- 21.
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Turning to the duplicate Tsing Yi South Bridge to cope with the growth in container traffic, Sir Hamish said the Government had decided to make preparations for the bridge to be built separately rather than waiting for the development of Container Terminal 9.
The Government will soon ask the Finance Committee for the approval of funding estimated at just over $1 billion, he said.
End/Wednesday, March 1, 1995
HK makes substantial improvement in social services
Sustained economic growth and prudent management of public finances enable Hong Kong to make substantial real improvements in the social services, the Financial Secretary, the Hon Sir Hamish Macleod, said today (Wednesday) in the Legislative Council.
Sir Hamish said in his Budget Speech that these improved services would bring real benefits to a high proportion of the community.
He noted that total public spending, including some of the new initiatives, would grow in real terms: on education by 5.5 per cent; on health by 7.7 per cent and on social welfare by 24.1 per cent.
"I am happy to be able to reassure Members that despite these improvements, and despite our peak spending on the Airport Core Programme, we remain within our spending guidelines.
"We have continued to contain the growth in government expenditure over time in line with the growth in the economy, the first priority in my budget strategy," he said.
End/Wednesday, March 1, 1995