TNAG-2145-FCO40-3064-Hong-Kong-Port-and-Airport-Development-Strategy-(PADS)-1990 — Page 26

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1990

THE ACTING CHIEF COUNCIL ON

THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE SPEECH BY SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PIERS JACOBS, IN THE LEGISLATIVE NOVEMBER

21,

1990, ON THE AMENDED MOTION MOVED BY THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG ON THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

SIR, I SHALL BE AS BRIEF AS I CAN. I AM GRATEFUL, FOR MEMBERS' SUPPORT FOR THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY RELATED PROJECTS. AS MANY MEMBERS HAVE INDICATED, THESE PROJECTS ARE VITAL TO THE FUTURE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG. THE SUPPORT OF THIS COUNCIL TO THE PROJECT, IN CLEAR TERMS, WILL, I AM SURE, BE WELCOMED BY THE COMMUNITY WHICH WE ALL SERVE.

STR,

HAVE

HAVE

YEAR,

AS MR JAMES TIEN AND MISS LEUNG WAI-TUNG AND OTHERS INDICATED, MANY OF THE POINTS THAT WERE RAISED IN THIS DEBATE ALREADY BEEN COVERED IN THE DEBATE HELD ON THE 31 OCTOBER THIS SO I DON'T INTEND TO REPEAT ALL THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE ON THAT OCCASION. BUT THERE ARE SOME POINTS THAT WERE RAISED, IN PARTICULAR, MR KINGSLEY SIT'S SPEECH, THAT I FEEL 1 MUST COMMENT UPON BECAUSE THE REMARKS MADE, IF LEFT UNCONTRADICTED OR UNCHALLENGED, COULD BE MISLEADING TO MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL AND TO THE PUBLIC.

CHEK

WE

KOK AS A PROJECT, OF COURSE HAS A LONG HISTORY, AS SOME MEMBERS COMMENTED. IT WAS, AS MEMBERS WILL REMEMBER, SHELVED IN 1983. THERE WERE VERY CLEAR REASONS AS TO WHY IT WAS SHELVED. FIRST OF ALL AT THAT TIME THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WAS NOT CLEAR AND COULD NOT GO AHEAD WITH THE PROJECT UNTIL THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG HAD BERN SETTLED. IN 1984, OF COURSE IT WAS SETTLED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION AND SO THE WAY WAS CLEAR FOR THE PROJECT TO GO AHEAD, BUT BY THAT TIME, THE BUDGET WAS NOT LOOKING PARTICULARLY STRONG AND SO THE PROJECT WAS TEMPORARILY SHELVED, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BUDGETARY SITUATION AT THE TIME, NOT - AND I REPEAT NOT BECAUSE OF OTHER TECHNICAL OR OPERATIONAL FACTORS, AS ALLEGED BY MR SIT.

THE BRIEF GIVEN TO THE CONSULTANTS FOR THE PADS STUDY, WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS, DID INDEED REFER TO THE NON-VIABILITY OF CHEK LAP KOK IN 1983, BUT IT IS DISTRESSING TO HEAR THAT MR SIT HAS CHOSEN TO MISLEAD THIS COUNCIL BY EXTENDING THE RESERVATIONS REGARDING FINANCING TO INCLUDE THE ACTUAL SITING OF CHEK LAP KOK ITSELF. MAY I THEREFORE REPEAT ONCE AGAIN THAT TAKING ALL RELEVANT FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT, CHEK LAP KOK IS INDEED THE MOST SUITABLE AND THE MOST VIABLE SITE FOR OUR NEW AIRPORT.