PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. IP Kwok-CHUNG (in Cantonese):—Again, I cannot reply to this question readily today because it goes beyond the scope of today's question. I just promised Ms. Chow that an overall review would be conducted. I hope Mr. CHAN can submit his opinions on the day of the review for discussion by the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee.
(3) MR. CHAN CHOI-HI asked the following question (in Cantonese):- 'A number of Select Committees have formulated five-year plans, and some have been endorsed while some are being implemented. Will the Select Committees of this Council:
(i) conduct interim review of its work;
(ii) review the progress of their five-year plans openly, to meet its accountability to the public.'
DR. RONALD LEUNG DING-BONG, CHAIRMAN OF THE Provisional Urban COUNCIL, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-As Mr. CHAN Choi-hi's question asks about the situation in general, I will focus on the general circumstances in my reply. My answers to both parts of Mr. CHAN's question are in the affirmative.
The five-year plans on culture and recreation formulated by a number of select committees of the Council and the programmes they recommended have been, subject to the availability of resources, implemented according to the priority set. Moreover, all recommendations in the five-year plan of the Entertainment Select Committee have basically been implemented. The Select Committees concerned will be briefed on the work of relevant programmes at their monthly meetings as well as during the formulation of the annual Statement of Aims, and the progress of the various programmes will be released to the media and the public at the year-end review by the Chairman of the respective Select Committee.
On the principle of deployment of existing resources without any increase in manpower, some outstanding programmes pending implementation have been set out in the Statement of Aims for the year 1999/2000 of the respective Select Committees. We will continue with this practice when the new Statement of Aims are being formulated each year.
As regards the funding for other long term projects and programmes, it will be included in the Five-year Forecast of Revenue and Expenditure to be prepared in the middle of the year. As usual, application for funding will be made to the Government during our negotiation with it over the triennial rates allocation.
In view of the above, I believe that adequate mechanism and channels have put in place for the Council to review the work of the five-year plans and to report the progress to the public. Should Mr. CHAN or other Councillors have
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