Council Meeting (Agenda) 26 January 2022

A 2022-3

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 26 January 2022 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

7 items of subsidiary legislation and 4 other papers to be laid on the Table of the Council set out in Appendix 1

II.
Questions

Members to ask 22 questions (6 for oral replies and 16 for written replies)
Questions for oral replies to be asked by
Public officers to reply
1.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
2.
Secretary for Security
3.
Secretary for Development
Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare
4.
Secretary for Development
Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology
5.
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Under Secretary for Development
6.
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
Under Secretary for Food and Health
Contents of 22 questions, Members to ask such questions and public officers to reply set out in Appendix 2

III.
Member's Motion

Motion on "Ten-year plan for primary healthcare"
Mover
:
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan
Wording of the motion
:
7 amendment movers
:
Hon Kingsley WONG, Hon Edward LEUNG, Dr Hon David LAM, Hon Tommy CHEUNG, Hon Duncan CHIU, Hon Judy CHAN and Hon YUNG Hoi-yan
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 55/2022 issued on 21 January 2022)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Food and Health
Under Secretary for Food and Health



Clerk to the Legislative Council

Appendix 1

Council meeting of 26 January 2022

Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

Subsidiary legislation
Legal Notice No.
Other papers

Appendix 2

22 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 26 January 2022

Subject matters
Public officers to reply
Questions for oral replies
1
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
2
Ir Hon LEE Chun-keung
Secretary for Security
3
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok
Secretary for Development
Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare
4
Hon Elizabeth QUAT
Secretary for Development
Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology
5
Hon Mrs Regina IP
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Under Secretary for Development
6
Hon LAI Tung-kwok
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
Under Secretary for Food and Health
Questions for written replies
7
Hon CHAN Hak-kan
Secretary for Development
8
Hon YANG Wing-kit
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
9
Hon Tony TSE
Secretary for Development
10
Dr Hon TIK Chi-yuen
Secretary for Home Affairs
11
Hon YIU Pak-leung
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
12
Hon TANG Ka-piu
Secretary for Transport and Housing
13
Hon LUK Chung-hung
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
14
Hon Holden CHOW
Secretary for Transport and Housing
15
Hon CHAN Chun-ying
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
16
Hon Kennedy WONG
Secretary for Food and Health
17
Hon Vincent CHENG
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
18
Hon Nixie LAM
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
19
Hon TANG Fei
Secretary for Education
20
Hon KWOK Wai-keung
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
21
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
22
Hon Kenneth FOK
Secretary for Home Affairs

Question 1
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Procedure for adoption of children

Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
Some foster parents have relayed that earlier on, when they applied for switching to adopting a child who had been under their foster care for nearly two years, they were told by the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") that they must first relinquish the foster care for that child before they could apply for and be put on the waiting list of adoption, in accordance with the procedure for adoption. The incident has cast doubts that the existing procedure has not taken the child's best interests as the paramount consideration, and is "putting the procedure above a child's best interests". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the policy and concepts in respect of the existing procedure for switching from foster care to adoption of a child, and whether it has reviewed if the procedure is in line with a child's best interests and actual circumstances;
(2)
whether SWD will, by drawing reference from the hearing of two cases on adoption in 2021, grant approval for a foster family to directly switch to adopting a child, after taking into consideration that it is in the best interests of the child to be adopted by the foster family; and
(3)
whether it will review the Adoption Ordinance and improve the adoption policy, so as to ensure that the adoption procedure is premised on the best interests of children, such as not requiring a child to be separated from his/her foster family first and then wait for his/her foster family to apply for adoption; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 2
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Espionage activities conducted by foreign governments in Hong Kong

Ir Hon LEE Chun-keung to ask:
It is reported that given Hong Kong's special political and geographical environment, a large number of foreign spies are doing their work in the territory. Furthermore, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States has earlier announced the establishment of a "China Mission Center" to conduct intelligence work targeted at China and geopolitics. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the Government has communicated with the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Police Force's National Security Department with regard to strengthening anti-espionage and intelligence gathering efforts; if so, of the details (including the number of cases detected); if not, the reasons for that, and whether the relevant efforts will be stepped up;
(2)
given that the local legislation for combating espionage offences was enacted many years ago, what means are currently used by the Government to combat the espionage activities conducted in Hong Kong by foreign governments; whether the relevant legislation will be amended to step up efforts in combating espionage offences, thereby safeguarding the security of the Country and Hong Kong; and
(3)
whether it will target espionage offences committed by foreign governments in Hong Kong by way of enacting legislation on Article 23 of the Basic Law; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 3
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Taking forward infrastructure projects

Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
The Chief Executive's latest Policy Address has put forth a series of new ideas. Apart from developing a Northern Metropolis in the New Territories, they also include increasing the supply of land and housing, promoting innovation and technology, improving rail and transport networks, promoting cross-boundary infrastructural connectivity, and redeveloping public rental housing estates. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will make a clear pledge that it will endeavour to remove red tape, break undesirable bureaucratic habits, reasonably streamline procedures, compress work flow and make use of innovative technologies to enhance productivity, thereby expediting the resolution of the serious social conflicts arising from the inadequate supply of land and housing; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has given holistic consideration and made detailed planning as early as possible in respect of the manpower resources required for taking forward the aforesaid projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
in the course of taking forward the aforesaid works, how it will avoid the situation of the engineering and construction industries "dying of starvation at one time and dying of overwork at another time", and whether measures are in place to solve the problem of labour shortage in the construction industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 4
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Using smart technologies for land identification
and housing production

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
Quite a number of members of the public have relayed that there is a long-standing serious imbalance in housing supply and demand in Hong Kong, with housing production targets unmet. As a result, people live in more and more expensive while smaller and smaller units. They urge the Government to use smart technologies as far as possible in planning new development areas ("NDAs") and implementing redevelopment projects for old districts, so as to shorten the time needed for planning, land identification and housing production. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the Government launched the Geospatial Lab ("GeoLab") last year, and it is learnt that the related Common Spatial Data Infrastructure ("CSDI") will soon be in full operation, how the Government makes use of the GeoLab and CSDI to speed up the search for idle land, as well as to develop and make proper planning for land in NDAs;
(2)
as it is learnt that the use of smart technologies such as Building Information Modelling, the geographic information system, Internet of Things, big data, Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Modular Integrated Construction as well as Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing for housing production can expedite the completion of building construction and improve worksite safety, how the Government makes good use of these technologies to enhance the efficiency in building construction and management, increase energy efficiency and improve air quality, so as to provide residents with a quality and safe living environment; and
(3)
as the use of smart technologies for land identification and housing production requires cooperation among government departments, but it is learnt that the relevant policy bureaux currently have no command over one another and barriers exist among departments, thus slowing down the development progress, how the Government integrates the databases among relevant departments and breaks down its compartmentalized structure within which different bureaux and departments work in their own silos, so as to speed up the progress of digitalization?  

Question 5
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Releasing part of the site of Kwai Tsing Container Terminals
for development

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
Some comments have pointed out that there is a serious shortage of land in Hong Kong. Although the Government has announced that it will develop a Northern Metropolis with an area of up to 300 square kilometres to provide more land, the land supply problem cannot really be solved in the short term. On the other hand, it has been reported that while Kwai Tsing Container Terminals ("KTCT") can handle more than 18 million standard containers per year, its container throughput has decreased continuously in recent years, dropping from 17 million odd standard containers in 2010 to 14 million odd in 2020, representing a decrease of more than 15% in 10 years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it has studied relocating some of the operations of KTCT to other places in Hong Kong, or even to Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, so as to release part of KTCT's site for development purposes?

Question 6
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Improving the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application

