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The following is the transcript of the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, speaking to the press after the Policy Address at the Legislative Council today (January 8):
Mr Tsang: Today the Chief Executive has presented his first Policy Address in the second term. The content is full and its purpose is very clear. He analyses objectively the problem of Hong Kong's economy over the last five years and he sets out the future course of action. Particularly he sets out Hong Kong's strengths, its strengths of its ties with the Mainland, particularly of its international configuration and opportunity which the Pearl River offers to Hong Kong's future progress. He also sets out how he sees the Budget deficit should be addressed and he has set out his goal very clearly. I think it is a very progressive Policy Address and it is, particularly in the area of setting out our areas of co-operation with the Pearl River Delta, it has been a landmark.
Reporter: Mr Tsang could you elaborate because some of the parts you haven't mentioned in what you said in Chinese --- the contributions from the civil servants. What sort of cut do you expect from (inaudible)
Mr Tsang: What we have proposed to do in terms of cutting Government spending, the Chief Executive has set out his goal of reducing public spending to a level of $200 billion by the year 2006-7. We have made a decision that all Principal Officials, the accountable officials, would have their salaries cut for the second time after their appointment and the next time will be ten per cent in April 1. But of course, these are political appointed officers. The civil servants must be dealt with in a different manner. Civil servants are not politically appointed, they are career people, they are regulated by strict mechanism as far as wage adjustment is concerned. In that area, the Secretary for Civil Service is now engaging with the representatives of staff, setting up a good timetable to look at ways in which future salary adjustments should be made in the civil service. And I think they're making progress and I'm sure we are able to see how on the one hand, civil servants' concern will be addressed and at the same time the common effort of reducing the deficit will be achieved.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
End/ Wednesday, January 8, 2003
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