End
(c)
- 33 -
Of the $8.6 billion claimed by the contractors, $5.1 billion has been resolved and Government has paid contractors $1 billion as at end of January 1997. The remaining unresolved claims are still being assessed in accordance with prescribed procedures.
For the contracts under the Airport Core Programme (ACP), the incidence of claims notifications by contractors depends to a large extent on the stage of construction. The number of claims submitted by contractors have increased as most of the ACP projects have progressed over the past three years. However, the number of new claims for these projects will reduce as the construction is approaching the completion stage. A downward trend is therefore expected in the next few months.
For the Non-ACP Public Works Programme as a whole, which is a rolling programme with over 1400 projects at various stages and around 2000 contracts of different sizes at various stages of completion, there is no evidence of an upward trend in contractual claims over the past three years.
The Government has been closely monitoring the settlement of contractual claims which is part and parcel of our overall cost control measures. Compensation is given to contractors only if the claims are found fully substantiated and justifiable after careful consideration.
Safety of health food closely monitored
Following is a question by the Hon Choy Kan-pui and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In view of the great varieties of health food on sale in the market at present, will the Government inform this Council:
(a)
of the legislation regulating the sale of health food;