A 03/04-6

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 5 November 2003 at 2:30 pm

(a)	whether, before agreeing to sponsor the AmCham in organizing the Festival, the Government had assessed the latter's ability and experience in organizing such a large-scale entertainment event; and whether it had considered selecting interested parties to organize the event by way of open tender or appointing the Leisure and Cultural Services Department as the organizer;
(b)	whether it knows if the AmCham had assessed whether the entertainment promoters had the relevant skills and experience before engaging them to provide services for the event; if the AmCham had done that, of the details; if it had not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	whether the Government has assessed if entrusting an event with a budget of about $130 million to an organizer the ability of which has been overestimated constitutes dereliction of duty on the part of the senior government officials concerned; if the assessment result is in the affirmative, whether it will initiate disciplinary proceedings; if the assessment result is otherwise, of the justifications for that?

(a)	of the respective amounts spent on publicizing and promoting the Festival locally and overseas; details of other publicity and promotion activities apart from the production of a television special showcasing the Festival highlights for broadcast around the world as claimed by the Administration, and whether it has reviewed why most Hong Kong people, other than receiving continuous negative news about the Festival from the media, have been unaware of the specific programmes and schedule of the Festival; if it has, of the findings of the review;
(b)	whether the Administration has, during the preparation process, assessed the average attendance of each show of the Festival and the lowest acceptable attendance; if it has, of the assessment results; and
(c)	whether the Administration, as the major sponsor of the Festival, is only responsible for providing the subsidy, leaving the organiser to make its own selection of contractors for organising the Festival; of the organisations or contractors responsible for steering and coordinating the various shows of the Festival; and whether the Administration has ascertained that the various contractors share the same objectives and interests as those of the Government?

(a)	given that the Administration told the Panel on Financial Affairs at its meeting on the 11th of last month that the Rolling Stones would not come to perform in the Festival as scheduled but, three days later, the band told a news agency that they would come to Hong Kong as scheduled and had received a deposit, whether the Administration has reviewed if it had been kept in the dark, resulting in the arrangements going out of control;
(b)	given that the organizer of the Festival announced on the 20th of last month that three local singers "had withdrawn from the Festival" but advised three days later that they would appear in the Festival as scheduled, of the reasons for such a state of confusion; and
(c)	as the organizer announced on the 22nd of last month that a British singing group could not take part in a concert scheduled for the 24th of last month and that it would distribute free tickets for the concert the following day, and some people were dissatisfied with the arrangements for distributing these tickets, whether the Administration has reviewed the relevant arrangements and assessed the impact of the distribution of free tickets on the income of the Festival and the reputation of Hong Kong; if so, of the review and assessment results; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	the criteria adopted by the organizer of the Festival for selecting organizations to be given the free tickets, as well as the total number and total value of the tickets given away; and
(b)	if the organizer of the Festival has conducted market research to ascertain the audience's preference before arranging the shows; if so, of the research results; if not, the measures taken by the organizer and the authorities to ensure that these publicly-funded shows will secure a satisfactory attendance?

(a)	when HEC put forward and when the Government approved the proposal to increase the Fuel Clause Rebate for the year 2000; the time until which the rebate would last; and whether the effect of such an arrangement was only to allow HEC customers to hold over payment for the increased portion of the tariff and make such payments in arrears in the subsequent years;
(b)	whether it has assessed if HEC's failure to set the Fuel Clause Rebate or Surcharge in accordance with fuel cost variations was already a breach of the Scheme of Control Agreement; and
(c)	of the reasons for allowing HEC to build up the balance in the Fuel Clause Account to $1,235 million; the estimated annual amount which HEC would recover from its customers from 2004 to 2008; and, as Hong Kong's economy has yet to recover and the unemployment rate is high, whether it will request HEC to postpone the recovery of the balance in the Account; if it will not, the reasons for that?

(a)	whether it has plans to launch another round of anti-mosquito campaigns focusing on mosquito prevention measures in rural areas; and
(b)	of the respective numbers of warning letters and summonses issued by the authorities to owners of private land that breed mosquitoes during the three large-scale anti-mosquito campaigns completed not long ago, and whether the authorities have any new strategies to tackle the problem of mosquitoes on private land left unattended for a long time?

(a)	of the number of cases of underpaying foreign domestic helpers reported to the authorities in each of the past five years and, among them, the number of those which the authorities successfully prosecuted;
(b)	whether it has assessed if cases of underpaying foreign domestic helpers are rampant; if so, of the assessment results; and
(c)	of the measures to enhance the effectiveness of the efforts in investigating and prosecuting cases of underpaying foreign domestic helpers?

