XN000022-1994-10-05 — Page 16

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1994

10

YOU HAVE TO

IN

YOUR

IS

ONLY

THIS

EMPHASISED GOVERNOR, WHILE YOU'VE JUST QUESTION:

YOU PROPOSED GIVE A DECENT PROVISION TO THE DRIVE BUT WHAT SPEECH, THE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO A SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY,

FAMILY TO BENEFIT FROM $200 PER MONTH. HOW CAN YOU EXPECT A MERELY $200 A MONTH?

NOT DOING DELIGHTED

+

ABOUT

WE

FOR

SIDE

FOR

RIGHT

BUT

I'M

THAT

JUST

GOVERNOR:

WELL I MEAN HERE WE GET INTO THE JOY OF POLITICS. WILL BE ATTACKED FROM ONE SIDE, PERHAPS A RATHER SURPRISING SIDE,

WELFARISM AND WE WILL BE ATTACKED FROM THE OTHER SOCIALIST

I THINK WE'VE PITCHED IT ENOUGH.

YOU GO ON REMINDING ME AND THIS COMMUNITY THAT BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ARE PRETTY WELL OFF DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYBODY IS WELL OFF,

THAT WE DO HAVE TO DO MORE TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE NEED

THEIR BEST EFFORTS. DESPITE

AND ONE OF THE MAIN WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO HELP ARE SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES AND THE IN ALL FAMILIES, HENCE THE TWO PROPOSALS THAT WE MADE THIS I THINK PERHAPS SLIGHTLY TO SOME PEOPLE'S SURPRISE.

IN GROUPS

REAL THAT CHILDREN AFTERNOON,

THE

WHEN THE ON

YOU WILL KNOW THAT THE $200 EXTRA A MONTH FOR

ALL THAT THOSE SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES IS NOT BY ANY MEANS

FAMILIES ARE GETTING. ONE OF THE THINGS I REFERRED TO THIS AFTERNOON WAS

GRANTS WHICH ARE PLETHORA OF SPECIAL

VERY RARELY ADDED IN OVERALL PEOPLE'S

INCOME ON CSSA IS CALCULATED.

IN I HOPE THAT REVIEW THAT WE'RE DOING OF CSSA SCALE RATES, BASING OUR PROPOSALS THE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY AND ITS FINDINGS, I HOPE THAT IN THAT REVIEW WE CAN LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD CONSOLIDATE SOME OF THOSE SPECIAL GRANTS

MORE SO AS TO GIVE A MORE SENSIBLE VIEW, A

SENSIBLE

PACKAGE OF HELP FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN REAL NEED.

I

I THINK WHAT WE ARE DOING IN HONG KONG IN RESPONDING TO THE SORT OF SOCIAL NEEDS YOU IDENTIFY IN A PRUDENT WAY FINANCIALLY, THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING IS A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE

SOCIALLY OF A RESPONSIBLE MARKET ECONOMY.

QUESTION:

MR PATTEN, YOUR INTERPRETATION OF CO-OPERATION 13 THAT THE TWO SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENTS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER IN HONG KONG'S INTEREST. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TWO GOVERNMENTS HAVE DIFFERENT ABOUT HONG KONG'S INTERESTS, HOW CAN THEY WORK

INTERPRETATIONS TOGETHER IN THE COMING 100 DAYS?

WELL IT IS SLIGHTLY MORE THAN A 100 GOVERNOR:

900 MORE THAN A

100.

BOTH BE OBLIGED, I THINK THAT IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES WE WOULD

OF THEIR OF US, TO EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HOW OUR VIEWS

COINCIDE. AND THE PEOPLE OF INTERESTS FAILED TO

HONG KONG WILL EXPECT THOSE WHO DON'T CO-OPERATE ON REASONABLE MATTERS IN A POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE WAY TO EXPLAIN PRECISELY WHAT THE HANG-UP IS RECOGNISING ABOUT CO-OPERATION. SO I TRUST THAT RECOGNISING THAT AND OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO SIX MILLION EXTREMELY TALENTED AND CREATIVE PEOPLE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER IN WHAT IS, OF COURSE, AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT ENTERPRISE.

KONG

I MENTIONED THAT IN MY SPEECH; SOMETIMES PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE CRITICISE BRITAIN, CHINA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG AS THOUGH SOMEHOW WHAT WE WERE INVOLVED IN WAS A PUSHOVER. ACTUALLY A VERY DIFFICULT TASK. IT WILL BE GREATLY TO THE CREDIT CHINA, TO THE CREDIT OF BRITAIN AND TO THE ADVANTAGE OF HONG KONG WE PULL IT OFF SUCCESSFULLY.

IT'S

OF

IF

YEAR,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED. I DARESAY WE WILL HAVE FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES OF DISCUSSING THESE MATTERS BEFORE NEXT THE NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.

་

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