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Governor: First of all can I say something about your initial remarks about programmes for people with disabilities. We have started, but there is still a long way to go, as anybody with a disability knows. I think that it should be one of our aims in this community to give a lead in Asia for providing people with a disability with the best possible opportunities to live a full life and make a full contribution to the rest of the community. We have made legislative changes: the discrimination legislation. We have made practical proposals for improving the facilities for people with disabilities. We have - and I think it has been particularly important - we have, I think, managed to encourage the transport operators to improve facilities for the disabled. I think that in some respects we have had least success, though we have made some progress, in providing more employment opportunities for those people with a disability.
You find, interestingly, that one employer in a sector has a very good record and other employers have terrible records. The government has to do more as well, so there is plenty more for us to do and I very much hope that you will all go on lobbying as effectively and courteously and vigorously as you have over the last few years.
Now your specific proposal. We have tried to open up Government House for more people so that more people can come in and see it. It is used pretty well once a week now for outside charities. And we have which have been very successful - regular performances by our outstanding Conservatoire in Hong Kong, the Academy of Performing Arts, who give public concerts which anybody can come to.
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In addition, for many years, when the azaleas are at their best, when the garden is looking at its most beautiful, the garden has been opened for a day to members of the public. What we were proposing to do in 1997, as it is not quite like other years, is to open for a whole week-end so we can have two days for people to come in. But in view of your interesting proposal, I will see whether we can open for an extra afternoon or day so that people with a disability can have a chance of looking around without maybe the jostle and the queuing which would be involved otherwise.
There is just one difficulty with it: while we can provide ramps for stairs in the house, the main view, the best view of the azaleas, is on that long range of steps going all the way down, and I think we would find it difficult to provide wheelchair access all the way down, but we could certainly provide it at the bottom and at the top. So we will look at that and let you know and let the newspapers know when we are going to do it, and get in touch with all the voluntary organisations who would be interested.