Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Strive and Rise Programme
Hon TANG Fei to ask:
The Chief Executive indicated in the 2022 Policy Address that the Government, through collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community, launched the Strive and Rise Programme ("the Programme") in September 2022. The Government implements the Programme for Secondary One to Secondary Three students from underprivileged families (particularly those living in sub-divided units) to enable them to broaden their horizons, reinforce their self-confidence and develop a positive outlook on life. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current progress of various tasks under the Programme;
(2)
as it is stated in the Annex: Indicators for Specified Tasks to the 2022 Policy Address that, no less than 70% of the students who complete the Programme lasting for one year are to achieve improvement in terms of enhancing personal development and positive thinking, and the Programme has been implemented for more than half a year to date, whether the Government has assessed the status of achieving the indicator of the Programme; and
(3)
as a survey has been reported as pointing out that some students participating in the Programme had no contact with their mentors in the past three months and described their relationships with their mentors as distant, and as at the end of February this year, a total of 21 students and 16 mentors withdrew from the Programme, whether the Government will enhance the arrangements for the remaining period of the Programme, e.g. assisting the students who have withdrawn and introducing a replacement list; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Implementation of public works projects
Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
There are views pointing out that the time needed for handling public consultation, the rising local labour costs and prices of construction materials as well as the exorbitant consultancy study fees for works have given rise to the issues of, among others, excessively long planning and construction periods as well as exorbitant construction costs for some works projects, such as the Relocation of Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works to Caverns, Route 11 and the Drainage improvement works in Kwun Tong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it is learnt that the construction industry is facing labour shortage and the Government has proposed the implementation of a Smart Site Safety System in recent years, whether the authorities will consider introducing construction robots to assist in works implementation, so as to lower the labour costs, shorten the time for works implementation and reduce casualties; if so, of the details and implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as it is learnt that consultancy firms will be engaged to conduct studies on design and construction for major works projects currently led by the Government, but such consultancy firms charge exorbitant fees and a longer time is needed for the studies, whereas a large number of qualified engineers within the Government's works departments are competent for the relevant work, of the reasons why the authorities continue to engage consultancy firms to conduct studies, as well as the factors for consideration; and
(3)
whether the Government will formulate plans to reduce the costs of individual public works projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Implementing the immigration arrangement of "joint boundary control system"
Hon Dominic LEE to ask:
It is learnt that the Guangdong Provincial Government is committed to implementing the immigration arrangement of "joint boundary control system" (i.e. the "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode) to promote exchanges among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. On the other hand, the immigration arrangement of either the "separate-location arrangement" or "co-location arrangement" is still adopted for various boundary control points ("BCPs") in Hong Kong at present. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has already communicated with the Guangdong Provincial Government on adopting the immigration arrangement of joint boundary control system at BCPs in Hong Kong;
(2)
whether it has already planned to implement the immigration arrangement of joint boundary control system at existing and future BCPs in Hong Kong, and assessed the advantages and challenges of introducing such an immigration arrangement; and
(3)
whether it has already planned to implement the immigration arrangement of the co-location arrangement or even the joint boundary control system at the Hong Kong International Airport, and align with the airports on the Mainland to introduce additional routes, so as to promote exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Measures to cope with the demand for replacement of identity cards
Hon Benson LUK to ask:
In reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council earlier on, the Government pointed out that as at 3 March this year, around 6.84 million identity ("ID") card holders had had their ID cards replaced with new ones through the Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise, representing about 85% of all Hong Kong residents who needed to have their ID cards replaced, and with the extended service hours arrangement being implemented by the Immigration Department ("ImmD") at four Registration of Persons ("ROP") Offices, a maximum number of 18 000 applications for documentation services could be processed per week. There are views pointing out that as there are still about 1.2 million ID card holders who have not had their ID cards replaced at present, ImmD needs around 67 weeks (i.e. around one year and four months) at the earliest to complete all ID card replacement work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the additional expenditure involved in the implementation of the extended service hours arrangement at four ROP offices; and
