Council Meeting (Agenda) 15 June 2022

A 2022-19

Legislative Council

Agenda


Wednesday 15 June 2022 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

6 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 Transport and Housing
2.
Secretary for the Environment
3.
Secretary for Home Affairs
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
4.
Secretary for Food and Health
Under Secretary for Food and Health
5.
Secretary for Transport and Housing
6.
Hon Kenneth LAU
(Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask on his behalf)
Secretary for the Environment
Contents of 22 questions, Members to ask such questions and public officers to reply set out in Appendix 2

III.
Government Bills

First Reading and Second Reading (debate to be adjourned)
Second Reading (debate to resume), consideration by committee of the whole Council and Third Reading
2.
:
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Amendment mover
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 471/2022(01) issued on 7 June 2022)
(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 497/2022(01) issued on 13 June 2022)

IV.
Government Motions

1.
Proposed resolution under section 54A of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Mover
:
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Wording of the motion
:
2.
Proposed resolution under the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance
Mover
:
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Wording of the motion
:
Joint debate (covering the following 2 motions)
Proposed resolutions to amend subsidiary legislation
Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Gathering) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2022 (L.N. 49 of 2022)
3.
Mover
:
Secretary for Food and Health
Wording of the motion
:
Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2022 (L.N. 50 of 2022)
4.
Mover
:
Secretary for Food and Health
Wording of the motion
:
(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 511/2022(01) issued on 14 June 2022)

V.
Members' Motions

1.
Proposed resolution to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislation (L.N. 109 of 2022)
Mover
:
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG
Wording of the motion
:
2.
Motion on "Revitalizing the Mandatory Provident Fund"
Mover
:
Dr Hon Junius HO
Wording of the motion
:
3 amendment movers
:
Hon TANG Ka-piu, Hon CHAN Kin-por and Dr Hon David LAM
(Amendments set out in LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 487/2022 and CB(3) 512/2022 issued on 10 and 14 June 2022)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
3.
Motion on "Strengthening and consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre and enhancing its competitiveness"
Mover
:
Hon Jeffrey LAM
Wording of the motion
:
4 amendment movers
:
Hon Rock CHEN, Hon CHAN Chun-ying, Hon Robert LEE and Dr Hon Stephen WONG
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 486/2022 issued on 10 June 2022)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury



Clerk to the Legislative Council

Appendix 1

Council meeting of 15 June 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 15 June 2022

Subject matters
Public officers to reply
Questions for oral replies
1
Hon LAU Kwok-fan
Secretary for Transport and Housing
2
Ir Hon Gary ZHANG
Secretary for the Environment
3
Hon Jimmy NG
Secretary for Home Affairs
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
4
Hon CHAN Pui-leung
Secretary for Food and Health
Under Secretary for Food and Health
5
Hon Stanley LI
Secretary for Transport and Housing
6
Hon Kenneth LAU
(Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask on his behalf)
Secretary for the Environment
Questions for written replies
7
Hon LUK Chung-hung
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
8
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
9
Hon Kenneth FOK
Secretary for Home Affairs
10
Hon Jeffrey LAM
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
11
Prof Hon Nelson LAM
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
12
Hon Edmund WONG
Secretary for Security
13
Hon Elizabeth QUAT
Secretary for Security
14
Hon Mrs Regina IP
Secretary for Security
15
Hon YIM Kong
Secretary for Home Affairs
16
Hon Vincent CHENG
Secretary for Security
17
Hon CHEUNG Kwok-kwan
Secretary for Security
18
Hon KWOK Wai-keung
Secretary for Development
19
Hon Edward LEUNG
Secretary for Transport and Housing
20
Hon Doreen KONG
Secretary for Development
21
Hon Frankie YICK
Secretary for Transport and Housing
22
Hon CHAN Han-pan
Secretary for Transport and Housing

Question 1
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Alleviating the loading of MTR East Rail Line