Hon LAI Tung-kwok to ask:
Quite a number of members of the public have relayed their dissatisfaction that there are time lags in the dissemination of messages such as "notifications of compulsory testing notices" and "exposure notifications" in respect of Coronavirus Disease 2019 by the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application ("LeaveHomeSafe"). In addition, users need to, through the small screens of their mobile phones, read the relevant press releases which are up to thousands of words and search through tables of a number of pages before they come to know the dates on which and the numbers of times for which they are required to undergo compulsory testing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
if it has gained an understanding of the time generally taken from the Government's dissemination of the two aforesaid notifications through LeaveHomeSafe to users' receipt of them;
(2)
whether it has set up a mechanism to handle the following situation: a LeaveHomeSafe user visited a number of venues and such venues were also visited by confirmed patient(s) at about the same time, resulting in the user receiving a number of the aforesaid notifications, and the dates on which the user is required to undergo compulsory testing overlapping or the user having to undergo testing for several consecutive days; and
(3)
whether it has plans to improve the user experience of LeaveHomeSafe, for example, setting out the dates on which and the numbers of times for which users are required to undergo testing in the notifications of compulsory testing notices and, by making reference to the practice of providing real-time parking vacancy information through the "HKeMobility" mobile application, providing real-time visitor flow information of the various community testing centres and mobile specimen collection stations through LeaveHomeSafe, so as to facilitate members of the public to choose locations with fewer visitors for undergoing testing, thereby alleviating their suffering from lining up and waiting for testing?

Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Tender exercise for Site 3 of the New Central Harbourfront

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
In December 2020, the Government launched an open tender exercise for disposal of Site 3 of the New Central Harbourfront. It has been reported that one of the six bidding consortia is a partnership formed between the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") and two real estate developers. The fact that the Government is the majority shareholder of MTRCL has once aroused concern of the community about how the Government ensures the fair conduct of the tender exercise. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the four government officials who are members of the Board of MTRCL have participated in the Board's discussion and voting on matters relating to the submission of the bid; if so, how the Government allays the community's concern over any conflict of interest;
(2)
as the tender document specifies that the successful bidder will be required to build an underground connection from the site to MTR Central Station, whether the Government approached MTRCL in this regard in the course of preparing the tender document; if so, how the Government ensures that the non-public information involved in any such approach will not let the consortium in which MTRCL has participated gain an advantage in the bidding process; and
(3)
whether the Government will comprehensively review this tendering incident and avoid allowing companies in which the Government holds a majority of shares to participate in bidding for contracts awarded by the Government in the future?

Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Measures to prevent child abuse

Hon YANG Wing-kit to ask:
It has been reported that the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children ("HKSPC"), despite suspecting on the 17th of last month that a number of child abuse incidents had occurred in its Children's Residential Home, had not reported the incidents to the Social Welfare Department and the Police until the 21st of last month. HKSPC subsequently set up an Independent Review Committee early this month to conduct a thorough review on the incidents as well as the management and operation of the organization concerned. Regarding measures to prevent child abuse, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will establish a mechanism that when investigation is conducted on organizations providing child care services suspected of mismanagement, it will make arrangements for other organizations or persons to temporarily take over the services provided by them, and impose punishments (e.g. revocation of licences) on those organizations the mismanagement of which are found substantiated; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it knows if the groups or organizations currently providing child care services have put in place (i) a code of conduct for their employees, volunteers and carers, (ii) a mechanism for handling complaints, and (iii) a system for handling suspected child abuse incidents; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will draw up a blacklist of child care workers and prohibit those child care workers with abuse records from working in the relevant industries; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it will (i) expeditiously introduce legislation on the mechanism for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect cases, and (ii) take on board the Law Reform Commission's recommendation on introducing an offence of "failure to protect", so as to protect children from abuse; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Talents in the architectural, surveying,
planning and landscape sectors

Hon Tony TSE to ask:
There are comments that with the Government proposing to take forward a number of major development projects such as the Northern Metropolis and the reclamation project of the "Lantau Tomorrow Vision", it is expected that Hong Kong's demand for professional architectural, surveying, planning and landscape ("ASPL") services will increase significantly in the coming 10 to 20 years. Nevertheless, the number of places offered by local universities to train the relevant professional and skilled talents has not increased for many years, and there is even a downward trend in the number of places for some of the relevant disciplines. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of places for training professional and skilled ASPL talents in each of the past five years and the coming three years, with a breakdown by the tertiary institution providing such training and by discipline;
(2)
whether the Government and the relevant authorities (including the University Grants Committee and various tertiary institutions) have assessed Hong Kong's demand for professional and skilled ASPL talents in the coming 10 to 20 years; if so, of the outcome; if not, whether they will conduct an assessment expeditiously, and how the Government ensures that there is an adequate supply of relevant talents to take forward the aforesaid development projects;
(3)
whether it will consult the sectors, including the relevant professional associations, developers and contractors, on matters relating to the supply and demand as well as the training of professional and skilled ASPL talents; and
(4)
whether it will, by means of allocating additional funding and setting student number targets, etc. to spur the various tertiary institutions to suitably increase the places for training professional and skilled ASPL talents; if so, of the specific plans and implementation timetables; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

