XN000022-1995-05-17 — Page 4

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Governor: I'm never so satisfied that I'm not prepared to consider the room for improvement. But I think in the present circumstances, the rules are clear and I'm pleased that the Stock Exchange are intent on applying them. But if anybody can ever suggest to me or the Stock Exchange that we should be tougher in our regulation then I'm sure we'd want to look at that.

Question: Back to the PWC suggestions. One of the suggestions is that CFA shouldn't have any power to deal with any case concerning the act of state. What is your opinion on that?

Governor: Acts of state are clearly understood in English common law and they are understood to be matters of foreign policy and defence. There's no dispute about that. I think that one of the problems which Chinese officials are having is trying to reconcile the common law which has applied in Hong Kong and which is guaranteed for 50 years about 1997 with some of the provisions of the Basic Law. But that is a problem for Chinese officials and one which everyone in Hong Kong hopes they will resolve satisfactorily.

Question: Why does the Government offer the Mong Kok roof dwellers temporary housing when the government policy is to get rid of temporary housing estates?

Governor: Because you have to have somewhere for people to go before they can get permanent housing. We are committed to removing temporary housing estates in Hong Kong. We are making good progress with that. We're on target. I've made it clear that we're intent on removing the older temporary housing estates first which didn't use to be the policy. We used to actually remove them as it became convenient, but we're now concentrating on all the older ones first. But if you're moving people from illegal structures on rooftops, you want to make sure that they are rehoused and they've got to go somewhere before they have more permanent accommodation to be rehoused. ...Rosanna may want to add ....There is just one thing I'd like to add. The overwhelming majority of those who've been moved from the illegal structures which the demonstration has been about today, the majority of those moved from those illegal structures have accepted the offer of rehousing. It's only a small number who are left. I do think the community recognises that we have to give priority in these circumstances to those who've been waiting for housing for longer.

Ms Wong: Just one point. Because we still have a very long waiting list and if we allow people from the rooftop to go on directly to public rental housing and then those who are waiting for a long time.... wait even longer. So I think this is very...

Ty

Governor: And one thing which would obviously do rather paradoxically is to encourage more illegal structures because people would realise that it was a way of getting earlier on to the housing list. So it's a fair policy and I think most people accepted as that. Thank you all very much.

End/Wednesday, May 17, 1995