Hon LAU Kwok-fan to ask:
There are views pointing out that upon the commencement of service of the new signalling system of MTR East Rail Line ("ERL") in February last year, ERL's maximum carrying capacity per hour per direction is 82 500 passenger trips, which is less than 101 000 passenger trips under the old system. In addition, with an increased patronage of ERL upon commissioning of its Cross-Harbour Extension, coupled with an expected population growth of over 200 000 along the railway line in New Territories East in the coming few years, the loading of ERL will become even heavier. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the current average headway of ERL during peak hours is about 2.7 minutes, which is still quite a distance from the maximum headway of about two minutes under the new ERL signalling system, whether it knows if the MTR Corporation Limited has put in place a timetable for increasing the train frequencies to the highest level during peak hours;
(2)
whether it will, by drawing reference from the experience of overseas countries, study arranging those local trains commonly known as "short trippers" (i.e. trains that will not run the entire railway line or cross the harbour) to serve on ERL, or provide harbour-crossing trains with additional train cars the doors of which will remain closed, and instruct passengers to board and alight such trains via those train cars the doors of which will be opened, during peak hours; and
(3)
whether it will construct a new north-south railway line, and study the preliminary alignment as well as formulate a timetable for expediting the implementation of the relevant works, so as to divert the passengers of ERL?

Question 2
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme

Ir Hon Gary ZHANG to ask:
The Government has, since October 2020, launched the EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme ("EHSS") to subsidize the installation of electric vehicle charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of existing private residential buildings. The ceiling for the subsidy is set at $30,000 per eligible parking space in the car park, or $15 million for the entire development or the entire private housing estate, whichever is lower. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
among the applications approved under EHSS, of (i) the number of housing estates in which the parking spaces were granted the full-rate subsidy of $30,000, and the total number of such parking spaces involved, as well as (ii) the number of housing estates which were granted the full-rate subsidy of $15 million as the car park therein provides more than 500 parking spaces, but as a result the full-rate subsidy of $30,000 was not granted for each parking space therein, and the total number of such parking spaces involved and the average amount of subsidy for each of such parking spaces; and
(2)
of the criteria adopted for vetting and approving EHSS applications, and how the Government defines "the entire development" and "the entire private housing estate" (in particular how it handles the relevant applications from large-scale housing estates with several phases of intake)?

Question 3
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Enhancing Hong Kong's international image
through postage stamps

Hon Jimmy NG to ask:
There are views that postage stamps are the name cards of a country or region, as demonstrated in the Ukrainian authorities' recent issuance of a set of military-themed postage stamps of which more than 5 million sets have been hotly sold worldwide. In view of this, Hongkong Post ("HKP") should take on a new mission of the new era, and present a good narrative about Hong Kong through the stamps it issues, thereby enhancing Hong Kong's international image. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the stamps issued by HKP in the past five years (set out by the themes of such stamps), and an illustration of the popularity of such stamps by their sales volume as an indicator;
(2)
whether HKP will, in view of the changes of time, step up its public engagement efforts in respect of the theme selection and design of stamps; and
(3)
whether HKP will, by making reference to the relevant advanced experience of the Motherland and other countries, make bolder and more beneficial new attempts in respect of the theme selection and design of stamps, in an effort to publicize through the stamps Hong Kong's economic achievements and development opportunities, thereby enhancing Hong Kong's international image; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 4
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Preparatory work for coping with an outbreak of the epidemic

Hon CHAN Pui-leung to ask:
There are views that although the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic has now subsided, there is still a risk of an outbreak of the epidemic in the wake of the relaxation of social distancing measures and entry restrictions, coupled with the emergence of mutant strains. Regarding the preparatory work for coping with an outbreak of the epidemic, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that there are still imported cases from time to time currently, whether the Government has reviewed the effectiveness of the measures to guard against the importation of cases; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that volunteers from a number of district organizations and community groups took the initiative to assist the Government in distributing supplies when the fifth wave of the epidemic was severe, whether the Government will, in mobilizing social forces to fight the epidemic in the future, devolve some of the decision-making powers to district units which are smaller in size and have greater flexibility, so that anti-epidemic work can be carried out in a down-to-earth manner; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that the Government appointed an expert committee in 2003 to conduct a review on the Government's work in handling and controlling the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (commonly known as "SARS"), but some of the recommendations put forward by the expert committee have not yet been implemented, whether the Government will review afresh the recommendations of the expert committee, prepare a review report on the Government's current epidemic prevention work, and formulate a contingency plan for epidemic prevention; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 5
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Resolving the congestion problem of the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel

