XN000022-1990-11-21 — Page 3

2

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1990

AFFECTED STANDING

DIRECTLY

AS INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS PROCEED, DISTRICT BOARDS SIR,

WILL OF COURSE BE CONSULTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LONG-

CONSULTATION

ΤΟ WITH PRACTICE FOR

REGARD

PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS. THIS FRIDAY, A BRIEFING SESSION FOR THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK WILL TAKE

AS PLACE. PROJECTS TAKE SHAPE WE WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO FULLY, REGULARLY,

EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING, AND JUST AS IMPORTANT, COMPREHENSIBLY IT IS HAPPENING.

SIR,

THE

AND

WHY

IS ARE

ONE OF HONG KONG'S GREAT ATTRACTIONS IS

IT THAT POSSIBLE TO GET THINGS DONE HERE. PLANS, ONCE THEY ARE AGREED, IMPLEMENTED QUICKLY. AS SIR DAVID FORD INDICATED IN HIS SPEECH IN THE STEPHEN DEBATE ON THE OPENING ADDRESS ONLY THREE WEEKS AGO, AND AS MR CHEUNG HAS TODAY EXPLAINED, TO HOLD EXHAUSTIVE PUBLIC INQUIRIES, WHICH IS THE ROUTE FOLLOWED IN SOME PLACES, IS NOT ALWAYS THE SWIFTEST OF ACHIEVING RESULTS. IT HAS A COST THE COST IS DELAY AFTER THAT IS NOT HONG KONG'S WAY OF DOING THINGS. THE HONG KONG STYLE TO TAKE A VISION OF THE FUTURE, TO DECIDE, BOLDLY, WHAT NEEDS DONE TO ACHIEVE THAT VISION, AND THEN TO GET ON WITH IT.

MEMBERS

WILL

WAY DELAY.

IS

TO BE

THIS

ΤΟ RECOGNISES

RECOLLECT THAT IN MY SPEECH I STRESSED COUNCIL ON 31 OCTOBER, THE FACT THAT THE GOVERNMENT FULLY THE IMPORTANCE OF PRUDENT MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FINANCES, INCLUDING THE FINANCING OF PADS. WORK IS IN HAND TO ENSURE THAT CAREFUL PROGRAMMING AND PACKAGING OF WORKS CONTRACTS LEADS TO THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECTS. A CENTRAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM COMPRISING GOVERNMENT STAFF AND CONSULTANTS HAS ALREADY BEEN UP

ENSURE THE то

THROUGH RESOURCES MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES.

BEST POSSIBLE USE OF

SET

MODERN

SIR, IN THE COURSE OF ONE OF THE SPEECHES A SPEECH MADE BY MR DANIEL

EXCHANGE LAM - THERE WAS REFERENCE TO THE EXCHANGE FUND. THE

WHAT WAS FUND IS OF SUCH IMPORTANCE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON

BE SAID,

THE EXCHANGE FUND, OF COURSE, WILL NOT VERY BRIEFLY. FOR FINANCING THIS PROJECT, THE PADS PROJECT, OR ANY PART OF IT. EXCHANGE FUND IS THERE FOR A SPECIFIC STATUTORY PURPOSE TO BACK CURRENCY. SIR, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS DEBATE, BECAUSE THE EXCHANGE FUND IS STRONG, IT IS PROPERLY AND

AND PRUDENTLY

WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH MANAGED,

THIS PROJECT UNFOLDS, OUR CURRENCY WILL BE VERY STRONGLY AND FIRMLY BACKED, IS A POINT I WOULD LIKE MEMBERS TO KNOW.

-

-

USED

THE

THE

WHOLE

VERY

AS AND IT

IT

LEE

CHAIRMAN.

ΤΟ

IT

BE

THEIR

SIR, THERE WAS ANOTHER COMMENT MADE I THINK BY MR MARTIN REGARDING THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY OF WHICH I AM WE EXPLAINED THE REASON WHY WE ESTABLISHED THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY TO HANDLE THESE PROJECTS. WE ARE FOLLOWING A WELL-TRIED AND TESTED PATH; WE ESTABLISHED A PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY TO START THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY, AND OF COURSE EVENTUALLY THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION WAS SET UP. ONE ADVANTAGE OF OUR APPROACH IS THAT

AND ENABLES LEADING

COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGEABLE MEMBERS OF THE TO THE APPOINTED

AUTHORITY, SO THAT IT MAY BENEFIT FROM INDIVIDUAL TECHNICAL, FINANCIAL AND MANAGERIAL SKILLS. NOW ALL MEMBERS OF THE AUTHORITY ARE WELL AWARE THAT CONFLICT OF INTEREST SITUATIONS CAN ARISE AND THE ESTABLISHED PRACTICE IS, FOR ANY MEMBER INVOLVED IN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST SITUATION, TO DECLARE HIS INTEREST. THEREAFTER, HE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE RELATED DECISION MAKING SIR, I CAN ASSURE MEMBERS THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY, AND THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY IN DUE

PROVISIONAL

PROCESS.

COURSE,

DOES NOT BRING INTO BEING ANY ABUSES OR POSSIBILITIES OF ABUSES WHATSOEVER.

ANY

/SIR,

WE