WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1981

- 9.

MANY FACILITIES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED AND OTHERS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED, BUT WE HAVE NATURALLY HAD TO CONCENTRATE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS ON THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF PROVIDING HOMES AND WORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THESE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AREAS, HE SAID.

+HOWEVER, BY A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE, I SHALL NEXT WEEK BE EXAMINING WITH MY COLLEAGUES THE SCOPE FOR IMPROVING EXISTING FACILITIES, THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY FACILITIES, AND IN THE LONGER TERM THE GENERAL QUESTION OF PROVIDING MORE FACILITIES FOR INTENSIVE USE.

+ IN THE MEANTIME THERE ARE CURRENTLY 123 ITEMS IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME FOR THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND MR YEUNG MAY BE ASSURED THAT WORK ON THESE ITEMS TAKES PLACE JUST AS SOON AS THEY CAN BE ACCORDED THE REQUISITE PRIORITY IN THE WORKS PROGRAMME, MR AKERS-JONES SAID.

MORE CULTURAL CENTRES FOR THE NT

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THE PROVISION OF CONCERT HALLS, AUDITORIUMS AND CULTURAL CENTRES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IS NOW BEING EXAMINED WITH A VIEW TO SUBMITTING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

THIS WAS SAID TODAY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BY THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON DAVID AKERS-JONES.

MR AKERS-JONES WAS REPLYING TO A REQUEST FROM THE HON CHARLES YEUNG FOR A STATEMENT ON WHETHER THERE WAS GOING TO BE A PROPER AND PURPOSE BUILT CONCERT HALL, AUDITORIUM OR CULTURAL CENTRE FOR SAI KUNG, TAI PO, FANLING, CHEUNG CHAU, MUI WO, TAI O AND YUEN LONG.

MR AKERS-JONES SAID HE WAS NOT ABLE TO ANSWER MR YEUNG'S QUESTION IN THE CATEGORICAL TERMS WHICH HE REQUIRED.

THE SUGGESTION, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARDS, THAT WE SHOULD BUILD CONCERT HALLS AND RELATED FACILITIES IN TOWNS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, OTHER THAN THE THREE MAJOR CENTRES AT SHA TIN, TSUEN WAN AND TUEN MUN, IS NOW BEING EXAMINED WITH A VIEW TO SUBMITTING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, HE SAID.

+HOWEVER, THE RANGE AND CAPACITY OF THE FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED REQUIRES CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, ANY PROPOSALS FOR THE TOWNS MR YEUNG HAS MENTIONED WILL DEPEND UPON THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THEM AND THEIR PRIORITY IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME,+ MR AKERS-JONES ADDED.

+CLEARLY, FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF TSUEN WAN TOWN HALL, OUR FIRST EFFORT MUST GO INTO BUILDING CENTRES AT SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN, AND AM HOPEFUL THAT WORK WILL START IN THESE TWO TOWNS LATER THIS YEAR.

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