New Town-Stage I phase 2-formation of area 47B and adjacent trunk roads and sewers' ($5,619,534 or 38.5%) due to the need to revise the planning layout of area 47B, the late availability of borrow areas and late commencement of contract works; 'Sha Tin water supply, stage I, phase 2' ($5,873,003 or 59.1%) because there was delay in service reservoir work and lower tender prices; 'Castle Peak Housing Authority estate, Area 6' ($20,079,121 or 34.4%) due to delay between the completion of the foundations of the lower blocks and full scale work on the superstructures pending the commissioning of the casting yard and tower cranes coupled with further delays due to abnormal rainfall and delays in site formation; and 'Tuen Mun Road-Stage I' ($20,365,641 or 20.8%) because of slow progress due to inclement weather and delay in awarding the second contract. The three largest excesses on subheads under this Head were: ‘Lei Muk Shue Housing Authority estate' ($7,013,694 or 438.4%) following an increase in the approved estimate to provide for fluctuations not included in the original estimate; 'Kwai Shing Housing Authority estate-sites II and III' ($8,602,159 or 17%) because part of the project was completed earlier than anticipated; and the block vote for 'Furniture and equipment' ($1,494,285 or 37.4%) mainly because of very heavy expenditure on furniture and equipment for the new Kwai Chung technical institute which was not foreseen at the time when the original estimate was prepared.
Head 74-Public Works Non-Recurrent: Waterworks
The approved estimate for the year was sub-divided into 19 subheads of which 16 showed savings and 3 were overspent. Four new subheads were opened during the year with supplementary provision totalling $1,027,000 of which $626,008 was spent. Of the gross savings of $61,577,747 against the printed estimate $46,745,136 occurred on two subheads, namely 'High Island Water Scheme' ($24,232,948 or 10.1%), mainly because of delays in design and testing of lowland pumping stations and a second Lion Rock service reservoir together with delays in plant delivery and civil works and savings on contract prices, resumption and compensation, offset to some extent by expenditure on additional work on grouting of the east sea cofferdam, additional fees and expenses of consultant and accelerated progress of tunnel contracts; and 'Single purpose desalting plant' ($22,512,188 or 28.2%) for numerous reasons including the following, part of the expenditure was financed by a loan from the Asian Development Bank, there were no substantial modifications to the turbine generators as originally envisaged, some instrumentation and control works could not be completed before the end of the year, there were delays in completion of contract works and in delivery of fire pumps and associated fittings, and as a result of delays in carrying out inspection works some contract payments were not claimed before the end of the year. Other savings occurred under: 'Central district salt water flushing system stage II' ($1,453,904 or 63%) due to delays in design, in tendering for civil works and in delivery of mechanical plant; under ‘Pokfulam water supply stage III' ($1,826,853 or 69.4%) because of tendering delays, slow progress in contract works and deferment of mechanical works; under 'Extensions to New Kowloon East high level fresh water supply, stage I' ($2,284,278 or 46.9%) because the cost of service reservoir work was lower than anticipated, plant ordered was not supplied and bridge work was cancelled; under 'Sheung Shui/Tai Po supply, stage III' ($2,514,341 or 43.2%) because the cost of main laying work was less than anticipated and progress on the service reservoir was slower than expected; and under 'Raising of Plover Cove dams, uprating and extension of Sha Tin treatment works and pumping station and Tai Po Tau pumping station' ($4,069,938 or 35.7%) due partly to delay in the delivery and installation of mechanical and electrical plant and instrumentation and partly to over-estimation of the provision required. There was only one significant excess on a subhead appearing in the original estimates, this was $1,185,827 or 82.8% under 'Plover Cove scheme' due to accelerated progress made in connection with arbitra- tion proceedings relating to one large contract.
Head 77-Registrar General's Department
Only one subhead recorded a significant variation from the estimate. This was 'Hire of services' where there was an excess of $343,839 (279.5%) because of unexpected expenditure incurred in connection with investiga- tions under the Companies Ordinance.
Head 81-Social Welfare Department
There was one large excess of $29,057,202 (13.4%) under the subhead for 'Relief', mainly because the actual public assistance caseload increased far beyond the average figure forecast at the time when the estimate was prepared (at the end of September 1975 for example the actual caseload was 54,444 as compared with the estimate of 44,000), and also as a result of substantial expenditure on the provision of food, stores and equipment for some 4,000 Vietnamese refugees who came to Hong Kong in early May 1975 and the provision of food and emergency stores for the victims of natural disasters (e.g. the major fire at Aldrich Bay, Shau Kei Wan) which occurred during the year.
Head 82-S
There were classificatio
Special Edu provision w only 9 class (20.8%) in anticipated
were $20,27 because few were eligibl of Aid for Under 'Spe (80.7%) on School for Under 'Sp 'Grammar and comple (37.7%) on
was reduce vocational of 15 of th
Head 83-
There were subvention:
Kong Bud were provis requiremen a further re of Hospital
of staff vac cases by si Hospital', (the whole Christian I settle outst
Head 86-
The only n
meters' par which had
Head 88-
Significant (13.8%), o because co $4,710,461 due to the Day Facili Buildings. University
the accour during the
main build
was deferr covered by Universitie slower tha
18
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.