XN000022-1996-10-30 — Page 2

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Transcript of Governor's media session

Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, following his visit to Sha Tin this (Wednesday) afternoon:

Governor: Good afternoon. I am delighted to have seen such a cross-section of the community activities in Sha Tin today. I was pleased to see the Tsang Big House (Tsang Tai Uk) which I have driven past so many times but was able to look at.

I was very pleased to be able to go to the Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School and particularly pleased to see the young children who were injured in the tragedy, in the fire, earlier this year.

I would just like to thank everyone in our medical service, everyone in the community, and particularly their teachers and parents, for all they have done to help them and support them through these difficult months, and it is a pleasure to see the progress which they have made.

And then I was happy to go and visit the Cheshire Home, and of course to come to this excellent hospital for which all of us have so much reason to be grateful.

So, it has been an interesting visit and I was delighted to be back in Sha Tin - on a nice day.

Question: Governor, a question concerning the leakage of the Budget. Will any action be taken by the Hong Kong Government to make sure that no further leakage will be happening?

Governor: Well, I don't intend to undertake a sort of running commentary on what candidates for the Chief Executive post say. This appears to be a curious "who done it". Everybody knows the Government, the Financial Secretary, the Secretary for the Treasury, haven't provided any information, and apparently Chinese officials haven't provided any information. Perhaps the information was found under a gooseberry bush! But I think when people see the actual Budget they will be able to make up their own minds how reliable the figures were.

Question: But do you support calls for an investigation into this?

Governor: I don't want to add to what I have said. I think the community will make up its mind about these things.