XN000022-1987-02-18 — Page 45

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1987

43

+IN 1986 OVER 98 PER CENT OF THESE PEOPLE CAME TO HONG KONG TO BE REUNITED WITH THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES, INCLUDING A FEW WHO CAME TO JOIN OTHER CLOSE RELATIVES. NEARLY HALF (13 340 PERSONS) WERE CHILDREN JOINING A PARENT ALREADY IN HONG KONG.

+AS LONG AS LOCAL RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO CHINA TO GET MARRIED THERE ARE BOUND TO CONTINUE TO BE FAMILIES BEING SEPARATED TEMPORARILY UNTIL EXIT PERMITS CAN BE ISSUED FOR THEM TO JOIN THEIR SPOUSES OR PARENTS IN HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.

MR JEAFFRESON POINTED OUT THAT AS HE SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON JANUARY 21 THE NUMBER OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING EACH YEAR WAS INCLUDED IN HONG KONG'S POPULATION PROJECTIONS WHICH PROVIDED THE FRAMEWORK FOR PLANNING PUBLIC SERVICES.

+AN ANNUAL INCREASE OF 27 000 PERSONS IS EQUIVALENT TO 0.5 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION,+ HE SAID.

+THIS RATE OF INCREASE, BY MEANS OF IMMIGRATION, IS VERY HIGH, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF HONG KONG'S SIZE AND ITS EXISTING POPULATION. THERE IS NO PLAN TO INCREASE IT,+ MR JEAFFRESON ADDED.

REPROVISIONING OF POLICE CADET SCHOOL PLANNED *****

THERE IS A PROJECT IN CATEGORY B OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME FOR REPROVISIONING THE POLICE CADET SCHOOL, PARTLY IN ITS PRESENT SITE IN FANLING AND PARTLY ON AN ADJACENT SITE, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON YEUNG PO-KWAN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE CURRENT PROGRAMME WOULD PROVIDE FOR COMPLETION OF THE SCHOOL BY 1992-93.

BUT THE LATEST ESTIMATES SHOWED THAT THE NEW BUILDING WOULD BE QUITE EXPENSIVE, ABOUT $80 MILLION, HE NOTED.

+IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE ARE HAVING A FURTHER LOOK AT THE PROJECT TO SEE IF IT REALLY WILL GIVE VALUE FOR MONEY HAVING REGARD TO THE STEADY DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION GENERALLY OVER THE YEARS AND THE INCREASING AVAILABILITY OF SUBSIDISED FORM 4 AND FORM 5 PLACES IN THE FUTURE,+ HE SAID.

/MR JEAFFRESON