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But the honourable gentleman has posed very eloquently the dilemma which I think we're going to face, or my successor is going to face in the housing field over the next few
years.
Mr Szeto Wah (in Chinese): Mr Governor, in order to solve the problem of housing, a very important means is to increase the volume of construction of public housing. Three days ago the Housing Authority which you praise so very eloquently tried to complain to me saying that the Government has not allocated sufficient land to them and they actually asked me to apply pressure on your Administration. In the coming nine months will you be increasing the allocation of land for the construction of public housing?
Governor: Well, I'm delighted that the honourable gentleman has responded to the suggestion from the Housing Authority so rapidly. I'm sure that the community will want to look at future decisions about land allocation very seriously in the light of the housing strategy review. I don't think it would be sensible to make decisions before that is published. From all that I hear it's going to be the focus of a great deal of lively debate.
I'd only add that we do at present have in the pipeline plans for building 141,000 new rental flats between now and 2001, and again between now and 2001, we're helping over 175,000 families to buy subsidised flats. That's a pretty substantial building programme but the honourable gentleman is entirely right to say that it still isn't meeting demand.
Ms Emily Lau: Governor, as you yourself admitted just then, you spent some time yesterday sketching out problems facing Hong Kong and one of them, of course, is the question of civil liberties and you place a lot of importance on press freedom. Do you not recall that when you first came to Hong Kong in 1992, you promised us that you would launch a programme to reform laws, especially those that relate to the Bill of Rights, those that are in breach of the Bill of Rights you would amend them.
You've done quite a bit, but you know there is one big piece that's left and that's relating to offences involving Article 23 of the Basic Law, cessation, subversion, sedition, treason and the theft of state secrets. But in the legislative programme that you published yesterday, that is not anywhere to be found. There is only a passing reference in the introduction that you may introduce further changes to this
programme.
But Governor, you know your time is running out. That programme lists your intentions. The fact that Article 23 offences are not in the programme sends a very strong signal to me and to many people in the Hong Kong community that you have no desire to tackle that problem, which is right now with the JLG. So will you please use this occasion to clarify for all of us in this Council, who are very concerned and for the journalists who are watching you, what the hell are you going to do about it?