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Now coming back to the point about transport and we don't really have good enough means to resolve the problems here because if you're in a wheelchair you can't get on to a bus. Now I don't want to talk about the transport issue.
My question is, would the Administration consider setting up a fund to help the disabled to become self-employed?
Governor: I'm certainly prepared to look at that. I think it's an issue which has been examined in the past when sometimes it's been suggested that it's not only people with a disability who should be helped with Government support to become self-employed. There are, of course, some existing financial mechanisms which could be used, including I assume supported employment which could assist to some extent. But I'll look at the honourable gentleman's question and come back to him on it.
Ms Chan Yuen-han (in Chinese): I'm happy that I'm able to get my question in. And my question is on industrial safety.
Let me give you my story Mr Governor. Last year in San Po Kong there was a boulder falling onto a bus and somebody was killed and we went around the construction site in San Po Kong and I found something that was really surprising. Now when we talk about private development, I was told that it's under the Labour Department and then I saw some scaffolding and there were some problems and I was told that that particular site was actually under the Housing Department. And somebody unfortunately fell into the water because he was on a gateway trying to get on shore and therefore it was between two departments. It was sort of a grey area.
So is this one of the reasons why we are not good enough in industrial safety? So can you do something to deal with cases like that?
Now of course you talk about Labour Department inspectors. What I wish to tell the Governor is, you are doing something that is very much window-dressing and you haven't really asked the OSHC to play a co-ordinating role. Now, I'm not saying the OSHC is totally powerless but they haven't performed their full role. Now we have a lot of such incidents.
Now I have got a very long pre-amble. Now here comes my question: why isn't there a central co-ordinating body?
Governor: I honestly think that if the problem in Hong Kong on industrial safety was just a question of central co-ordination we'd have no difficulties. I think the problem is much more difficult than that and much more tragic than that and I would, without reservation, like to say to the honourable lady and other representatives of trade unions in this Legislative Council, that they've done as much as anybody to focus the community's attention on this, one of the worst blots on Hong Kong's record.