TNAG-1606-FCO40-22121-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 198

Question No. 5

Reply by Hon. G. Barnes, JP, Secretary for Lands and Works, to question by Hon. TAI Chin-wah

at Legislative Council on 11 March 1987

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Question:

Will Government inform this Council what is the village population in the New Territories as compared with that in the new towns and what is the level of public expenditure on village improvement and new town improvement in the New Territories in each of the past three years?

Sir,

The population living in the country and villages outside the new towns in the New Territories, i.e. Shatin, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Tai Po, Fanling, Junk Bay, Sai Kung, Kwai Chung/Tsing Yi, Yuen Long and the rural townships of Peng Chau, Cheung Chau, Tai Po and Mui Wo, amounts to about 290,000. The population living inside the new towns areas and rural townships which includes some 119,000 persons living in villages houses and other structures, is now about 1,600,000.

Village improvement outside new towns and rural townships is mainly carried out under the Local Public Works vote controlled by the District Offices. The annual

expenditure on Local Public Works for the past three years amounted to $12.3 million in 1983-84, $12.7 million in 1984-85 and $13.5 million in 1985-86. Expenditure for 1986-87 will be about $14.25 million. From 1987-88 improvement works outside new towns and rural townships will be funded by means of a new PWP item which has $13 million for new Local Public Works projects and $12 million for urban fringe improvements such as access roads in areas on the fringes of the New Town, in each of the next five years. In addition, there will be a new

/PWP