XN000022-1995-12-08 — Page 4

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Transcript of CS's media session

Following is the transcript of the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan's media session after meeting Legislative Council members today (Friday):

Chief Secretary: I've just had a briefing with members of the LegCo and for this first briefing, I've told them the topic of contacts with China because I think it's an issue that is of concern not only to the community but also of concern to my colleagues in the civil service. I am very happy on this occasion to be able to say that following the success of the first informal get-together, we have now agreed with the Chinese that the next get-together will take place on December 14, that is next Thursday, at the Happy Valley Racecourse Voting Members' Box. The civil servants taking part in this get-together will be the Secretary for Home Affairs and the Secretary for Health and Welfare together with their responsible Heads of Departments and also the Director of Information Services. I very much hope and I am sure that this get-together will be conducted in a similar manner as the first one, that is in a very informal, relaxed atmosphere, facilitating a frank exchange of views between my colleagues and Chinese officials.

Question: Will there be any agenda for this meeting, I'd like to ask?

Chief Secretary: Bearing in mind that the Secretary for Home Affairs and the Secretary for Health and Welfare, together with the Director of Social Welfare, the Director of Health, the Director of Information Services, I would expect that the discussion will evolve around those spheres of activities, particularly on our welfare expenditure and on what progress we have in the coming years. There will be a good opportunity for Mrs Fok and for the Director of Social Welfare to put Chinese minds and hearts at ease in so far as expenditure on welfare side is concerned. I stress again we adopt a very prudent financial management. Expenditure on the welfare side is well within economic growth. We intend to keep it that way. So there need be no concern that we are going down the road of welfarism.

Question: We have in the past budgets that deficits turned out to be surpluses. will we discuss the issue of budget deficits and surpluses with the Chinese side?

Chief Secretary: We have consultations with the Chinese on budget preparation. You know that currently we are taking the Chinese side through how we actually go about preparing for the budget and there will be consultation on the next budget. So there is plenty of opportunity for both sides to explain and to address concerns.

End