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Secondly, and I recognise that there are a number of problems in Hong Kong, happily not as many as there would be had we not run the economy in Hong Kong conspicuously successfully and had we not been able to use some of the proceeds of that economic growth for developing our educational, health and social problems as well as we have.
On the specific issue which the Honourable Member raised, we are at present considering the outstandingly good Morgenstern Report. We're also considering the Coroner's jury recommendations yesterday. We have in addition a report which is being prepared by the Secretary for Works which is going to be considered by the Executive Council early in the New Year. It must be our priority to do everything we can to stop further tragedies like the one to which the Honourable Member quite properly drew attention and we will be looking at engineering issues, we will be looking at questions of resource allocation and in due course we will have to look at questions of liability and responsibility as well.
Mr Albert Chan (through interpreter): Mr President, just now the Governor said that the first question was a ridiculous one but would you feel that your performance in the past would give people an impression that your focus of attention, you have neglected Hong Kong's affairs. So in future will you attach more time to Hong Kong affairs so that people will not call you an "off- shore" Governor?
Governor: I think the Honourable Member should learn the difference between being rhetorical and being offensive.
Mr Zachary Wong Wai-yin (through interpreter): Thank you Mr President. My original question involves a health care issue. Actually, just now Mr Szeto Wah talked about sick parrots and the germs and bacteria, what sort of problems will they bring about to Hong Kong and whether such bacteria, if the germs are spread, are there any ways to prevent or curb the spread of the germs and are we able to be vaccinated or will there be immunity from these germs?
Governor: Any germs that are the result of pollution in Hong Kong's waters, I hope that we will eliminate when we remove 70 per cent of the pollution from Hong Kong's waters with the Stage One of our Sewage Strategy. Political germs are not, I think, for
me.
Mr Zachary Wong Wai-yin: Mr President, does the Governor say that these sick parrot germs, they come from the sewage?
Governor: I think that all of us at this point in the saga of sick parrots should remember the advice of Lord Palmerston: never to abuse metaphors.