(a)	how it prevents under-age girls from prostituting themselves at Internet cafes;
(b)	of the number of inspections conducted by the authorities at Internet cafes suspected of engaging in prostitution activities and prosecutions instituted in each of the past two years, and the number of such cafes which were prosecuted successfully; and
(c)	whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the existing laws in deterring prostitution activities at Internet cafes and in facilitating prosecution and combatting such activities; if it has, of the assessment results?

(a)	it has assessed the positive and negative impacts of the accession of China to the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia on the economic and trade interactions between Hong Kong and the Association of South-East Asian Nations ("ASEAN"); if so, of the assessment results;
(b)	it has studied Hong Kong's status within the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area ("FTA") and its functions in and influence on FTA; if it has, of the findings; and
(c)	Hong Kong-made products entering FTA will be entitled to the same rights as those enjoyed by products made in China?

(a)	the criteria and procedure adopted by HA and its hospitals for deciding to procure a particular type of medical instrument or otherwise;
(b)	the medical and other uses of the intense pulsed light ("IPL") devices, and whether overseas medical institutions use IPL devices for medical purposes;
(c)	if HA hospitals have procured IPL devices; if they have, of the names of the hospitals concerned, the uses of the instruments, the costs of procurement and the respective numbers of patients who had received IPL treatment in each of the past three years; and
(d)	which HA hospitals have plans to procure IPL devices or additional ones, the estimated costs involved and the estimated average annual numbers of patients who will receive IPL treatment?

(a)	of the outcome of ICAO Council's consideration of the Study Group's recommendation;
(b)	of the outcome of the ICAO Assembly's consideration of the Council's report on this subject and whether the Assembly has agreed to request contracting states to proceed with local legislation; and
(c)	whether the authorities will amend the existing legislation to sanction unruly or disruptive passengers on board aircraft; if so, of the legislative timetable, and the reasons for not including the legislative proposal in the legislative programme for the current legislative session?

(a)	of the reasons for the relatively low detection rate of crimes involving IT;
(b)	why only 15 cases had been referred to TCD for investigation in the first nine months of this year, representing only 3.3% of related cases during the same period;
(c)	of the criteria adopted by the Police for determining which criminal cases involving IT should be handled by TCD or other investigation divisions of the Police; and
(d)	of the situations under which the Police require network operators to keep records on the server log of their customers; and the number of such requests made by the Police over the past three years?

(a)	whether it has estimated and assessed
	(i)	the percentage points by which Hong Kong's textiles and clothing exports will grow annually; and
	(ii)	the number of jobs which will be created as a result of manufacturers relocating some of the textiles and clothing manufacturing processes to Hong Kong,
	following the complete removal of the quota system;
(b)	of the measures to encourage redevelopment of old-type factory buildings into fashion design centres so as to increase the added value of Hong Kong's clothing products;
(c)	of the measures to enhance training for talents in the textiles and clothing industries; and
(d)	of its plans to provide incentives for manufacturers to relocate some of the textiles and clothing manufacturing processes to Hong Kong with a view to creating more employment opportunities?

(a)	whether it has statistics on the existing number of kite-flying venues situated near expressways;
(b)	whether the operators of such venues are required to apply for licences from the authorities concerned; if so, of the details; and
(c)	of the number of traffic accidents caused by kites on broken strings in the past three years, and the number of motor cyclists injured as a result; and whether prosecutions have been instituted against the venue operators concerned?

(a)	paramedical training is provided for firemen at present; if so, of the details;
(b)	it has plans to change the entry requirements for firemen; if so, of the details; and
(c)	it has assessed the impact of the amalgamation of the fireman and ambulanceman grades on the demand for ambulancemen; if so, of the assessment results?

(a)	the respective numbers of complaints about seepage on residential premises received by the above-mentioned departments over the past three years, and the number of such cases referred to other departments for follow-up action;
(b)	the number of cases mentioned in (a) above in which the causes of seepage were found and whether the Administration has assisted the complainants in solving the problems; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(c)	the measures the Administration has in place to help residents solve the problems of seepage in residential premises?

(a)	the total number of fresh fruit juice shops which were inspected by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in the past three years and, among them, the number of those which contravened the legislation on food hygiene, as well as the average penalty imposed on those so convicted; and
(b)	the measures in place to prevent unscrupulous business operators from selling fruit juice that may be harmful to people's health?

