A 07/08-6

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 7 November 2007 at 11:00 am

(a)	it has assessed if members of the trade have actively adopted the above guidelines and applied positive labelling to the food items concerned voluntarily; if an assessment has been made, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b)	it has reviewed the prevalence of the application of "negative labelling", and whether it has proposals to improve the situation; if it does not have such proposals, of the reasons for that; and
(c)	currently, it has plans to implement a mandatory labelling system for GM food; if so, of the legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	whether it has data on the lowest and median monthly salaries of people working in various low-income trades (such as catering, cleansing, security services and retailing, etc.) in the past five years; if not, the reasons for that;
(b)	whether it has compared the income levels of such people and their living standards in the past five years; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	of the policies, apart from the mandatory wage requirement for government service contracts and the "Wage Protection Movement", the Government had implemented in the past five years to improve the salary levels of such people; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	whether it has conducted any public opinion survey on the support for candidates running for the Legislative Council ("LegCo") by-election for the Hong Kong Island geographical constituency to be held on 2 December this year; if it has, of the government department responsible for conducting the survey, as well as the number of surveys that have been and will be conducted on the by-election;
(b)	apart from the above by-election, whether the Government has conducted similar surveys on LegCo general elections or by-elections since 2000; if it has, of a breakdown of the survey subjects concerned and the expenses incurred; and
(c)	whether it has disclosed the results of the surveys referred to in (a) and (b) to weekly magazines or newspapers; if it has, of the purpose of such disclosure; if not, whether it will conduct investigation into weekly magazines or newspapers reporting on the survey results?

(a)	of the number of children who had been left at home alone encountering accidents, and the number of parents or guardians who were prosecuted for leaving children at home alone, in the past three years;
(b)	in respect of each District Council district at present, of the number of child care centres, their average usage rate, the number of persons waiting for such services, the respective numbers of day foster care places and places in mutual help child care centres, as well as the details of the extended hours of service; whether it has made detailed assessments to see if the child care services in various districts meet the demands there; if it has, of the results; if it has not, the reasons for that, and how it will address the demands in individual districts; and
(c)	whether it will increase the flexibility of subvented child care services so that occasional childminding services are available to parents on an ad hoc basis or outside regular hours; if so, of the details of the flexible arrangements; it not, how it will cater for the different needs of parents?

(a)	of the number of red-light jumping black spots at present and, among them, the numbers of those black spots where red-light cameras have been installed, as well as those where such cameras have not been but will be installed;
(b)	whether it has plans to install more red-light cameras upon completion of the above works; and
(c)	whether there are other new measures to deter red-light jumping?

(a)	given that for an applicant to be eligible for compensation of occupational deafness, he should be suffering from sensorineural hearing loss of at least 40 decibels in each ear, whether it will relax the requirement to one ear;
(b)	for those workers who had received compensation in previous years of amounts less than those calculated in accordance with the present provisions, whether it will make retrospective payments to them to make up the differences; and
(c)	whether it will consider raising the maximum amount of subsidy for hearing aids to allow recipients to purchase digital hearing aids, which are of higher quality but more expensive; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	of the progress of work in compiling the above inventory, and the number of items that have been confirmed to be intangible cultural heritage hitherto;
(b)	of the details in setting up the above web-based database; and
(c)	whether it has exchanged views and cooperated with mainland provinces and cities regarding joint preservation of intangible cultural heritage; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	apart from publishing on the related web sites information on recognized courses and course providers, whether the authorities have increased the channels for releasing such information to facilitate easier public access to the latest information;
(b)	apart from the improvement measures proposed at the meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Manpower on 17 May this year, whether the authorities will consider implementing other measures to enhance the strictness of the vetting process for CEF-recognized courses, particularly over the monitoring of the financial situation of the relevant providers and quality assurance of the courses; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	apart from issuing written warnings to providers which operate CEF courses in inappropriate ways and de-registering the courses concerned from the list of "reimbursable courses", whether the authorities will consider examining, in conjunction with relevant government departments, the formulation of other penalties with deterrent effect against such malpractices?

