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The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
Following is the transcript (English portion) of a meet-the-media session by the Convenor of the non-official members of the Executive Council (ExCo), Mr Leung Chun-ying, and some ExCo non-official members, on the Policy Address today (October 13):
Reporter: The first batch of flats under the rent-to-purchase scheme will only be available four to five years later. Would it be too late?
Convenor of the non-official members of ExCo: We don't have details as the Chief Executive said in his Policy Address that the Secretary for Transport and Housing will provide details as soon as possible and once the details are out, I am sure we can make comments.
Reporter: Mr Tsang has passed the responsibility of tackling Basic Law Article 23 legislation to the next Chief Executive¡K
Convenor of the non-official members of ExCo: It is a constitutional obligation on the part of the Hong Kong Government and on the part of the Hong Kong community as a whole to enact the legislation on our own and this is the wording in Article 23 of the Basic Law. Obviously the work of the Government has to be prioritised versus other more pressing issues the Government has to deal with in the remaining term of the Chief Executive. I am sure the Chief Executive and his Government will look at this in the light of the need to have broader consensus on the legislation in Hong Kong to decide the timing of the legislation.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:00
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