TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 181

Employment opportunities in the

in the new

new towne

le

Question No.

Reply by Hon. C.R. Saunders, JP, Secretary for Lands and Works, to question by Dr. Hon. CHIU\Hin-kwong, OBE, JP, in Legislative Council on 29 June 1988

2. DR. CHIU asked:

Question:

le

In order to achieve a more balanced distribution of jobs relative to population concentrations, will Government inform this Council whether it has any policies to encourage jobs to be created in the New Towns and, if so, what are the measures to achieve this objective?

SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS:

Sir

the present distribution of employment

throughout Hong Kong is, to a great extent, a matter of history, hinging upon such things as the location of the old-established trading centres, post-war industrial

areas, the central business district, and the availability

of transport facilities, including the port. In

le developing the New Towns, therefore, it has not been easy

for the Government to achieve a balance between the

distribution of jobs and population, as this would have involved direct intervention to relocate jobs in parallel

with the redistribution of population.

The New Towns have all been developed, however, with the concept of balanced development in mind, and the policy from the beginning has been to try and create an even balance between population and employment

l opportunities in each New Town. This objective is

expressed in terms of the production, reservation and disposal of land to accommodate industrial and commercial activities in quantities commensurate with the anticipated

numbers of resident workers. The essential supporting

infrastructure, such as water supply, drainage, sewerage

and transport is developed in phase with this, the aim

being to create adequate opportunities for, and an

/environment