(a)	whether the authorities have, when promoting "green lunch" arrangements to school sponsors, principals and teachers responsible for catering arrangements, helped them understand how to choose reliable green lunch box suppliers, so as to prevent them from being deceived by unscrupulous suppliers who abuse the term "green"; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b)	whether it will draw up mandatory measures to require schools to use reusable food containers and cutlery or adopt the practice of centralized lunch distribution when supplying lunch; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(c)	whether it will review the existing licensing regime for lunch box suppliers to include the provision of genuinely "green" lunch as one of the licensing conditions;
(d)	whether it will review the effectiveness of the authorities' work in promoting "green lunch" in primary schools; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(e)	whether it will draw up specific work targets and timetable for promoting "green lunch" (including the adoption of the practices of centralized lunch distribution and washing containers on site by more than 70% of schools in the 2008-2009 school year, and the implementation of such practices across the board in the 2009-2010 school year), in order to achieve the target of "zero waste" for school lunch; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(f)	given that the authorities have put in an enormous amount of resources to publicize healthy eating and drawn up guidelines to request for the reduction of the sale of "junk food" in schools, whether the authorities have assessed if the complementary measures for promoting "green lunch" are adequate; if they are not adequate, whether the authorities have assessed if they have adopted a double standard in performing these two tasks; if an assessment has been made, of the results?

(a)	in each of the past five years, of the number of CSSA recipients who chose non-designated dental clinics for treatment upon receiving approval of dental grants and the amount of grants involved;
(b)	whether it will consider enhancing public education or revising internal guidelines, to let the recipients know that they may choose non-designated dental clinics for the same treatment;
(c)	whether it will consider working with professional bodies such as the Hong Kong Dental Association Limited to examine ways to improve the existing mechanism, including ensuring the estimates of dental costs to be reasonable and accepting the estimates provided by registered dentists of non-designated clinics, so as to facilitate recipients to seek treatment from registered dentists in their neighbourhood for treatment; and
(d)	whether currently it has plans to give dental grants to other types of CSSA recipients such as children?

(a)	of the respective numbers of secondary students in Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung who attended schools in other districts in each of the past three school years;
(b)	of the respective numbers of vacant classrooms in secondary schools in Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung in each of the past three school years; and
(c)	whether it will consider utilizing the vacant classrooms in the districts concerned to operate more classes, so as to ameliorate the situation of secondary students from these districts attending schools in other districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(a)	of the number of government forms that have been adapted to take advantage of the electronic delivery channel, and among them, the respective numbers of those adapted for electronic form-filling alone and those adapted for both electronic form-filling and electronic submission;
(b)	of the target number of government forms that it intends to make available for both electronic form-filling and electronic submission and the timetable for achieving such target;
(c)	whether it has formulated a strategy to maintain forms that are submitted electronically in the electronic form instead of in a paper-base mode; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(d)	the expected savings, resulting from the reduction in paper consumption and improvement in operational efficiency, that could be achieved by meeting the target in (b) and adopting e-solutions for processing and maintaining the forms concerned?

(a)	the number of complaints about the contents of advertisements received last year by the relevant authorities and, among such complaints, the number of those involving advertisements in the electronic media;
(b)	the time normally taken by the relevant authorities to handle the complaints, and whether they will advise the electronic media organizations concerned to discontinue the broadcast of advertisements with misleading or misrepresented information; if so, how long it usually takes to issue advice after a complaint is received; and
(c)	whether advertisements in the electronic media are regularly monitored; if not, whether it is only upon receipt of complaints or reports from the public that the relevant authorities will take enforcement actions?

(a)	of the latest progress of the discussions with the two power companies on the post-2008 regulatory arrangements, including the consensus reached so far on such matters as the regulatory framework, the rate of permitted return, the mechanism for setting electricity tariff, emission reduction targets, the introduction of competitors and the use of renewable energy to generate electricity, and how they compare with the recommendations in the consultation paper on Future Development of the Electricity Market in Hong Kong (Stage II Consultation);
(b)	of the details of regulation by legislative means, including the legislative timetable and the areas to be covered by the legislation; whether the preliminary legislative work has started; if not, how it ensures that the legislative process can be completed before the expiry of the existing Scheme of Control Agreements at the end of next year, so as to deal with the scenario in which no agreement on the new regulatory arrangements can be reached; and
(c)	apart from regulation by legislative means, what other contingency measures are in place to deal with the scenario in which no agreement can be reached?

