HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 31 October 1990
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course of its deliberations the Commission will take into account the points that Ho Jurable Members have made in this debate for improving terms of employment and for raising the morale of our teachers.
Sir, with these remarks I support the motion.
SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES: Sir, Members have raised a wide range of points relating to the Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS). And rightly so for the strategy covers a complex web of projects, each substantial in its own right in terms of both scope and cost. Taken together these projects will eventually change the face of Hong Kong when fully implemented and will have far reaching implications for the future of Hong Kong. My official colleagues and I would therefore like to devote some time this afternoon to addressing the main concerns that have been expressed. I shall start by dealing with the airport project. The Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands will then outline our overall strategic planning process and port development followed by the Secretary for Transport who will speak on the transport links. The Financial Secretary will comment on our financing strategy for PADS and the Chief Secretary will round up by referring to public consultation, phasing of PADS and our relations with China in respect of our infrastructural development.
In order to understand why the PADS is the right solution, we must first seek to understand the problem. The problem is that according to modest rates of growth, both our port and our airport will reach capacity within the next six years or sooner, unless we take steps to provide for their expansion. I shall not elaborate on the problems facing the port, which the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands will cover in his speech, but it is important to remember that our strategy is designed to address both port and airport growth. If the problems were different, then the chosen strategy might well have been different. Of the 40 or so development strategies considered, it was that based on an airport at Chek Lap Kok and port expansion on Lantau which performed best against five key tests of
(a)
(b)
Economic performance, that is, its contribution to Hong Kong's long-term and continued economic growth;
Environmental and social impact, that is, its effect on the quality of the physical, living and working environment;
(c) Programming, that is, its amenability to implementation in
incremental stages according to demand;
(d) Flexibility and robustness, that is, its ability to cope with variations
in future demands; and
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