.
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4.
The hon. Gentleman asked about the housing programme. Hong Kong Government already house 1.56 million people, 38 per cent of the population. The ten-year housing plan aims to provide
The
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