Call for approval: Chief Executive Donald Tsang said building new Government headquarters at Tamar would help ease unemployment for construction workers.

Launching major infrastructure projects is an important initiative in ensuring Hong Kong's prosperity, Chief Executive Donald Tsang told lawmakers today, adding he hoped they would support the funding proposal for building a new government headquarters at Tamar as soon as possible.

"The Tamar development project is ready to be implemented. It will not only resolve the issue of inadequate accommodation and facilities for the Government Secretariat and this Council, but will also provide more open space for the public in the heart of the city," he said in a passionate address before taking questions from Legislative Council members.

Building the new headquarters "will help ease the unemployment problem of construction workers. I hope that Members will support the funding proposal for early implementation of this project, so that construction workers can earn their living and the public can be provided with recreational space alongside Victoria Harbour," he added.

In response to a suggestion that the former Kai Tak airport site might be a better location than Tamar, the Chief Executive stressed there would be some landmark projects there. It might, for example, be the most ideal place for a cruise terminal, he said.

"We have looked at Tamar as a site for a long time," he said, adding Executive Council, Legislative Council and Judicial bodies must be joined together, and "for the sake of efficiency we want Central to be the site".

He reminded lawmakers that LegCo had given its approval to use Tamar as a new Government headquarters site three years ago. The Administration was refining the plans, so instead of building a 180-metre-high building, they are lowering it to just 130 metres.

"The footprint was too big, so we are making it smaller," he said, adding it would be about two hectares in size. The public would like some open space, he stressed and there will be two hectares of land for a Civic Place, and an expansive waterfront promenade.

"The current plans for Central is the consensus of the people in Hong Kong, this is the common wish of the people," the Chief Executive said.

"We have discussed this development for a long time," he said."We should be able to spend and not drag our feet anymore - thousands of construction workers are waiting for work."

Turning to the proposed West Kowloon Cultural District project, Mr Tsang said he knew many people hoped it could be taken forward as soon as possible.

"The Chief Secretary for Administration has provided this Council with a detailed account of our next phase of work. We will work together with the community to develop a high-quality arts and cultural district for Hong Kong," he said.

"It is widely known that the WKCD project is one project closest to my heart. To start afresh on this landmark project was a truly difficult choice. However, it is exactly because of the project's far-reaching implications that extra prudence is called for.

"We should have the courage to review and rectify our decisions; and this in itself demonstrates our commitment to 'people-based government'," he added.

Hong Kong is seeing fewer days of blue sky, Mr Tsang said, adding one of the many sources of air pollution stems from power generation for daily use.

"The Scheme of Control Agreements between the Government and the two power companies will expire in 2008. While it is important to ensure steady and reliable power supply, I wish to reiterate that we will set emission reductions as a precondition for licensing when we formulate the new schemes of control. We will require the power companies to install effective emission-reduction facilities and use clean fuel as far as possible," he said.

In reply to a lawmaker's query, he challenged the Legislative Council to try to save more energy per person than the Administration in the coming year. He also noted the Buildings Department has been trying to adopt new standards as far as possible in improving energy efficiency.

He also gave his assurance that any new Government complex at Tamar would be energy efficient.

On protecting the community's health, the Chief Executive said the threat of avian influenza remains, and "any outbreak will ruin the achievements of last year's economic recovery.

"We will remain vigilant to protect against any outbreak of avian influenza or other epidemic diseases. The Government will make full use of the existing mechanism to liaise closely with the health authorities in Beijing and Guangdong Province, and to closely monitor the situation, taking effective precautionary measures as appropriate.

"In addition, we will cap the local chicken population at two million to reduce the risk of an avian influenza outbreak in local farms. In the longer term, the Government will identify a suitable site for centralised slaughtering in three years' time," he said.

In reply to a question from the catering industry representative, Mr Tsang said: "I love gourmet food as much as you do. When I take a piece of chicken in my mouth, I too can taste the difference between fresh and chilled chicken. But with avian flu, we must find a solution - and keeping the chicken population at two million will be enough."

We must strike a balance, protecting employment in the industry, remaining a gourmet haven, but protecting operators in Hong Kong. There would be a compensation package for those whose livelihoods are upset by the central slaughtering site, he added.

The earliest the site would become operational was in 2009, and there would have to be agreement from councillors from the constituency where it is located.

If the threat of bird flu is eradicated, they would not need to implement the project, he agreed. He also said if there was an invention available in the next few years that would cut the risk of the spread and allow the status quo to continue, it would be considered instead of central slaughtering.

"We have to reduce the risk," he stressed. "Why do people go to Singapore for a special dish? They use chilled chicken, and if they can do it, why can't we?"

To see a full text of his speech, click here.