(2)
given the keen demand of members of the public for the replacement of ID cards, the available appointment booking period of the ROP services appointment booking system has been extended to 96 working days, whether ImmD will consider launching further measures to cope with the service demand, including extending the service hours of and implementing the arrangement of full-week service at ROP Offices, as well as increasing the number and manpower of ROP Offices; if so, of the additional manpower and expenditure involved as estimated by the authorities, and the relevant timetable (including the earliest time for launching the measures); if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Assisted reproductive services
Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
It is learnt that the birth rate in Hong Kong continues to drop, with the total fertility rate falling to 0.77 in 2021, which is among the lowest in the world. There are views pointing out that assisted reproductive services may increase the aspirations of members of the public for childbearing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider afresh introducing measures to boost the fertility rate within a short time, such as directly providing subsidies for child-rearing, increasing child-minding services and strengthening family-friendly working arrangements;
(2)
given that the median age of women at first childbirth in Hong Kong increased from 29.4 in 2001 to 32.6 in 2021, whether the Government will study the provision of centralized oocyte cryopreservation service for women in Hong Kong, so that patients and women marrying late can have their eggs frozen and preserved as early as possible for future use, thereby increasing their chances of childbearing; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that Queen Mary Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital and Kwong Wah Hospital currently offer in-vitro fertilization ("IVF") clinic or subfertility assessment clinic services, and they also provide IVF treatment services, but it is learnt that the longest waiting time for such services is 10-odd months, while the waiting time for the relevant private healthcare services is extremely long and the fees charged are often more than $100,000, whether the Government will introduce measures, such as increasing the quotas for the relevant public healthcare services or providing subsidies to those who use private healthcare services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Shortening patients' waiting time for consultation
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
It is learnt that at present, patients with episodic diseases and chronic disease patients who require follow-up consultations both have to wait for a long time in public hospitals before they can receive the healthcare services they need. Regarding shortening patients' waiting time for consultation in public hospitals, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the average time currently taken by patients (i) from being issued with numbered tickets to receiving diagnoses and treatments by doctors in general out-patient clinics ("GOPCs") and (ii) from registration to receiving diagnoses and treatments by doctors in accident and emergency ("A&E") departments, as well as the respective average time taken by patients seeking consultation at these two departments from completion of receipt of diagnoses and treatments by doctors to being dispensed medicines;
(2)
whether it has studied how to enhance the care received by patients while they are waiting for consultation in GOPCs and A&E departments (e.g. by making good use of technologies to inform patients of the waiting time required and providing more ad hoc beds or waiting rooms), and set indicators for the waiting time for consultation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as the Hospital Authority currently provides non-emergency ambulance transfer service ("NEATS"), whether the Government knows the number of vehicles in the fleet concerned and the utilization rate of the service, and whether the Government has studied the establishment of a database on patients' waiting time for consultation in public hospitals, and made good use of NEATS vehicles to divert patients waiting for consultation to neighbouring hospitals with shorter waiting time for consultation; if the Government has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Community Liaison Teams
Hon Steven HO to ask:
The Government previously set up Community Liaison Teams ("the Liaison Teams") for certain projects involving new development areas ("NDAs") to, through the operating organizations, enhance the communication with households (including those engaged in the agriculture and fisheries industry) potentially affected by development plans, enhance their understanding of the relevant development proposals, collect their views and concerns, and provide them with timely assistance. However, there are views pointing out that some members of the Liaison Teams have taken the lead in inciting stakeholders of the relevant development projects to oppose the Government, District Council members and Legislative Council Members, not only defeating the original purposes of setting up the Liaison Teams but also making it difficult to implement government policies. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the qualifications required for applying to become a Liaison Team; the details (including the operating organizations and the resources approved) of the Liaison Teams approved to be set up (including those set up for the Kwu Tung North and Fanling North NDAs, Yuen Long South Development, and Hung Shui Kiu NDA); the Liaison Teams still in operation at present;
