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S for T in debate on freezing of fees and charges
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Haider Barma, in the motion debate on Freezing of Government, public bodies and utility companies' fees and charges, and public housing rentals in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I dare say many of us in the Chamber this evening are experiencing a sense of deja vu. This is because the call to reject or defer proposals for increases in fees and charges as well as transport fares has become an instinctive battle cry of some political parties and Members of this Council. What is more, motion debates on this subject seem to have become a fixture in the Council's calendar at this time of the
year to pre- empt the cycle of applications for fare adjustments from transport operators.
I make no apologies for repeating and reiterating the points I have made over the past two years in debates pertaining to transport fares because the arguments remain totally valid.
One of the fundamental pillars of our well-established transport policy is to provide a reliable, efficient and affordable transport system in Hong Kong which meets the economic, social and recreational needs of our community. The rationale for this policy cannot be disputed when over 10 million commuter trips are made by public transport daily. Our buses carry 3.5 million passengers a day; the MTR, KCR and LRT account for another 3.2 million; over 1.7 million use PLBs; another 200,000 travel by ferries and 320,000 by trams whilst some 1.3 million use taxis.
We have, by world standards, a first-class transport system. Although the Government provides the regulatory framework for this, it is the private sector that provides the services. This approach has served Hong Kong well. Our franchised transport operators, over the years, have made sizeable investments and as business ventures, they must be allowed to make a fair and reasonable return on their investments. Operating costs increase and an adjustment in transport fares, in turn, becomes a necessity.
As for our 2 railway corporations, I agree with everything the Honourable James Tien has said, both the MTRC and KCRC operate on prudent commercial principles. It is through annual adjustments in fares that both MTRC and KCRC generate the necessary funds to implement comprehensive maintenance and service improvement programmes.