XN000022-1994-04-20 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1994

THE SITE

PLATFORM

HECTARES OF LAND FORMED

L

IS ABOUT HALF COMPLETE, WITH OVER 600 ABOUT THE SIZE OF TWO KAI TAK AIRPORTS.

SIMILARLY, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, SOME ESSENTIAL ROUTE PROTECTION AND ADVANCE WORKS HAVE BEEN STARTED FOR THE AIRPORT RAILWAY.

IF THESE ADVANCE WORKS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO PROCEED UNTIL AN AGREEMENT ON THE RAILWAY FINANCING WAS IN PLACE, THE WORKS WOULD BE DEFERRED, TECHNICAL INTERFACE ISSUES COMPLICATED, DISRUPTION TO THE PUBLIC PROLONGED, AND THE COST OF WORKS EVENTUALLY INCREASED.

SIR HAMISH SAID: "THUS, OUR STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH HAS ENABLED US TO MAKE A GREAT DEAL OF PROGRESS IN THE PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, INCLUDING THE AIRPORT AND THE AIRPORT RAILWAY.

"HAD WE WAITED FOR THE TALKS TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE PROCEEDING ALONG THIS LINE, WE COULD HAVE LOST OVER TWO YEARS OF VALUABLE CONSTRUCTION TIME; WITH EXTRA COSTS FOR THE DEFERRED WORKS."

0

SPEECH BY FS IN AIRPORT MOTION DEBATE

*

HON

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPEECH BY THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE SIR HAMISH MACLEOD, ON THE MOTION ON THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL:

MR PRESIDENT,

I AM GRATEFUL. ΤΟ THE MANY MEMBERS WHO REAFFIRMED THEIR CONVICTION THAT IT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HONG KONG FOR THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME TO BE COMPLETED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. I BELIEVE THIS CONVICTION REFLECTS A WIDELY ACCEPTED RECOGNITION THAT THE PROGRAMME WILL PROVIDE THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE MUST HAVE IF HONG KONG IS TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND MAINTAIN ITS LEAD AS A LEADING CENTRE FOR TRADE, FINANCE, MANUFACTURE AND TOURISM. NOR IS IT ONLY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND ITS GOVERNMENT WHO RECOGNISE THE NEED FOR THE EARLY COMPLETION OF THESE PROJECTS. THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING RECORDS THE VIEW OF BOTH THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS THAT

WE SHOULD ALL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE BY 30 JUNE 1997.

SINCE ALL PARTIES SO CLEARLY AGREE THAT WE SHOULD GET

WITH

IT. I SHARE MEMBERS' FRUSTRATION THAT WE ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY IN MOVING FROM STATEMENTS OF INTENT TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE FEW ISSUES WHICH CONTINUE TO STAND IN THE WAY OF REACHING THE GOAL WE ALL WISH TO ACHIEVE.

/NEVERTHELESS, WE