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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link project after attending the Legislative Council Public Works Subcommittee Meeting today (February 2):
Reporter: Secretary, could you please explain the Government's position? Why you decided that it is necessary to bypass the Public Works Subcommittee?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: We have not bypassed the (Legislative Council) Public Works Subcommittee. In fact, up to this afternoon, we have spent six meetings at the Public Works Subcommittee, altogether 13.5 hours. However, in light of the reality, unless we can secure the approval of the (Legislative Council) Finance Committee on the additional funding request, we would face the possible prospect of suspension of works. Once the suspension is triggered, there will be a series of grave consequences, not just in terms of billions of additional expenditure, but also in terms of further delays to the (Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong) Express Rail (Link) project. So the Government has to consider all factors, and this decision to now take the request directly to the Finance Committee is not made casually. We have given full consideration, very thorough consideration to the matter, and we have waited until today because we still tried our best to enable members, legislators, to complete the process at the Public Works Subcommittee. But as you know, this was not possible today. So, given the deadline that we are facing, in terms of having the necessity to suspend works, we have to take this rather unusual step.
Reporter: What makes you think that the Finance Committee is not going to further stop you from doing it? What makes you think the Finance Committee will now accept you for bypassing the Public Works Subcommittee?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: If we don't go to the Finance Committee now, that will mean the process will be delayed even further because in February there will only be two scheduled meetings on February 5 and 26, altogether eight hours. And we are now trying to work with the Finance Committee Chairman to find additional meeting times. So time is pressing hard on us.
Reporter: Mr Cheung, do you think it's disrespectful for the Government to bypass the Public Works Subcommittee?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: As I said, we are not bypassing the Public Works Subcommittee. In fact we have gone through the Public Works Subcommittee for almost a month. We are talking about six meetings now. But given the hard reality that we are facing because of the deadline, if we don't get any approval from the Finance Committee by the end of February, then the Government has to consider whether works should be suspended. Now this is not a slim possibility, it's a real possibility, regarding suspensions of works. Once we trigger the suspension of works, then a series of grave consequences will follow. Now as the Secretary, I have the duty to safeguard the interest of public money and also the overall interest of the community. We know there are some (Legislative Council) members, they are not happy with what the Government can say up to now about the co-location of CIQ (customs, immigration and quarantine) facilities arrangement. But we have committed to eventually putting forward the proposal and that proposal will be fully discussed by the community and there will be a local process of approving the proposal. So we will not evade from any public discussion, no matter how extensive on the proposal.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:39
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