Hon Stanley LI to ask:
There are views pointing out that the Cross Bay Link, Tseung Kwan O ("CBL, TKO") and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel ("TKO-LTT"), which are under construction, are the transport lifeline of Tseung Kwan O in the future, and can resolve the long-standing problem of serious traffic congestion in the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel ("TKOT"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the current works progress of the two aforesaid projects meets with the expectations (including which works procedures have not yet been completed), and when they are expected to be officially commissioned;
(2)
as the Government indicated earlier on in reply to my question raised in respect of the Estimates of Expenditure 2022-2023 that if the toll waiver for TKOT was implemented before the commissioning of TKO-LTT, it would induce additional traffic demand and result in heavier traffic flow for TKOT, what actual data or statistics the Government has, and whether it has examined the time spent by vehicles using TKOT due to their having to stop and pay toll; and
(3)
whether it has formulated plans to arrange, upon the official commissioning of CBL, TKO and TKO-LTT, to divert some of the public transport routes running through TKOT to these new facilities; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will immediately formulate the plans and submit them to this Council for consideration?

Question 6
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

The Feed-in Tariff Scheme

Hon Kenneth LAU to ask (Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask on his behalf):
To promote the development of renewable energy ("RE"), the Government introduced in 2018 the Feed-in Tariff ("FiT") Scheme ("the Scheme") in collaboration with the two power companies for the private sector to sell the renewable power energy generated to the two power companies at a rate higher than the normal electricity tariff rate. However, the Government lowered the FiT rates in April this year. Many members of the public who intend to apply for joining the Scheme have relayed that owing to the high costs involved in the installation of solar power devices, the Government's lowering of the FiT rates without consultation has caused them great budgeting problems and worries that they may not be able to recover the costs before the Scheme expires at the end of 2033. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the respective total numbers of applications from owners of village houses and from owners of industrial and commercial buildings which were received, approved and rejected by the two power companies, in each year since the implementation of the Scheme, and the reasons for the rejected applications; among such applications, the number of those which were required to lower the proposed generating capacity as it would exceed the load capacity of the power grids, and the measures put in place by the two power companies to improve such situation;
(2)
as it is learnt that the reason for the Government's decision to lower the FiT rates is that the costs for the installation of solar power devices have decreased in recent years, resulting in a shortened payback period for investment, of the relevant data and the method for calculating the payback period, as well as the mechanism and criteria for adjusting the FiT rates; and
(3)
whether it will consider extending the time period of the Scheme, so as to continue encouraging public participation in the development of RE; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Performance of the one-stop service hotline "1823"

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:
Many members of the public have relayed that in recent years, when they called the one-stop service hotline "1823" ("1823"), they often had to wait for a long time for their calls to be answered by an operator, causing them to give up on their calls as they could not bear waiting that long. There were even cases where calls from members of the public were cut off by the hotline while waiting. Regarding the performance of 1823, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the monthly manpower situation of 1823 in the past 36 months, including the actual staffing establishment and average number of persons on duty to provide enquiry/complaint services through (i) telephone and (ii) non-telephone means (i.e. email, mobile application, e-form, short message service, etc.), as well as the monthly total numbers of employees;
(2)
of the monthly utilization situation of the 1823 service in the past 36 months, and set out, by service means (i.e. telephone and various non-telephone means) in a table, the number of enquiries/complaints received;
(3)
of the monthly interquartile ranges of the waiting time, in the past 36 months, for calls made at different times of the day (i.e. morning, afternoon, evening, and late at night to the small hours) by members of the public to 1823 before the calls were answered by an operator;
(4)
of the respective numbers of occasions in the past 36 months on which (i) members of the public gave up on their calls and (ii) 1823 suddenly cut off their calls, while they were waiting for 1823's operators to answer the calls; and
(5)
how it calculates the processing time for enquiries/complaints received by 1823 through non-telephone means; of the average and the median processing time for those complaints made to 1823 through non-telephone means in the past 36 months?

Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Statistical classification of the manufacturing industry

Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
There are views pointing out that quite a number of production activities of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry are already conducted outside Hong Kong, and the various types of production service industries arising from the manufacturing industry are also becoming more mature and diversified. However, when compiling statistics on the economic data of the manufacturing industry, the Government generally only takes into account those production activities conducted locally, whereas the total value of production of other segments of the entire industry chain (e.g. product design, research and development, quality testing, trading, and logistics and transportation) comes under the service industry, resulting in a serious underestimation of the contribution of the industrial output value of the manufacturing industry to Hong Kong's economy. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will update the method of compiling statistics on the total value of production of the manufacturing industry, such as making the total value of production of the production service industries relating to the manufacturing industry come under the manufacturing industry, and bringing the production activities of Hong Kong's manufacturing enterprises outside Hong Kong into the scope of statistics compilation, so as to reflect more accurately the value of the manufacturing industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
in the light of the developments in innovation and technology as well as advanced industries, whether the Government will expeditiously update the industrial classification under the manufacturing industry, so as to reflect in a timely manner the share of the advanced manufacturing industry in the overall manufacturing industry as well as its changes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has plans to formulate a blueprint and performance indicators for "re-industrialization" based on the relevant statistical outcome after refining the statistical classification of the manufacturing industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Ticketing system and
sports and recreation services booking system of LCSD

Hon Kenneth FOK to ask:
On enhancing the ticketing system and the sports and recreation services booking system under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to closely keep pace with modern-day service standard, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the (i) number and (ii) attendance rate of bookings of leisure facilities made through the Leisure Link System ("LLS") in each of the past two years, with a breakdown by district and type of facility in the following table;
Year:               
DistrictType of facility(i)(ii)
    
(2)
whether it has conducted further system upgrades since the completion of the system upgrade of LLS in April 2013; if so, of the number of upgrades conducted and the item(s) improved in each upgrade; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
of the work progress in developing the new intelligent sports and recreation services booking and information system; whether the system functions have been upgraded, so as to prevent the activities of using automated computer programmes to snatch bookings of the facilities' sessions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
of the progress in developing the new Urban Ticketing System ("URBTIX") and replacing the existing system, as well as the work schedule;
(5)
given that some members of the public have criticized the existing electronic payment function of the URBTIX system for being relatively outdated and still unable till now to accept all the electronic payment tools covered by the electronic Consumption Voucher Scheme, whether the relevant functions have been enhanced in the new system; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether it will consider adding functions to the new URBTIX system to enable, on the premise of not violating the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486), the provision of ticket buyers' data to programme organizers, with a view to helping them understand the composition of their audience and produce suitable programmes; if so, of the details and timetable?

Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Oath-taking by public officers

Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:
The Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021, which was passed in May last year, has introduced the oath-taking requirement for members of the District Councils ("DC members"), but it is learnt that as of the end of May this year, there was still a DC member who had not taken the oath. In addition, it has been reported that in September last year, the Chief Executive indicated that public officers other than government employees would be required to take an oath. However, the Government has so far not given a further account of the progress. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether there are DC members who have not yet taken the oath so far; if so, of the reasons for that;
(2)
of the up-to-date number of government employees who have taken the oath or signed the declaration that they will uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
(3)
of the up-to-date number of government employees who have refused to take the oath or sign the declaration and their reasons for the refusal, as well as whether such employees have left the service; and
(4)
whether it has studied the drawing up of a timetable for requiring other related personnel (including employees of government-funded bodies, statutory bodies, and enterprises or organizations receiving financial assistance under various government funding schemes, as well as teachers of aided schools) to take an oath; if so, of the progress; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Hong Kong's financial risk management

