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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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is still a problem. The other problems, such as reducing rentals, license fees and charges for the recreational facilities, must be prudently considered all because of the $3b-odd deficit in the next three years. We must be accountable for the financial situation of the Council.
Hence I hope Ms. Grace Au will clarify whether her motion aims at studying or implementing before I can decide the direction of my vote. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (in Cantonese):--If there are no more Members who wish to speak. I will ask Ms. Grace Au to exercise her right of reply.
Ms. GRACE AU YUK-HAR (in Cantonese):—Just now a number of Members put forth their views as well as queries. Maybe I spoke too fast, so much so that they did not hear clearly my motion and skipped a lot or even misunderstood some points.
The first point I wish to clarify is that I certainly agree, as the Chairman, Dr. Ronald LEUNG, said just now, it is not the Council's primary duty to solve the problem of unemployment, but in view of the present economic situation, we can lend a helping hand. I consider that if resources permit, we can do something to allay the situation. This is something I am sure we can do.
A number of Members just now asked whether the Democratic Party wanted to advance some projects through the motion. I think we need to look at the motion clearly. The phase-III and phase-IV projects are either shelved or delayed because of the shortage of government funding. As Mr. LAM Man-fai of the DAB mentioned just now, some district projects demanded by the district boards concerned or local residents were postponed because of the shortage of funding from the Council. I therefore wish to stress that we are not asking that the projects be specially accelerated. We are only asking that they be implemented as scheduled.
Just now a number of Members also criticized that we were intentionally asking for the creation of additional posts. I wish to point out clearly that Members might have forgotten that the select committees under the Council, such as the Select Committees on Libraries, Culture, Entertainment, Recreation, Capital Works and Museums, have already laid down a five-year plan within their respective ambits. Earlier I mentioned that at a meeting of the Culture Select Committee, it was mentioned that nine posts would have to be created for the implementation of its five-year plan, and that 54 and two extra posts would be required respectively by the Libraries Select Committee and the Entertainment Select Committee, or a total of 65 posts. If you care to read the information papers on the creation of the above posts, you will find that I did not make the figures up but that they have been included in the staffing requirements for the five-year plans. We were merely citing the figures.
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