A 12/13-28
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 15 May 2013 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
| 1. | No. 93 | - | Report of changes made to the approved Estimates of Expenditure during the fourth quarter of 2012-13 Public Finance Ordinance: Section 8 |
| (to be presented by Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury) | |||
| 2. | Report No. 16/12-13 of the House Committee on Consideration of Subsidiary Legislation and Other Instruments | ||
| (to be presented by Hon Andrew LEUNG, Chairman of the House Committee) | |||
| 3. | Report of the Bills Committee on District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2013 | ||
| (to be presented by Hon IP Kwok-him, Chairman of the Bills Committee) | |||
II. Questions
(Pursuant to the decision of the House Committee and the choice made by the Members concerned, the following six oral questions will not be asked at this meeting and will be deferred to the Council meeting next following the completion of all the proceedings on the Appropriation Bill 2013.)
1. Hon Tony TSE to ask: (Translation)
The Hong Kong Housing Authority pointed out in its Report on the Review of Home Ownership Scheme published in 1996 that one of the objectives of implementing the Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") was "to encourage better off public rental housing tenants to upgrade to home ownership so that public rental flats released by them could be allocated to other families in need of assisted housing". With regard to expediting the turnover of public rental housing ("PRH") flats, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of PRH flats surrendered by PRH tenants in each of the past five years, broken down by the reason for surrendering the flats; among these cases, of the respective numbers of PRH tenants who purchased homes under HOS and the HOS Secondary Market Scheme; (b) whether it is one of the policy objectives of the Government of the current term "to encourage PRH tenants to upgrade to home ownership and surrender their PRH flats"; if so, of the various specific indicators set by the Government for this objective, and how such indicators compare with those in the past; if not, the reasons for that; and (c) of the specific measures implemented by the Government in the past five years for encouraging PRH tenants to surrender their PRH flats; whether it has conducted any comprehensive review of the effectiveness of these measures; if it has, of the review results; whether it will introduce new measures in 2013-2014 to further encourage PRH tenants to surrender their PRH flats in order to expedite the turnover of PRH flats; if it will, of the specific details and implementation schedule of the various new measures; if not, the reasons for that?
2. Hon Andrew LEUNG to ask: (Translation)
The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress remarked in April this year that with the emergence of some deep-rooted conflicts in the economy of Hong Kong, coupled with the impact brought about by the global financial crisis, the competitive edges of Hong Kong were weakening, and the primary task at the moment was to focus on our economic development. He also pointed out that the coming three years would be crucial for us to get out of the shadow of economic crisis, and Hong Kong should raise her alertness to crises, seize opportunities pragmatically, strive to create new competitive edges and take forward new developments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the new policies to consolidate the sustainable development of "the industries where Hong Kong enjoys clear advantages"; and (b) how it will assist Hong Kong's industrial, commercial and professional services sectors in creating new competitive edges in the coming one or two years?
3. Hon POON Siu-ping to ask: (Translation)
On 1 May this year, the Statutory Minimum Wage rate ("SMW") which had been in force for two years was adjusted upwards for the first time from $28 per hour to $30 per hour, representing an increase of 7.1%. Nevertheless, the rate of adjustment of SMW is lower than the cumulative inflation rate in the same period, resulting in a drop, instead of a rise, in the living standard of those employees earning SMW. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the Government has considered providing living allowances to employees earning SMW, so as to ensure that their living standard will not drop as a result of the inflation rate being higher than the rate of adjustment in SMW; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) whether it will consider requiring that the rate of adjustment in SMW recommended by the Minimum Wage Commission must not be lower than the inflation rate in the same period; if so, of the details, if not, the reasons for that; and (c) whether the Government will make reference to the existing practice of adjusting the civil service pay on an annual basis and reconsider shortening the review cycle of SMW from two years at present to one year; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
4. Hon WU Chi-wai to ask: (Translation)
In reply to a question of a Member of this Council in March this year, the Home Affairs Bureau ("HAB") indicated that more than 50 private recreational leases ("PRLs") that had expired in 2011 and 2012 were being renewed. The PRLs were granted by the Government at nil or nominal rents to sports clubs of social welfare organizations and private sports clubs ("sports clubs") many years ago. It has been reported that the PRLs will be renewed for 15 years. On the other hand, the Office of The Ombudsman ("The Ombudsman") published in 2012 a direct investigation report, in which it: (i) criticized HAB for its clear inadequacy of monitoring efforts in the enforcement of the lease conditions of the PRLs, (ii) criticized various sports clubs for serious scarcity of opening hours of their facilities for use by outside bodies, (iii) suggested that HAB should maximize the number of opening hours of facilities as far as the sports clubs' respective scale of operation permitted, and (iv) suggested that HAB should develop a proper mechanism for handling complaints concerning the opening of the sports facilities of the sports clubs and stipulate clearly who has the authority to make the final decision in case of disputes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) as the facilities of most sports clubs are dedicated for use by their members and only limited access is granted to group applicants at present, whether the authorities know the conditions for membership application set by the relevant sports clubs of the lessees of PRLs; if they do, of the relevant information, broken down by the name of the relevant sports clubs; whether HAB has reviewed if those conditions can tie in with the Government's policy objectives for sports development (including the promotion of elite sports development), and can convince the public that the sports clubs' repayment to society matches the subsidies in land resources they receive; of the reasons for the authorities deciding to renew the PRLs with the various lessees for 15 years; whether they have considered shortening the terms of leases or requesting the lessees who occupy larger land areas to surrender part of the land for housing development; (b) whether the Government has policies and measures to follow up the aforesaid criticisms and suggestions raised by The Ombudsman; if it has, of the details; and (c) as the Government informed this Council in 2011 that in renewing the PRLs, it would add new provisions requiring the sports clubs concerned to further open up their facilities to outside bodies, of the number of hours for which each sports club is required to open up its facilities to outside bodies under the new provisions, as well as a list setting out the name of each lessee, the address of the facilities concerned, and the number of opening hours of each of those facilities (e.g. swimming pools and gyms, etc.)?
5. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)
Quite a number of elderly people have relayed to me that their demand for dental services is extremely great. However, as there are only 11 government dental clinics with general public sessions ("government dental clinics") in the territory, the service capacity is obviously inadequate. Also, the services provided are limited to pain relief and tooth extraction, and do not cover denture-fixing or tooth-filling services. As such, most elderly people can only seek treatment from dental clinics in the private sector, but they generally cannot afford the high fees charged by such clinics and the healthcare vouchers provided by the Government are also of little help. As a result, quite a number of them have put off treatment for their dental problems, thus causing long-term impacts on their physical and psychological health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of service hours of various government dental clinics at present; whether it will consider afresh extending the service hours of such clinics, expanding their service capacity and increasing the number of such clinics; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) among the elderly people receiving the services of government dental clinics at present, of the respective percentages of those involving pain relief and tooth extraction services; whether the authorities have considered providing additional quotas of dental services specifically for the elderly people; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (c) given the great demand among the elderly people for dental services and their low financial affordability in general, whether the authorities have considered implementing new measures to provide subsidized dental services for the elderly people by means of, for instances, adopting a co-payment approach or providing comprehensive dental services for the elderly people at low charges; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
6. Hon Dennis KWOK to ask: (Translation)
At present, 70% to 80% of the water consumption in Hong Kong is met by Dongjiang water imported to Hong Kong. It has been reported that, with rapid economic growth and urbanization on the Mainland, the demand for water resources in various provinces and cities is on the rise, and the water sources have been extensively and severely polluted, resulting in a gradual decrease in usable water sources. It has also been reported that the uncertainty in the supply of potable water on the Mainland may affect the supply of Dongjiang water, and it is therefore necessary for the Government to examine the development of new water sources early. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that the Government has reserved a site in Area 137 of Tseung Kwan O for the construction of a desalination plant, and it is anticipated that the annual output capacity of the desalination plant, upon its coming into operation in 2020, will be about 50 million cubic metres ("m3") with the possibility of further increasing to 90 million m3, whether, according to the Government's estimation, it will adjust the ratio of various sources of water supply by then; if it will, of the details, if not, the reasons for that; and (b) as there are a certain number of water catchment facilities and stormwater storage tanks in Hong Kong (e.g. the water catchment facility in Happy Valley which is under construction and the Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel which was completed last year) for alleviating the flooding problem in the urban areas, whether the authorities will consider utilizing the rainwater collected by these water catchment facilities; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*7. Hon YIU Si-wing to ask: (Translation)
Some members of the tourism industry have relayed to me that the waiting time for visitors entering Hong Kong to go through immigration clearance at various boundary control points ("BCPs") is too long. The situation is especially appalling during peak hours of inbound and outbound traffic in the morning, when the waiting time is as long as one to three hours in general. This has seriously tarnished visitors' impression about Hong Kong and is detrimental to the development of Hong Kong's tourism industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the average current waiting time for visitors entering Hong Kong to go through immigration clearance via Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay BCPs during the morning peak hours on the three types of days (namely weekdays, weekends and holidays), and the details of Immigration Department's manpower and the average number of vacant immigration counters during such peak hours (broken down by the three types of days and the aforesaid BCPs); and (b) whether, with its existing manpower and facilities, the Immigration Department can implement measures to shorten the waiting time for inbound visitors during peak hours of inbound traffic; if it can, of the targeted waiting time to be shortened; if not, the reasons for that?
*8. Hon Starry LEE to ask: (Translation)
On 20 April this year, a Number 3 alarm fire broke out at Tai Shing Street Market in Wong Tai Sin. Not until seven hours later was the blaze put out. Apart from the dry goods area on the first floor of the market being severely burnt down, the stalls on the ground and second floors were also affected. As a result, the market had to be closed down temporarily, with more than 400 stalls being affected. During the closure of the market, the residents of Wong Tai Sin District who are long-time patrons of the market have no alternative but to go elsewhere to buy food, which has affected their daily lives. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the progress of the rehabilitation works of the aforesaid market; when the repairs to the ancillary public facilities (e.g. escalators) will be completed; when the market can resume full operation; whether the relevant inspection, assessment and rehabilitation works can be expedited so as to enable the stalls to resume business as soon as possible in a safe environment provided with the necessary facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) whether any temporary measures are in place to facilitate members of the public to buy food before the market is fully rehabilitated; and (c) whether it knows the total pecuniary loss suffered by the traders due to the fire; whether the Government has provided assistance to help the stalls resume business (including granting a rent-free period and, where necessary, arranging the relocation of stalls to nearby markets on a short-term or long-term basis); if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*9. Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask: (Translation)
Regarding rodent infestation in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that the Rodent Infestation Rates ("RIRs") released regularly by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") have been used for 13 years, whether the authorities will review the relevant mechanism to ensure that RIRs can accurately reflect the rodent infestation situation in the various districts; (b) of the specific results of the First Phase (from 28 December 2011 to 24 February 2012) and Second Phase (from 30 July to 28 September 2012) of the Anti-rodent Campaign 2012 held by FEHD; given that the territory-wide RIR stood at 2.4% in 2012, which was higher than the RIR in 2010 (1.5%) and 2011 (1.7%) recorded before the Anti-rodent Campaign was held, whether it has assessed if the Campaign was ineffective; whether the authorities will adjust the contents and strategy of this year's Anti-rodent Campaign in the light of the experience and results of the Anti-rodent Campaign 2012; (c) given that Kowloon City District's RIR had dropped significantly from 5% in 2009 to 0.9% and 1.4% respectively in the subsequent two years but rose back to 5.6% in 2012, which was even the second highest RIR across the territory, whether the authorities have assessed the factors leading to the deterioration of the rodent infestation problem in the district last year; whether the authorities will step up the various anti-rodent measures in the light of the rising RIR of the district; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (d) whether the authorities have exchanged experience and knowledge in anti-rodent work with the municipal staff from the Mainland or other overseas cities in the past two years; if so, of the subject matters of such exchanges; whether the authorities will further strengthen the relevant exchange activities (including inviting Mainland and overseas experts to Hong Kong to participate in anti-rodent work and assist in training the staff concerned); if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that?
*10. Hon Michael TIEN to ask: (Translation)
It has been almost a decade since the launch of smart identity ("ID") cards in June 2003. Some members of the public have pointed out that with the advancement in technology, the encryption and anti-forgery technologies adopted for smart ID cards have become outdated. They are concerned that the personal data of members of the public might be leaked. Moreover, a total of some 400 forged smart ID cards were seized by the authorities in 2011 and 2012, reflecting that the risk of smart ID cards being forged by law-breakers should not be overlooked. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the authorities have conducted any review on the use of smart ID cards, including the quality of the materials, security features of the computer chip, as well as the development and application of other functions, etc.; if they have, of the outcome; whether the authorities have kept abreast of more advanced technology so as to improve the current design of smart ID cards; if they have, of the details; and (b) given that for those persons who were issued smart ID cards in the early stage, their photos on the ID cards may look significantly different from their facial appearances at present, whether the authorities have plans to arrange for replacing the ID cards of members of the public by second generation smart ID cards in order to update their photos thereon, so that smart ID cards can effectively serve their functions as identification and travel documents; if they have, of the implementation timetable and progress of the preparation work?