Prof Hon Nelson LAM to ask:
Regarding Hong Kong's financial risk management, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it has been reported that in view of the current geopolitical changes and the impacts of such changes on the global economy and financial market, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") has carried out risk management work such as drawing up contingency plans for extreme circumstances, whether HKMA has assessed the changes in the value of Hong Kong's foreign exchange reserves in case of extreme circumstances, and whether it has conducted stress tests, sensitivity analyses, scenario analyses, etc. so as to assess the value at risk of the foreign exchange reserves and to quantify the risks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(2)
as it has been reported that conflicts between China and the United States ("US") will trigger a wave of China Concept Stock ("CCS") companies delisting from the US collectively, with quite a number of such CCS companies planning to switch to listing in Hong Kong, whether the Government has collaborated with the Mainland's financial authorities in drawing up relevant risk management contingency plans and emergency response plans, with a view to jointly implementing measures for stabilizing the financial market when such wave of delisting takes place; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Deployment of ambulances

Hon Edmund WONG to ask:
During the peak of the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, ambulance service of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department ("FSD") was severely overloaded. In April 2010, the Government proposed to introduce a Medical Priority Dispatch System ("MPDS") to categorize the priority for ambulance deployment in accordance with the degree of urgency of injury and sickness. Nevertheless, after seeking funding approval from this Council in April 2015 for the development of a new computer system for ambulance deployment, the Government has not put forward any proposals for the implementation of MPDS. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the provision of ambulance service by FSD in each month from January to April this year: (i) the number of ambulance calls received, (ii) the shortest, longest and average response times for an ambulance to be sent to the scene, and (iii) the reasons for the ambulance calls in respect of the cases with the shortest and longest response times; how such figures and information compare with those of the same period last year;
(2)
as I have learnt that during the peak of the fifth wave of the epidemic, FSD prioritized ambulance deployment in the light of the acuteness of ambulance service calls, of the time when FSD implemented and ended such arrangement; during the implementation of such arrangement, whether FSD deployed ambulances in accordance with MPDS; if so, of (i) the number of ambulance calls, and (ii) the shortest, longest and average response times for an ambulance to be sent to the scene, for the various priorities; if not, the criteria adopted by FSD for determining the priority of ambulance deployment; and
(3)
whether it has plans to implement MPDS; if not, of the reasons for that; if so, whether it will study implementing the System after improving the relevant proposal put forward in 2010; if so, of the details of the study (including the commencement and completion times, as well as the estimated expenditure), and the implementation timetable of MPDS?

Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Proposal to build a large-scale smart prison complex

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
It is learnt that currently more than half of the 29 correctional facilities managed by the Correctional Services Department ("CSD") are over 40 years old, and CSD has sought funding approval from this Council for many times to carry out improvement works for such facilities. Besides, CSD has started developing since 2019 a "smart prison" system which makes use of innovation and technology strategies to improve correctional facilities and process innovation. However, there are comments pointing out that the works for changing the existing obsolete facilities into smart prisons involve exorbitantly huge expenditure, and they are unable to solve the staff turnover and recruitment problems which are attributable to the remote locations and traditional supervision mode of the institutions. Therefore, the Government should resume the plan for a large-scale prison complex that has been shelved for many years, with a view to developing smart prison at a faster pace and lower costs, thereby enhancing management efficiency and retaining talents, as well as releasing the precious lands originally occupied by prisons for other purposes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of CSD's plan to implement improvement and redevelopment works for the relevant institutions to address the ageing problem of existing correctional facilities;
(2)
whether it has assessed (i) the expenditure to be incurred in converting the aforesaid 29 correctional facilities into smart prisons, and (ii) the expenditure to be incurred in building a large-scale smart prison complex, and if such a prison will boost management efficiency and ease the staff turnover problem; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
in order to resolve the problem of correctional officers having to go to work in remote areas, improve their working environment, reduce the maintenance expenses arising from ageing correctional facilities, and release the precious lands originally occupied for prisons for other purposes, whether CSD will consider constructing under its redevelopment plan a full-fledged smart prison, instead of adding some smart elements to individual institutions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Operation of community isolation facilities

