The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The meeting of the Legislative Council ("LegCo") Finance Committee originally scheduled at 3pm tomorrow (October 19) in Conference Roo… read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (October 18):
Reporter: About the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project, some people have expressed concerns that with this project and issues like climate change, it will make the artificial island vulnerable to disaster. What do you have to say to people who have these concerns?
Secretary for the Environment: After the COP 21, the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris, we saw the Paris Agreement. After that, the Hong Kong Government has set up a high level steering committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, to look after mitigation, that means decarbonisation, and also adaptation and resilience. So you are talking about the adaptation. Under the high level steering committee, we have a working group to look after the infrastructures on how to follow the latest global standards and by making reference to the local situation. It will set the latest up-to-date standards for all infrastructures, including reclamation. Under this mechanism, for whatever kind of major infrastructures and development, no matter it is near the sea or on land, they will have to follow the latest climate adaptation standards.
Reporter: What about the impact of this project on marine life? How confident are you that the impact would be minimal?
Secretary for the Environment: I don’t think it is fair for me to comment on that. We have an established procedure, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It is a process based on scientific and objective data. It is up to the proponents to collect the data, to put forward the proposal and to decide on how they can minimise the environmental impact. Then they have to go through the (EIA) process, which the proposals can be approved or disapproved. Through the process, there are public involvement opportunities. The public can view the assessment and express their opinions. The duty of the Environment Bureau and also the EPD (Environmental Protection Department) is to diligently administer the EIA process.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more
Following is the transcript of remarks at a media session by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, after attending a radio programme this morning (October 18):
Reporter: It has been a few days since the reclamation project has been unveiled. What is your response so far to the criticisms and concerns that have been expressed?
Secretary for Development: We will listen to the views very carefully. Coming up, there will be a rational discussion. Over the past few days, the Government’s intention, vision and detailed contents (of the project) have become clearer and clearer. We discussed that in the programme earlier on. Initially, there was impression that the Government will immediately go ahead with reclamation of the scale of 1 700 hectares. It is now getting clearer and clearer to the public that our initial vision, if we talk about the more concrete part of our vision, it pertains to the reclamation around Kau Yi Chau. We are talking about 1 000 hectares, which corresponds to what the Task Force on Land Supply has been engaging the public about. Now it becomes very clear. There are concerns revealed during the discussion processes, such as concerns over costs, concerns over the ability to respond to the climate, concerns over the technical feasibility of the entire project. For all these, we will explain and come up with factual information to allow the public to understand better about the rationale of the project. That is what we would do in the coming months. As I said, the next checkpoint, if I may use this word, is when we go to the Legislative Council for funding for the planning and engineering study, which will mainly focus on the 1 000 hectares of reclamation of the Kau Yi Chau project. That will happen in a few months’ time. Before that, we have enough time to communicate, explain and listen.
Reporter: Can I ask you a bit about the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge? Yesterday, the Liaison Office issued an invitation for Hong Kong media. Is it kind of unusual that the distribution of announcement is not from the Hong Kong Government?
Secretary for Development: For that, you have to understand that it is under the purview of the Transport and Housing Bureau. It will be much better for them to explain to you the situation.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more
The second Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) Conservation Training Workshop was launched today (October 18) at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum to raise conservation standards, enhance exchanges on technologies and promote professional … read more
A man who went missing in Tin Sum has been located. Lam Chi-wang, aged 27, went missing after he was last seen in Sha Kok Estate in the early hours of Ap… read more