District administration

Dr Hon TIK Chi-yuen to ask:
In 1982, the British Hong Kong Government implemented the "District Administration Scheme", aiming to strengthen ties with local communities and enable the Government to better understand real public views. In addition, the then Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address delivered in 2007 that the Government would enhance the roles of District Councils ("DCs") and the District Officers, with a view to improving work at the district level and further developing district administration. However, following an upsurge of resignation of DC members and oaths of a number of DC members being ruled invalid in 2021, more than 300 of the 479 seats in the current DC term are vacant. With only a few DC members left, many DCs are unable to maintain normal operation. It has been reported that the Government even decided to terminate the "Mutual Aid Committees" ("MACs") this month. There are comments that the district administration system in Hong Kong is on the verge of existing in name only. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will conduct a review on how to continue to implement district administration effectively; if so, of the details and the timetable;
(2)
of the factors taken into consideration in terminating MACs, and whether it conducted any consultation and considered any alternatives before making such a decision;
(3)
whether it will consider afresh conducting by-elections for the vacancies in DCs; and
(4)
as there are currently a large number of vacancies in DCs, of the differences in the Government's workflow of conducting district consultation in comparison with that in the past, and how it can ensure that the views obtained through consultation truly reflect public opinions?

Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Supporting the hotel industry

Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
Due to the impacts of the riots and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, the hotel industry has been hard hit as visitor arrivals to Hong Kong have plummeted and the overall hotel occupancy rate as well as room rate have dropped continuously in the past two years. Recently, in view of the spread of the Omicron mutant strain in the community, the Government announced that starting from 8 January, the place-specific flight suspension mechanism would be implemented for eight countries. Some members of the industry participating in the Designated Quarantine Hotel ("DQH") Scheme have pointed out that Hong Kong residents intending to return to Hong Kong and overseas visitors have cancelled their reservations at quarantine hotels, causing heavy losses to operators participating in the Scheme. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will, in view of the impact of the epidemic, conduct a revaluation of the rateable values of hotel properties for the 2021-2022 financial year, refund all or a major portion of the rates paid for that year, and provide concession on the rates payable for hotel properties for the 2022-2023 financial year; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will gain an understanding from the hotel industry of the difficulties it face amid the epidemic, such as the impact of anti-epidemic measures on "gatherings in hotels" (commonly known as "staycation") and banqueting business, so as to formulate appropriate measures to support the hotel industry; and
(3)
given that the some 40 hotels participating in the DQH Scheme have suffered losses due to the implementation of the place-specific flight suspension mechanism by the Government, whether the Government will provide them with appropriate compensation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Shortage of parking spaces

Hon TANG Ka-piu to ask:
The problem of shortage of parking spaces in Hong Kong has been plaguing the transport sector. As at the end of May 2021, the number of parking spaces available for use by commercial vehicles ("CVs") was only around 45 300, while the number of CVs stood at around 71 000. The ratio between the two numbers was only about 0.64. Besides, some members of the sector are dissatisfied that the Government has adjusted the latest operating time of most parking meters from the original 8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight in recent years, thus increasing their financial burden and affecting their rest time. Regarding the shortage of parking spaces, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider reverting the latest operating time of parking meters from 12:00 midnight to 8:00 pm;
(2)
given that parking spaces in some government buildings are currently opened up for public use during non-office hours, whether the Government will consider opening up car parks in other government facilities for parking by CVs during night time, or expediting the provision of additional on-street night-time parking spaces for CVs on road sections with less traffic, so as to address the problem of shortage of parking spaces as soon as possible;
(3)
of the total number of additional parking spaces that can be provided upon the Government's implementation of the Automated Parking System ("APS") in the following projects: (i) a short-term tenancy ("STT") car park at the junction of Hoi Shing Road and Hoi Kok Street in Tsuen Wan, (ii) an STT car park at Pak Shek Kok in Tai Po, (iii) the Joint-user Complex at Chung Kong Road in Sheung Wan, (iv) the District Open Space, Sports Centre cum Public Vehicle Park project at Sze Mei Street, (v) the Joint-user Government Office Building in Area 67 in Tseung Kwan O, and (vi) the project at the junction of Yen Chow Street and Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po; and
(4)
whether it has plans to expeditiously develop APSs in collaboration with private developers, so as to promote the popularization of APSs in Hong Kong?

Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Abolition of the "offsetting arrangement" under
the Mandatory Provident Fund System

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:
At present, an employer may use the accrued benefits of the contributions he made for an employee to a Mandatory Provident Fund scheme to offset the statutory severance payment or long service payment payable by him to that employee ("the offsetting arrangement"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the annual amounts of claims related to the offsetting arrangement since 2001;
(2)
of the progress of the work on the abolition of the offsetting arrangement (including the confirmed date for presenting the relevant bills to this Council) and the expected date for the new provisions to come into operation; and
(3)
whether it has plans to explain to various stakeholders in detail the proposals for the abolition of the offsetting arrangement, so as to help them clearly understand the details of the new provisions, thereby reducing disputes and misunderstanding that may arise in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Improving the roads and traffic in Yuen Long District

Hon Holden CHOW to ask:
Some residents of the Yuen Long District have relayed that the traffic congestion problem is serious on Fung Cheung Road which serves as the main road for local residents to travel to Tung Yick Market and commute between the Yuen Long town centre and other districts, as well as on the adjoining roads such as Kin Lok Street and Fung Yau Street North. In addition, there are also problems with the design of the road junctions concerned, resulting in traffic accidents occurring from time to time. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
regarding the removal of the planters in front of the Transport Plaza on Kin Lok Street for carrying out the widening works at the road junction turning from Kin Lok Street into Fung Cheung Road, of the timetable and progress of the works;
(2)
given that at present, vehicles travelling to Kin Lok Street can only make a left turn into Fung Cheung Road which will easily cause traffic chaos, whether the Government will consider changing Fung Yau Street North and Fung Kam Street from the current two-lane traffic to single-lane traffic, so as to make the driving routes clearer, thereby minimizing traffic accidents; and
(3)
whether, apart from the aforesaid works and proposed measures, the Government has other proposals for ameliorating the traffic congestion and chaos at the aforesaid roads?

Question 15
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Application of Central Bank Digital Currency in Hong Kong

Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:
In 2017, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") began researching on the application of Central Bank Digital Currency ("CBDC") in Hong Kong under a project named "Project LionRock". Research findings pointed out that the application of CBDC would have greater potential at the wholesale and cross-border payment level. HKMA subsequently joined forces with various central banks such as the People's Bank of China to study the application of CBDC to cross-border payments, and the development of the project concerned has eventually led to the formation of the Multiple CBDC Bridge ("mBridge") platform. The Financial Services Development Council has also started studying how Hong Kong can seize the opportunities from the development of digital Renminbi ("e-CNY"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the progress of the studies on the applications of retail and wholesale CBDCs in Hong Kong and to cross-border payments; whether it has plans to conduct trials concerning the applications of these CBDCs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has examined the impacts of the application of CBDC on the banking industry and monetary policy in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has plans to discuss with the Mainland the use of e-CNY for cross-border settlement by Hong Kong banks via mBridge or some other platforms, so as to expand the application of e-CNY, thereby fortifying Hong Kong's position as the premier offshore Renminbi centre; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 16
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Coping with the fifth wave of the epidemic

Hon Kennedy WONG to ask:
Earlier on, some aircrew members brought the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") into the community causing community transmission, and recently there are also cases with unknown sources of infection. Some experts have pointed out that the fifth wave of the epidemic has already commenced. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Government will expand the "vaccine bubble" scheme on the 24th of next month to include all catering business and scheduled premises, as well as schools and some government cultural and leisure facilities, whether it has anticipated (i) the extent to which the COVID-19 vaccination rate will be raised as a result, and (ii) the situation of community infection before the implementation of the said measure; whether it will examine recovering the medical costs for providing treatments to those infected persons who are unvaccinated without medical grounds, upon implementation of the measure;
(2)
of the anticipated impact that the fifth wave of the epidemic has on the resumption of normal traveller clearance between Hong Kong and the Mainland; whether it will hold meetings again with the Mainland experts group to discuss traveller clearance issues; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as some experts have pointed out that herd immunity will be achieved only when more than 80% of the population has completed the third-dose vaccination, but at present only about 70% of Hong Kong's population has completed two doses of vaccination, while less than 10% has received the third-dose vaccination, whether the Government will consider implementing a mandatory vaccination policy so that Hong Kong may achieve herd immunity as soon as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 17
(For written reply)

