THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992
13
GOVERNOR:
ON MR LEE'S FIRST QUESTION, I'M AFRAID THAT I CAN'T GIVE ANY GUARANTEE. I WOULD BE MISLEADING THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WERE I TO DO SO BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT I CAN PERSUADE THIS COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE MAIN THRUST OF THE ADMINISTRATION'S POLICIES. THE EXECUTIVE IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THIS COUNCIL AND I HOPE THAT IN EXERCISING THAT ACCOUNTABILITY, I CAN CARRY THE COUNCIL WITH ME, BUT POLICY EVEN A COMMUNITY WHICH HAS A VERY STRONG EXECUTIVE LEAD, POLICY IS PARTLY DEVELOPED IN THE TENSION, IN THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE AND THE LEGISLATURE.
IN
ON
ON THE QUESTION OF A CONTINUING ROLE FOR VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT BOARDS, I DISCUSSED IT THIS MORNING WITH CHAIRMEN OF DISTRICT BOARDS, INCLUDING ONE OR TWO WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THIS HONOURABLE COUNCIL. I THINK I AM RIGHT IN SAYING THAT THERE ARE IN ALL 27 VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVES ON, I THINK, NINE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS. WE WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES OF DEBATING THIS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO CONSIDERING THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994, BUT I HAVE TO SAY - SPEAKING FOR MYSELF - THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE WITH THE LINK BETWEEN VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVES AND/OR VILLAGES AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND I WOULD BE LOATHE TO MOVE AWAY FROM SOMETHING WHICH I THINK IS WIDELY APPRECIATED AND ARGUED FOR IN THOSE DISTRICT BOARDS THEMSELVES. BUT I AM ALREADY AWARE OF THE FACT FROM THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S BODY LANGUAGE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE ON WHICH THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF DEBATE IN THE FUTURE.
WHILE APPRECIATING
MR HUI YIN-FAT:
THE ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS YOU PROMISED FOR SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, COULD YOU ENLIGHTEN US WITH REGARD TO THE PLANS AND PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY GOVERNMENT IN THE PAST BUT HAVE HITHERTO NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED DUE TO SHORTAGE OF FUNDS? FOR EXAMPLE, WILL GOVERNMENT MAKE AVAILABLE ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR TO COVER THESE AGREED PROJECTS.
ALSO, SIR, THE PROVISION
OF OF
QUALITY OF WELFARE SERVICE DEPENDS HEAVILY ON THE AVAILABILITY TRAINED MANPOWER; WILL GOVERNMENT ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO TRAIN ENOUGH SOCIAL WORKERS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL WELFARE PLANS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
GOVERNOR:
I HOPE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHOSE ADVOCACY OF THE COURSE OF SOCIAL WELFARE IS OF COURSE ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE WHITE PAPER AND THE GREEN PAPER, WILL EXCUSE ME IF I SAY THAT MY RETROSPECTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT HASN'T BEEN DONE IS LESS ACUTE AND WELL DEVELOPED THAN MY KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT I HOPE TO DO. I DON'T THINK THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO GIVE A GUARANTEE THAT EVERY PROJECT THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FUND IN THE PAST, WE WILL BE ABLE TO FUND NEXT YEAR. I THINK WERE I TO DO ᎢᎻᎪᎢ . MR WONG AND OTHERS WHO TAKE A PROPER PRUDENT VIEW OF PUBLIC FINANCE, WOULD HAVE MUCH TO CRITICISE ME FOR. BUT WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT THE KEY TARGETS, OF WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS AWARE, IN THE SOCIAL WELFARE WHITE PAPER AND IN THE REHABILITATION GREEN PAPER, WILL BE MET. PREVIOUSLY WE HAD DISCUSSED THOSE KEY TARGETS OR SET THEM OUT AS ASPIRATIONS BUT IN MY VIEW THERE IS LITTLE POINT IN PUBLIC POLICY IN SETTING OUT ASPIRATIONS UNLESS YOU CAN SAY HOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THEM. THE DOLLAR ON THE TABLE IS WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ASPIRATION AND REALITY AND WHAT WE WERE DOING YESTERDAY IS PUTTING ON THE TABLE DOLLARS WHICH THIS COMMUNITY CAN AFFORD BECAUSE OF ITS OWN EFFORTS, BECAUSE OF ITS OWN ENERGIES AND BECAUSE OF ITS OWN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT.
/ON THE
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