XN000022-1982-02-24 — Page 13

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1982

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THE FUNDS, WHILE TAKING ACCOUNT OF STUDENT GROWTH RATE OF ABOUT THREE PER CENT TO FOUR PER CENT IN THE UNIVERSITIES, ALSO PROVIDE FOR THE START OF DEGREE COURSES IN SOCIAL WORK, BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER STUDIES, APPLIED SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS AT THE POLYTECHNIC, AND FOR SOME ENROLMENT OF SOME 230 PART-TIME STUDENTS FOR DEGREE COURSES AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, HE SAID.

THEY ALSO INCLUDE EXPENSES IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY AND THE NEW DENTAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, FOR WHICH GRANTS OF $51 MILLION EACH HAD BEEN PROVIDED.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AT THE THREE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS WILL REMAIN AT A HIGH LEVEL OF $260 MILLION AS WORK CONTINUES ON MAJOR BUILDING PLANS.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR STUDENTS AT THE POST SECONDARY LEVEL AND TERTIARY LEVEL, WHICH HAS BEEN IMPROVED, WILL COME TO ABOUT $164 MILLION, AGAINST $134 MILLION PREVIOUSLY, MR BREMRIDGE SAID.

$4.1 BILLION FOR MORE HOUSING

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THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON JOHN BREMRIDGE, HAS PROVIDED 4.1 BILLION DOLLARS IN HIS BUDGET FOR CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING IN 1982-83, INCLUDING TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS.

THE FIGURE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE VALUE OF LAND USED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR RENTAL HOUSING AND FOR FLATS BUILT UNDER THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME TO BE SOLD FROM 1982.

THE EXPENDITURE IS 200 MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN THE 3.9 BILLION DOLLARS SPENT IN 1981-82 FOR THE SAME PURPOSE.

HE SAID PRODUCTION IN THE FOUR YEARS 1982-83 TO 1985-86 WILL AMOUNT TO 148 900 FLATS UNDER THE GOVERNMENT'S PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME EXCEEDING PRODUCTION IN THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS, 1978-79 TO 1981-82, BY 31 429 FLATS,

+THESE PRODUCTION FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE 2 454 HOUSING SOCIETY FLATS AND 19 450 HOME OWNERSHIP (PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION AND MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING) SCHEME FLATS EXPECTED TO COME ON STREAM DURING THE SAME FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, ACHIEVING AN AVERAGE COMPLETION RATE OF 42 700 A YEAR OR 170 804 IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, + MR BREMRIDGE NOTED.

AS REGARDS THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID THAT 22 100 FLATS OUT OF A TOTAL OF ABOUT 27 800 FLATS IN THE FIRST FOUR PHASES WILL HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY THE END OF 1982-83,

+ IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT PURCHASERS OF THE 8 413 FLATS IN PHASES IVA AND IVB OF THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME TO BE SOLD IN 1982-83 HAVE ACCESS TO ADEQUATE MORTGAGE FINANCE.

/+ I SHALL