The current-term Government is going to end soon. I would like to take this opportunity to review the history of the squatter policy and introduce to you the strengthened squatter control measures adopted by the Lands Department (LandsD) over the past year, so as to explain to the public and the community the purpose and rationale of the said policy. ......

Recently, I have noticed that people inside and outside the Legislative Council often associate the Government’s investment in infrastructure projects with the notion of “white elephant” and claim that the Government is wasting public money. They try to sway public opinion on infrastructure investment. I would like to point out solemnly that these thoughts are short-sighted and overly alarmist. The Government’s delivery of public works projects aims to improve people’s quality of life, enhance Hong Kong’s long-term competitiveness and promote its economic development. It definitely is a visionary and committed approach, and I hope that the public will not be misled by the false allegations……

Hong Kong has been proactively contributing to China and the world in addressing the severe challenges posed by climate change. The well-prepared, much-anticipated World Sustainable Built Environment Conference , a major international event widely regarded as the Olympic Games of the green building industry, has just come to a successful conclusion. Hong Kong is honoured to host the conference this year, which brought together more than 1 000 government representatives, experts and academics in the green building industry from 57 countries or places for in-depth discussions and exchanges regarding the latest development and future challenges of sustainable building......

Long-term planning and development often take months or even years. The Government has been striving to increase land supply through a multi-pronged strategy to meet the various needs of the society. Earlier on, I have written a series of blog articles entitled “Embrace challenges in comprehensive site-searching”, “Work together to plan for the future”, and more on how we have been expanding land resources in a proactive manner for now and the future. The Sustainable Lantau Blueprint (the Blueprint) that we have just promulgated is moving towards these goals under the overarching principle of “Development in the North, Conservation for the South” for Lantau. We hope that more land will be provided for the development of Hong Kong to cater for our social, economic and conservation needs in the long run. Let’s strive to build a consensus and plan for our future together……

Dongjiang (DJ) water is the main source of fresh water for Hong Kong, accounting for about 70 to 80 per cent of our total fresh water supply. To gain first-hand information on the DJ water supply facilities and the Mainland’s work on water quality monitoring, I, together with colleagues of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), joined 18 Legislative Council (LegCo) Members, in their duty visit to the DJ River Basin organised by the Panel on Development of LegCo last month. On 22 May, the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the WSD arranged a follow-up visit for LegCo Members to the Muk Wu Pumping Station adjacent to Shenzhen River and the Tai Po Water Treatment Works, so that the legislators have a better understanding of the WSD’s work on water quality monitoring and water treatment. The visit can be seen as a continuation of the duty visit to the DJ River Basin which aims to enable the public to better grasp our sustained effort to ensure water safety……