XN000022-1995-04-27 — Page 17

- 15

Secondly, on port development. We do take account in the decisions we make on developing our port, in the decisions we make on the need for new container terminals for example, we do take account of the developments that are taking place in Southern China and we couldn't possibly come to rational decisions about port capacity unless we were to do so, but plainly the Honourable Member is right to say that the Infrastructure Co-ordination Committee gives us a framework within which to discuss these sort of economic infrastructure issues with those who are responsible for them in Southern China as well. Our economies are intimately linked, are bound up inextricably together, to our mutual advantage and that must require us to look constructively at the impact of economic development on our transport and our infrastructure as a whole. So the simple answer to the Honourable Member is yes we do have to look at what's happening elsewhere in the Region and he's quite correct to press us on that. We also have to look I think at some of the implications for, we have to look more carefully than we perhaps have, at some of the implications for the storage of containers around our own community which is a consequence of the development of our port.

The President: In accordance with Standing Orders I now adjourn the Council until 2.30 pm, Wednesday 3rd May, 1995.

End/Thursday, April 27, 1995

Eligibility to register as electors explained

The Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun, said today (Thursday) that under existing laws, subject to the fulfilment of other requirements in the electoral laws, a non-permanent resident may register as an elector if he or she has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for the seven years immediately preceding the date of his or her application.

He pointed out that the provision had been in place for a long time and there was nothing new that foreign nationals who met the ordinary residence requirements under the law could, irrespective of their nationality and occupation, register as electors and vote in elections.

"This was the case before 1982 when elections were held for the Urban Council, and remains so under the existing electoral laws for elections to the three-tier representative Councils and Boards," he said.

Mr Lee was explaining the provisions under existing electoral laws governing eligibility to register as electors at a meeting with representatives of the Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association (HKEODHA). The meeting was held at the Association's invitation.