TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 186

LO

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Can this Council be informed why a large number of people

still have to work in places away

away from the new town in

which they live?

Well, the short answer to

not have a balance between

SE CRE TARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS:

this, Sir, is that we do

resident population and job places. In some of the new

towns we are very close to achieving a balance; in others

we have not yet achieved a balance, although the figures

are improving all the time and it is interesting to note

that if one were to compare the figures over

over the last 10

or 15 years, you would find that the numbers of job places

or potential job places in the new towns are actually

growing faster than the population.

not simply a question of balance

Unfortunately, it is

because there are

inevitably people who live

live in the new towns who do not

want to work in the new towns; they want to commute

out. And conversely there are people working in the new

towns who do not live in the new towns and who commute

This, I am afraid, is a factor over which we have no

control. We cannot direct people as to where they work

and if a new town resident chooses to work in the urban

areas, then so be it we really have no control over that.

in.

-

MR. TAI: Sir, may I ask the Secretary if land cost is a

determining factor for investment for industrialists, and

low land cost becomes an attraction

•

for them

them to move to