FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1993
MY SECOND QUESTION IS ON THE MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE, AND I AM ALSO VERY HAPPY TO LEARN THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND 410 MILLION DOLLARS ON THE WELFARE OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE. BUT, OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT LOOKED AFTER IN OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM. RECENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW CASES IN WHICH SLIGHTLY MENTALLY RETARDED WOMEN WERE RAPED AND INDECENTLY ASSAULTED BUT THEIR CASES WERE ACQUITTED BY THE COURT BECAUSE THE WITNESSES WERE FOUND ΤΟ BE UNDER EXTREME DISTRESS. MR. PATTEN, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD SET UP A SPECIAL COURT TO LOOK AFTER THESE MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE, AND CAN YOU TELL ME WHY SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THE JUDICIAL CIRCLE SAY THAT THERE IS NO SUCH NECESSITY?
GOVERNOR:
ON THE SECOND POINT FIRST, 1 THINK THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE HAS CAUSED A GOOD DEAL OF ANXIETY IN THE COMMUNITY, AS HAS THE SAD, THE UNFORTUNATE DIFFICULTY IN SOME NEIGHBOURHOODS OF ESTABLISHING GOOD FACILITIES FOR THE HANDICAPPED. THE LEGAL PROFESSION ARE AMONG THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPLICATION OF THE RECENT COURT CASE AND 1 UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE SET UP A WORKING PARTY TO LOOK INTO THOSE IMPLICATIONS AND TO SEE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THEM.
YOUR FIRST QUESTION.
WE'RE SPENDING A BIT MORE THAN YOU WERE SUGGESTING ON HEALTH CARE. WE'RE SPENDING IN RECURRENT TERMS THIS YEAR I THINK 13.7 BILLION HONG KONG DOLLARS. THAT'S NINE PERCENT MORE THAN LAST YEAR, AND WE'RE PROPOSING TO SPEND ANOTHER 950 MILLION IN RECURRENT SPENDING NEXT YEAR. NOW, 1 DON'T WANT TO PRE-EMPT THE DEBATE ABOUT FUNDING HEALTH CARE IN HONG KONG. AT THE MOMENT WE PAY FOR OUR HEALTH SERVICE IN THREE WAYS: THROUGH OUR TAXES, THROUGH PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE AND THROUGH CHARGES OR FEES. WHAT WE HAVE TO DECIDE, AS A COMMUNITY, IS WHAT THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN THOSE THREE IS. 1F, AT THE END OF THE DAY. THE COMMUNITY CONCLUDES THAT WE SHOULDN'T PUSH UP CHARGES BY VERY MUCH MORE, THEN WE'LL HAVE ΤΟ PAY FOR INCREASED COSTS THROUGH EITHER HIGHER TAXES OR THROUGH MORE HEALTH INSURANCE. UNLESS WE STRIKE OIL IN HONG KONG, OR UNLESS WE FIND GOLD, THOSE ARE THE ONLY OPTIONS. BUT I SUSPECT IT WILL BE A DEBATE WHICH WELL CONTINUE FOR MANY YEARS AHEAD, CONCEIVABLY EVEN BEYOND THE 30TH JUNE 1997 WHEN THE 28TH AND LAST BRITISH GOVERNOR SADLY DEPARTS.
QUESTION {THROUGH INTERPRETER):
MR. PATTEN, MY FRIENDS AND 1 THINK THAT YOU HAVEN'T ANSWERED MY SECOND QUESTION. WE WANT TO KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE FOR THE SETTING UP OF A SPECIAL COURT FOR THE MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE AND ALSO THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE AGAINST A MEDICAL FEE STRUCTURE BASED ON COST.
GOVERNOR:
ON THE SECOND POINT, THAT'S A POINT WHICH I'M SURE YOU'LL ARGUE IN THE COMMUNITY AND MAY CONCEIVABLY IN THE FUTURE ARGUE IF YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ON THE FIRST POINT, I AM SURE, AS I SAID EARLIER, THAT THE CASE THAT YOU RAISED HAS SUBSTANTIAL AND WORRYING IMPLICATIONS, BUT I AM NOT A LAWYER MYSELF AND 1 WOULD LIKE TO HEAR WHAT THE LAWYERS HAVE TO SAY BEFORE I COME TO ANY JUDGEMENT.
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED FOR COMING THIS EVENING. WOULD LIKE THOUGH PRINCIPALLY TO THANK NOT YOU, BECAUSE THAT WOULD DISGRACEFUL FLATTERY, I'D LIKE PRINCIPALLY TO THANK THOSE WHO'VE BEEN INTERPRETING YOU AND INTERPRETING ME THIS EVENING. THEY'VE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB, THEY'LL BE SEE HOW HUMBLE THEY ARE. THEY WON'T ВЕ REQUIRED AFTER 30TH JUNE 1997 BECAUSE, WHEN THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR COMES TO MEETINGS LIKE THIS, SHE OR HE, I HOPE I GOT THAT THE RIGHT WAY ROUND, WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AS, ALAS, I CAN'T IN BOTH CANTONESE AND ENGLISH. BUT BEFORE THEY BECOME REDUNDANT, LET'S GIVE THE INTERPRETERS A CLAP.
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