*11. Hon CHUNG Kwok-pan to ask: (Translation)
In recent years, a number of golf driving ranges have closed down/are facing closure due to resumption of land by the Government for other uses. Following the closure of the golf driving range at the harbourfront site in Tsueng Kwan O at the end of last year, the site of the driving range in Cheung Sha Wan will also be resumed in the near future for public housing development. Furthermore, the site of the golf driving range at Lok Wo Sha, Ma On Shan may also be resumed a few years later. Some local golfers and people engaged in the sport have relayed to me their concern that the aforesaid situation will impede the development of golf as a sport in Hong Kong. In particular, with the resumption of the site of the golf driving range in Cheung Sha Wan, there will not be any golf driving range in the urban area, and it will be more inconvenient for members of the public to play golf as compared with the past. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that quite a number of members of the public from the middle class play golf in recent years and golf has been listed as one of the events of the Olympic Games, and golf is therefore no longer an activity for the rich but a popular sport, whether the Government will allocate more resources, including those for publicity work and provision of land, etc., to facilitate the development of the sport; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) whether the Government will consider identifying a site in the urban area for constructing a permanent golf driving range, so as to encourage members of the public to participate in the sport; (c) given that some operators of golf driving ranges have suggested that the Government allocate, upon the resumption of the site of the golf driving range in Cheung Sha Wan, another site in the urban area on short-term tenancy for constructing a golf driving range, of the progress of the Government in following up the proposal; and (d) whether the authorities will allocate a site in the Multi-purpose Sports Complex at Kai Tak (which is under initial planning) near the harbourfront areas of the Victoria Harbour, or in the proposed Metro Park in Kai Tak, for constructing a golf driving range, so as to enhance the promotion of golf as a sport and increase the attractiveness of the harbourfront areas on both sides of the Victoria Harbour?
*12. Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask: (Translation)
In April this year, a Number 4 alarm fire broke out in an upper floor unit of a building, but the fire hydrant in that building malfunctioned, which had increased the difficulties of fire-fighting work. Some members of the public have pointed out that this fire has highlighted the existence of quite a number of potential fire safety hazards in buildings in Hong Kong. Regarding fire safety in buildings in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that section 8 of the Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations (Cap. 95 sub. leg. B) provides that the owner of any fire service installation or equipment which is installed in any premises shall have such fire service installation or equipment inspected by a registered contractor at least once in every 12 months, whether the Fire Services Department ("FSD") has considered conducting a comprehensive review of whether such a requirement can ensure that the relevant inspection work is conducted properly, so as to keep fire service installations or equipment in efficient working order at all times; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (b) given that FSD published a consultation document in 2007 and 2011 respectively proposing the establishment of a new registration mechanism for the third party engaged in fire safety certification (i.e. registered fire engineers) so as to implement the Third Party Fire Safety Certification Scheme, and the second round of consultation had already ended on 16 January 2012, whether FSD has formulated a policy on the registration of fire engineers and the implementation of the Third Party Fire Safety Certification Scheme based on the consultation outcome as it had undertaken to do so in the consultation document; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*13. Hon Frankie YICK to ask: (Translation)
Some operators of public light buses ("PLBs") (red minibuses ("RMBs") and green minibuses ("GMBs")) have reportedly said that the shortage of PLB drivers is very serious. For example, the vacancies of GMB drivers account for 25% of the total number of positions, resulting in a situation of "some PLBs being left idle as no drivers are available". One operator has even said that if the situation does not improve, at least 10 routes will have to be cancelled this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of holders of valid PLB driving licences in the past three years, broken down by the age groups in the table below;
Year Age group 29 or below 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80 or above Total 2010 2011 2012 (b) of the number of PLB driving licence holders who had not applied for licence renewal upon expiry of their licences in the past three years, and whether it knows the reasons why they had not renewed their licences; (c) of the number of PLB drivers in the past three years, broken down by the age groups and employment term in the table below;
Year PLB Employment term Age group 29 or below 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70 or above Total 2010 RMB Full-time Part-time GMB Full-time Part-time 2011 RMB Full-time Part-time GMB Full-time Part-time 2012 RMB Full-time Part-time GMB Full-time Part-time (d) given that the Transport Department had enquired with the GMB operators across the territory at the end of last year about the shortage of drivers, of the findings of its enquiries and the current shortfall of GMB drivers; whether the Government will enquire with RMB operators about the shortage of drivers; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (e) whether it knows the number and percentage of people taking up employment as PLB drivers among those who newly obtained their PLB driving licences in the past three years, and the reasons why some people had not been employed as such; if no such information is available, whether the Government will conduct a survey on this; (f) regarding the shortage of PLB drivers, what short, medium and long-term corresponding measures the authorities have put in place to attract more people to join the trade and support the long-term development of the trade, and of the details of such measures (including the implementation timetable and expected outcomes); and (g) given that Singapore has reportedly imported a specific quota of foreign labour to solve the problem of shortage of bus drivers, whether the authorities will consider making reference to the practice of Singapore and importing foreign labour to solve the problem of shortage of PLB drivers; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*14. Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)
Over the years, the Government has all along expressed its concern for the provision of barrier-free access and facilities, and some government officials have publicly stated on various occasions that the Government will observe the Universal Accessibility Best Practices devised by the Architectural Services Department as well as the best practices set out in the Design Manual: Barrier Free Access 2008 issued by the Buildings Department, and whenever practicable, strive to achieve a standard beyond the statutory requirements when constructing new government buildings. However, I have received a large number of complaints from members of the public and organizations that there are problems of lack of proper maintenance and contravention of regulations of the barrier-free access and facilities in the community, but there are no channels for them to lodge their complaints. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the Government has designated a certain department or established any programme which is tasked to coordinate the provision and maintenance of barrier-free access and facilities in the community; if it has, of the details; and whether the responsibilities of the department or programme include (i) handling requests for assistance and receiving views and complaints about barrier-free access and facilities from members of the public and organizations, and (ii) cooperating with community organizations or district councils to proactively identify areas of insufficiency and contraventions of regulations in respect of barrier-free access and facilities in the community; if no designated department or programme is in place, of the reasons for that, and whether the Government will set up a new department or task force, or designate an officer to take charge of the aforesaid tasks; if it will not, of the reasons for that; and (b) whether various government departments have designated officers who are tasked to manage the barrier-free access and facilities under their respective ambits; if they have, of a list of the names of and the methods to contact such officers; if not, the reasons for that?
