XN000022-1994-01-13 — Page 16

15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1994

WHAT

THE WHAT WE SHOULD ALL TRY TO DO, OF COURSE, IS GET AHEAD WITH

IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT WE'RE IN WHOLE PROJECT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THIS POSITION AND HAVE BEEN IN THIS POSITION FOR SO LONG, SINCE BEFORE I BECAME

MATTERS THE THE SOONER WE CAN GOVERNOR.

RESOLVE THESE BETTER. AS I SAID YESTERDAY, WHAT WOULD HELP US A GREAT DEAL WOULD BE TO BE IN A SITUATION IN WHICH WE DIDN'T FEEL AS THOUGH WE WERE PLAYING WHERE DARTS BLINDFOLD IN THE DARK, CASTING DARTS IN THE DIRECTION OF WE THINK THE BOARD MAY BE, HOPING THAT WE HIT THE BULL'S EYE.

WOULD SAY, FOR THE WOULD BE A HELP WOULD BE IF THE CHINESE SIDE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY, PRECISELY WHAT THEY WANT, PRECISELY WHAT FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS THEY WOULD REGARD AS ACCEPTABLE TO THE FUTURE SAR AND GOVERNMENT AND TO THE COMMUNITY HERE IN HONG KONG FOR THE RAILWAY FOR THE AIRPORT ITSELF. WE THEN CONCEIVABLY HAVE A RATHER BETTER IDEA OF THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE'VE BEEN PROPOSING WITH THREE DIFFERENT SETS WANT. WE OF PROPOSALS SO FAR AND WHAT THE CHINESE SIDE PRESUMABLY

AIRPORT COMMITTEE COULD RESOLVE ALL THAT I WOULD HAVE HOPED IN THE VERY RAPIDLY IF THE WILL WAS THERE. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CONSULTATION, WE'VE MADE AN AWFUL LOT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE, BUT IF NOTHING COMES SO, I HOPE THAT BACK THEN CONSULTATION IS A RATHER DIFFICULT PROCESS. CONSTRUCTIVE

WE'VE HEARD ACTIONS CAN FOLLOW SOME OF THE WORDS THAT

ACROSS THE RECENTLY AND THAT INSTEAD OF OFFERING ONE ANOTHER ADVICE

AFTER MONTH, 'AIRWAVES' AS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTH AFTER MONTH

WHICH WE'LL ACTUALLY DO WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WOULD LIKE US TO DO, IS TO RESOLVE THESE QUESTIONS AROUND THE TABLE WITH THE INTERESTS TRANSPORT HUB HONG KONG AND HONG KONG'S POSITION AS A REGIONAL HEART RATHER THAN SOME PERHAPS MORE OBSCURE POLITICAL REASON DICTATING THE PACE OF EVENTS.

OF

AT

THE PRESIDENT: IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDING ORDERS I NOW SITTING UNTIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1994.

ADJOURN THE

LEGCO AND ACC BRIEFED ON AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME

THE

GOVERNMENT TODAY

THE (THURSDAY) BRIEFED

OF MEMBERS AIRPORT AND THE

CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ABOUT FOR PROGRAMME AIRPORT CORE

(ACP) AND ABOUT OPTIONS

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PROGRESS ON THE FURTHER FUNDING OF THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY (PAA).

OFFICIALS ENTIRE

$5.5

BILLION, FROM

ESTIMATE $163.7

(MOD) EXPLAINED THAT THE MONEY OF THE DAY FOR THE

ACP HAS BEEN REDUCED BY BILLION TO $158.2 BILLION.

FOR

THEY BRIEFED THE MEMBERS ON ESTIMATES OF FUTURE COST INCREASES, IN THE ABSENCE OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE SIDE ON FINANCING THE AIRPORT AND AIRPORT RAILWAY.

THE OFFICIALS ALSO EXPLAINED THE TWO OPTIONS THAT THEY HAVE PUT FORWARD FOR THE NEXT STEP ON THE AIRPORT.

THE SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY, MR DONALD TSANG, SAID: "WE HAVE MADE EXCELLENT PROGRESS WITH OUR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS ON THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME AND WORK IS WELL ADVANCED ON MANY OF THE PROJECTS.

/"WE HAVE