(a)	the fees and fee-setting mechanisms aligned so far;
(b)	the existing fees and fee-setting mechanisms yet to be aligned and the reasons for its failure to complete the exercise within the time limit of two years; and
(c)	the expected time of completion of the exercise?

(a)	of the respective numbers of PLBs whose owners have applied for the grant to replace their vehicles with those which use LPG and electricity since the implementation of the scheme, as well as their percentages in the total number of PLBs in Hong Kong;
(b)	whether they have conducted a survey on the difficulties and concerns of PLB owners in replacing their vehicles with those which use LPG or electricity; if so, of the results of the survey and the improvement proposals arising therefrom; if not, whether it will conduct such a survey;
(c)	of the plans and supporting measures in place to attract more PLB owners to replace their vehicles with those which use LPG or electricity; and
(d)	whether they will reconsider financing PLB owners in replacing their vehicles early with new diesel engine models that meet the Euro III emission standard; if so, of the preliminary thinking; if not, the reasons for that?

1. Combating the problem of Mainlanders engaging in illegal employment and prostitution in Hong Kong
   
   Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung: (Translation)
   
   That, as information indicates an upward trend in the number of Mainlanders arrested for engaging in illegal employment and prostitution in Hong Kong in recent years, which not only affects the employment of local workers, but also causes serious nuisances to the public, this Council urges the Government to:
   
   

   (a)	increase manpower and step up inspections to combat such illegal activities;
   (b)	review the relevant legislation and introduce heavier penalties; and
   (c)	strengthen its communication with the public security and border control authorities of the Mainland and exchange relevant information in a timely manner, in order to enhance the collaborative efforts in combating illegal employment and prostitution.
   Amendments to Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung's motion
   (i)	Hon James TO: (Translation) To add "; they work in construction sites, licensed food premises, guesthouses and places of public entertainment" after "That, as information indicates an upward trend in the number of Mainlanders arrested for engaging in illegal employment and prostitution in Hong Kong in recent years"; to delete "and" after "(a) increase manpower" and substitute with ","; to add ", and gather intelligence" after "step up inspections"; to delete "and" after "(b) review the relevant legislation and introduce heavier penalties;" and substitute with "(c) review the Government's outsourcing and licensing systems, and study the introduction of a point system and more stringent licensing requirements to penalize those employers who employ illegal workers, with a view to deterring them from employing illegal workers; and"; and to delete "(c)" and substitute with "(d)".
   (ii)	Hon Frederick FUNG: (Translation) To add "and as the illegal stay of many of these Mainlanders in unlicensed guesthouses has indirectly encouraged these illegal activities," after "but also causes serious nuisances to the public,"; and to add ", and suggest to the relevant Mainland authorities that effective measures be adopted to prevent those Mainlanders who have committed crimes in Hong Kong from re-entering the territory with other identities" after "in order to enhance the collaborative efforts in combating illegal employment and prostitution".

   
   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Security
   
   
2. Regulating health foods
   
   Hon WONG Yung-kan: (Translation)
   
   That, whereas it has become increasingly common for the public to purchase health foods, there are still quite a number of loopholes in existing legislation which regulates such foods, this Council urges the Government to devise a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for health foods, so as to safeguard the rights and interests of consumers and facilitate the development of the health food market.
   
   

   Amendments to Hon WONG Yung-kan's motion
   (i)	Hon Mrs Selina CHOW: (Translation) To delete "whereas" after "That," and substitute with "as"; to delete "there are still quite a number of loopholes in existing legislation which regulates such foods," after "it has become increasingly common for the public to purchase health foods,"; to delete "devise a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for health foods" and substitute with "actively encourage the relevant trades and industries, including the manufacturers, importers, retailers and wholesalers, to provide information on their products, provided that it would not increase the burden on consumers or reduce their choices"; and to delete "safeguard the rights and interests of consumers and facilitate the development of the health food market" after "so as to" and substitute with "facilitate their making informed choices when purchasing health foods".
   (ii)	Hon Fred LI: (Translation) To add ", including studying the introduction of a vetting and approval system as well as stepping up control over claims made in the advertisements concerned" after "this Council urges the Government to devise a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for health foods".
   	Amendment to Hon Fred LI's amendment Hon CHAN Kwok-keung: (Translation) To add "and formulating a code of practice on quality production," after "including studying the introduction of a vetting and approval system"; and to add "and the contents of the labels" after "as well as stepping up control over claims made in the advertisements".

   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food