TNAG-0490-FCO40-555-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-Hong-Kong-police-an-1974 — Page 53

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VEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1974.

ASSURANCE ON 10-YEAR HOUSING BUILDING PROGRAMME $300 MILLION TO BE SPENT IN 1974/75

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THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON. IAN LIGHTBODY, TODAY EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE THAT THE BULK OF THE TEN-YEAR BUILDING PROGRAMME WOULD BE CARRIED OUT AS PLANNED, DESPITE THE EFFECT OF THE RECENT BUDGET ON THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME.

HE WAS SPEAKING IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON. H.M.G. FORS GATE WHO WANTED TO KNOW WHAT DELAYS OR REDUCTIONS, IF ANY, WERE PROPOSED IN THE BUILDING PLAN IN CONNECTION WITH BUDGETARY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME.

MR. LIGHTBODY POINTED OUT THAT THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY STATED IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH THAT THE MASSIVE UPSURGE IN THE SPENDING PROGRAMMES, ACCOMPANIED BY HIGHER BUILDING COSTS, HAD PRODUCED A SITUATION IN WHICH IT HAD BEEN NECESSARY TO TAKE CAREFUL STOCK.

+IN THE LIGHT OF THIS STOCK-TAKING, + MR. LIGHTBODY SAID, +WE ARE REPHASING SOME OF THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT WORKS WHICH ARE LINKED TO THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME, AS WELL AS BUILDING WORK ON SOME NEW ESTATES.

+EVEN SO, İN 1974/75 WE EXPECT TO SPEND ABOUT $300 MILLION ON BUILDING NEW PUBLIC HOUSING, COMPARED WITH $144 MILLION LAST YEAR.+

HE STRESSED THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF THESE TEMPORARY CHECKS REQUIRING ANY REDUCTION IN THE PUBLIC HOUSING BUILDING PROGRAMME AS A WHOLE, THOUGH OBVIOUSLY THEY WOULD, IMPOSE A LITTLE DELAY IN THE EARLY YEARS.

WHILE SOUNDING A NOTE OF-CONFIDENCE IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME AS PLANNED, MR. LIGHTBODY SAID: +OBVIOUSLY MUCH WILL DEPEND ON WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE IN THE MIDDLE AND LATER YEARS OF THE PROGRAMME, WHEN WE ARE GEARED TO FULL PRODUCTION, AND THIS IN TURN WILL DEPEND ON OUR BUDGETARY SITUATION -- AND THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ITSELF YEARS.+

IN THOSE

AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, HE SAID THE PRESENT REPHASING MUST NOT BE OVER-DRAMATISED. +THERE ARE MANY OTHER FACTORS WHICH IMPOSE UNAVOIDABLE CONSTRAINTS ON OUR TIME-TABLES, AND IN MY VIEW THE PRESENT LIMITATIONS ON SPENDING ARE OF RELATIVELY MINOR SIGNIFICANCE FOR OUR LONG-TERM HOUSING PROGRAMME. HE ADDED.

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