(a)	of the number of foreign domestic helpers ("FDHs") prosecuted in Hong Kong during the past two years and, among them, the number and percentage of those convicted;
(b)	whether it has statistics on the number of FDHs currently employed in Hong Kong with a history of being prosecuted or convicted in the territory; and
(c)	whether it will consider providing prospective employers with local criminal and prosecution records of FDHs; if not, of the reasons for that, and whether it has evaluated if prospective employers are deprived of their right to know?

(a)	of the details of the following financial support: where justified, financial support will be provided including one-off grant to cover the cost for major renovation of the buildings, in part or in full; nominal rental for the buildings; and one-off grant to meet the starting costs and operating deficits (if any) of the social enterprises for a maximum of the first two years of operation on the pre-requisite that the social enterprise proposal is projected to become self-sustainable after this initial period;
(b)	apart from the financial support referred to in (a), whether it will provide other incentives to encourage non-profit making organizations to take part in the above Scheme;
(c)	of the criteria to be adopted for selecting organizations to participate in the Scheme; and
(d)	how it will assist the organizations concerned in maintaining historic buildings in view of their high maintenance costs?

(a)	the respective numbers of places offered by kindergartens and kindergarten-cum-child care centres (hereafter collectively referred to as "KGs") which have participated in the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme in the 2007-2008 school year and those which have not;
(b)	the actual expenses incurred to date for implementing the above Scheme in the 2007-2008 school year;
(c)	the additional expenses required each year for extending the above Scheme to all KGs; and
(d)	the respective amounts of special grants provided by the Government in the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years to school children of families receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to cover KG fees?

1. Proposed resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance
   
   Secretary for Food and Health to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that the following Regulations, made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on 17 October 2007, be approved -
   
   

   (a)	the Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment)(No. 4) Regulation 2007; and
   (b)	the Poisons List (Amendment)(No. 4) Regulation 2007.
   (The two Regulations were issued on 18 October 2007 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 61/07-08)

2. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
   
   Secretary for Home Affairs to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that the Building Management (Third Party Risks Insurance) Regulation, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 146 of 2007 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 11 July 2007, be amended -
   
   

   (a)	in section 2, by repealing the definition of "statutory instrument" and substituting - " "statutory instrument" (法定文書), in relation to a building, means -
   	(a)	an order, notice or direction issued under an Ordinance requiring -
   		(i)	any maintenance, improvement, alteration, repair or demolition work to be carried out in relation to the building;
   		(ii)	any fire safety installation or improvement work to be carried out in relation to the building; or
   		(iii)	any relevant person to be appointed to carry out investigation in relation to the building; or
   	(b)	a notice or direction issued under an Ordinance specifying that the notice or direction will be registered in the Land Registry if any maintenance, improvement, alteration, repair or demolition work, or any fire safety installation or improvement work, is not carried out in relation to the building before a particular date;";
   (b)	in section 5(4), by repealing "issued to it";
   (c)	in section 5(7), by repealing "level 2" and substituting "level 1";
   (d)	in section 6(1), by repealing "Subject to subsection (3), so" and substituting "So";
   (e)	by repealing section 6(3) and (4);
   (f)	by renumbering section 6(5), (6), (7) and (8) as section 6(3), (4), (5) and (6) respectively;
   (g)	in section 6(6), by repealing "(7)" and substituting "(5)".

1. Enhancing co-operation with Macao in developing the tourism industry
   
   Hon James TIEN: (Translation)
   
   That, in view of the rapid development of the tourism industry in Hong Kong and Macao in recent years, indicating that there is immense room for co-operation between the two places, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously adopt measures to enhance the co-operation with Macao on the tourism front, with a view to fostering the long-term development of Hong Kong's tourism industry and achieving a win-win situation with Macao; such measures should include:
   
   

