XN000022-1995-10-12 — Page 3

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Mrs Selina Chow: Mr Governor, first you refer to the previous Executive Council and Hong Kong Government policy, now all along we've been talking about sending them all back before 1995. That was the policy and it is obvious that that won't be achieved. Now, Mr Governor, you seem to be circumventing the question every time. Now you are saying that if in 1997 there are Vietnamese Boat People here and we give them the wrong impression that they might be able to go to the UK and other countries Why is this misleading? Why can't you take it up with the UK Government and ask the UK Government to agree to taking these Vietnamese Boat People?

Governor: For the same reasons that applied when the Executive Council, which had a number of distinguished members, discussed the issue in 1988: the United Kingdom Government, after 1997, wouldn't have legally or any other grounds, any responsibility for taking them. That's why I want to get them back before 1997 and we will continue in the Administration to work as hard as we can on the issue.

I don't think the Honourable lady should be disingenuous in pursuing this argument. The parameters of the problem haven't changed since she was a distinguished member of the Executive Council. We are working extremely hard, not least our Correctional Services Department, and our Police Officers from time to time, to deal with the problem, and we will continue to do so. We will do everything we can to deal with the problem as quickly as possible and I hope that we get more support rather than less support internationally. As I've said before and as I explained to Representative Smith, a US Congressman who has been much involved in this issue, I don't think that recent decisions by the US Congress have helped but I'm glad that the United States Administration has been trying to be of assistance on this matter.

Dr C H Leong: Governor, in your policy address yesterday you made some words of praise to the Hospital Authority and its performance pledges and for that we have to be thankful. In the same address you also mentioned that there will be an increase in public medical services, like increasing some 800 hospital beds which is obviously laudable, but you also feel that there will be more people patronising the public medical services. In other words, it appears that there will be an unlimited public medical service itself. Now could I ask whether it is the commitment of your Government to unlimitedly fund these unlimited services? If not, what are your plans either to curb the service or are there any means in your mind that you will fund the service itself and what plans do you have to balance the provision of health care services between the private and the public?

Thank you.