THE Government has earmarked a total of $10.7 billion for the airport and associated projects, representing 43 per cent of the $24.8 billion spending on public works programmes in the 1993-94 financial year.
Out of the $10.7 billion, $1.3 billion will be spent on land acquisition in connection with the West Kowloon Reclamation project, according to the latest draft estimates on expenditure for the coming financial year.
The 43 per cent of total capital works spending on the airport projects represents a major departure from the 25 per cent ceiling as earlier promised by the Government.
The administration promised last year to contain airport projects spending to a quarter of total expenditure on public works projects to allay fears that Chek Lap Kok would crowd out other capital works.
The Government kept its word in the estimates for the 1992-93 financial year by keeping expenditure on the airport to $6.6 billion or 26.7 per cent of $24.9 billion spending on capital works.
Yet progress on the new airport projects suffered a slippage in the year 1992-93.