*15. Hon James TIEN to ask: (Translation)
According to media reports, a large number of healthcare personnel in the Accident and Emergency ("A&E") Department of the Prince of Wales Hospital ("PWH") in Sha Tin have recently left the service, resulting in a serious shortage of manpower. To avoid making wrong diagnoses due to manpower shortage, the healthcare personnel in that A&E Department transferred a large number of patients to the medical wards of the hospital, making these medical wards fully occupied and overloaded. Other media reports have pointed out that PWH has recently closed two medical wards which were added earlier, making quite a number of medical patients who needed hospitalization stranded in the A&E Department for a long time waiting for admission due to a shortage of hospital beds. Some members of the public have expressed their concern that, in case of a major outbreak of influenza in the community, PWH's medical wards will have difficulties in coping with the situation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, whether it knows:
(a) the respective numbers of the existing healthcare personnel and the shortfalls in the various departments of PWH (set out in a table); (b) the quarterly healthcare personnel wastage of the A&E Department of PWH in the past two years and the reasons for the wastage, as well as the average monthly occupancy rate and the number of hospital beds in the medical wards of PWH; (c) whether the Hospital Authority ("HA") has assessed if the workloads of the A&E Department and the medical wards of PWH have already exceeded their capacity at present; if they have, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that; (d) whether HA has assessed if the healthcare manpower, the number of hospital beds and medical facilities of PWH are sufficient to cope with the situation of a major outbreak of influenza; if they have, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that; and (e) what measures HA has put in place to cope with the manpower shortage and workload problems of the A&E Department and the medical wards of PWH?
*16. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)
According to media reports, a former Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption is suspected of having misused public funds in overseas visits, entertainment activities and purchase of gifts during his term of office, and he is also suspected of having improperly used public funds for entertainment activities during his tenure as Commissioner of Customs and Excise. As such media reports have aroused grave public concern, will the Government inform this Council, regarding five disciplined services, namely the Hong Kong Police Force, Immigration Department, Fire Services Department, Customs and Excise Department and Correctional Services Department:
(a) of the requirements of the disciplined services in respect of their expenses on overseas visits, entertainment and gifts, including the ranks of approving officers, upper limits for such expenses, approval procedures, special approval procedures when the actual expenses have exceeded the upper limits for overseas visits/entertainment activities/gifts, and penalties for contraventions; whether the commissioners/directors of the disciplined services are authorized to approve expenses on overseas visits, entertainment activities and giving of gifts in which they are involved; if so, whether there is any restriction on such approvals; (b) of the details of the expenses on purchase of gifts presented to government officials of other places since the incumbent commissioners/directors of the disciplined services assumed office, and set out in detail the dates on which the gifts were presented, the types of gifts (e.g. gift items, foods or drinks, etc.), quantities and value of the gifts, names of organizations/persons that accepted the gifts, and purpose of presenting the gifts; the number of those occasions on which the value of the gifts had exceeded the upper limits, and whether special approvals were required and the reasons for the approvals; (c) of the details of the entertainment activities hosted since the incumbent commissioners/directors of the disciplined services assumed office, and set out in detail the dates of the activities, venues, expenses incurred, name lists of those officers of the disciplined services and guests attending the activities, and purpose of the activities; the number of those entertainment activities in which the expenses had exceeded the upper limits, and whether special approvals were required and the reasons for the approvals; (d) of the details of the overseas visits made by the incumbent commissioners/directors of the disciplined services since they assumed office, and set out in detail the dates of visits, destinations, expenses incurred (listing separately the total expenses and the expenses incurred by the commissioners/directors), numbers and ranks of the officers of the disciplined services participating in the visits, and purposes of the visits; the number of those visits for which the expenses had exceeded the upper limits, and whether special approvals were required and the reasons for the approvals; and (e) whether these disciplined services have put in place internal audit mechanisms to ensure that expenses on overseas visits, entertainment activities and gifts are incurred in accordance with the relevant procedures and requirements; whether these disciplined services had uncovered any related contraventions in the past three years; if they had, of the details?
*17. Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung to ask: (Translation)
Earlier, following the reply of the Government to my question on the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme ("the Scheme") of the Labour Department ("LD"), quite a number of members of the public and the social workers who work as case managers under the Scheme have continued to relay to me the problems of the Scheme. They pointed out that when problems of the training courses arose, the responsible social workers or the persons-in-charge of the training bodies which were appointed under the Scheme had covered up their own fault in improper supervision and shifted, without verifying the facts, the blame to the frontline social workers who had already left the positions. Moreover, some trainees of the Scheme have relayed to me that they have not succeeded in securing employment after completing the training courses and thus feel very anxious. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of trainees who received the hours of case management services (basic period) as listed in the table below, and the average amount of service fees per hour paid by the authorities for each trainee, in each of the programme years of the Scheme ("programme years") from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (set out in the table below);
Programme
yearNumber of trainees who received
the following hours of servicesAverage amount of
service fees per hour for
each trainee10 hours
or below11-30
hours31-50
hours51-70
hours2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 (b) of the number of trainees who received the hours of case management services (extended period) as listed in the table below, and the average amount of service fees per hour paid by the authorities for each trainee, in each of the programme years from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (set out in the table below);
Programme
yearNumber of trainees who received
the following hours of servicesAverage amount of
service fees per hour for
each trainee1-10 hours 11-20 hours 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 (c) of the respective numbers of trainees who enrolled in and completed the case management services for the basic period and the extended period, as well as the respective numbers of trainees who succeeded in securing employment within one month after completion of the basic period and in keeping their employment one month after completion of the extended period, in each of the programme years from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (set out in the table below); Programme
yearNumber of trainees who Number of trainees who enrolled in the services for completed the services for succeeded in securing employment within one month after completion of enrolled in the services for completed the services for succeeded in keeping the employment one month after completion of the basic period the extended period 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 (d) of the respective numbers of trainees who enrolled in and completed the training courses, and those who succeeded in securing employment within one month after completion of the training courses, in each of the programme years from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (set out in the table below); and Programme year Number of trainees who enrolled in training courses completed training courses succeeded in securing employment within one month 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 (e) of the time taken by LD to reimburse the course fees to a training body after receiving the "Form No. 26" (application form for reimbursement of course fees) submitted by the training body; whether it is against the law for a training body to submit a "Form No. 26" containing untrue information; if so, of the relevant legislation and penalties, and whether the person who has signed on the Form will be held legally liable?
