Replies to Questions from Finance Committee Members

Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04
CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO
INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION
Reply Serial No.
ETWB(W)001
Question Serial No.
0102
Head : 25 – Architectural Services Department Subhead : 000 Operational
expenses
Programme : (1) – Monitoring and Advisory Services
(2) – Facilities Upkeep
(3) – Facilities Development
Controlling Officer : Director of Architectural Services
Director of Bureau : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works (for Programme
(1) - Monitoring
and Advisory
Services
Programme (3) -
Facilities
Development)
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (for Programme
(2) – Facilities
Upkeep)
Question : Under Subhead 000 Operational expenses : the actual expenditure on light and
power for 2001-02 was $3,086,000 and the original estimate for 2002-03 was
$3,000,000, but the revised estimate is $3,600,000. Will the Government inform
this Council of the causes leading to such huge increase in the expenditure on light
and power ?
Asked by : Hon. LAU Ping-cheung
Reply : The scope of the light and power item mainly covers the electricity expenses of
our Property Services Branch and District Maintenance Offices (DMOs), which
are accommodated in purpose-built specialist buildings. The increase in
expenditure on light and power from $3 million to $3.6 million, when comparing
the 2002-03 original estimate to the revised estimate, is mainly attributable to -
(a) the reprovisioning of the DMO from the Kai Tak Government Building to
the Water Supplies Department Kowloon West Regional Building at Cheung