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
In light of the surge in the number of confirmed cases when the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic was severe, the SAR Government, with the full support of the Central Government, constructed a large number of temporary facilities, including community isolation facilities ("CIFs"), and was given assistance in their operation. With the easing of the epidemic situation, the Government turned, except for the CIF located in Penny's Bay, the six CIFs located in San Tin, Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Fanling, Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long Tam Mi and Tsing Yi into standby mode on 9 May this year. Regarding the operation of CIFs, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on each of the aforesaid seven CIFs during the period between 31 December last year and 8 May this year: (i) the occupancy rate, (ii) the number of staff employed, their ranks and remuneration, and the total expenditure, as well as (iii) the criteria for determining the remuneration; and
(2)
given that during the aforesaid period, the Government mobilized public officers, former public officers and voluntary organizations to assist in operating CIFs and distributing anti-epidemic kits, and it also mobilized district volunteers to assist in packing and distributing anti-epidemic kits, whether the Government will offer nominal remuneration to these persons; if so, of the amount and timetable?

Question 15
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Promoting work relevant to the youth

Hon YIM Kong to ask:
In 2017, the Government announced the establishment of the Youth Development Commission ("YDC") to more holistically and effectively examine and discuss policy issues of concern to young people, especially the work relating to addressing young people's concerns about education, career pursuit and home ownership, and encouraging their participation in politics as well as public policy discussion and debate ("work relevant to the youth"). Moreover, the Chief Executive indicated in the 2021 Policy Address to invite YDC to explore ways to enrich its existing programmes and launch new funding initiatives, so as to enable young people to develop positive values and become a new generation with a sense of responsibility, and with an aspiration and willingness to strive for the future of the country and Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the findings and recommendations of the aforesaid study conducted by YDC; whether it has assessed the actual effectiveness of the operation of YDC; whether the Government has made practicable policy planning and set interim goals for promoting work relevant to the youth;
(2)
whether it has considered collaborating continuously with the business sector (e.g. China-capital enterprises) in launching more university student internship programmes in different forms (e.g. arranging longer internship periods or internships supplemented by online activities), thereby consolidating the component of "addressing young people's concerns about career pursuit" in work relevant to the youth, and facilitating Hong Kong young people to integrate into the overall development of the country; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has considered collaborating continuously with the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("Greater Bay Area") in launching more Mainland study and exchange programmes in different forms (e.g. exchanges conducted online) for secondary students, thereby consolidating the component of "addressing young people's concerns about education" in work relevant to the youth, and assisting Hong Kong students in integrating into the Greater Bay Area; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 16
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Fire safety of buildings

Hon Vincent CHENG to ask:
It has been reported that fires break out from time to time in old buildings in Hong Kong, resulting in casualties. Regarding fire safety of buildings, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current number of buildings in Hong Kong which do not meet the current fire safety standards and, among such buildings, the number of those whose owners or occupiers have failed to comply with the Fire Safety Directions ("Directions") issued by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department ("FSD") and the Buildings Department ("BD") to enhance the fire safety measures of their buildings to a level that conforms to the current fire safety standards (with a breakdown by District Council district);
(2)
given that in the light of a fire incident that occurred in a tenement building in Yau Ma Tei in November 2020, FSD and BD launched in the same month a special operation to inspect buildings aged 60 or above and take law enforcement actions, of the relevant inspection findings and the following figures: (a) the number of prosecutions instituted, and (b) the numbers of (i) Directions, (ii) fire hazard abatement notices and (iii) statutory orders for removal of unauthorized building works issued; the number of cases in which the relevant Directions/notices/orders have been complied with to date;
(3)
given that the Government, in partnership with the Urban Renewal Authority, implemented a total of two rounds of the Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme in 2018 and 2020, of the respective total numbers of applications received and approved; whether it will launch a new round of the Scheme;
(4)
as the Government plans to amend the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (Cap. 572) to empower BD and FSD to carry out fire safety improvement works for owners of old buildings who have not complied with the requirements of the Ordinance and to recover the fees from them afterwards, of the latest progress of and timetable for the legislative amendment exercise (including when it will conduct public consultation and introduce a bill to this Council); and
(5)
given that in October last year, the Home Affairs Department and FSD, together with the District Fire Safety Committees of Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City, distributed home use portable firefighting equipment to households of old-style domestic units in these three districts, of the respective pieces of firefighting equipment distributed in such districts; whether such operation is still ongoing, and whether the two government departments will conduct such operation in other districts; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 17
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Combating deception offences