*18. Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask: (Translation)
The former Chief Executive set up the "Independent Review Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Potential Conflicts of Interests" in February 2012 to review the regulatory frameworks and procedures for the prevention and handling of potential conflicts of interests concerning the Chief Executive, Non-Official Members of the Executive Council ("ExCo") and Officials under the Political Appointment System respectively, including the arrangements for declaration of investments/interests and acceptance of advantage/entertainment/hospitality. Regarding the systems for the prevention of potential conflicts of interests and the control of entertainment expenses, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the latest progress of the authorities' implementation of the 36 recommendations contained in the report submitted by the aforesaid Committee in May 2012; which of those recommendations have not yet been implemented and the reasons for that; (b) whether, over the past 15 years, the authorities have reviewed and improved the regulatory mechanisms and procedures of various government departments for the prevention of conflicts of interests, as well as the departments' measures for monitoring hospitality, entertainment and giving of gifts; if they have, of a breakdown by department of the details and the results of such reviews; (c) given that recently, an ExCo Member has been alleged to be involved in a conflict-of-interests situation, a former official under the Political Appointment System has been prosecuted, and a former Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption ("ICAC") has been alleged to have taken advantage of his position for personal gains in hosting meals for persons not related to the work of ICAC during his term of office, whether the authorities will consider (i) conducting a comprehensive review of the regulatory mechanisms and procedures of various government departments for the prevention of conflicts of interests, as well as the departments' measures for monitoring hospitality, entertainment and giving of gifts; if they will consider, of the details and specific tasks; and (ii) conducting a comprehensive review of the system for integrity checking of directorate staff of various government departments; and (d) whether it has maintained records of the entertainment expenses incurred by the Hong Kong Police Force ("HKPF"), the Immigration Department ("ImmD"), the Customs and Excise Department ("C&ED"), the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau ("CMAB") and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") from 2008-2009 to 2012-2013; if it has, set out the details in the table below; if not, whether it will consider maintaining such records starting from this year? Policy bureau/government department Year Total expenditure on entertainment Expenditure on entertainment activities involving officers of mainland authorities (including those stationed in Hong Hong) Number of occasions on which the entertainment expenses had exceeded the upper limit Summation of the parts of the expenses which had exceeded the upper limit Details of the activities for which the entertainment expenses had exceeded the upper limit, and the reasons for overspending HKPF 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 ImmD 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 C&ED 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 CMAB 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 FEHD 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
*19. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)
I raised a question at the meeting of this Council on 2 May 2012 regarding the issue that most of the bus trips on the routes to and from Tin Shui Wai were not serviced by wheelchair accessible low-floor buses. It has been learnt that, at present, some of the trips of these routes are still not serviced by low-floor buses, resulting in wheelchair users having to wait usually for more than 30 minutes for such buses. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number and percentage of low-floor buses added to the fleet of each franchised bus company between April 2012 and April 2013; (b) of the daily number of bus trips serviced by low-floor buses on the routes to and from Tin Shui Wai at present; the percentage of such trips in the total number of the relevant bus trips; and how such figures compare with those in April 2012; and (c) whether it will consider afresh adding a clause to the franchise agreements with the bus companies in the future to require them to retrofit facilities on all in-service non-low-floor buses to make it convenient for wheelchair users to board and alight buses; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*20. Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask: (Translation)
In his 2009-2010 Policy Address, the former Chief Executive mentioned the promotion of the use of electric vehicles so that Hong Kong "will rank second in Asia, after Japan, where electric vehicles are most widely used". It has been reported recently by the media that some companies are planning to introduce electric taxis to Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) among the private cars, taxis, public light buses ("PLBs") and franchised buses currently registered in Hong Kong, of the respective numbers and percentages of those which are electric and hybrid vehicles; (b) whether the Government has plans to gradually introduce electric taxis, PLBs and franchised buses in order to alleviate roadside pollution; if so, of the details; (c) whether it has assessed the ancillary facilities required upon a comprehensive switch of taxis, PLBs and franchised buses to electric ones; whether it will consider installing charging facilities at metered parking spaces; and (d) of the respective numbers of electric and hybrid vehicles currently used by the Government; whether the Government has set a target on the number of electric vehicles to be introduced to its fleet; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*21. Hon Charles Peter MOK to ask: (Translation)
In recent years, a number of local companies and international enterprises have set up high tier-data centres in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate ("Industrial Estate"), which is also the landing site of submarine optical fibre cables for international telecommunications ("telecommunications cables"). Availability of alternative routings for data transmission is crucial to the provision of stable and reliable data centre services. Wan Po Road is currently the only feeder road that connects the Industrial Estate with other areas, and yet the underground space of Wan Po Road for accommodating various public utilities is close to its full capacity. Hence, the telecommunications industry has requested that communications equipment be installed on the bridge of the proposed Cross Bay Link at Tseung Kwan O ("the Link") to facilitate the development of data centres. However, some members of the telecommunications industry have relayed to me that it was recommended to the Government in the relevant project consultant's report that only public utilities necessary for the daily operation of the road should be allowed to be installed on the bridge of the Link, and telecommunications cables and apparatus would not be included. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the authorities have permitted telecommunications service providers to install telecommunications cables and apparatus on various major trunk roads and flyovers in Hong Kong; if they have, of the details and the relevant policies; if not, the reasons for that; (b) whether the authorities have, when considering the existing or proposed public utilities that might be affected by the Link, taken into account the trend of a continuous increase in the numbers of data centres which commenced/ will commence operation, those under construction or extension, and those being planned in the Industrial Estate between 2010 and 2015; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (c) whether the authorities have consulted the operators of data centres in the Industrial Estate on the installation of telecommunications cables and apparatus on the bridge of the Link; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (d) whether the authorities have accepted the aforesaid recommendation in the project consultant's report; if they have, of the details, and whether they have any alternative for providing the data centres in the Industrial Estate with the external telecommunications cables and apparatus required; if they have not, the reasons for that?
