Statement by ExCo Non-official Members on Policy Address
********************************************************
The Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo Non-official Members) today (October 16) issued the following statement on the Chief Executive's 2019 Policy Address.
The ExCo Non-official Members welcome the delivery of the Policy Address by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, and expressed full support to her in taking forward measures to address the various economic and livelihood issues that are of public concern.
The Convenor of the ExCo Non-official Members, Mr Bernard Chan, said, "The Policy Address focuses on four key areas, namely housing, land supply, improving people's livelihood and economic development, while the newly added Policy Address Supplement has presented the current position and future direction in various areas.
"We can see that the Policy Address has included in-depth analyses on the two tough livelihood issues of housing and land supply, and a number of initiatives have been put forth. On housing, the Chief Executive has set out 10 measures, whereas on land supply she has demonstrated her determination to overcome challenges through proposing bold measures to boost short-, medium- and long-term land supply through different means."
He added that, as Hong Kong was facing a difficult time due to the intensifying trade tension between the Mainland and the United States, uncertainties in the global economy and a downturn of the local economy, the Government had previously rolled out a series of measures in order to support enterprises, safeguard jobs and relieve people's financial burden. Other measures for improving people's livelihood such as enhancing child care services and expanding the financial support for the maintenance of old buildings would be launched once ready.
He said, "The unprecedented unrest facing Hong Kong in the past four months has reflected some deep-seated problems of the city. Despite the unrest, the Chief Executive and all Principal Officials still gave their best and arranged numerous consultation sessions. This is a clear sign that the Government is keen to listen to the views from different sectors and solve these deep-seated problems together with the community. The response made by the Government in the Policy Address also demonstrates its care for the people.
"We believe that the Chief Executive has the determination and capability to take forward initiatives which are beneficial to Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihood. The Executive Council fully supports the Government and will continue to offer its advice on the implementation of measures for improving people's livelihood."
Ends/Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Issued at HKT 16:18
Issued at HKT 16:18
NNNN