(Translation)

An incident involving suspected abuse at
a residential home for infants and young children

Hon Vincent CHENG to ask:
At the end of last month, the Children's Residential Home ("the organization") under the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children was exposed as suspected of being involved in an incident of mass child abuse. After the Police's preliminary investigation, more than 20 young children were found to have been maltreated, and the Police have arrested a number of staff members of the organization. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") received any complaints/reports about malpractices of the organization, or took the initiative to conduct inspections at the organization, in the past three years; if so, of the details;
(2)
given that the organization has earlier on submitted a preliminary investigation report on the incident to SWD, of the follow-up work conducted by SWD in respect of the report and the progress made;
(3)
whether the Labour and Welfare Bureau or SWD has initiated an investigation into the management and work procedures of the organization; if so, of the outcome, and whether the incident involves dereliction of duty on the part of the management of the organization or is caused by the loopholes in SWD's regulatory regime; if so, of the follow-up actions;
(4)
given that the organization is required to submit a review report on the incident to SWD by the 25th of this month, whether SWD will make public the content of the report; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
under the circumstances that the aforesaid child abuse incident is found, after investigation, to be substantiated and to have been caused by the mismanagement of the organization, whether SWD will consider revoking the licence of the organization and pursuing the liabilities of the management of the organization; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether it will consider advancing the introduction to this Council for scrutiny in this year of a bill on the mechanism for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect cases; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 18
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Support for small and medium enterprises amid the epidemic

Hon Nixie LAM to ask:
Given the fluctuating situation of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, the anti-epidemic measures announced by the Government are often implemented within a short period of time, affecting the conduct of quite a number of physical commercial activities. Some operators of small and medium enterprises ("SMEs") have relayed to me their hope that the Government will enhance its support for them amid the epidemic. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the measures in place to assist SMEs in expediting the sale of products by the e-commerce model; whether it will provide SMEs with tax concessions, technical support and loan schemes dedicated for assisting them in digital transformation, so as to increase the incentives for them to adopt the e-commerce model; and
(2)
as some members of the industries have pointed out that the level of subsidy to be disbursed by the Government under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund to those business operators affected by the tightening of social distancing measures is just a drop in the bucket, whether the Government will increase the relevant subsidy amounts; whether it will provide those operators with convenience or concessions (e.g. according priority to hire government venues and rental concessions) after the epidemic has stabilized, so as to facilitate their resumption of normal business as early as possible?

Question 19
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Measures to cope with the decline in student population

Hon TANG Fei to ask:
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic has persisted for more than two years and normal traveller clearance between the Mainland and Hong Kong has not yet been resumed, seriously affecting cross-boundary students on the Mainland coming to Hong Kong for school. Quite a number of local schools have relayed that due to the dropping out of some cross-boundary students affected by the epidemic, a decrease in the number of students applying for admission to local schools, the persistently low local fertility rate, as well as the ageing population and an insufficient number of school-age children in individual districts, many primary and secondary schools have been facing the crisis of "class reduction and school closure" in recent years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the measures the Education Bureau ("EDB") has put in place to assist the education sector in confronting the crisis of a new round of class reduction and school closure, so as to stabilize the education ecology in Hong Kong and resolve the urgent issues faced by the education sector;
(2)
of the learning support currently provided by EDB for Mainland students who are unable to come to Hong Kong for school; EDB's plans to arrange as soon as possible for such students to come to Hong Kong for school and resume normal school life; and
(3)
whether EDB will consider opening up the school places of local non-public sector primary and secondary schools to applicants from the Mainland and other countries, so as to ease the problem of the declining number of local school-age primary and secondary students?