   (a)	appealing to the Central Government for the issuance of a single exit endorsement for visiting Hong Kong and Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, so as to facilitate Mainland travellers in visiting the two places on the same trip;
   (b)	using an automated clearance system to shorten the immigration clearance time for Hong Kong people at the Macao control point, so as to make available more space to facilitate immigration clearance of other travellers; and
   (c)	collaborating with the relevant authorities in Macao and Guangdong Province in training middle and senior management professionals for the hotel and tourism sectors.
   Amendments to motion
   (i)	Hon WONG Kwok-hing: (Translation) To add "and sharing of experience" after "to enhance the co-operation"; to delete "and" after "to facilitate immigration clearance of other travellers;"; to delete "collaborating" after "(c)" and substitute with "strengthening co-operation"; to add "sharing the advanced management expertise of the hotel and tourism sectors, as well as" after "relevant authorities in Macao and Guangdong Province in"; and to delete "hotel and tourism sectors" after "middle and senior management professionals for the" and substitute with "two sectors, so as to enable the professionals of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to develop at the same pace and serve the tourism industry of their respective regions, in order to meet the development needs of the tourism industry in the three places; and (d) vigorously advocating and promoting honest tourism, as well as enhancing the professional management in various areas such as hotel, tourism, catering, retailing, etc, thereby boosting the attractiveness of Hong Kong and Macao tours and increasing travellers' duration of stay and spending in Hong Kong".
   (ii)	Hon SIN Chung-kai: (Translation) To delete "collaborating with the relevant authorities in Macao and Guangdong Province in training" after "(c)" and substitute with "increasing the number of"; to add "trained locally" after "middle and senior management professionals"; to delete "and tourism sectors" after "for the hotel" and substitute with "sector and upgrading the quality of training, in order to enhance the service quality of the tourism industry while meeting the regional demands".

   Public Officer to attend

   :

   Secretary for Labour and Welfare (in the absence of Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

   
   
2. Strengthening support for Tin Shui Wai
   
   Hon Mrs Selina CHOW: (Translation)
   
   That, as family tragedies have occurred time and again in Tin Shui Wai in recent years and to prevent similar tragedies from happening, this Council urges the Government to comprehensively improve the community facilities and services in the district, give suitable support to the needy families and provide family services on all fronts to create a harmonious community, and at the same time inject more economic activities into the district, and increase facilities and business opportunities for cultural and recreational enterprises, so as to enhance employment opportunities and promote a balanced community development in the district.
   
   

   Amendments to motion
   (i)	Hon Albert CHAN: (Translation) To add "this Council expresses deep regret at the Government's disregard for the needs of Tin Shui Wai residents over the years and its delay in making progress in a number of public works projects in that district, resulting in a deterioration of the local residents' quality of life; moreover," after "That,"; and to add "and set up a grass-roots livelihood improvement fund to improve the life of the grass-roots people," after "a harmonious community,".
   (ii)	Hon LEE Cheuk-yan: (Translation) To add "the Government's faulty planning has caused" after "That, as"; to add "to" after "family tragedies"; to add ": (a) expeditiously implement the various recommendations put forward in the Report of Review Panel on Family Services in Tin Shui Wai and" after "urges the Government to"; and to delete ", and at the same time" after "a harmonious community" and substitute with "; (b) cooperate with the stakeholders, such as the residents, community organizations, non-governmental organizations and relevant professional bodies in the locality, to map out the town planning and community development strategies for the district afresh, improve its population structure, better the neighbourhood relations and perfect the transport support, medical services, and arts, recreational and sports facilities for the area; (c) solve the problem of working poverty and formulate a family-friendly labour policy to alleviate the troubles faced by grass-roots families in the district due to work and financial pressure; and (d)".
   (iii)	Hon Albert HO: (Translation) To add ", causing it to be labelled 'a town of sadness'," after "in recent years"; to add "set up an investigation committee to find out the causes of the problems in Tin Shui Wai," after "urges the Government to"; to add ", including recruiting more social workers to clear case backlogs and strengthen the coordination mechanism, creating Family Service Case Manager posts and establishing Community Practice Centres to support residents' organizations and enhance mutual aid among neighbours, so as" after "family services on all fronts"; to add ", such as developing wetland resort hotels, 'riverside markets' and recovery parks; enhance employment counselling service and relax restrictions on the cross-district transport allowance to allow a family to be a unit in making applications" after "economic activities into the district"; and to add "assist social enterprises in real terms, and suggest that the Housing Department provide rent concession to social enterprises," after "cultural and recreational enterprises,".

   Public Officers to attend

   :

   Secretary for Home Affairs Secretary for Labour and Welfare