Hon CHEUNG Kwok-kwan to ask:
In 2021, there were a total of 19 249 deception cases in Hong Kong, representing a significant increase of 3 696 cases as compared with 2020, and a year-on-year increase of 23.8%. Among these cases, over 70% were related to online deception cases. The surge was mainly attributed to the deception cases involving compensated dating scams, online romance scams, investment and online employment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of reports of online deception received by the Police in each of the past five years, and set out, by type of crimes (e.g. online financial fraud, online virtual currency trading fraud, and fraud involving virtual asset trading platforms), the following information: the number of crimes, the amount of defrauded money involved, the number of law enforcement operations mounted, the number of cases detected, the detection rates, and the number of persons arrested;
(2)
among the cases mentioned in (1), of the number of those involving the participation of overseas individuals in the commission of the crimes and the number of persons arrested, as well as the amount of defrauded money involved;
(3)
of the number of deception cases successfully intercepted by the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre ("ADCC") and the amount of defrauded money involved, in each year since its establishment in July 2017;
(4)
given that online deception cases have become increasingly rampant, whether ADCC will increase manpower and deploy additional resources in three areas, namely intelligence exchanges and enforcement actions, cross agency cooperation, as well as publicity and education, so as to prevent deception cases, strengthen enforcement, intercept payments to fraudsters and raise the public's anti-deception awareness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
of the number of deception cases received so far by the Police relating to electronic consumption vouchers, and the amount of defrauded money involved; among such cases, the respective numbers of those involving stealing other persons' personal information to fraudulently collect consumption vouchers and cashing in other persons' consumption vouchers in discounted prices; whether the Police have formulated targeted strategies to combat deception cases involving electronic consumption vouchers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 18
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Management of water resources

Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:
In the past decade, Hong Kong's fresh water consumption increased substantially by more than 10% (increasing from 935 million cubic metres in 2012 to 1 055 million cubic metres in 2021). The Government implemented the Total Water Management Strategy in 2008 with a view to achieving a balance between the supply of and demand for water. Regarding the management of water resources, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the annual expenditures of the Government on (i) the purchase of fresh water and (ii) the operation and maintenance of waterworks, as well as the annual water charge revenue received, in the past five years;
(2)
of the annual actual amounts of Dongjiang water supplied and the changes in such amounts, in the past five years;
(3)
of the respective numbers of (i) flow controllers for water taps distributed free of charge and (ii) times of free onsite installation of flow controllers at water taps and showers for domestic households by the Water Supplies Department, in each of the past three years; the respective numbers and percentages of households from public and private housing which participated in installing such flow controllers; whether it has compiled statistics on the water consumption levels of those households which have received/installed such flow controllers, so as to review the effectiveness of this measure;
(4)
given that in 2017, the Government set a goal of reducing per capita fresh water consumption by 10% by 2030 at the earliest, of the progress of the relevant work, and whether measures are in place to achieve that target ahead of the schedule;
(5)
whether it will expedite the development of reclaimed water and seawater desalination, as well as formulate long-term water supply targets for these two areas, so as to develop alternative water sources; and
(6)
whether it will review water charges and encourage households to save water by way of offering water charge rebates?

Question 19
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Impacts of driving learning and road tests on the traffic

Hon Edward LEUNG to ask:
It is learnt that as there are two driving test centres in the Wan Chai district (i.e. So Kon Po Driving Test Centre and Happy Valley Driving Test Centre), the vehicles of learner drivers and driving test ("road test") candidates often occupy a number of major roads in the district, causing traffic congestion. There are views pointing out that with the commencement of a number of development projects in the district in the future, the traffic flow will further increase. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of road tests conducted in the two driving test centres in each of the past decade, and the respective percentages of such numbers in the total numbers of road tests;
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the respective numbers of learner drivers' vehicles occupying the roads in the district in the morning and afternoon of weekdays and holidays;
(3)
of the respective numbers of complaints received by the authorities in the past five years about traffic obstruction or noise nuisance caused by (i) the daily operation of the two driving test centres and (ii) driving learning and road tests;
(4)
given that some residents in the district have asked for the relocation of the two driving test centres to reduce the impacts on the local traffic, whether the Government has conducted relevant studies and identified suitable sites; if so, of the details (including when the studies were conducted) and the outcome; and
(5)
whether the authorities adjusted the road test routes of the two driving test centres in the past decade; whether they have plans to adjust such routes in the future to reduce the impacts on the traffic of the district?

