AGENDA FOR FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2020,
FROM 9:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AND
2:30 PM TO 7:30 PM

Pecuniary interest : Please refer to Rules 83A and 84 of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council for rules regarding pecuniary interest to be disclosed and voting in case of direct pecuniary interest.

Item No.Subject
1.FCR(2020-21)71*Legend symbol denoting Item carried over from the meeting held on 25 September 2020. HEAD 142 – GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT : OFFICES OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCIAL SECRETARY
Subhead 700 General non-recurrent
Item 803 Anti-epidemic Fund

HEAD 37 – DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Subhead 700 General non-recurrent
New Item "Procurement and Administration of coronavirus disease-2019 Vaccines"

HEAD 140 – GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT : FOOD AND HEALTH BUREAU (HEALTH BRANCH)
Subhead 000 Operational expenses
Subhead 700 General non-recurrent
New Item "Special Support Scheme for Hospital Authority's chronic disease patients living in the Guangdong Province to sustain their medical consultation under coronavirus disease-2019"

HEAD 170 – SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT
Subhead 700 General non-recurrent
Item 809 Special Scheme of Assistance to the Unemployed
Item 811 Short-term food assistance


(This item invites Members to approve –

(a)an increase in commitment by $5.4 billion from $150.5 billion to $155.9 billion under Head 142 Government Secretariat: Offices of the Chief Secretary for Administration and Financial Secretary Subhead 700 General non-recurrent Item 803 for injection into the Anti-epidemic Fund to provide funding for enhancing the capability in combating the epidemic, and providing targeted relief to individuals and businesses hard hit by the coronavirus disease-2019 epidemic and directly affected by the Government's anti-epidemic and social distancing measures;

(b)creation of a new commitment of $8,441.3 million under Head 37 Department of Health Subhead 700 General non-recurrent for procurement and administration of vaccines against the epidemic;

(c)under Head 140 Government Secretariat: Food and Health Bureau (Health Branch) – (i) a supplementary provision of $2,019 million under Subhead 000 Operational expenses in 2020-21 to provide additional subvention to the Hospital Authority to combat the winter surge or the next wave of epidemic; and (ii) a new commitment of $103.8 million under Subhead 700 General non-recurrent for setting up a designated fund to implement a special support scheme to provide subsidised consultation sessions at the University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen Hospital for Hospital Authority's chronic disease patients who are unable to return to Hong Kong for receiving their scheduled medical consultations in Hospital Authority owing to travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak;

(d)an increase in commitment by $127 million from $1,132 million to $1,259 million under Head 170 Social Welfare Department Subhead 700 General non-recurrent Item 811 to meet the increase in demand for short-term food assistance; and

(e)an extension of the Special Scheme of Assistance to the Unemployed under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme for six months from 1 December 2020 to 31 May 2021, with the expenditure to be met with existing provisions under Head 170 Social Welfare Department Subhead 700 General non-recurrent Item 809 Special Scheme of Assistance to the Unemployed.

(In attendance: Chief Secretary for Administration/Head, Human Resources Planning and Poverty Co-ordination Unit/Administrative Assistant to Chief Secretary for Administration/Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development/Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development/Commissioner for Tourism/Secretary for the Civil Service/Director of General Grades/Secretary for Education/Under Secretary for Education/Secretary for Food and Health/Deputy Secretary for Food and Health (Health)2/Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene/Director of Health/Chief Executive, Hospital Authority/Director (Cluster Services), Hospital Authority/Secretary for Home Affairs/Under Secretary for Home Affairs/Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology/Secretary for Labour and Welfare/Assistant Director of Social Welfare (Family and Child Welfare)/Secretary for Transport and Housing/Under Secretary for Transport and Housing/Commissioner for Transport/Under Secretary for Development)

----------------------------------


* Item carried over from the meeting held on 25 September 2020.