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1. Tamar HQ reduction questioned by activists

1. Tamar HQ reduction questioned by activists
CHLOE LAI , SCMP 21 April 2006

Activists yesterday accused the government of "fooling the public and Legco" after it released more figures showing its planned headquarters at the Tamar site would occupy less space than proposed three years ago.

The Action Group on Protection of the Harbour said the administration was still withholding crucial information, and questioned whether there would be a genuine reduction in size.

The government and senior administration sources have put out three separate figures that show a reduction of 8.5 per cent, 9.3 per cent and 10 per cent, using different floor area calculations.

The Administration Wing said last night the construction floor area would be 124,680 square metres, an 8.5 per cent reduction from the 2003 proposal. The gross floor area would be 99,744 square metres, 9.3 per cent smaller than in the previous plan.

It released the information a day after official sources said the net operating floor area - the part actually occupied by civil servants - would be 62,340 square metres, a 10 per cent reduction.

Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors vice-president Yu Kam-hung said the construction floor area included car parking spaces and mechanical rooms, which were excluded from the gross floor area calculation.

"People usually use gross floor area when they talk about the bulk of a building, but it doesn't include everything," Mr Yu said.

Last night's release of the figures came after the action group had accused the government of cheating the public by hiding key information such as gross floor area.

But the group was still not satisfied.

"The shrinking of construction floor area is just a little change," said independent legislator Kwok Ka-ki, who speaks for the group. "The key issue remaining unanswered is why 3,270 key civil servants need to be moved to the new headquarters."

He said the administration was playing a numbers game. "It should disclose all information about the development and stop fooling the public and the Legislative Council."

The information is being released in an apparent attempt to win over critics of the plan, which will be discussed by the legislature's panel on planning, lands and works on Tuesday.

While the Department of Justice would remain at its offices in Admiralty, 3,270 civil servants would move to the new head offices.

Official sources said that only principal officials, their bureaus and key staff members directly involved in policymaking would move.

"According to this calculation, each policy bureau has more than 200 key staff," Mr Kwok said. "I had no idea the bureaus were so big."

he government will close the site on May 1 to prepare for construction work.