2 items of subsidiary legislation and 28 other papers to be laid on the Table of the Council set out in Appendix 1

Members to ask 22 questions (6 for oral replies and 16 for written replies)

Contents of 22 questions, Members to ask such questions and public officers to reply set out in Appendix 2

(Item 1 standing over from the meeting of 24 June 2020)

(Standing over from the meeting of 20 May 2020)

(Standing over from the meeting of 20 May 2020)

(Standing over from the meeting of 23 October 2019)

(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 195/19-20 and CB(3) 218/19-20 issued on 9 and 17 December 2019)

(Standing over from the meeting of 23 October 2019)

(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 195/19-20 and CB(3) 218/19-20 issued on 9 and 17 December 2019)

(Items 8 to 12 standing over from the meeting of 23 October 2019)

(Item 13 standing over from the meeting of 13 November 2019)

(Item 14 standing over from the meeting of 11 December 2019)

(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 195/19-20 and CB(3) 218/19-20 issued on 9 and 17 December 2019)

(Item 15 standing over from the meeting of 13 November 2019)

(Item 16 standing over from the meeting of 27 November 2019)

(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 195/19-20 and CB(3) 218/19-20 issued on 9 and 17 December 2019)

(Items 17 and 18 standing over from the meeting of 15 January 2020)

(Items 19 and 20 standing over from the meeting of 20 May 2020)

(Standing over from the meeting of 12 June 2019)

(Standing over from the meeting of 3 June 2020)

Hon CHU Hoi-dick to ask:

In 2012, a police officer dragged a taxi driver into a police car by means of a chokehold, causing him to suffer from a cervical vertebra dislocation, and the man subsequently died. In handling the activities against the proposed legislative amendments in recent months, police officers often subdued demonstrators by means of kneeling on their necks. In May this year, a man who had been knelt on the neck died a day after his arrest. Regarding police officers' use of force in the form of chokeholds such as kneeling on one's neck, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Tony TSE to ask:

In recent years, unauthorized building works ("UBWs"), unauthorized occupation of government land or breach of the conditions of Government Land Licence in respect of the residences of politically appointed officials, senior officers of the Police Force, Executive Council Members, Legislative Council Members and District Council members or properties under their names, have been uncovered from time to time, raising doubts on the integrity of public officers and the credibility of the Government. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Jimmy NG to ask:

Owing to the economic downturn in Hong Kong, various trades are now facing tremendous operating pressure, and the banks also tend to be more prudent in commercial lending. Some owners of enterprises intend to sell their properties to meet cash flow needs. However, the various demand-side management measures for the property market (commonly referred to as "harsh measures") have greatly increased the difficulty in cashing out. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong's economy. In the first quarter of this year, the Gross Domestic Product contracted by a record of 8.9% in real terms from a year earlier and the unemployment rate also soared, hitting a new high in 10 years. Given that the epidemic has subsided recently, quite a number of members of the public hope that the Government can unite society and boost the economy. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon YIU Si-wing to ask:

As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") epidemic has subsided recently, the authorities of Macao and Zhuhai have, since May this year, implemented a system for mutual recognition of health codes to facilitate residents' commuting between the two places. Meanwhile, the governments of some Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, have relaxed or planned to gradually relax the compulsory quarantine measures imposed on arrivals. On revitalizing the tourism industry, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Michael TIEN to ask:

The Government commissioned a consultant at the end of 2018 to conduct a comprehensive review on the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities ("the $2 transport fare concession scheme"), which is expected to be completed in the middle of this year. The Government announced in January this year that the eligible age threshold for the Scheme would be lowered from 65 to 60, and that it had requested the consultant to draw up implementation options in the review report. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:

The Financial Secretary ("FS") announced in this financial year's Budget that the Innovation and Technology Bureau would publish the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0 within this year, and that FS had earmarked about $1 billion for the Smart Traffic Fund ("the Fund") to provide funding support for enterprises or organizations to conduct research and application on vehicle-related innovation and technology. Besides, the Transport Department ("TD") published in July 2019 a Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong, putting forward five key objectives of smart mobility initiatives, namely "Safe", "Informative", "Green", "Mobile" and "Accessible". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Claudia MO to ask:

Regarding immigration figures, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Alice MAK to ask:

Hong Kong's economy has been dealt double blows by a series of demonstrations and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, resulting in the unemployment rate rising continuously in recent months. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from February to April this year was 5.2%, and the unemployment rates of individual trades exceeded 10%. In view of the above, the relief measures introduced by the Government in April this year included the creation of around 30 000 time-limited jobs in both the public and private sectors in the coming two years. Such jobs include more than 200 positions for fresh graduates and 3 300 positions to support the city in fighting the epidemic. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon LEUNG Che-cheung to ask:

The Minor Works Control System aims at facilitating building owners and occupiers to carry out small-scale building works lawfully and safely through simplified requirements. The Building Authority's prior approval of building plans and consent are not required before the commencement of minor works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, where a person who arranges for minor works to be carried out on any land (including property) is not the owner of the title to the land but merely an occupier, whether the person is required to, prior to commencement of the works, (i) obtain the consent of all owners of the titles to the land concerned, as well as (ii) consult nearby residents who will be affected by the works?

