As members of the new term of the Legislative Council (LegCo) will be sworn in, I, together with my team, have taken the initiative to meet our legislators and brief them on the work of the Development Bureau. While the Government and the legislators play different roles, I believe we share a common goal – improving the livelihood of the community and promoting the development of our economy. As the saying goes, “New brooms sweep clean”. I look forward to a refreshed relationship between the executive and the legislative branches. I also believe that LegCo members will offer timely, valuable and constructive views based on their social sense and community experience, thus helping the Government to create a better future for Hong Kong by working together and jointly devising the right strategies.
Taking note of the recent controversies over land and housing, we definitely will not evade the issues. Once the new LegCo term commences, we will do our best to explain to the legislators our policy intent, objectives and considerations, as well as the difficulties encountered and the impact on stakeholders. We will strive to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings due to biased or erroneous information, with a view to resolving disagreements and conflicts at an early stage.
It is undeniable that the sheer quantity of government bureaux/departments, mechanisms and regulations may sometimes lead to undue long working processes or even blind spots. Yet, having worked hammer and tongs with my civil servant colleagues over the past four years, I have nothing but profound appreciation for their professionalism, objectiveness and pragmatism. No government would antagonise its people. However, as an administration which has to balance the interests of all parties and safeguard public interest, we may not be able to please everyone. “Every shoe fits not every foot”: taking hit on a daily basis may be inevitable. My team will maintain close contact and communication with the legislators with utmost sincerity and dignity, and endeavour for earnest and rational exchanges.
In the briefings to lawmakers regarding our work earlier on, some lawmakers showed particular interest in our land planning work. I would like to give a brief account of this here. The Development Bureau is composed of two branches, namely the Planning and Lands Branch and the Works Branch, with nine departments under their purview. These departments are the Lands Department, Planning Department, Buildings Department, Land Registry, Architectural Services Department, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Drainage Services Department, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and Water Supplies Department. As you can see, the work and purview of the Development Bureau is by no means easy. As the bureau tasked with land resource management, one of our important objectives is to plan, develop, manage and make good use of land resources to support the implementation of policies by various bureaux, as well as facilitating the provision of services and facilities by various government departments from the land aspect.
In our work to identify, plan and reserve land for different bureaux to meet their land requirements for housing, tourism facilities and hotels, schools, hospitals and clinics, cultural and leisure uses, public markets, etc., our colleagues from the Planning Department are always required to support relevant bureaux and departments to organise district-level consultations in addition to ensuring coordination and communication within the Government. Such work, often involving controversial issues not directly under our policy purview, would put our colleagues to the forefront of the battlefield.
Apart from long-term planning, government land may also be rented through short-term tenancy. In general, sites of commercial value which are available for temporary use are let by the Lands Department at full market rent through open tender. Where policy support is obtained from the relevant bureaux, an individual site which may be temporarily used to support specific policy objectives may be directly granted to an organisation, with or without a concession in rent.
As most of the bureaux have high demand for land, we are doing our best to expedite the site identification process. However, land does not emerge from nowhere. We have to deal with the allegation of “grabbing land blindly” on one hand, while taking on questions about the laggard progress of site search on the other. Much painstaking work and efforts are needed. Noting that many legislators in the new LegCo term are also District Council members, I hope they can offer us insights into resolving conflicts and narrowing differences in the local community while expediting land supply, such that we can strike a better balance between environment, social development and economic growth to make Hong Kong a better place for living, working and businesses.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank legislators of the previous LegCo term for giving us invaluable advice and feedback, some of them come in a form of criticism or denunciation. We take these positively as drive for better work. Although there were occasions falling short of expectations, various tasks were successfully carried out as a result of the strong will and team spirit of our colleagues. The prevailing dynamic and volatile political environment could easily turn any livelihood issue into political row. My colleagues and I are all prepared to meet the challenges in the new LegCo term. Holding Hong Kong’s overall interest dearly to our heart, we can always find a way out and forge consensus through communication with the new LegCo members in a pragmatic and mutually respecting manner.
9 October, 2016
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