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Transcript of remarks by CS at media session (with video)
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     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session at the Legislative Council Complex today (June 25):

Reporter:  What impact does it have on the government projects? What messages do you have for LegCo members and villagers affected?

Chief Secretary for Administration: Well, the delays that we have seen in the past one and a half months are causing a lot of damage to a large number of projects awaiting funding approval. Our estimate is that we now have a total of 35 works projects and 41 non-works projects affecting a large number of policy areas, such as production of land to meet our housing needs, such as the redevelopment of the Queen Mary Hospital, such as the development of environmental facilities. As well as on the non-works side, there will be thousands or millions of people being affected by the delays. For example, public housing tenants are supposed to receive this one-month rent waiver as a result of the Budget relief measures, and over 1 million social security recipients are supposed to receive an extra month of payment in the Old Age Allowance, in the Old Age Living Allowance and in the Disability Allowance, but all these aspirations and hopes will be dashed if the various proposals now before the Finance Committee could not be approved in time. And my message to the Legislative Council members is please take account, take full account of the interests of society and the various sectors, and try to consider, deliberate and approve these items as early as possible. The North East NT advance works item has been with the Finance Committee since early May. Six meetings have been held lasting for over 20 hours of discussion. I think it is time for the Legislative Council members to discharge their responsibility in making a decision on these very important proposals.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:25

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