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A 19/20-25(CM-21)

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 6 May 2020 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

7 items of subsidiary legislation and 3 other papers to be laid on the Table of the Council set out in Appendix 1

II.
Written Questions

Members to ask 14 questions for written replies
Contents of the questions, Members to ask such questions and the public officers to reply set out in Appendix 2

III.
Government Bill

Consideration by committee of the whole Council and Third Reading
:
Financial Secretary
16 amendment movers
:
Hon WU Chi-wai, Hon Claudia MO, Hon LAM Cheuk-ting, Hon CHAN Chi-chuen, Hon KWONG Chun-yu, Hon Alvin YEUNG, Hon Dennis KWOK, Hon CHU Hoi-dick, Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG, Hon James TO, Hon Tanya CHAN, Hon Andrew WAN, Dr Hon Helena WONG, Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki, Hon Jeremy TAM and Hon HUI Chi-fung
(set out in the order of consideration)
(52 amendments in Appendix 3)
(Details of the above amendments are also set out in Appendix 4 to "President's ruling on amendments proposed by 16 Members to the Appropriation Bill 2020" issued on 27 April 2020)
(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 385/19-20 issued on 28 April 2020)
Other attending public officers
:
Chief Secretary for Administration
Secretary for Justice
Secretary for the Environment
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Secretary for Security
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Secretary for Food and Health
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Secretary for Development
Secretary for Education
Secretary for the Civil Service
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Secretary for Home Affairs
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for the Environment
Under Secretary for Security
Under Secretary for Development
Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology
Under Secretary for Education
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Under Secretary for Food and Health
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Home Affairs
Under Secretary for Transport and Housing



Clerk to the Legislative Council




Appendix 1

Council meeting of 6 May 2020

Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

Subsidiary legislation
Legal Notice No.
Other papers




Appendix 2

14 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 6 May 2020

Subject matters
Public officers to reply
Questions for written replies
1
Hon Kenneth LEUNG
Secretary for the Environment
2
Hon Jimmy NG
Secretary for Transport and Housing
3
Hon Charles Peter MOK
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
4
Hon Elizabeth QUAT
Chief Secretary for Administration
5
Hon Paul TSE
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
6
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
7
Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
Secretary for the Environment
8
Hon Andrew WAN
Secretary for Transport and Housing
9
Hon Holden CHOW
Secretary for Transport and Housing
10
Dr Hon Pierre CHAN
Secretary for Food and Health
11
Hon CHAN Chun-ying
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
12
Hon CHAN Hak-kan
Secretary for Development
13
Hon WU Chi-wai
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
14
Hon Tony TSE
Secretary for the Environment
Notes:
(1)
Pursuant to rule 7(e) of the House Rules, no oral questions are scheduled for this meeting which will continue to deal with the Appropriation Bill 2020.
(2)
Only 14 (instead of 16) written questions are scheduled for this meeting as two vacant slots were not taken up by Members by the deadline for giving question notice.




Question 1
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Fuel mix for electricity generation

Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask:
The Government released Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2030+ ("Action Plan") in January 2017, and stated its plan to phase down coal-fired electricity generation in order to reduce carbon emissions, with one of the targets being that by around 2020, natural gas will meet about half of Hong Kong's electricity demand while coal-fired electricity generation will drop to about 25%. On the other hand, the Government pointed out in 2014 that it was doubtful as to whether there would be an economic case to develop and use off-shore wind farms in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of Hong Kong's greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 and 2019, and set out a breakdown in the table below;
Year Greenhouse gas emissions (in kilotonnes CO2-e)
Energy Waste Industrial
processes
and product
use		 Agriculture,
forestry and
other land use		 Total
Electricity
generation		 Transport Other
end use
of fuel
2018       
2019       
(2)
of the respective percentages of (i) coal, (ii) natural gas, (iii) nuclear energy and (iv) renewable energy in the fuel mix for electricity generation in Hong Kong as at April this year, and whether such fuel mix has met the target set out in the Action Plan; if so, of the next target; if not, the follow-up actions; and
(3)
as some research findings have indicated that the costs of off-shore wind power electricity generation have gone down by 60% over the past decade, whether the Government will assess afresh the feasibility and economic case of developing off-shore wind farms; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
 



Question 2
(For written reply)

(Translation)

