FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1994
GOVERNOR MEETS MEDIA AFTER VISITING ELDERLY HOME
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FOLLOWING I'S THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA AFTER VISITING HOME TODAY (FRIDAY);
AN ELDERLY
GOVERNOR: I AM DELIGHTED THAT WITH LIBBY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO VISIT THIS EXCELLENT HOME THIS MORNING. I THINK THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY BELIEVES AS WE BECOME MORE PROSPEROUS SO WE SHOULD PROVIDE A BETTER LEVEL OF CARE AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES FOR ELDERLY CITIZENS WHO HAVE HELPED TO CREATE THE PROSPERITY THAT WE NOW ENJOY. THIS HOME IS OBVIOUSLY DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB. WE WANT TO TRY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT MORE PROPLE, MORE ELDERLY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE LOOKED AFTER LIKE THIS.
THE
WE'VE MADE A NUMBER OF PLEDGES AS YOU KNOW TO DEVELOP OUR SERVICES. WE ARE PROVIDING AN EXTRA 800 CARE AND ATTENTION PLACES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. WE'VE TAKEN THE DECISION TO ESTABLISH A NETWORK OF NURSING HOMES RIGHT ACROSS HONG KONG WITH AN INITIAL COMMITMENT TO 14,000 PLACES AS A FIRST STEP. WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO DEAL WITH THE BACKLOG IN THE SINGLE ELDERLY ON THE HOUSING AUTHORITY LIST AND WE'RE PLEDGED TO CLEAR A BACKLOG OF 4, 000 IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. IN GENERAL WE WANT TO SEE BETTER SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY. LIBBY AS THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE CHAIRS WORKING GROUP WHICH IS TRYING TO POOL TOGETHER ALL OUR SERVICES THE ELDERLY SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE BETTER AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE PROVISION. IN THE BACKGROUND, OF COURSE, IS THE CONTINUING DEBATE AND THE IMPORTANT DEBATE ABOUT FINANCIAL PROVISION FOR THE ELDERLY WITH AT THE MOMENT A FEASIBILITY STUDY INTO THE PROPOSALS WE HAVE PUT FORWARD FOR OUR OLD AGE PENSION SCHEME. SO AS A WHOLE NETWORK OF POLICIES WHICH WE NEED TO BRING TOGETHER AND I THINK THAT EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS AND NOBODY I THINK WILL GRUDGE FOR A MOMENT THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WE WANT TO PUT INTO ELDERLY CARE.
FOR
QUESTION: APPLICATION OF EVENT IN CHINA.
MR
PATTEN, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS SOME HONG KONG REPORTERS TO COVER THE HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO IT?
REFUSED THE QIANTAO LAKE
TIME. CHINESE
GOVERNOR: I WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT AT THIS PARTICULAR OFFICIALS WOULD BE WORKING AS HARD AS POSSIBLE TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG TO BELIEVE THAT THEY, THOSE CHINESE OFFICIALS WERE SERIOUS ABOUT COMMITMENTS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN HONG KONG. THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT THE ISSUE, CONCERNS THAT WERE GIVEN PARTICULAR POINT BY THE XI YANG CASE BUT WITH CONCERNS WHICH HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED THROUGH OTHER REASONS AS WELL WITH MORE AND MORE PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO THE POLLS, WORRY ABOUT WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AFTER 1997. SO MY OWN VIEW, THOUGH IT'S A MATTER FOR CHINESE OFFICIALS, MY OWN VIEW IS THAT THEY SHOULD BE WORKING TO REMOVE THOSE CONCERNS, NOT TAKING DECISIONS WHICH INCREASE THOSE CONCERNS. I NOTICE WHAT ONE OR TWO MEMBERS OF THE PWC THEMSELVES HAVE SAID ABOUT THE DECISION WHICH SEEMS TO ME TO BE SENSIBLE AND BRAVE,
/QUESTION: