HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
443
An important topic addressed by the Council in the past year was the review of district administration. It has a bearing on the councillors present at this meeting and on our services in the future. I have a few reflections on this subject.
Firstly, I perceive that some councillors or certain voices in this Council are of the opinion that the administrative review is directed against them. Such a belief is unnecessary, and there is no need for us to make irrational conjectures. Indeed, we all know that the review of the district administration is not something introduced recently. Many years ago, that suggestion was already put forward by a number of people. It would be very encouraging if the government would accept opinions in this area following the establishment of the Special Administrative Region. The review of district administration should be pragmatic and should not be perfunctory or procrastinating. I hope that the Government will forward the consultative papers to us in April, and that it will not make a mess of the review of district administration on account of political influences or consideration for factors pertaining to certain political interests. This is my view.
Secondly, as regards urban services, there are some matters that I need to follow up, the first being the staff establishment. In the past year, we reviewed that issue in the Administration Select Committee and various other select committees, but the figures indicate that the number of staff members of the Urban Services Department has not decreased. According to the data I have obtained, there has even been a slight increase in the number of departmental staff, which has risen from 16,000 to 17,000. How has it happened? Can our staff establishment not be further reduced? Can we not further enhance our efficiency? I feel that we should devote more effort to this aspect.
In the past year, we were very concerned about the issue of finance. Owing to the Central Government's reduction of our funding from rates, it has become imperative for us to cut expenditures in order to achieve a balance in income and expenditure. In the various select committees, the councillors have all striven to propose different plans and find a solution. The problems are that firstly, I feel that we should not allow our services to be affected by financial problems; secondly, since the economic outlook for 1998 is bleak, I wonder if we should adhere to our previous practice of resolutely or mechanically pegging the increase in urban service fees to inflation. I deem it worthwhile to ask these questions again: considering the economic circumstances and the people's livelihood in 1998, should we, the Urban Council, being a provider of urban services, not review our financial problems when our funding from rates has decreased? Should we not further re-examine urban service fees in this dreary economic climate? This would certainly affect our revenues, but we mentioned, in a motion for debate a few months ago, that we could ask the Central Government for additional funding if necessary.
Page 447 of 654
Page 447 of 654
Page 447 of 654