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A VISION OF THE FUTURE

pollution means that we will have significantly improved our environment, including the air that we breathe, and we will have completely overhauled our sewerage system. The establishment of our Hospital Authority will have led to more efficient management, and greatly reduced overcrowding, in our public hospitals. There will be 20 000 places in old people's homes, and a further 6 000 places in sheltered housing provided by the Housing Authority. Ninety per cent of all homes will have access to up to 20 television channels. Forty six per cent of the population will be living in the New Territories. And so on.

Conclusion

The plans that I have outlined today demonstrate your government's commitment to the future of Hong Kong. They are a major investment for our future prosperity. They will be very expensive. We can afford them. But only if we are prepared to exercise prudence and restraint in other areas of public expenditure. It will be more necessary than ever to assess our priorities carefully. In particular, we must keep a tight control on the growth of the civil service.

The amount of money we are proposing to spend on building for Hong Kong's future may seem daunting. But it represents a necessary investment in human resources and in our physical infrastructure. By pressing ahead with such ambitious programmes despite the special pressures which our community has so recently faced, the government is demonstrating its commitment to Hong Kong's future. To carry out these programmes, we - will need all our enterprise, resourcefulness and efficiency. We will have to accept that we can achieve our goals only by continuing to give priority to the overall growth of our economy.

It has been a difficult year for Hong Kong. But we have had difficult years before. We have survived them. We have emerged from them stronger and more confident in our own ability. We must have confidence in ourselves. Without this, we cannot expect other people to have confidence in us. Your government will continue to face resolutely the challenges that lie ahead. To do so, we need the support of Members of this Council and of the whole community. We need more than that. We need leadership from within the community. In 1997, Hong Kong will be run by Hong Kong people. They must have confidence in themselves, and in the leaders they choose, if they are to enjoy the stability and progress, for themselves and their families, for which this whole community works so hard.