The accommodation area of Hong Kong people

Hon Jimmy NG to ask:
A survey report published by an international survey organization has pointed out that Hong Kong has been dubbed the world's most unaffordable city in terms of property prices for 10 consecutive years. There are comments that high property prices have made it increasingly common that family members spanning a few generations have to crowd together in small flats, and young people continue to live with their parents after getting married. Besides, with the accommodation area of Hong Kong people becoming smaller, the living standard of Hong Kong people is getting worse. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows, for every fifth year from 1991 to 2016, the (a) median floor area of accommodation and (b) median per capita floor area of accommodation of the various types of households set out below:
(i)
households of owner-occupiers in private sector housing,
(ii)
rental households in private sector housing,
(iii)
households in private sector housing as a whole,
(iv)
households in subsidized sale housing,
(v)
households in public rental housing,
(vi)
households in public sector housing as a whole, and
(vii)
households in Hong Kong as a whole (set out in the table below); and
Type of households 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016
(i) (a)      
(b)      
(ii) (a)      
(b)      
(iii) (a)      
(b)      
(iv) (a)      
(b)      
(v) (a)      
(b)      
(vi) (a)      
(b)      
(vii) (a)      
(b)      
(2)
whether it has plans to formulate a minimum standard for per capita floor area of accommodation in respect of various types of residential flats; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 3
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Requests made to information and communication technology companies
for disclosure and removal of information

Hon Charles Peter MOK to ask:
Regarding the requests made by the Government to information and communication technology ("ICT") companies for disclosure and removal of information, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following details of the requests for information disclosure made by the Government to ICT companies respectively in the first and the second halves of 2019 (set out the information in a table, broken down by government department):
(i)
total number of ICT companies involved,
(ii)
names and types of ICT companies involved (e.g. Internet service providers, device producers, social media and search engines),
(iii)
total number of requests made,
(iv)
total number of user accounts involved,
(v)
types of information requested for disclosure (e.g. user names, Internet Protocol addresses and contact methods) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned,
(vi)
nature of information requested for disclosure (i.e. metadata and/or content of communication) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned,
(vii)
reasons for making the requests concerned (e.g. investigation of cases, law enforcement and other reasons) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned,
(viii)
number of requests made under a court order,
(ix)
number of requests acceded to, and
(x)
reasons why some requests were not acceded to (e.g. the request not made under a court order, failure to provide appropriate legal documents, insufficient justifications, not in compliance with the policies of the ICT companies, and other reasons) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned;
if such information cannot be provided, of the reasons for that;
(2)
of the following details of the requests for information removal made by the Government to ICT companies respectively in the first and the second halves of 2019 (set out the information in a table, broken down by government department):
(i)
total number of ICT companies involved,
(ii)
names and types of ICT companies involved,
(iii)
total number of requests made,
(iv)
volume of information requested for removal,
(v)
types of information involved (e.g. videos, text, images) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned,
(vi)
nature of information involved (e.g. indecent content, illegal advertisements, copyright infringement and false information) and the respective numbers of the requests concerned,
(vii)
reasons for making the requests concerned (e.g. investigation of complaints, law enforcement and other reasons),
(viii)
number of requests made under a court order,
(ix)
number of requests acceded to, and
(x)
reasons why some requests were not acceded to and the respective numbers of the requests concerned;
if such information cannot be provided, of the reasons for that; and
(3)
as the Government indicated in its reply to my question in February 2019 that it had not regularly made public, in machine readable format, the relevant statistics and reports on requests for information disclosure and requests for information removal made to ICT companies, but in future it would consider regularly disseminating relevant data in the said format having regard to specific circumstances, of the latest progress of such work, and whether it can, in respect of each occasion of disseminating the relevant data and reports in the said format since February 2019, set out in a table the details, including the date, the content disseminated and the Uniform Resource Identifier address?
 



