TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 45

SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT :

on

29

Sir, my predecessor's reply

October 1986 refers only to a rough guess

It was

of an earlier stage of 1989-90 financial year.

only a rough guess. At

that

time the

project

was

in Category C of

the

Public

Works

Programme;

in other words, approval in principle only.

There was no slippage.

we

have

Since that time,

been actively looking into the detailed

designs and the detailed implications of the project and,

as I said in the main reply, the consultants were

only

and

appointed last year to finalise the planning, design construction.

What is now causing us some concern,

some concern, as I said just now,

is the increasing costs of the project and the limited

funds available in the overall Public Works Programme

construct

to projects of this kind. But, as I said, subject to this

being cost-effective, and subject to funds being made

available,

I

would

definitely

wish

to proceed with it as early as I can, that is, by early

1991.

lc.

MR. PETER POON:

Sir, I think it would be false economy

as an excuse

to use the availability of funds to delay the project

year after year because if we delay further, there will

be more excuse for asking for more funds. The traffic

situation in Mid-Levels

Page 45Page 46