XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 14

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994 -

I DON'T

HAVE A PARTICULARLY STRONG PASSION ABOUT IT. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE SUPPORT OF THE ARTS DEVELOP IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, I'D LIKE TO SEE IT DEVELOP IN A WAY WHICH IS COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL AND GENEROUSLY FINANCED. I'M NOT SURE THAT I THINK

MEMBERS ELECTING

OF THE BODY THAT PROVIDES AN UMBRELLA FOR SPONSORSHIP IS NECESSARILY AN IMPERATIVE ELEMENT OBJECTIVE.

MR

IN SECURING

AND THAT ARTS THAT

MAN SAI-CHEONG:

A SHORT FOLLOW UP.

THAT I KNOW

FOR THOSE OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR RUNNING ARTS AND

THEY RECREATION,

HAVE LISTENED TO THE VIEWS OF THE ARTS COMMUNITY.

THE IF SOME MEMBERS OF COUNCIL ARE ELECTED, THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE OFFICIALS, BUT THEN IS A TIME CONSTRAINT THEREFORE THAT CANNOT BE DONE RIGHT

AWAY. THERE

IF YOUR OFFICIALS RECOMMEND THAT MODE OF HAVING MEMBERS ON THE NOW, COUNCIL,

WILL YOU REGARD IT AS ACCEPTABLE AND WILL YOU IMPLEMENT THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE?

GOVERNOR:

TO YOU,

IF MY OFFICIALS RECOMMEND THAT COURSE OF ACTION TO ME, I WILL GIVE THEIR VIEWS ALL THE ATTENTION WHICH THEY DESERVE.

MR WONG WAI-YIN: THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. MR GOVERNOR, IN YOUR

ADDRESS YOU

CARE ATTACHED A LOT OF IMPORTANCE TO POLICY

FOR THE ELDERLY BECAUSE THE ELDERLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOUR DEEDS ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH YOUR WORDS FOR THESE ELDERLY PEOPLE, THEY DO NOT SHARE IN THE FRUITS OF THE SUCCESS

ECONOMY. OF OUR

MR GOVERNOR, IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE DEAF TO SOME VOICES IN THE COMMUNITY CALLING UPON THE IMMEDIATE INCREASE RATES UNDER THE CSSA SCHEME.

IN

THE

WHEN MR HUI YIN-FAT AND I MET YOU SOME TIME AGO DR IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER THE REPORT BY MCPHERSON AND THAT ADJUSTMENTS MAY BE MADE TO THE RATES. THE REPORT HAS NOW COME OUT BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE END

NEXT OF

THE YEAR BEFORE THERE WILL BE CONCRETE PROPOSALS ON

TABLE. EVEN IF THERE ARE TO BE INCREASES AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR THAT WILL BE TOO FAR INTO THE FUTURE. THE IMMEDIATE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY

ELDERLY THE

CANNOT BE SOLVED. SO, DID YOU JUST GIVE US AN EMPTY PROMISE? WILL YOU CONSIDER THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE ELDERLY OR THOSE WHO BENEFIT UNDER THE CSSA SCHEME? SO IN THE COMING YEAR'S BUDGET WILL YOU CONSIDER INCREASING THE CSSA RATE SO THAT THEY CAN LEAD A BETTER LIFE, SO THAT THEY CAN INDEED SHARE IN THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF HONG KONG? WHEN YOU GIVE US A REPLY, PLEASE DO NOT RESORT TO THE EXCUSE OF THE OLD-AGE PENSION SCHEME.

GOVERNOR:

WELL, WITH RESPECT TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER, I'LL REPLY AS I WANT AND I MAY REFER TO THE OLD-AGE PENSION SCHEME WHICH ISN'T IRRELEVANT TO THE ARGUMENT, WHICH IS, I GUESS, WHY HE WANTED ME TO AVOID TALKING ABOUT IT. WE ARE AT PRESENT PROVIDING 6.8

OF SERVICES TO THE ELDERLY AND THAT FIGURE WILL GO UP BILLION

AS WE IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKING PARTY ON THE ELDERLY.

YEAR EVERY

THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, ANXIOUS ΤΟ ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO BUDGET PRUDENTLY, DETERMINED TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO KEEP PUBLIC SPENDING BELOW 20 PER CENT OF GDP SO THAT WE CAN KEEP TAXES LOW AND KEEP A BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT, EXTREMELY ANXIOUS OF COURSE TO AVOID CHARGES OF WELFARISM BY NEWS AGENCIES IN HONG KONG OR ELSEWHERE, EVERY YEAR THE GOVERNOR HAS TO BALANCE, WITH HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE ADMINISTRATION, UNDERSTANDABLE ARGUMENTS FOR GREATER IT RESOURCES AGAINST THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS AVAILABLE TO SPEND. SEEMED

ME AND TO US THIS YEAR, THAT THE RIGHT PLACE TO PUT OUR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WAS:

ΤΟ

/1.

INTO BETTER