Transcript of remarks by STH
****************************
Reporter: How to help financing the URA (Urban Renewal Authority)...looking forward to their housing projects? Also a question on MTR - when can MTR services be all the times normal because we have relatively peaceful Monday to Friday, so at what stage would services be fully resumed or we just have to wait forever?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: I would say that every Hong Kong people would like to have the mass transit (railway services) back to normal. If we are going to have a peaceful time, for example, for the past week, over the weekend and maybe the next week, I would suppose that the MTR services would resume normal very quickly. What we have experienced in the past months is that we do suffer quite a lot from vandalism and the system needs lots of time to repair, check to ensure the safety and integrity before it can provide services. Therefore, I hope and I would beg fellow citizens to stay calm and peaceful today and tomorrow, and let us have another week of peace time. Then I am confident that the mass transit (railway services) would gradually resume normal.
With respect to URA, the Chief Executive has made it very clear during her delivery of the Policy Address 2019 - because of the direction for the URA to perform duties such as Starter Homes and also transitional housing, therefore we anticipate there might be financial pressure due upon the URA. The Chief Executive has made it very clear that if there’s a need, the government will duly consider to support the URA.
Reporter: How?
Secretary for Transport and Housing: It all depends on circumstances because as of now the financial health of URA is still very positive, I would say.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Saturday, October 26, 2019
Issued at HKT 12:49
Issued at HKT 12:49
NNNN