XN000022-1985-02-27 — Page 39

WEINESDAY, PEBRUARY 27, 1985

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ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING, THE FOOTNOTE SAID WORK HAD STARTED ON THE BUILDING OF TWO NEW TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, ONE AT SHA TIN AND THE OTHER AT TUEN MUN, AND WORK ON A THIRD NEW INSTITUTE AT CHAI WAN WOULD START THIS YEAR.

WHEN COMPLETED, THE THREE NEW INSTITUTES WOULD PROVIDE AN EXTRA 5 000 FULL-TIME AND 21 000 PART-TIME PLACES.

A TRAINING CENTRE COMPLEX AT KOWLOON BAY HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND ANOTHER AT KWAI CHUNG WOULD BE COMPLETED IN MID-1985. THE COMPLEXES WOULD PROVIDE 8 000 TRAINING PLACES A YEAR IN NINE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTRES.

IN ADDITION, THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL WOULD COMPLETE A GAS INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE AT KWAI CHUNG, A PRECISION TOOLING TRAINING CENTRE AT KOWLOON BAY AND AN INSURANCE TRAINING CENTRE IN WAN CHAI IN 1985-86. THESE THREE TRAINING CENTRES WOULD PROVI ABOUT 1 300 TRAINING PLACES A YEAR.

THE TOTAL GRANTS TO THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL WOULD INCREASE FROM $404 MILLION IN 1984-85 TO $433 MILLION IN 1985-86.

EXPANSION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION INCLUDED NEW BUILDINGS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COURSES AT THE CITY POLYTECHNIC IN IT. TEMPORARY PREMISES AT ARGYLE CENTRE, PLANNING FOR THE CITY POLYTECHNIC'S PERMANENT ACCOMMODATION AT TAT CHEE AVENUE WAS PROCEEDING AND SITE FORMATION SHOULD START IN 1985-86.

TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON THE UNIVERSITIES, THE POLYTECHNICS AND THE BAPTIST COLLEGE WOULD BE $1.71 BILLION IN 1985-86 COMPARED WITH $1.54 BILLION IN 1984-85.

PUBLIC WORKS AND LAND EXPENDITURE *****

EXPENDITURE FROM THE CAPITAL WORKS RESERVE FUND ON THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME WAS EXPECTED TO REACH $6.8 BILLION DURING 1985-86, SAID SIR JOHN.

THIS EXCEEDS THE REVISED ESTIMATE FOR 1984-85 BY ABOUT $0.7 BILLION. THE PROVISION OF $5.8 BILLION SOUGHT FOR TRANSFER TO THE FUND AND THIS TOGETHER WITH AN ESTIMATED $4.4 BILLION SURPLUS IN THE FUND AT THE END OF 1984-85 WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE ESTIMATED $6.8 BILLION EXPENDITURE AND TO RETAIN A PRUDENT SURPLUS.

IN AN EXPLANATORY NOTE TO THE SPEECH IT WAS STATED THAT THE ADVANCE OF $1.45 BILLION TO THE CONSORTIUM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TIN SHUI WA! NEEDED TO BE RECOGNISED BY THE RETENTION OF AT LEAST $1.5 BILLION IN THE FUND.

ON LAND ACQUISITION, THE ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE FOR 1985-86 IS $0.9 BILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT $0.2 BILLION MORE THAN THE REVISED ESTIMATE FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

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