Question 4
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Relief measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
Regarding the two rounds of relief measures rolled out by the Government under the Anti-epidemic Fund, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that among the 30 000 time-limited jobs to be created with an allocation of $6 billion by the Government in the coming two years, only some 200 jobs will be offered to fresh graduates, whether the Government will consider increasing the number of the latter; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the latest implementation status of the Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector, including (i) the respective numbers of applications received, approved and rejected, (ii) the amount of subsidies granted, and (iii) the number of building blocks benefited; if there were rejected applications, of the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will introduce a new round of relief measures expeditiously to provide support for the operators and practitioners of the laundry trade, dishwashing companies, intermediaries for foreign domestic helpers and playgroups, who have not benefited from the first two rounds of relief measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
given that accredited tourist guides/tour escorts must have provided tour services for a specified number of days over the period from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2019 for them to be eligible for applying for the subsidy under the Travel Agents and Practitioners Support Scheme, but some practitioners are unable to meet this requirement on the number of days for which tour services were provided because the number of outbound and inbound tour groups dropped substantially in the second half of last year due to social movements, whether the Government will consider relaxing this requirement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
given that while the Government will provide a subsidy for eligible printing and publishing companies participating in the next Hong Kong Book Fair, the date of the event has become uncertain due to the persistence of the epidemic, whether the Government will consider first providing such companies with financial assistance for the time being; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
given that construction workers who are subsidized under the first round of relief measures will be automatically included in the second round and do not need to submit separate applications, whether the Government will likewise streamline the application procedure for the relief measures introduced for other industries, with a view to disbursing subsidies to practitioners of the various industries as soon as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 



Question 5
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Issues relating to Mandatory Provident Fund

Hon Paul TSE to ask:
It has been reported that amid the global economy being hit by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, it is estimated that Mandatory Provident Fund ("MPF") schemes incurred losses of as high as 16.59% in the first quarter of this year, which is the poorest quarterly investment performance ever recorded, with each MPF scheme contributor ("contributor") suffering a substantial loss of $50,000 on average. However, MPF trustees (commonly known as "fund managers"), irrespective of the investment funds under the MPF schemes they manage making gains or losses, are able to safely pocket hefty management fees amounting to over $10 billion. Some members of the public have pointed out that despite MPF schemes having experienced record-breaking losses, fund managers' profits have not been seriously affected by the epidemic, and that if fund managers are still eligible for applying for the subsidies under the second-round relief measures, it is a waste of public money and is unreasonable. These members of the public have criticized the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority ("MPFA") for not having tried its best to limit the fees charged by fund managers, and for failing to make ends meet for more than eight consecutive years. They also query whether MPFA has faithfully performed its duties of protecting contributors' rights and interests and monitoring MPF schemes' operations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows if MPFA has kept records on the amounts of management fees collected by fund managers each year; if MPFA has, of the total amount of management fees collected by fund managers in each of the past three financial years; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether fund managers are eligible for receiving the wage subsidies of the Employment Support Scheme and other subsidies under the second-round relief measures; if so, of (i) the expected maximum amounts of subsidies that may be disbursed to the top five fund managers which have the largest market shares, as well as (ii) the Government's justifications for allowing fund managers to benefit from the relief measures even though their profits are guaranteed, and whether it will review this issue and immediately exclude them from the scope of beneficiaries so as to plug the loophole;
(3)
whether, in order to help address the imminent needs of those employers and employees who, due to the epidemic, have suffered substantial income loss and of those who have been unemployed, the Government will consider the following proposals of "gains for those who labour" put forward by members of the public: (i) making MPF contributions on behalf of employers and employees for six months, and (ii) immediately allowing employees to withdraw half of their MPF contributions' accrued benefits; and
(4)
whether it knows MPFA's finacial situation since MPFA recorded failure to make ends meet for the eighth consecutive year in 2018; if MPFA has still recorded deficits, of the details, and whether it has assesed if MPFA's recording successive years of deficits will give rise to a negative perception among members of the public that MPFA is unable to monitor the effecive operation of the MPF system as MPFA is unable to look after its own financial situation?
 



Question 6
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Assistance provided for the unemployed

Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask:
To cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, a number of government departments have twice implemented special work arrangements in recent months, with certain public services being suspended or curtailed. Some members of the public have relayed that the Society Security Field Units of the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") have recently been crowded with a large number of people queuing up to submit applications for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider afresh establishing an unemployment assistance, so that persons who have been affected by the epidemic and become unemployed do not need to apply for CSSA; if not, of the reasons for that;
(2)
given that SWD has set a performance pledge in respect of processing CSSA applications, i.e. under normal circumstances, all procedure for CSSA applications can be completed within four weeks provided that applicants can produce all the necessary information, of the average and median numbers of days taken to complete all the procedure for new CSSA applications, in each month since January this year;
(3)
given that the number of CSSA applications is expected to rise with a rising unemployment rate, whether SWD has plans to deploy additional manpower and other resources so that the aforesaid performance pledge can still be met; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
given that the Government will implement, for a time-limited period of six months, an unemployment support scheme under the CSSA framework, during which the asset limits of CSSA applicants who are able-bodied adults will be relaxed by 100%, whether CSSA recipients under such scheme will be required to meet the original requirement on asset limits after 6 months in order to continue to receive CSSA; and
(5)
whether it will consider extending the measure to relax the asset limits by 100% to cover elderly CSSA, so that unemployed persons of all ages may receive the assistance needed? 




Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Promoting electric vehicles

Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki to ask:
The Financial Secretary has indicated in this financial year's Budget Speech that the Government will update the Clean Air Plan ("the Plan") to, among others, examine the policy of further promoting electric vehicles ("EVs"), and will formulate Hong Kong's first roadmap on the popularization of EVs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
regarding the official vehicles allocated to the Chief Executive and the various Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux, of their brands, models, purchase prices and numbers of service years to date, as well as the number of EVs among such vehicles (set out in a table);
(2)
of the number of registered vehicles in the government fleet as at the end of March this year, and the number of EVs among such vehicles, with a tabulated breakdown by government department and type of vehicles;
(3)
whether, in order to gradually increase the proportion of EVs in the fleet, it will adopt the following policy: priority being given to purchasing EVs when fuel-engined vehicles in the government fleet are due for replacement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether it knows the numbers of (i) parking spaces and (ii) public EV chargers, together with a breakdown by type (i.e. standard, medium and quick) in each car park under the MTR Corporation Limited and the Link Asset Management Limited (set out in a table);
(5)
whether it has studied, in respect of similar type of electric private cars and fuel-engined private cars achieving the same driving range, how the former's charging costs compare with the latter's fuel costs; if so, of the details; if not, whether the Government will, when updating the Plan, conduct such a study;
(6)
of the international crude oil prices, final retail prices of auto-fuels in Hong Kong, and the average electricity tariff per unit respectively in each of the past 24 weeks (set out in a table); how electric private cars compare with fuel-engined private cars in terms of energy expenditure as projected on the basis of such prices;
(7)
of the current number of fuel stations across the territory, and set out, by name of oil company in a table, the locations of the fuel stations and their site areas; whether the Government will require oil companies to provide charging facilities at existing fuel stations;
(8)
whether it will draw up a timetable for completely phasing out fuel-engined private cars; if so, of the considerations and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(9)
as it is learnt that the governments of certain places have, through offering economic incentives, achieved that zero-emission vehicles account for a certain proportion in the annual sales of vehicles by vehicle dealers, whether the Government will consider adopting a similar practice for vehicle dealers in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(10)
whether it will, by making reference to the pro-EV practices adopted by certain countries in terms of road use (e.g. priority road use or reduced tolls), implement pro-EV measures on the roads, tunnels and bridges connecting the New Territories with the urban areas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(11)
as it has been reported that the United Kingdom has planned to introduce green number plates for EVs to facilitate the implementation of different traffic control measures for EVs and non-EVs by the authorities, whether the Government will consider adopting such a practice; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 



Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Waiting time for public rental housing flats

Hon Andrew WAN to ask:
Under the policy of the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA"), general applicants (i.e. family and elderly one-person applicants) are accorded priority over non-elderly one-person applicants in the allocation of public rental housing ("PRH") flats. To this end, HA has implemented the Quota and Points System for non-elderly one-person applicants since September 2005. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective annual numbers of new (i) non-elderly one-person applicants and (ii) general applicants, as well as the respective year-end numbers of these two types of applicants, in the past five financial years;
(2)
of (i) a breakdown of the number of non-elderly one-person applicants as at 31 March 2020 by the groups of elapsed time while waiting for PRH ("ETW") (counting from the registration date) as set out in Table 1, and (ii) the corresponding percentages (set out the above information in Table 1); and
Table 1
ETW Number Percentage
Less than 1 year  
1 to less than 3 years  
3 to less than 5 years  
5 to less than 10 years  
10 years or above  
Total 100%
(3)
of the PRH allocation quota for non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System, and (i) in respect of each of the age groups set out in Table 2 and (ii) in overall term, the numbers of such applicants who were allocated PRH flats and their average waiting time ("AWT"), in each of the past five financial years (set out the above information in Table 2)?
Table 2
 2015-2016…2019-2020
Allocation quota … 
Age groupNumber of
applicants		AWT……Number of
applicants		AWT
Below 30      
30 to 39      
40 to 49      
50 or above      
Overall      
 



Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Tuen Mun South Extension railway project

Hon Holden CHOW to ask:
The Government indicated in October last year that it had assessed the proposal on the Tuen Mun South Extension railway project submitted by the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") at the end of 2016, and planned to request MTRCL to commence the detailed planning and design for the project in the coming year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest progress of the railway project and its latest estimated cost, and how that amount compares with the originally projected amount;
(2)
of the approach to be adopted by the Government for consulting the public on the proposed alignment of the railway project and on the proposals for adding en route stations; and
(3)
of the expected timing for announcing the details of the railway project (including the works commencement date)?
 



Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Quarantine arrangements amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic

Dr Hon Pierre CHAN to ask:
To curb the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") in Hong Kong, the Government has issued the relevant persons with quarantine orders under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A), the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) and the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) respectively. In addition, the Prevention and Control of Disease (Disclosure of Information) Regulation (Cap. 599D) empowers a health officer to require a person to disclose or furnish any information relevant to the handling of a state of the public health emergency, such as travel history. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers, since the outbreak of the epidemic, of persons placed under compulsory quarantine upon their arrival at Hong Kong from the Mainland and other places; among such persons, the number of those who were suspected to have breached the quarantine orders, with a breakdown by the type of premises specified in the quarantine orders (i.e. home, quarantine centres, and others); the government department(s) responsible for taking follow-up actions against those persons suspected to have breached the quarantine orders, and set out a breakdown of the number of such persons by the actions (including making verbal warnings, issuing written warnings, requiring the wearing of a wristband, arranging the admission to quarantine centres, instituting prosecutions (and the number of convictions), and others (please specify)) taken against them;
(2)
of the number of persons found, since Cap. 599D has come into operation, to have failed to truthfully declare their health conditions when arriving at Hong Kong; the government department(s) responsible for taking follow-up actions and set out a breakdown of the number of such persons by the actions taken against them; and
(3)
as the Centre for Health Protection has admitted that the failure of some confirmed patients of COVID-19 to declare, truthfully in the health declaration form when entering Hong Kong earlier, their having developed symptoms has reflected that there is a loophole in the surveillance system, whether the Government will consider amending the legislation to plug the loophole; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 



Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Declining competitiveness of Hong Kong

Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:
In March this year, the Z/Yen Partners in the United Kingdom and the China Development Institute in Shenzhen jointly published the latest Global Financial Centres Index Report. The global ranking of Hong Kong's overall competitiveness dropped from the third in September last year to the sixth. It is also the first time since 2017 that Hong Kong fell out of the top three places. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that in responding to why Hong Kong's ranking plunged within half a year, the Government indicated that "…the unprecedented challenges arising from the social incidents in Hong Kong in the past year, and how these were perceived overseas, might have affected Hong Kong's score in the online questionnaire survey and the overall ranking", whether the Government has investigated and identified other causes for the drop of Hong Kong's ranking; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has made the necessary preparation for driving Hong Kong back to the top three places and whether concrete measures are in place to promote to the international community Hong Kong's edge in financial services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as the aforesaid report has shown that among Hong Kong's rankings in the five areas of competitiveness, its ranking in "Financial Sector Development" is the lowest (ranked only sixth), lagging behind those of Singapore, Zurich and Frankfurt, whether the Government has countermeasures to enhance Hong Kong's performance in financial sector development and to strive for a rise in ranking; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 



Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Use of the modular integrated construction method
in building projects by the Government

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
The first residential project developed in Hong Kong by using the modular integrated construction method ("MiC method") is the disciplined services quarters for the Fire Services Department at Pak Shing Kok, Tseung Kwan O. Regarding the use of the MiC method in building projects by the Government, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following latest information of the aforesaid quarters project: (i) the expected completion date, (ii) the total internal floor area, (iii) the number of domestic units, (iv) the average area of the domestic units and (v) the estimated construction cost;
(2)
of the place(s) of origin of the main modules for the aforesaid quarters project and the means adopted for transporting them from the factory to the construction site; the total number of tenders received by the Architectural Services Department ("ArchSD") in respect of the project;
(3)
whether, upon the completion of the aforesaid quarters project, an occupation permit issued by the Buildings Department and/or a certificate issued by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department is/are required before the intake of residents;
(4)
given that the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") has decided to pilot the use of the MiC method in the construction of a 12-storey public housing block in Tung Chung, whether HA conducted any exchanges with ArchSD on the technology and experience in the application of the MiC method before making the decision; of the estimated construction cost of the project and the expected construction period from the commencement of foundation works to the completion of superstructure works; and
(5)
according to the information available to ArchSD, of the maximum height of a building that can be constructed by using the MiC method and the minimum site area needed for this construction method to be applied?
 



Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Food assistance services

Hon WU Chi-wai to ask:
At present, eight non-governmental organizations are subsidized by the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") for operating short-term food assistance service projects ("subsidized food banks") to provide low-income persons with basic food items on a short term basis (generally not more than eight weeks each time). In addition, quite a number of charities operate food banks on a self-financing basis to provide food assistance to the people in need. It has been reported that as the economy of Hong Kong has been badly hit in recent months by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, quite a number of families have encountered financial difficulties, which has caused a surge in the demand for food assistance. However, quite a number of self-financing food banks have curtailed their services amid the epidemic for reasons including a sharp reduction in the quantity of food donated to them, shortage of volunteers for food handling, and avoidance of group gatherings for epidemic prevention. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following details of the food assistance services provided by the subsidized food banks in each month from January last year to April this year: the number of applications received, the service quota, as well as (i) the number of meals served and (ii) the duration for which food assistance was offered in respect of each approved case on average; whether the Government has the corresponding figures regarding the self-financing food banks; if so, of the details;
(2)
of the following details of the short-term food assistance service in each District Council district at present: the service quota, the number of service users, and the maximum number of meals that can be offered per month; whether such service is found to be lacking in particular districts; if so, whether there are plans to provide such service in those districts;
(3)
given that the self-financing food banks have curtailed their services amid the epidemic, whether SWD will relax (i) the eligibility criteria for applying for, and (ii) the stipulation on the time limit for receiving, the short-term food assistance; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether SWD has assessed if the food assistance services currently provided by the subsidized and self-financing food banks can meet the demand against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating economy in Hong Kong; whether SWD has plans to increase the funding for the subsidized food banks and provide subsidies to the self-financing food banks; if so, of the details; and
(5)
given that different thresholds have been set for application for the assistance provided by the Government under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and the two rounds of relief measures, and that it takes time to vet and approve the applications, whether the Government will provide immediate assistance to low-income and unemployed persons so as to reduce their reliance on the food banks; if so, of the details?
 



Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Easing the financial pressure brought about by fuel expenditure

Hon Tony TSE to ask:
As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic has led to a decline in the demand for fuels, international crude oil prices have dropped continuously since early this year. Up to mid-April, a decrease of over 60% from the peak last year was registered, hitting a record low in 18 years. However, the local retail prices of auto-fuels have only fallen by about 10% to 20% in the same period. Some members of the public have queried that the aforesaid situation reflects that the phenomenon of "quick going up, slow coming down" and "more going up, less coming down" in respect of local oil prices has all along remained unchanged. On easing the financial pressure on the transport trades and the public brought about by fuel expenditure, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective (i) average prices of international crude oil, (ii) average prices of imported refined oil products and (iii) average local retail prices of auto-fuels, in each of the past 12 months (set out in a table);
(2)
of the new measures put in place to monitor the local retail prices of auto-fuels, and prompt the oil companies to reduce, in response to falling international and import oil prices, the relevant prices in a timely manner and suitably;
(3)
as the Government and the oil companies have indicated that other than import prices of refined oil products, the cost components which determine local oil prices also include Government duty and operating costs such as land prices, salaries of employees, local transportation costs, marketing costs and operating costs of oil terminals, whether the Government has collected the relevant data from the oil companies and analysed the weightings of such cost components; if so, whether it can make public the relevant information in an appropriate manner so as to enhance the transparency of local oil prices to facilitate public monitoring; if it has not, of the reasons for that, and whether it will commence such data collection work;
(4)
given that the Government is offering fuel subsidies to several types of public transport services through the fuel subsidy scheme under the first round of relief measures, of the implementation progress of the scheme and the amount of subsidies disbursed so far; and
(5)
whether it will consider expanding the scope of the fuel subsidy scheme to benefit other professional drivers (e.g. goods vehicle drivers) and private car owners; if not, of the reasons for that?