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Reporter: Secretary, I have two questions. First, This is still subject to further appeal, do you have any expectation that there will be an appeal, and whether it will affect your plan to go full speed ahead?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: It's important that we now have valid environmental assessment permits on hand. As a responsible government, we need to proceed because the project has already been delayed and there has been substantial cost increase. I cannot speak on behalf of the people who are in control of the decision process. But of course, we do hope that they will consider carefully because of the immense impact that is involved.
Reporter: My second question... wants to focus very much on the air pollution. Even though you won in the Court of Appeal, does it suggest that in the future you might want to pay even more attention to the area of the environmental protection regarding air pollution?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: We have always been conducting our Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) in accordance with the law and the guidelines of the day. I think it's important that we make sure we do that within those parameters. Whether the system ought to be further improved, of course, I'm quite sure that the Secretary for Environment will bear that in mind. For us, as a project proponent, as I have emphasised, we have been acting lawfully and make sure that our EIAs are always conducted in accordance with the law of the day.
Reporter: My last question. Acting lawfully is one thing; acting to the level of the people's concerns and changing and growing expectation is another. So does it suggest that perhaps in the future, just sticking to the level of the law, public's demand is something goes beyond that?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: The public always have, and we respect, the right to seek judicial review. I think we must emphasise that. I think in the judgement today, the judges also reminded us that the system was there to be observed. It's important that we observe the rules of the day and that we have done. Whether the community feels that the objectives and other issues ought to be further improved, of course, there can be public debate. But in advance of that, we need to respect what the law and the guidelines of the day are; and we have done that. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Issued at HKT 22:33
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