Question 20
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Extension of land leases

Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
It has been reported that some members of the public are worried that the "2047 time limit" for land leases is looming, and by then land leases may not be automatically extended or the relevant extension procedures may be complex. On the other hand, the Government indicated on 27 November 2019 that a large number of land leases would expire on 30 June 2047, and it was expected that the Lands Department's exercise of compiling the relevant information would be completed in phases from 2021 onwards. Subsequently on 28 April 2021, the Government indicated that such exercise would be completed in phases from 2021 to end of 2022. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the detailed timetable for the aforesaid exercise of compiling information on land leases (including the respective expected completion dates for the various phases) and the latest progress, and whether it expects such exercise can be completed by the end of 2022 as scheduled;
(2)
of the number of land leases expiring on or before 30 June 2047; and
(3)
given that 2047 is only 25 years away from now, and the Government has to handle the issues of extension of a large number of land leases, of the outcome of the Government's exploratory work on streamlining lease extension procedures, and what streamlined procedures will be implemented?

Question 21
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Impacts of MTR service expansion on public transport services

Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
It has been reported that upon the commissioning of the MTR East Rail Line ("ERL") cross-harbour extension, the patronage of the trains running on ERL during the morning peak hours has surged 27% when compared with the pre-commissioning figure, while the patronage of other public transport services has plummeted, necessitating the rationalization, frequency reduction or cancellation of some scheduled public transport services. Some operators of public transport services (other than that of railway) have relayed that their operation has become increasingly difficult. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows, in respect of the following public transport services, how their patronages two weeks before the commissioning of the ERL cross-harbour extension compare with those two weeks after: MTR train services, feeder bus services operated by the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), and those public transport services eligible for the interchange concessions;
(2)
whether, in respect of the following public transport modes (except for the public transport services eligible for the interchange concessions mentioned in (1)), it has compiled statistics on how their patronages and business situations two weeks before the commissioning of the ERL cross-harbour extension compare with those two weeks after: taxis, green minibuses, red minibuses, franchised buses, non-franchised buses, and ferries;
(3)
whether it will encourage MTRCL to include into its interchange concession scheme more public transport routes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
of the measures in place to further alleviate the impacts brought about by the commissioning of the ERL cross-harbour extension on various public transport services?

Question 22
(For written reply)

(Translation)

High wind management measures

Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:
When strong wind conditions occur at the Lantau Link and Ting Kau Bridge in the Tsing Ma Control Area, high wind management measures ("high wind measures") will be implemented in phases commensurate with prescribed wind speeds. In August 2018, the Highways Department updated the control standards under high wind measures by raising the minimum requirements on hourly mean wind speed for the implementation of different stages of high wind traffic management (the hourly mean wind speed under Stage I was raised from in excess of 40 kilometres per hour ("kph") to in excess of 60 kph, and that under Stage II was raised from in excess of 65 kph to in excess of 75 kph). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of instances in each year since 2018 in which Stage I and Stage II of high wind traffic management were implemented by the authorities on the (i) Lantau Link and (ii) Ting Kau Bridge, and the number of instances in which traffic congestions occurred in the areas concerned while such measures were in force;
(2)
of the respective numbers of instances in each year since 2018 in which high wind traffic management was implemented by the authorities on various sea-crossing bridges and roads, and the number of instances in which traffic congestions occurred in the areas concerned while such measures were in force; and
(3)
whether it has assessed if there is a need to adjust the control standards for the high wind measures in the light of the traffic congestion situations mentioned in (1); whether it will consider installing wind barriers at the road sections concerned with a view to reducing the number of instances required for the implementation of high wind traffic management?