(2)
of the mechanism put in place to monitor the performance of the Liaison Teams, and how to gauge whether the performance of the Liaison Teams meets expectations;
(3)
whether it will continue to deal with NDAs or other development projects through the Liaison Teams; if so, of the details; and
(4)
as there have been criticisms from the community in recent years that the work of some Liaison Teams is inconsistent with the purposes of their establishment, and given that major infrastructure developments such as the artificial islands in the Central Waters under the "Lantau Tomorrow Vision" and the Northern Metropolis will commence one after another, whether the Government will introduce corresponding reforms (e.g. by incorporating terms into relevant mechanisms, establishing a monitoring mechanism and appointing operating organizations with credibility) to ensure that the Liaison Teams will serve the Government's development projects in earnest and communicate effectively with the affected farmers and fishermen?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Youth uniformed groups
Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask:
At present, seven disciplined and auxiliary services under the Security Bureau ("SB") have established youth uniformed groups (including the Customs Youth Leader Corps, the Correctional Services Department's Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders, the Fire and Ambulance Services Teen Connect, the Junior Police Call, the Immigration Department Youth Leaders Corps, the Auxiliary Medical Service Cadet Corps and the Civil Aid Service Cadet Corps). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on each of the aforesaid youth uniformed groups in each of the past three years: the number of members, the number of ethnic minority members, and the number of schools from which their members came;
(2)
given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in respect of the Estimates of Expenditure 2023-2024, the Government indicated that the implementation work of the youth uniformed groups involved staff from different positions, including staff who concurrently shared other duties, whether the Government will allocate additional resources and deploy manpower with a view to having dedicated staff to take charge of the operation of the youth uniformed groups;
(3)
of the membership recruitment plans and targets of the aforesaid seven youth uniformed groups, and how they strengthen recruitment work in schools, the community and ethnic minority youth communities; whether the authorities will provide additional funding and manpower in the light of the scale of expansion of the youth uniformed groups, and set long-term development goals for such youth uniformed groups; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
in respect of the members of the Security Bureau Youth Uniformed Group Leaders Forum set up earlier by SB, of the distribution of the youth uniformed groups from which such members come; the cross-disciplined services youth activities to be provided by SB for participation by members of the various youth uniformed groups; as the Government indicated earlier on that it would offer internship places in the disciplined services to let members of the youth uniformed groups experience the disciplined services' work, and would actively organize exchange activities on the Mainland, of the details of such internships and exchange activities?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Education and training provided for young persons in custody
Hon Lillian KWOK to ask:
The Correctional Services Department ("CSD") currently provides various academic and vocational training courses for young persons in custody ("PICs") to help them reintegrate into society after they are released. CSD has also set up a number of education funds and subsidy schemes for application by PICs to alleviate the financial burden incurred by them as a result of pursuing further studies. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of young PICs taking vocational training courses in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by subject area of course;
(2)
whether the Government will provide employment counselling services for young PICs after they complete the training courses and are released; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether the Government will consider injecting funds into the aforesaid education funds and subsidy schemes, so as to promote young PICs' pursuit of further studies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Regulation of free television programme service licensees
Hon Nixie LAM to ask:
