XN000022-1985-12-11 — Page 3

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1985

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SPEAKING OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, HE SAID IT WAS AN EVENT WHICH OPENED A NEW CHAPTER IN THE LIFE OF HONG KONG AND LIFTED THE VEIL OF UNCERTAINTY, WHICH WAS ALREADY BEGINNING TO CLOUD LONG-TERM PRIVATE PLANNING AND INVESTMENT.

+HAD THAT AGREEMENT NOT BEEN CONCLUDED HONG KONG WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE TODAY.

+ IN RESPONSE, THEREFORE, TO THE MANY VIEWS EXPRESSED BY MEMBERS ON THE NEXT STEPS WE SHOULD TAKE IN REFORMING THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT I WOULD, LET US, AT A DISTRICT LEVEL, SEE HOW THE NEW DISTRICT BOARDS ́PERFORM" AND DEVELOP THEIR FUNCTIONS, AND HOW THE IR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TWO REGIONAL COUNCILS ÉVOLVES.

+WE SHOULD DO THIS IF ONLY BECAUSE THE FACE OF HONG KONG IS CHANGING AT AN ASTONISHING PACE, SIR DAVID SAID.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOUSING PLANS IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WOULD PROVIDE NEW HOMES FOR WELL OVER A MILLION PEOPLE. THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE URBAN COUNCIL WOULD NEED TO ADJUST TO THESE MAJOR SHIFTS IN POPULATION AND THE CHANGING URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND TO ADAPT THE IR ORGANISATIONS TO RESPOND WITH SENSITIVITY, NOT ONLY TO THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE BUT TO THE IR CHANGING NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS AND TO SHIFTING SOCIAL PRESSURES, SIR DAVID SAID.

+HOW THEY SET ABOUT AND ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK WILL HAVE A DIRECT BEARING ON HOW THE BOARDS AND THE COUNCILS EVOLVE AND CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT.

+BUT WE CANNOT PRONOUNCE ON THIS NOW BEFORE THE PROCESS HAS HARDLY BEGUN, SIR DAVID SAID.

ON THE SUGGESTION THAT SELECT OR STANDING COMMITTEES SHOULD BE APPOINTED FOR SPECIFIC AREAS OF WORK, HE SAID THE ADMINISTRATION WAS READY AND WILLING TO CONSIDER ANY PROPOSALS. A GOOD START HAD, MEANWHILE, BEEN MADE BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO SELECT COMMITTEES IN THIS SESSION,

AS FOR PROPOSALS FOR A REVIEW OF THE STANDING ORDERS. HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY COMMITTED ITSELF TO SUCH A REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL IN JULY THIS YEAR, AND HE FELT IT WOULD BE A SUITABLE TASK FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF ANOTHER SELECT COMMITTEE.

WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT, HE SAID, THE POLICY OF LOCALISATION WHICH HAD BEGUN MANY YEARS AGO, WOULD CONTINUE, HAVING NOW, AS ONE OF ITS AIMS, THE NEED GRADUALLY TO ALIGN THE SERVICE WITH THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. HE ALSO NOTED A REMINDER THAT IN THE PROCESS THE EFFICIENCY AND THE MORALE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE MUST NOT BE JEOPARDISED.

HAND IN HAND WITH THE LOCALISATION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE. INCREASING USE OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS WOULD BE A NATURAL PROGRESSION, HE SAID.

THE GOVERNMENT,