406
HISTORY
transformed into a modern city with efficient road and rail links, tunnels and flyovers. New highways have opened up previously remote areas and a new international airport has been built at Chek Lap Kok. Current and planned projects. include railways, bridges and tunnels improving access to the eastern and western New Territories, where about half of Hong Kong's populations lives in new towns established to ease the pressure on residential and industrial space in Kowloon and Hong Kong island.
The development of Hong Kong's economic base has enabled the public sector to increase spending on housing, education, social welfare and health over the years — from $30.6 billion in 1988/89 to an estimated $159.8 billion in 1998/99.
Hong Kong's public housing programme started with an emergency measure to rehouse some 53 000 people made homeless overnight in a squatter fire on Christmas Day 1953. It has developed into a comprehensive programme which encompasses a wide range of rental and home ownership scheme flats with self-contained facilities. More than half of Hong Kong's families live in accommodation which they own.
The programme is in line with a long-term strategy to produce more and better housing, to meet outstanding demand and to encourage home ownership in the community. The Hong Kong Housing Authority has primary responsibility for this programme.
Expenditure on education facilities and improvements has always been a major budget consideration. There are now free and compulsory primary and junior secondary school places for every student up to the age of 15 years. In 1998, the government subsidised Secondary 4 places for about 85 per cent of the 15-year-olds in a continuing programme.
Major social welfare advances have been made by the government and non- governmental organisations in the past decade, with expenditure increasing from $3.475 billion in 1988/89 to $24.325 billion during 1998/99.
Medical and health services are also undergoing vigorous development programmes. The North District Hospital was opened in February 1998, and three more major public hospitals (i.e. Kowloon Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Tseung Kwan O Hospital and Lai King Hospital) and some seven additional clinics and polyclinics will be provided over the next five years.
A comprehensive system of labour legislation has been developed to provide for employees' benefits and protection, work injury compensation, work safety and occupational health. Free employment services are provided to help job-seekers find jobs and employers recruit staff. The Employees Retraining Board equips workers displaced in the economic restructuring with new or enhanced skills for alternative employment.