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Motion debate on immigration policy
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, in the motion debate on reviewing the immigration policy on the entry of spouses and children of Hong Kong residents from China in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
Let me make it quite clear at the outset that the Government shares the same family value as Honourable Members, and indeed the community. We believe that it is right that families should be together, and that split families should have the opportunity to be reunited. Nor do we dispute that split families often create social problems. I trust that these values and beliefs are virtually universal.
These values and beliefs are, of course, reflected in the effect of the current arrangements on legal immigration from China which, as Honourable Members know, is based on the "One Way Permit" system. Indeed, about 90% of one-way permit holders enter Hong Kong for reunion with their nuclear family members, that is to say, parents, spouses and children. Of the remainder, most entered Hong Kong for reunion with non-nuclear family members. An average of 105 persons per day, or about 38,000 per year enter Hong Kong from China under the current one way permit system. This is one of the highest immigration for settlement rates per capita in the world. I suggest that 15 places within the daily quota of 105 one way permit holders are specifically earmarked for wives to join husbands in Hong Kong. Another 15 are specifically earmarked for children who will have the right of abode in Hong Kong after 1997 to join parents here.
But we do face a constraint. We cannot admit people from China for settlement in a totally uncontrolled manner. To do so would result in over-straining our community and social services, our housing, education and medical facilities, and of course our ability to pay for them. Let me give just one example. The cost of providing a primary school place is about $12,000 per annum, and the cost of providing a secondary school place is about $18,600 per annum. These figures are exclusive of the capital cost of building schools and classrooms. We simply cannot let in more children than we can provide education for; more schools may then have to be built. Our capacity to absorb new immigrants from China is therefore not unlimited, nor I believe would be the community's tolerance to the reduction in standards of the many services which they have come to expect.