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Governor; I very much hope that they will all return by the time of the handover and that is our objective. Coming back to the question that was asked earlier I am sure that if that didn't happen - but it's a hypothetical question - I don't want to take away in any way from our objective of returning them all. If this was to happen, I am sure that the SAR Government would continue to handle the situation fairly but firmly as we have done.
Question: Mr Patten, will you please give some comment on the to be past Legco and what's your expectation on the coming new Legco?
Governor: I think that the present Legco, the majority of whose members have been elected for the first time has done an effective job over the last four years. We've worked, I think, constructively with the Legislative Council despite the reported attentions we've managed to get most of our major business through and if you compare the record this Legislative Council with the record with other legislatures around the world, you will see that it's done an effective job and a constructive job as well. I hope we will be able to have an equally good relationship with the new legislature, all of whose members will be elected. I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to do so. I think that obviously a wholly elected legislative body will increase the accountability of government. But I believed that we'll also be able to ensure that government remains effective, remains in a position to give a lead to the whole community.
Question: What are your comments on the report handed to you by Andrew So earlier this week on the Buildings Department?
Governor: We'll be studying that report. COMAC does an extremely important job. COMAC is the channel by which citizens may clear their grievances and that therefore anything that comes from COMAC we should take extremely seriously. I made a visit to COMAC a few week ago and was able to see the effectiveness of their work for myself.
Question: What's your reaction to the welcoming party that greeted you as you came up the escalator? Is there anything that you can do for these people?
Governor: The Housing Authority as you know have a programme of modernisation and refurbishment to some of our older estates, estates which like public housing estates elsewhere, having to deal with some of the problems of the early development of concrete technology in particular the spalling associated I think in many cases with the use of salt water rather than normal water when the estates were being built - there are a number of reasons for that, not all of them entirely defensible. I think that the Housing Authority are well aware as we are and particular concerns expressed in some estates are doing every thing possible to bring forward the modernisation and the updating of those estates as fast as they can.