Question 20
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Sick leave and compensation related to work injuries

Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:
Regarding the sick leave and compensation related to injuries caused to employees by accidents arising out of and in the course of employment ("work injuries"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of employees who were incapacitated by work injuries for a period of (i) three to seven days, (ii) eight to 14 days, (iii) 15 to 30 days, (iv) 31 days to three months, (v) more than three months to six months, (vi) more than six months to one year, (vii) more than one year to two years, and (viii) more than two years, in each year since 2019;
(2)
of the respective numbers of employees injured at work who were assessed, by the Employees' Compensation Assessment Boards in each year since 2019, to have suffered from the following percentages of permanent loss of earning capacity: (i) 5% or below, (ii) 6% to 10%, (iii) 11% to 20%, (iv) 21% to 30%, (v) 31% to 50%, (vi) 51% to 70%, and (vii) 71% or above;
(3)
given that employers and employees may, in respect of work injury cases which entail a period of sick leave exceeding seven days, agree on applying to the Labour Department ("LD") for making settlement by "Paper Medical Clearance", of the number of work injury cases which were settled in this way in each year since 2019; and
(4)
whether LD has, since 2019, enhanced the follow-up procedures for work injury sick leave, so as to further facilitate employers and employees to settle their claims in the aforesaid manner, thereby speeding up the processing of the relevant cases; if LD has, of the details; if not, whether LD will enhance the relevant procedures?

Question 21
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Food Truck Pilot Scheme

Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
The Government recently announced the decision to end the "Food Truck Pilot Scheme" ("the Scheme") in June this year, after a comprehensive evaluation of its effectiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective gross revenues earned by the operators of food trucks ("the operators") in each rotation cycle since the launch of the Scheme;
(2)
of the respective gross revenues earned by the operators in "designated operating venues" and "new operating venues", in each of the past three years;
(3)
of the respective highest, lowest and median gross revenues earned by the operators, in each of the past three years;
(4)
of the average or median revenue earned by the operators in operating at various "self-identified events";
(5)
whether it has examined the reasons for the poor business performance of the operators; if so, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether it will consider allowing the operators to choose whether or not to continue the operation of their food trucks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 22
(For written reply)

(Translation)

The proposed Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau

Hon Kenneth FOK to ask:
The Chief Executive announced on the 12th of this month the proposal of reorganizing the government structure, under which a new Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau ("CSTB") is proposed to be set up by the next-term Government. Given that the Outline of the 14th Five‑Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Long Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 has expressed clear support for the development of Hong Kong as an East‑meets‑West centre for international cultural exchange, the establishment of CSTB will be conducive to promoting the development of the relevant industries and realizing the relevant ways forward. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the proposed structure and staffing establishment of CSTB; whether the Government will consider inviting industry players to take up key positions; if so, of the details, and how the Government will ensure that they have sufficient industry knowledge, professional qualifications and experience to take up such key positions; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether CSTB will (i) proactively approach the cultural, sports and tourism sectors to conduct a comprehensive survey of the industries concerned with a view to formulating long-term cultural and sports policies for Hong Kong, and (ii) conduct annual surveys on these sectors and provide them with channels to voice their concerns, so as to understand the difficulties and worries of the sectors for the formulation of appropriate policies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
how CSTB will promote cooperation and mutual recognition of professional qualifications in related industries between Hong Kong and the various Mainland cities in the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area ("the GBA"); whether CSTB will consider collaborating with the GBA Mainland cities in developing tourism routes, co-organizing major cultural and sports events, establishing mechanisms for mutual sharing of sports venues, as well as working together in nurturing talents for the sectors, etc.; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
as there are different interactions among the cultural, arts, sports, film, creative industries and tourism affairs under the purview of CSTB, and synergy effects may even be created through combining with other areas such as creative technology and the media (e.g. promoting media digitalization can help increase the coverage of arts and cultural programmes), whether the Government has any plans to foster inter-departmental cooperation after the establishment of CSTB, so as to facilitate the smooth implementation of policies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
how CSTB will promote the arts and culture of the East and the West; whether the Government will consider, upon drawing reference from the practice of the Korea Creative Content Agency in its external promotion of the Korean culture, setting up a branch office under CSTB to promote Chinese culture through digital technology and assist enterprises in promoting Hong Kong's cultural industries; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether the Government will, prior to the establishment of CSTB, consider allocating more resources to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices overseas to help culture to "go global"; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?