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WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1990
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"AS A RESULT, WITHI MY PROGRAMME AREA THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND I HAVE ALREADY IDENTIFIED SEVERAL EXISTING SERVICES, THE PRUNING AND PHASING OUT OF WHICH WILL GENERATE SOME USEFUL SAVINGS.
"WITHOUT THESE SAVINGS I WOULD NOT BE ABLE ΤΟ ALLOCATE FUNDS TO AUTHORISE THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION TO INTRODUCE, FOR EXAMPLE, REFORMED SIXTH FORM CURRICULUM NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.
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THE
HK NOT BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES: FS
THE
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PIERS JACOBS, SAID IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT CONTRARY TO THE GENERAL TENOR OF THE COMMENTS MADE BY MEMBERS IN THIS YEAR'S DEBATE ON THE BUDGET, HONG KONG HAS NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES, ALTHOUGH ANYONE LISTENING TO THE DEBATE COULD BE FORGIVEN FOR REACHING THAT CONCLUSION.
CONCLUDING THE DEBATE ON THE SECOND READING OF THE APPROPRIATION BILL, 1990, SIR PIERS SAID THAT HONG KONG HAD A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WHICH HE ADDRESSED IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO TALK OURSELVES INTO A STATE OF GLOOM AND DESPONDENCY, AND TO DO SO DID NOT SERVE THE INTERESTS OF OUR COMMUNITY IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.
HE SAID THAT THE TONE AND CHARACTER OF THE DEBATE THIS YEAR SEEMED TO HIM TO BE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF EARLIER YEARS.
"ON THIS OCCASION, MANY OF THE SPEECHES SEEMED TARGETTED AT OTHER AUDIENCES, RATHER THAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO A BUDGET DEBATE. THIS, I THINK, WAS A PITY.
"IN THE PAST THE THOUGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS BY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IN ENABLING THE ADMINISTRATION TO SHAPE ITS POLICIES.
"
'IN THIS COUNCIL, A BUDGET DEBATE OVERBURDENED BY SHORT-TERM POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS CAN DISTORT THE PICTURE. SOMETHING IS LOST, SIR PIERS SAID,
"I
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