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Governor: You all know what my position is on that. I've been pressing in public and in private for visa free access for SAR passport holders to the United Kingdom, just as I've been pressing the Chinese side to come forward as soon as possible with practical proposals for implementing Mr Qian Qichen's promise that everybody with permanent residence before 1997 will have it after 1997. We want to see proposals on that brought forward as soon as possible. Now the United Kingdom's response to my request and to the request of Legislative Councillors and Executive Councillors is for the Prime Minister and ... to set out. I very much hope that we'll be able to deal with that issue as soon as possible. I noticed that British ministers said we could expect a decision soon. I hope soon really means soon.
Question: Do you think Mr Major will announce the free entry...?
Governor: I just answered that question.
Question: Back to the expenditure. The Chinese side has criticised the Government over the social welfare expenditure, but it still got the largest increase here. Will this lead to further criticism ...?
Governor: That shows that we have in Government people who listen to what the aspirations and ambitions and concerns of the ordinary people of Hong Kong are. It shows that the Government listens to the public. It shows that the Government listens to legislators and acts. It also shows that we have a strong economy which we are determined to keep strong. So we have to be prudent in all we do. While we've seen a substantial increase in spending on welfare, which will continue, overall we've seen a proper control of public spending so that it remains in relation to the economy overall at a fiscally responsible level Thank you very much,
End
More money to boost key services
The draft estimates of expenditure for 1996-97, published today (Friday) together with the gazetting of the Appropriation Bill, propose significant increases in spending to improve services in areas where they are most needed.
Announcing this today, the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr K C Kwong emphasised that the draft estimates had been drawn up in accordance with the long established budgetary principle that over time, the growth in government expenditure should not exceed the trend growth rate of the economy.