*22. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)
The Residential Properties (First-hand Sales) Ordinance (Cap. 621) ("the Ordinance") has come into full operation with effect from 29 April this year. The Ordinance aims to enhance the transparency and fairness of the sales arrangements and transactions of first-hand residential properties to better protect the interest of purchasers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the following since the Ordinance came into full operation:
(a) the respective numbers of sales brochures, price lists and documents on sales arrangements received by the Sales of First-hand Residential Properties Authority ("SRPA"); the number of inspections of the sales offices and show flats of first-hand residential properties conducted by SRPA officers; whether SRPA has uncovered any contraventions of the Ordinance in checking sales documents and conducting inspections; if it has, of the details; (b) whether SRPA has received any complaints and enquiries about the sales of first-hand residential properties regulated under the Ordinance; if it has, of the number and contents of such complaints and enquiries; as it has been reported that the transaction process of first-hand residential properties is slower than before, and that some estate agents are suspected of contravening the Ordinance in conveying the information on residential developments to prospective buyers, whether SRPA has conducted any investigation into such cases; if it has, of the details; and (c) the number of first-hand residential developments put up for sale in the market; of a comparison of the supply and transaction volume of first-hand residential units before and after the implementation of the Ordinance; whether the authorities have assessed if the quantity and transaction volume of first-hand residential properties to be put up for sale in the coming year will be affected by the implementation of the Ordinance; if they have, of the outcome?
* For written reply
III. Bills
| Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading
(Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting) | |||
| 1. | Appropriation Bill 2013 | : | The Financial Secretary
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| Amendments to heads of estimates in Committee of the whole Council on the Appropriation Bill 2013 | |||
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Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung, Hon Albert CHAN, Hon Gary FAN, Hon WONG Yuk-man and Hon CHAN Chi-chuen to move the Committee stage amendments in Appendix I.
(These amendments were also issued on 22 April 2013 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 502/12-13) | |||
| Other Public Officers to attend the Committee stage | : | The Chief Secretary for Administration The Secretary for Justice Secretary for Transport and Housing Secretary for Home Affairs Secretary for Labour and Welfare Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Secretary for Security Secretary for Education Secretary for the Civil Service Secretary for Food and Health Secretary for the Environment Secretary for Development Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Under Secretary for Home Affairs Under Secretary for the Environment Under Secretary for Transport and Housing Under Secretary for Security Under Secretary for Food and Health Under Secretary for Education Under Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs | |
| 2. | Pilotage (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Secretary for Transport and Housing
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| (Scheduled to be dealt with at this Council meeting)
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| 3. | District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs |
IV. Motions
(Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting)
| 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 28 March 2013, be approved -
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(Scheduled to be dealt with at this Council meeting)
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| 2. | Proposed resolution under the Loans Ordinance Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury to move the following motion: Resolved that –
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V. Members' Motions on Subsidiary Legislation and Other Instruments
(Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting)
VI. Member's Bill
(Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting)
First Reading
Professional Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2013
Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)
| Professional Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Hon Kenneth LEUNG
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| Public Officer to attend | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury |
VII. Members' Motions
(The following four motions will not be dealt with at this meeting (LC Paper No. CB(3) 598/12-13))
| 1. | Drug Formulary and drugs subsidy system Hon Alice MAK to move the following motion: (Translation) That the Hospital Authority ('HA') has implemented the Drug Formulary ('the Formulary') system since July 2005 to standardize its policies on procurement and use of drugs; at present, HA's annual drugs expenditure only accounts for around 10% of its overall expenditure, and the responsibilities of including new drugs in the Formulary and reviewing the Formulary rest with HA's Drug Advisory Committee and Drug Utilization Review Committee respectively; yet, the lack of transparency in the relevant work and low participation of other stakeholders have led people to question that the Formulary does not put patients' rights and interests first, resulting in patients having to purchase at their own expense drugs which are of significant efficacy but expensive; although the Government has put in place safety net systems such as the Samaritan Fund, etc., situations of patients suffering delays in treatment due to their inability to afford better but expensive drugs, having to sell their properties in order to purchase drugs, or relying on lower-quality drugs to extend their lives still arise, etc., reflecting the existence of many loopholes and inadequacies in the existing system; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to review the existing drugs policies and perfect the relevant mechanism, so as to provide assistance for more people in need; the relevant measures should include: | ||
| (1) | to reform HA's Drug Advisory Committee and Drug Utilization Review Committee, include more representatives of stakeholders (including representatives of patients' organizations) and make public the records of meetings of those Committees, so as to increase the transparency of the process of formulating and reviewing the Formulary;
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| (2) | when updating the Formulary, to correspondingly devote adequate resources to ensure that medical practitioners can prescribe the most suitable drugs according to patients' medical conditions;
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| (3) | to take out HA's drugs expenditure from its overall expenditure estimates and allocate it to the various hospital clusters as an independent fund, so as to ensure that the funding is fully used for drugs expenditure and not used for other expenditure items;
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| (4) | to expand the Formulary to include more drugs which are of significant efficacy but expensive as General Drugs and Special Drugs, so that more patients can use such drugs at standard fees and charges;
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| (5) | to increase the expenditure estimates on drugs, and when considering whether to include certain drugs in the Formulary and the relevant categories, reduce the weighting of costs and prices and adopt efficacy and patient safety as the overriding principle, so that patients will not be forced to take lower-quality drugs due to the lack of financial means;
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| (6) | to include more drugs in the subsidy coverage of the Samaritan Fund, and further relax the assessment criteria of the financial test of the Samaritan Fund by using the income and asset of individual applicants instead of households as the basis;
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| (7) | to provide tax relief, so as to alleviate the financial burden of patients or their family members arising from the purchase of drugs at their own expense; and
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| (8) | to consider abolishing the Formulary system in the long run.
