XN000022-1994-12-08 — Page 7

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Governor: I think the Honourable Member would be gratified but surprised if I was to say that that was going to be available before this Christmas. On the working party which he mentioned, of course there is no competition or difference between any government departments, this is a seamless row and we are all entirely on the same side working comprehensively together on these problems. I think it made sense to put together professionals from both sectors and administrators from both sectors really in order to avoid the sort of tensions and clashes which might come up later on. We don't believe that having, as it were, a trans- professional membership will delay the work of the working party. We intend that the working party should report during the course of the next calendar year so that we can get on and implement a policy which I think the whole community feel strongly about. And I know that there are anxieties in particular because of things like remuneration levels, which are understandable.

Secondly, on the question of subsidising kindergartens, we hope that we can come to a clear decision on that subject early in '95 and perhaps make a start on implementing that policy later in the year. It does have pretty substantial cost implications but I guess that it is a mark of the success we have achieved in other areas of education that so much pressure and emphasis is now on kindergartens and child- care services.

Mr Tik Chi-yuen (through interpreter): Today, we do not receive the Christmas gift yet. It is hoped that in 1995 there will be a decision and we are waiting for this New Year gift. With regard to unification of the Pre-Primary Service Working Group, there are some experts sitting on the working group. Now, Mr Governor, will you consider having parents sitting on the working group because on the working group we have professionals and government department officials but there should be parents sitting on the working group. Will you consider that?

Governor: Even governors and civil servants can be parents too and I'm sure that there are several parents on the working group. We will consider the proposal put by the Honourable Member but I think that if he believes, as he knows he does, and as I do, that the objective should be to get on with things as rapidly as possible, we perhaps shouldn't continually tinker with the membership of the working party but try to ensure that it can do its job as rapidly as possible.

Mr Alfred Tso (through interpreter): Mr Governor, in the past I have been asking questions on major infrastructure projects and also liaison between China and Hong Kong with regard to these infrastructure projects. We have waited for long periods of time and now the Sino-British Co-ordinating Committee on Cross-border Infrastructure has been established and the Governor says that he welcomes the setting up of the Committee and he says that he supports this Committee. There are several major projects which the Chinese authorities want to launch and that will also benefit Hong Kong.