XN000022-1993-12-15 — Page 29

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1993

LET US ASSUME THAT MR TO'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS PASSED INTO LAW TODAY THEN I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE MEMBERS NOW TO THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT KAI TAK AND LET US ALSO IMAGINE, IF YOU WILL, A SITUATION IN WHICH AN AIRCRAFT WHICH IS NOT PROGRAMMED TO LAND AFTER 9 PM SEEKS, FOR VALID REASONS, PERMISSION TO LAND BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT. THE FIRST TASK FACED BY THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AT ΚΑΙ TAK HANDLING THAT FLIGHT WOULD BE TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER PERMISSION GIVEN WOULD LEAD TO THE LEGAL LIMIT OF 22 BEING EXCEEDED. IF THE LIMIT WILL BE EXCEEDED THE CONTROLLER WILL BE OBLIGED TO GO TO HIS SUPERVISOR AND GIVE THE REASONS WHY THE UNPROGRAMMED LANDING WOULD FALL INTO ONE OR ANOTHER OF THE CATEGORIES WHERE DISCRETION MAY BE EXERCISED. NOT DIFFICULT, SOME MAY SAY. WELL, THAT DEPENDS. FIRST, THE SITUATION MAY NOT BE CLEAR OUT. EVEN IF IT IS, THE PROCESS OF ASCERTAINING THE NECESSARY INFORMATION FROM THE PILOT AND SEEKING PERMISSION FROM THE SUPERVISOR WILL TAKE TIME. IT WILL ALSO ADD ΤΟ THE WORKLOAD ON THE CONTROLLER AND THE SUPERVISOR. MORE IMPORTANTLY IT WILL DIVERT THE CONTROLLER'S ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE MORE IMPORTANT TASKS OF DIRECTING THAT AIRCRAFT AS WELL AS OTHER AIRCRAFT WITHIN HIS AREA OF CONTROL. IT IS THIS SORT OF ADDITIONAL PRESSURE AND WORKLOAD WHICH WE DO NOT WANT TO BRING ON THE ALREADY HARD-PRESSED STAFF FOR WHOM THE MAINTENANCE OF CONCENTRATION IS VITAL. SOME MEMBERS MAY SAY THAT AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER HAS TO EXERCISE DISCRETION TO ALLOW THE OCCASIONAL AIRCRAFT TO LAND AFTER MIDNIGHT AS PROVIDED FOR UNDER THE LAW. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SCHEDULED FLIGHTS AFTER MIDNIGHT, THE CONTROLLER WOULD NOT BE UNDER THE SAME CONDITION OF WORK PRESSURE AS HE WOULD BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT. AND IT IS THIS PRESSURE ON THE STAFF THAT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT, FOR PRESSURE MAY AFFECT PERFORMANCE AND JUDGEMENT.

MUN,

SECONDLY THE ADMINISTRATION IS CONCERNED THAT THE PROPOSAL то SPECIFY A MAXIMUM LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF LANDINGS OVER KOWLOON SETS AN UNFORTUNATE PRECEDENT FOR INTERVENTION TO AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS AŤ KAI TAK. THIS POINT HAS BEEN REFERRED TO BY MS LOH JUST NOW. IT IS NOT ONLY THE RESIDENTS OF SHAM SHUI PO WHO ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED, IN TERMS OF NOISE NUISANCE. RESIDENTS OF WONG TAI SIN, KOWLOON CITY, KWUN TONG AND HONG KONG ISLAND EAST ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY EVENING AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS. WHEN AN AIRCRAFT TAKES OFF TOWARDS LEI YUE THE RESIDENTS OF KWUN TONG AND HONG KONG ISLAND EAST ARE EXPOSED TO SERIOUS NOISE DISTURBANCE. ANY MOVE ON BEHALF OF, SAY, HONG KONG ISLAND EAST'S RESIDENTS TO PLACE ANOTHER STATUTORY LIMIT ON TAKE-OFFS WOULD HAVE AT LEAST THE SAME DEGREE OF LOGIC AS THAT OF MR TO'S. IF THE ADMINISTRATION AGREES TODAY TO MR TO'S AMENDMENT, ON WHAT GROUND IT REFUSE AN AMENDMENT PROPOSED IN THE INTEREST OF ANOTHER DISTRICT?

CAN

FOR THESE REASONS, MR PRESIDENT, THE ADMINISTRATION CANNOT SUPPORT MR TO'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT. I KNOW THAT MR TO HAS. ATTEMPTED TO AMEND HIS MOTION TO TRY AND GIVE THE DIRECTOR AS MUCH DISCRETION AS POSSIBLE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE AMENDED VERSION STILL FALLS SHORT ON BOTH LOGIC AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS, AND I CANNOT RECOMMEND то MEMBERS THAT THE AMENDED MOTION BE PASSED.

/NEVERTHELESS, THE