CEDD 立法會上會準備系統

{ "RundownID": 1437938, "HansardID": 8171, "MeetingDate": "2025-07-17T00:00:00", "HansardType": "English", "SectionID": 34, "SectionName": "MEMBERS' MOTIONS", "SpeakerID": 175, "SpeakerName": "LAM CHUN-SING", "Speeches": "MR LAM CHUN-SING (in Cantonese): Thank you, President. I would like to start by thanking Mr CHAN Hak-kan for proposing this motion. It is stated in this year’s Budget that, with the launch of projects related to the Northern Metropolis and other infrastructure projects aimed at improving people’s livelihood, capital works will reach a peak, and capital works expenditure is expected to increase to about $120 billion per annum on average in the future five years. The amount represents a significant increase compared with the public works expenditure at around $86.56 billion per annum on average in the past five financial years. Under the current fiscal strains, investment of resources in anything requires careful thought. Therefore, the original motion makes perfect sense in urging the Government to further review the priorities of projects, optimize resource allocation, and avoid using cutting back on expenditure related to people’s livelihood as a means to make up for the shortfalls.In all fairness, the Government has done its share of prioritization in recent years when it comes to public works projects. For example, in the 2024 session of the Legislative Council, many projects that had been scheduled for submission to the Public Works Subcommittee for discussion were taken back for re-examination, and the resubmission of them to Panels for discussion has not taken place so far. I believe they will not be launched until later. These projects include the cycle track between Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun, the sports centre at Aldrich Bay and the advance works of open spaces in various districts, as well as the solar farms at the Plover Cove Reservoir and the South East New Territories Landfill. From the perspective of the community as a whole, these projects are indeed not so urgent if compared with the other projects for housing, transport and land development, so their deferral may not be much of a problem. Meanwhile, the Legislative Council has also done its job as the gatekeeper, with the hope that all the projects that are approved are justified to be given priority for implementation.However, my hope is not to cut down on everything or do nothing in the name of prioritization. Even with the fiscal deficit, I disagree with the notion that minimizing the amount of construction works is the solution to the problem. I support the implementation of warranted public works projects. Projects that are beneficial to people’s livelihood and economic development, or those relevant to our long-term development and investment in the future (e.g. the Northern Metropolis), should never be deferred to a distant future on the grounds of financial problems. On the one hand, deferral of major projects for several years will result in an increase in the costs of materials, wages, etc., causing the total cost to escalate like a snowball. For projects that are urgently needed and will be implemented anyway, sooner is better than later. On the other hand, construction works in the private sector are at a direly low level in recent years, and the entire construction industry is in a really bad shape. Practitioners at all levels and of all trades, from frontline workers to professionals, have felt the impacts to varying extents. The unemployment rate of the construction industry has risen to 6.3%, which is the highest among all industries. Against the backdrop of a sluggish private construction market, excessive emphasis on prioritization that causes public works to also reduce drastically will add to the woes of the industry, with no one spared from the catastrophe, including contractors, subcontractors and workers.Lastly, I agree with Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok’s amendment that urges the Government to strive to prevent the drastic fluctuations in construction volume, a situation that has caused the industry to lurch between work overload and total lack of business in the past. At the same time, we should continue to step up the efforts to train and retain local talents in the construction industry. Failing that, importation of labour would become the only viable solution should private sector construction works rebound and create a large manpower gap.President, I so submit.", "SeqNum": 38, "HansardFileURL": "https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr2025/english/counmtg/hansard/cm20250717-translate-e.pdf#nameddest=SP_MB_LCS_00038" }