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| Amendments to the motion | |||
| (i) | Dr Hon LEUNG Ka-lau to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add ", in view of patients' growing demand for expensive drugs," after "That"; to delete ", and" after "expenditure estimates on drugs" and substitute with "to around 15% of HA's overall expenditure, and use a scientific and objective method to measure cost-effectiveness"; to delete ", reduce the weighting of costs and prices and adopt efficacy and patient safety as the overriding principle, so that patients will not be forced to take lower-quality drugs due to the lack of financial means" after "relevant categories"; to delete "further relax" after "coverage of the Samaritan Fund, and" and substitute with "revise"; and to delete "financial test of the Samaritan Fund by using the income and asset of individual applicants instead of households as the basis" after "criteria of the" and substitute with "relevant financial test and its subsidy approach, allowing applicants to choose 'individual' or 'household' as the assessment basis; when a patient's drugs expenditure exceeds 10% of the patient's income, the shortfall in the drugs fees would be paid by the Fund, so that the patient will not be forced to take lower-quality drugs due to the lack of financial means". | ||
| (ii) | Dr Hon Joseph LEE to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add ", given that" after "That"; to delete "to standardize" after "July 2005" and substitute with ", resulting in"; to add "being too rigid and unable to help patients appropriately" after "use of drugs"; to delete "in the relevant work and" after "lack of transparency" and substitute with "and the excessive conservativeness in their work, which is unable to respond timely to patients' needs, coupled with the"; to add "," after "other stakeholders"; to delete ", so as" after "those Committees"; to add ", so that the Committees concerned can respond to patients' medical and healthcare demands in a more open and appropriate manner" after "formulating and reviewing the Formulary"; to delete "and" after "purchase of drugs at their own expense;"; and to add "; and (9) when assessing new drugs, to introduce objective and standardized assessment tools to assess the safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, etc. of new drugs with objective criteria for determining whether to include the new drugs in the Formulary, and to enhance transparency" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| (iii) | Hon CHAN Han-pan to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add ", in view of the hospitals in various clusters of" after "That"; to add "following different policies on drug management in the past, HA" after "Hospital Authority ('HA')"; and to delete "consider" after "(8) to" and substitute with "expeditiously and comprehensively review the Formulary system, give priority to the inclusion of drugs proven to be of significant efficacy but extremely expensive as HA's general subsidized drugs to benefit more patients, and study the feasibility of". | ||
| (iv) | Hon Albert HO to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add ", to ensure equitable access by patients to the drugs required," after "That"; to delete ", etc.," after "such as the Samaritan Fund" and substitute with "('the Fund'), etc., and under the persistent striving of the civil society, the Government injected $10 billion into the Fund last year,"; to add "conduct studies on making such committees institutionally independent of HA," before "include more representatives"; to add "use the Fund properly," after "(6) to"; to delete "Samaritan" after "coverage of the"; to delete "Samaritan" after "financial test of the"; to delete "(7) to provide tax relief, so as to alleviate the financial burden of patients or their family members arising from the purchase of drugs at their own expense;" after "as the basis;"; to delete the original "(8)" and substitute with "(7)"; to delete "to consider abolishing the Formulary system" before "in the long run"; and to add ", under the existing Formulary system, to reform the drug subsidy system to the effect that subsidies should be provided for all drugs clinically assessed by attending doctors to be needed, and the patients concerned only need to pay the standard charges instead of having to purchase the drugs at their own expense" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| (v) | Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add "('the Fund')" after "such as the Samaritan Fund"; to add "and of patients' family members' organizations" after "patients' organizations"; to delete "more drugs which are of significant efficacy" after "expand the Formulary to include" and substitute with "all drugs which are of significant efficacy and marginal benefits"; to add "medical practitioners can prescribe drugs with greater flexibility, and" after "Special Drugs, so that"; to add "(5) where the drugs needed by patients fall outside the Formulary, to put in place a discretionary mechanism for medical practitioners to exercise their professional judgment to provide such patients with the drugs concerned;" after "standard fees and charges;"; to delete the original "(5)" and substitute with "(6)"; to delete the original "(6)" and substitute with "(7)"; to delete "Samaritan" after "coverage of the"; to delete "Samaritan" after "financial test of the"; to add "(8) to consider setting a ceiling on the proportion of medical expenditure to income for the Fund, whereby any medical fee in excess of the ceiling will be fully subsidized by the Fund; and" after "as the basis;"; to delete the original "(7)" and substitute with "(9)"; and to delete "; and (8) to consider abolishing the Formulary system in the long run" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Food and Health
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| 2. | Maintaining a business-friendly environment in Hong Kong Hon Jeffrey LAM to move the following motion: (Translation) That, given the slow recovery of the global economy, this Council urges the Government to adopt proactive policy measures to maintain a business-friendly environment in Hong Kong and devote more resources to assist small and medium enterprises. | ||
| Amendments to the motion | |||
| (i) | Hon TANG Ka-piu to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To delete "given" after "That," and substitute with "under the broad environment of economic globalization,"; to add "has certain impacts on Hong Kong's economy, and the unemployment rate in Hong Kong has started to rebound; in this connection" after "the global economy"; to add "and make good use of local human resources" after "policy measures"; and to delete "and" after "Hong Kong" and substitute with "; the relevant measures should include: (1) to review the supply of manpower resources in various industries, and devote resources to training the relevant talents, enable local workers to play to their strengths and use what they have learnt and avoid labour importation, and encourage enterprises to employ disadvantaged people (e.g. South Asians, the middle-aged and persons with disabilities), so as to make good use of the local labour force, enabling local employees to share the fruits of economic development and employers to have adequate labour supply, thus creating a win-win situation for employers and workers; (2) to improve the working conditions and environment, e.g. setting standard working hours and standardizing the number of statutory holidays and public holidays, so as to assist enterprises in retaining talents through upgrading the quality of work life for employees; (3) to study the alleviation of the burden of transport expenses on workers working across districts, so that enterprises can recruit sufficient manpower more easily; (4) to reduce rental costs for enterprises, and alleviate their business difficulties; and (5) to". | ||
| (ii) | Hon Michael TIEN to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To delete "given" after "That," and substitute with "with"; to add "and rapid ageing of Hong Kong's population, the welfare spending is bound to increase significantly, and Hong Kong must vigorously expedite its economic development to 'make a bigger cake', the prerequisite of which is to maintain a business-friendly environment for small and medium enterprises ('SMEs'); in this connection" after "the global economy"; to delete "adopt" after "the Government to" and substitute with ", apart from adopting"; to delete "to maintain a business-friendly environment in Hong Kong and devote" after "policy measures" and substitute with "and devoting"; and to delete "small and medium enterprises" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "SMEs, make strenuous efforts to mitigate the increasingly tense labour relations in Hong Kong in recent years, and ensure employees not only having reasonable protection for their rights and interests but also fully recognizing the impacts of various labour policies and measures (e.g. reviewing the minimum wage level and conducting studies on the regulation of working hours and the right to collective bargaining, etc.) on the business environment of SMEs, in an endeavor to achieving mutual understanding and a win-win situation for both sides, with Hong Kong's economy being also developed in a consistently rapid way". | ||
| (iii) | Hon IP Kin-yuen to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To delete "," after "That" and substitute with "high-quality human resources have all along been pivotal to Hong Kong's economic development;"; and to add ", and devote resources to enhance educational and manpower training, implement 15-year free education and small-class teaching in secondary schools, strengthen vocational education and training, and increase the numbers of publicly-funded sub-degree programme places, publicly-funded bachelor's degree programme places and local students admitted to postgraduate programmes in graduate schools of universities, so as to nurture local talents to provide manpower resources for the sustainable development of pillar industries and the diversified development of the economy;" after "in Hong Kong". | ||
