MR YIU SI-WING (in Cantonese): President, the Secretary explains in the main reply that the Government will set up a CCO and has earmarked $ 1 billion for it to coordinate conservation projects in the countryside. At the same time, the Government will develop sustainable economic activities, including eco-tourism, where appropriate. It can be said that everything is ready and only one thing is missing, that is, determination. May I ask the Secretary whether the Government will conduct any in-depth studies on further promoting Hong Kong's eco-tourism in rural areas other than Lai Chi Wo and Sha Lo Tung, such as the outlying islands? And, will it formulate improvement plans and timetables in the light of the respective features of these places?

SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (in Cantonese): President, my answer is yes. Actually, as pointed out in my main reply, the policy address has stated clearly that the Government has earmarked $1 billion for conservation and revitalization works. According to the information provided by the Environment Bureau, CCO staff are mostly professionals, including staff from works departments, the Architectural Services Department and AFCD and so on. CCO's objective is to identify sites or places in the remote countryside with conservation value for the development of green tourism. I have also pointed out in the main reply that we have taken forward two pilot projects, one at Lai Chi Wo and the other at Sha Lo Tung. If these two projects are found to be effective, we will consider extending the initiative progressively to other areas after we have gained the relevant experience. Therefore, in simple terms, my answer is yes.

MR YIU SI-WING (in Cantonese): President, besides Sha Lo Tung and Lai Chi Wo, does the Administration have a tangible timetable for promoting tourism development in other rural areas or the outlying islands?

SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (in Cantonese): President, as I said just now, all must depend on the effectiveness of the two projects and the experience gained. Specifically, we will consider several major factors when determining whether a rural site is fit for the kind of conservation projects suggested by Mr YIU. Firstly, as I have explained in the main reply, sites within the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark will be included because they are already world-class landmarks. Moreover, North East New Territories and various coastal areas of the outlying islands will also be included. And, all this will naturally lead us to consider which places will be of interest to tourists? Besides sites of high ecological and landscape value, perhaps we will also consider villages of cultural and heritage value. I believe the two pilot projects will provide useful experience to AFCD and the new established CCO under the Environment Bureau. They will also serve as a compass pointing to the direction of further developing tourism in the remote countryside and the outlying islands.