The Financial Secretary should be allowed to get on with the important tasks ahead of him and continue serving Hong Kong people, the Chief Secretary for Administration said today.

Speaking in the motion debate on the vote of no confidence on the Financial Secretary in the Legislative Council this evening, Donald Tsang said Antony Leung has given an account of his actions and been responsible for their consequences.

"He has accepted the Chief Executive's formal criticism of his actions. He has apologised most sincerely to the public for those actions. He has donated to charity the difference of the taxes involved," Mr Tsang said.

"And he offered to resign - an offer declined by the Chief Executive after careful consideration of all the facts, and the vitally important task ahead for the Financial Secretary to balance the books and revive our economy."

It is therefore fair to say that the Financial Secretary has been held to account, and punished for what he has done, Mr Tsang said.

Noting that Mr Leung did not act to seek personal gain in purchasing a new vehicle, Mr Tsang said he just tried to draw a line between his private and public life.

"By his own admission, there was a lapse in his judgment. This lapse led to a breach of the code of conduct for principal officials. But this breach was the result of negligence rather than calculated deceit."

It was a sin of omission, rather than a sin of commission, Mr Tsang said.

The Financial Secretary should be allowed to get on with his job because there is an enormous task ahead of him to restore fiscal balance and revive the economy, he added.

"A successful vote of no confidence in the Financial Secretary would be highly disruptive, and would deflect attention away from more pressing matters at hand."

Noting that Mr Leung has learnt from his mistake, Mr Tsang believes that the Financial Secretary will work with the utmost dedication and sincerity to successfully restructure the economy and work for the public good. 

Mr Tsang said the incident has shown that all principal officials must strive to build and nurture public trust day in, day out, as they grapple with the many and varied challenges that face the Government and our community.

"This is the time for solidarity. In this regard, the community has shown remarkable generosity of spirit, grace and wisdom," he said.

"Our people's daily refrain is for unity at this time of unusual adversity. They ask us, officials and legislators, to concentrate on resolving the urgent fiscal and social issues at hand.

"They implicitly tell us to put aside whatever differences we may harbour in countering our current problems."

The no-confidence motion is defeated.