| (iv) | Hon WU Chi-wai to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To delete "given the slow recovery of" after "That," and substitute with "as Hong Kong's business environment is closely related to the global economy, but"; to add "has been recovering slowly" after "the global economy"; and to add "; specific measures include: (1) to construct Container Terminal 10, and pass it to a new operator to undertake the operation, so as to increase the competition among container terminals for lowering terminal handling charges; (2) to fully open up the fifth freedom traffic rights on a reciprocal basis, enabling more overseas flights to carry passengers and freight in Hong Kong, so as to lower transport fees; (3) to expeditiously implement the Competition Ordinance, lift the exemptions for statutory bodies from the Competition Ordinance, and provide adequate resources to the Competition Commission; regularly review the Competition Ordinance, and study whether the Competition Commission should be empowered to examine if any public policy has directly or indirectly created market monopoly, and when an enterprise is found to have taken a large proportion of market shares, to advise the Government on measures for preventing market monopoly, so as to maintain the competition environment of the Hong Kong market, curb monopoly by large consortia, and improve small business operators' room for survival; and (4) to assist in promoting the overseas sale of local brands and technologies" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| (v) | Hon YIU Si-wing to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add "and the various departments to take the initiative" after "the Government"; to add "devote more resources to assist small and medium enterprises according to the characteristics of different industries, and" after "policy measures to"; and to delete "and devote more resources to assist small and medium enterprises" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "; the relevant measures include: (1) to subsidize small and medium enterprises, so as to motivate the relevant enterprises to make use of information technology; (2) to increase the expenditure on subsidizing the training of practitioners in industries, so as to raise the professional standards of industries; (3) to regularly co-ordinate industries of the same kind to jointly organize external promotional activities, and appropriately subsidize such activities; and (4) to reduce or waive the licence fees for the relevant enterprises of industries with operating difficulties". | ||
| (vi) | Hon Charles Peter MOK to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add "(especially those in relation to the innovation and technology industries); this Council also urges the Government to implement the following measures in three areas, namely market development, capital and talents: (1) to review and reform the Government's information technology procurement policy, reform the guiding principle that 'the lowest bidder wins' and the requirement for huge amounts of performance bonds, which have all along been criticized by the industry, strengthen the assessment elements of 'local research, original applications' to encourage innovation in its procurement policy, and increase the opportunities for small and medium enterprises to participate in the bidding for the Government's information technology contracts, so as to accumulate more capital and experience for expansion of their enterprise scale; (2) to open up more Government data and, putting the public interest first, encourage developers to make use of such data at liberty and free of charge, so as to promote the development of more mobile and internet applications conducive to people's livelihood and social-economic activities, so as to foster innovative applications by small and medium enterprises, enhance work efficiency, and create room for developers to identify business opportunities; (3) through policy support and venture capital funds involving Government investments, to encourage the development of local 'Angel Funds' and venture capital activities, so as to provide local start-up companies with more effective early-stage seed funding; and (4) to inject capital into and re-activate the Small and Medium Enterprises Training Fund, so that small and medium enterprises may have sufficient resources for training staff and enhancing competitiveness" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
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| 3. | The 4 June incident Hon Albert HO to move the following motion: (Translation) That this Council urges that: the 4 June incident be not forgotten and the 1989 pro-democracy movement be vindicated. | ||
| 4. | Democratic procedures for the election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017 Hon Alan LEONG to move the following motion: (Translation) That QIAO Xiaoyang, Chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, made a speech on 24 March this year, indicating that regarding the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR by universal suffrage, 'the issue that requires a consensus is essentially about the democratic procedures for nomination'; in this connection, this Council urges the SAR Government to ensure that, irrespective of how various sectors interpret the so-called 'democratic procedures for nomination', when formulating the proposals on the election of the Chief Executive in 2017, the rights to make nomination, to stand for election and to vote are universal and equal, without any 'screening' or 'pre-selection' through a nominating committee. | ||
| Amendments to the motion | |||
| (i) | Hon IP Kwok-him to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add ", on the issue of constitutional development in Hong Kong," after "That"; to add "('NPC')" after "National People's Congress"; and to delete "the rights to make nomination, to stand for election and to vote are universal and equal, without any 'screening' or 'pre-selection' through a nominating committee" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "the Basic Law and the relevant decisions of the Standing Committee of NPC on the issue of universal suffrage are complied with". Amendment to Hon IP Kwok-him's amendment Hon LEE Cheuk-yan to move the following amendment: (Translation) To delete "the Basic Law and" before "the relevant decisions"; and to delete "are complied with" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "comply with the provisions of the Basic Law, the reasonable interpretation of which is that the rights to nominate, to stand for election and to vote must comply with the principles of universality and equality, without any 'screening' or 'pre-selection' through a nominating committee". | ||
| (ii) | Hon WONG Yuk-man to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To delete "QIAO Xiaoyang, Chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, made a speech on 24 March this year, indicating that regarding the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR by universal suffrage, 'the issue that requires a consensus is essentially about the democratic procedures for nomination'; in this connection," after "That"; to delete ", irrespective of how various sectors interpret the so-called 'democratic procedures for nomination'," after "ensure that"; to add "all" after "to vote are"; to add "the nominations must be jointly endorsed by citizens or electors" after "and equal,"; and to add ", and ultimately the Chief Executive is elected on a 'one person, one vote' basis" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| (iii) | Hon Michael TIEN to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add "('NPC')" after "National People's Congress"; to delete "'the issue that requires a consensus is essentially about the democratic procedures for nomination'" after "HKSAR by universal suffrage," and substitute with "the Central Government holds three 'unswerving' stances: the election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage will be implemented in 2017, the Chief Executive so elected must not confront the Central Authorities, and the universal suffrage must be in compliance with the Basic Law and the decisions of the Standing Committee of NPC"; to delete "ensure that, irrespective of how various sectors interpret the so-called 'democratic procedures for nomination', when formulating" after "SAR Government to" and substitute with "formulate on these premises"; and to delete "the rights to make nomination, to stand for election and to vote are universal and equal, without any 'screening' or 'pre-selection' through a nominating committee" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "and expeditiously launch public consultation, allowing ample time for various sectors to hold extensive discussions and strive to reach a consensus on the issues concerned such as the specific composition of the nominating committee, democratic procedures for nomination, the number of candidates for the office of the Chief Executive, etc". | ||
| (iv) | Hon Cyd HO to move the following amendment:
(Translation) To add "; and to allow any person eligible to stand for the election, if jointly endorsed by no less than 50 000 registered electors and upon verification by the nominating committee, to be a candidate for the office of the Chief Executive" immediately before the full stop. | ||
| Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
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