XN000022-1993-12-15 — Page 28

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SES ON AIRCRAFT NOISE

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1993

THE FOLLOWING IS THE SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR GORDON SIU AT THE DEBATE ON THE CIVIL AVIATION (AIRCRAFT NOISE) (AMENDMENT) NOTICE 1993 IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY):

MR PRESIDENT,

MAY I START BY SAYING THE ADMINISTRATION SHARES FULLY MR TO'S CONCERN THAT DISTURBANCE TO RESIDENTS OF KOWLOON AND HONG KONG ISLAND ARISING FROM THE MOVEMENT OF AIRCRAFT AFTER 9 PM SHOULD BE REDUCED THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM.

WHAT WE CANNOT SUPPORT IS THE AVIATION (AIRCRAFT NOISE) (AMENDMENT) THE NUMBER OF LANDINGS WHICH MAY TAKE

TO

PROPOSAL TO PLACE IN THE CIVIL NOTICE 1993 A SPECIFIC LIMIT ON PLACE OVER KOWLOON AFTER 9 PM.

ON 26 NOVEMBER I WROTE TO MR TO IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE WHICH STUDIED THE NOTICE. IN THAT LETTER I LISTED THE REASONS FOR OUR OBJECTION TO THE PROPOSAL TO PUT A LIMIT ON LANDINGS. AS SOME MEMBERS PRESENT TODAY MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE, I SHALL EXPLAIN WHY THE ADMINISTRATION IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF MR TO'S AMENDMENT. FIRST, AS MEMBERS WILL APPRECIATE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT, ON ANY PARTICULAR EVENING, THE NUMBER OF FLIGHTS SCHEDULED FOR ARRIVAL WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD AND THE NUMBER OF FLIGHTS WHICH ACTUALLY TOUCH DOWN AT KAI TAK DURING THAT PERIOD ARE ONE AND THE SAME. THE TIME OF ARRIVAL OF

INCOMING AIRCRAFT IS AFFECTED BY A WIDE RANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES

DELAY OF THE AIRCRAFT LEAVING THE PORT OF DEPARTURE, BAD WEATHER EN

ROUTE, CONGESTION IN THE AIR OR ON THE GROUND AT KAI TAK, AND SO ON. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MR TO'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT PROVIDES THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION WITH DISCRETIONARY POWERS TO DEAL WITH SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE MR TO HAS GIVEN SUFFICIENT CONSIDERATION TO THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF MAKING IT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT THAT CERTAIN CONDITIONS BE SATISFIED BEFORE THE SPECIFIED LIMIT OF 22 FLIGHTS DURING A 3-HOUR PERIOD MAY BE EXCEEDED.

AN EG,

/LET US