Approval obtained: Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang says approval of the Chief Executive in Council has been obtained at every critical stage of the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang says approval of the Chief Executive in Council has been obtained in every critical stage of the West Kowloon Cultural District project, adding the Government has also been consulting the Legislative Council on the issue.

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Mr Tsang said the criticism against his handling of the project was confusing.

He stressed that the decision to eliminate two of the proponents was approved by the Chief Executive in Council.

"We will continue to do that. If we are going to enter into any provisional agreement with any proponents, before we do that, we will certainly consult the Legislative Council, we certainly will not be able to proceed without the specific approval of the Executive Council."

Mr Tsang said the consultation on the project had entered an important stage, adding the Government would adopt an open attitude.

With the participation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Mr Tsang said he believed the assessment process would be conducted in a fair way.

Policy Committee running smoothly

Speaking on the work the Policy Committee, Mr Tsang said the committee had the following tasks:

* to co-ordinate policies of various bureaus;

* to study the public acceptance of certain policies; and

* to make sure the policies introduced were in line with the Chief Executive's policy agenda.

Noting that the committee is running smoothly, Mr Tsang said there was a clear distinction between the work of civil servants and principal officials.

"Principal officials are responsible for formulating policies while civil servants are working on policy studies and implementation."