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:

According to the Annual Report 2019 published by the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), the financial performance of the South Western Railway of the United Kingdom last year continued to suffer for a number of reasons, and MTRCL therefore needed to set aside a provision of £43 million which amounted to its share of maximum potential loss under the relevant franchise agreement. In addition, while the MTR Express intercity railway service between Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden, operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary under MTRCL gained a steady patronage growth last year, it was still operating at a loss. Notwithstanding the unsatisfactory performance of the railway business it operated overseas, MTRCL continued to expand its overseas railway business, such as the Sydney Metro North West Line which commenced service in May last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

Dr Hon Helena WONG to ask:

It has been reported that in November last year and May this year, a number of male police officers entered the female public toilets at Chatham Road South in Tsim Sha Tsui and at Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok respectively, and arrested several women therein. In addition, quite a number of demonstrators and arrestees, who had participated in the movement of opposition to the proposed legislative amendments, alleged that they had been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by police officers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon Steven HO to ask:

Some vessel owners have relayed that the numbers of vessels of various types, particularly Class IV pleasure vessels, have been growing continuously in recent years. The authorities have stressed that the overall supply of sheltered spaces in Hong Kong waters is sufficient for meeting the estimated demand up till 2030, and the authorities have implemented several improvement measures. However, given the practices of the trade and a habit of berthing vessels at the homeport, most vessel owners choose to berth their vessels at the typhoon shelters within or near the urban areas, thus causing an acute shortage of berthing spaces in those typhoon shelters and conflicts among the persons-in-charge of different types of vessels from time to time over the use of such berthing spaces. On the other hand, the occupancy rates of some relatively remote typhoon shelters (e.g. Hei Ling Chau Typhoon Shelter and Yim Tin Tsai Typhoon Shelter) have all along been on the low side. Regarding the management of typhoon shelters, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:

Regarding those government outsourced service contracts ("contracts") that rely heavily on the employment of non-skilled employees, will the Government inform this Council:

Table 3

Range of hourly wages

Cleansing service

Security service

Other services

Total

%

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

Subtotal

%

(X)

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

Subtotal

%

(X)

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

Subtotal

%

(X)

(a)

…

(k)

Total

100

100

100

100

Hon Jeremy TAM to ask:

It has been reported that recently, during the trial of a case of assault on a police officer, a Magistrate stated that the police officer who gave evidence was not an honest and reliable witness, and thus acquitted the defendant of the charge. On the other hand, according to section 31 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200), any person lawfully sworn as a witness in a judicial proceeding who makes a false statement shall be guilty of perjury. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon WONG Kwok-kin to ask:

As Hong Kong's economy has been dealt double blows by the social disturbances in the latter half of last year and the epidemic which broke out at the beginning of this year, the unemployment rate has hit a record high in 10 years. Some members of the public have relayed that the Government should proactively create job opportunities, such as by suitably allowing the setting up of more hawker pitches and bazaars. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask:

Regarding the statistics on the work of the Urban Renewal Authority ("URA"), will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

Hon HUI Chi-fung to ask:

The Financial Action Task Force ("FATF") comprises 39 major economies of the world, including Hong Kong. In its Mutual Evaluation Report of Hong Kong ("the Report") published in 2008 and its Follow-up Report published in 2012, FATF pointed out that the predicate offences for money laundering ("predicate offences") in Hong Kong had not adequately covered environmental crimes. In its Report published in 2019, FATF pointed out that Hong Kong had made relevant legislative amendments in May 2018. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask:

Earlier on, the Legislative Council Secretariat has, at my request, conducted a study on the support policies for private museums in overseas places. The findings of the study show that private museums in the United States ("US") and the United Kingdom ("UK") are provided with various policy and financial support by their governments. In comparison, among over 35 existing private museums in Hong Kong, most of them have not been provided with any direct support by the Government. There have been comments that such a situation is not conducive to the preservation and diversified development of culture. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon SHIU Ka-chun to ask:

According to the policy of the Urban Renewal Authority ("URA"), when URA holds discussions with the owners of the properties in a redevelopment project regarding the market value of their properties in the acquisition offers made to them, it will take into consideration the valuation reports on the market value of the properties ("valuation reports") submitted by professional surveyors who were appointed by the owners on their own ("owner-appointed surveyors"). On the other hand, in the event that URA cannot reach an agreement with the property owners on the acquisition of property titles due to such issues as the acquisition prices and vesting of titles, it may, under the Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (Cap. 563), apply to the Government for resumption, under the Lands Resumption Ordinance (Cap. 124), by the Government of those property titles which have not been acquired so that those titles will revert to the Government. If such an application has been approved, the Lands Department will offer relevant compensation to the affected persons. If the two parties cannot reach an agreement on the amount of compensation, the affected persons may apply to the Lands Tribunal for determining the amount of compensation to be offered. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki to ask:

Some Tuen Mun residents have relayed that as Tuen Mun Road, being the major trunk road connecting Tuen Mun to other areas, has rather high volume of traffic, and traffic accidents frequently occur, severe traffic congestions often happen there. On the 12th of last month, two traffic accidents happened on that road on the same day, causing serious traffic jams with tailbacks reaching as long as 10 kilometres, much to the agony of the local residents. Regarding the external transport for Tuen Mun, will the Government inform this Council:

Hon IP Kin-yuen to ask:

The Convention on the Rights of the Child ("the Convention"), which has been applicable to Hong Kong since 1994, stipulates under paragraph 1 of Article 13 that "[t]he child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds…either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice", and under paragraph 1(b) of Article 29 that States Parties unanimously agree that the education of the child shall be directed to "[t]he development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations". On the other hand, on 10 June this year, the Secretary for Education ("the Secretary") wrote to the principals of all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, requesting them to counsel their students to stop "chanting slogans, forming human chains, and posting slogans or singing songs which contain political messages at schools for expressing political stance", and stated that "if individual students refuse to comply with the instructions after repeated persuasion, schools should take appropriate counseling and disciplinary actions according to the school-based mechanism". In addition, when the Secretary was asked at a radio interview on 11 June whether students might play and sing the songs from the musical Les Misérables at school music competitions, he responded that it would depend on the circumstances and the purpose at the time. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: