Funds sought for minor projects

The government has proposed seeking an extra HK$988.3 million from the Legislative Council to implement more minor works projects.

It estimates the proposal would create work for 1,600 people in the construction sector, of which 1,500 would be labourers and the rest professional and technical staff.

A spokesman for the government expected that the work would provide employment for construction workers sacked from stalled casino-related developments in Macau.

The proposed additional amount would increase the allocation for minor works in the coming financial year from HK$7.57 billion to HK$8.56 billion, which would be a 25 per cent increase from the HK$6.86 billion in the current financial year.

The spokesman said the original allocation, which Legco's Finance Committee approved on Friday, had not taken into account the financial meltdown. After considering calls for more projects to be launched to provide work, the government had identified a further 22 minor works projects.

One of the proposed projects is the installation of energy efficient lighting and air conditioning in 87 government premises. The government estimates that about HK$11 million in electricity charges could be saved annually as a result.