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MR. CHENG : Sir, can the Secretary for Lands and works
clarify the first sentence of his reply by stating what
the conditions were which prevailed in the whole of the
building industry at that time, and whether the conditions
were very serious?
SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS : Sir, may I quote part of a
speech given by my predecessor, Mr. CHAN, when talking
about the sub-standard public housing blocks at the time,
in which he said that 'The poor concrete is apparently the
result of inadequate material, bad-workmanship, and lack
of supervision in certain areas.' I think that probably
covers the situation.
these
MRS. CHOW : Sir, as the safety of residents in
buildings is the issue here, would the Government consider
the retention of private professional firms
professional firms to undertake
the work which the Secretary has outlined in the last
paragraph so as
as to ensure advancing the dates of this very
necessary task, and perhaps at lesser cost?