Paul Chan Promises More Funds For Open Space

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Friday that he will be happy to allocate more public resources to improve the quality of open spaces in Hong Kong if the funds allotted for harbour walkways are utilised well.

Chan made this promise while speaking on an RTHK’s special phone-in programme on Friday.

The secretary was responding to a request from Paul Zimmerman of the Harbourfront Commission for more money. In his budget speech, Chan set aside HK$6 billion to revitalise harbourfront areas and to improve their facilities.

"Before I put [in] additional resources, please do work hard and prove to people of Hong Kong this is money well spent," he told Zimmerman.

"When the projects are being realised and people appreciate and enjoy, I would have no hesitation in allocating additional resources to support your work on this front," he said.

The secretary said as homes in Hong Kong have limited space and it is a problem that can't be rectified quickly.

"If we can do more and better to improve public open space and better utilise public space. That will improve our quality of living," he said.

The finance chief once again defended the proposed spending of around 73 percent of the current budget surplus, but not more on measures to relieve people’s burden.

When asked why he could not spend the entire sum of the surplus, or even more of the government's coffers, to help stimulate the economy, Chan said the government should not overreact to slower growth.

“If, as you suggest, to return the whole surplus to the people, the next year’s deficit would be in the order of close to 20 billion [dollars],” said Chan.

“In some quarters of the community, they would argue that it may not be a very prudent way of handling our public finance,” he said.

Chan also defended the plan to allocate HK$20 billion for the purchase of 60 private properties to accommodate new welfare facilities.

He stressed again that the plan has nothing to do with transferring funds to the private sphere, but that there simply aren’t enough vacant government sites, such as empty school campuses, at suitable locations that are “close to the recipients of services”.