There are views that the rapid development of new media and cyber technology, coupled with the fact that new media are not subject to licensing control, have posed challenges to the operation of traditional free television ("TV") broadcasting. Also, with the implementation of various Generic Codes of Practice for Television ("the Codes") applicable to free TV programme service licensees ("licensees") for years, some provisions therein have become outdated. As such, the Communications Authority ("CA") may suitably relax the regulatory measures imposed on licensees so as to improve their operating environment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the year in which CA last reviewed the Codes and relevant regulatory measures applicable to licensees; whether it has regularly reviewed the Codes and relevant regulatory measures to ensure that their contents meet the social development needs; if so, of the details (e.g. years of interval for each review); if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that CA relaxed the regulation of indirect advertising and product placement broadcasting in TV programmes (including free TV programmes) in 2018, whether CA has, prior to implementing the relaxation measures concerned, studied and compared the relevant regulatory mechanisms and provisions of the neighbouring places which share similarities with Hong Kong in terms of culture (e.g. the Mainland and Japan); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that it is a requirement under the Codes that product placement must adhere to the principle of being presented in a "natural and unobtrusive" manner, but there are views that the criterion concerned is rather subjective and that the related examples provided by CA are also inconsistent with the criterion concerned, whether CA will draw up clearer guidelines and provide relevant justifications in respect of the "natural and unobtrusive" presentation approach, as well as regularly review and revise the criterion concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
as it is learnt that at present, quite a number of acquired programmes of the licensees contain product placement , whether CA has drawn reference from the practices in the Mainland and overseas, so as to consider further relaxing the regulation of the advertising concerned, thereby allowing it to be exposed in acquired programmes under different approaches of presentation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Assisting Hong Kong Chinese medicine practitioners in practising on the Mainland
Prof Hon CHAN Wing-kwong to ask:
On assisting Hong Kong Chinese medicine practitioners ("CMPs") in practising on the Mainland, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and its relevant supplementary agreements, a series of policies have been in place to enable Hong Kong CMPs to practise Chinese medicine and establish healthcare institutions on the Mainland, whether the Government has grasped the latest situation of Hong Kong CMPs currently practising Chinese medicine and establishing healthcare institutions on the Mainland, and what measures the authorities have put in place to assist Hong Kong CMPs in pursuing development on the Mainland; and
(2)
given that after the Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of Guangdong Province announced in 2021 the arrangement for recruiting CMPs from Hong Kong and Macao by public healthcare institutions in the Mainland cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), 10 Hong Kong CMPs have been recruited to work in public healthcare institutions in the Mainland cities, whether the authorities have grasped the response of Hong Kong CMPs to such an arrangement, and whether they will strengthen discussion with the relevant Mainland departments to further expand the arrangement, so that more Hong Kong CMPs can work in the national healthcare system, thereby promoting exchanges in Chinese medicine and providing opportunities for Hong Kong CMPs (especially the younger generation of CMPs) to pursue development in the Mainland cities of GBA; if so, of the details?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Language for teaching and research of literature and history-related subjects in higher education institutions
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
It is learnt that currently there is a growing tendency among departments of Chinese language and literature, history, Chinese studies and Chinese culture ("such departments") of higher education institutions to teach and conduct research studies in English (especially in Chinese history courses); and some academics are also required to use English in undertaking research projects relating to Chinese language and literature, Chinese history, Chinese culture, etc. There are views that such arrangements have far-reaching implications on the development of the relevant disciplines. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the (i) undergraduate programmes and (ii) postgraduate programmes (including research master's, taught master's and Doctor of Philosophy) currently offered by such departments of the 22 higher education institutions (including the eight University Grants Committee ("UGC")-funded universities and the 14 self-financing or non-UGC-funded tertiary institutions): numbers of programmes, titles of programmes, modes of study, numbers of academic staff members, numbers of students, titles and credits of various subjects under the programmes, medium of instruction, and modes of assessment;
(2)
of the following information on such departments and relevant research divisions of the 22 higher education institutions in each of the past five years (set out by name of institution): numbers and names of departments/divisions, numbers of researchers, and the percentages of the two figures in the relevant totals of the institutions concerned;
(3)
whether UGC and the Research Grants Council under UGC have required the 22 higher education institutions and their academic staff members to write their applications in English in applying for publicly-funded research and teaching projects, or refused to accept applications written in Chinese; if so, of the details; and
(4)
whether it has studied if there is a phenomenon of "giving emphasis to English over Chinese" and excessive pursuit of internationalization in the teaching and research work in respect of relevant disciplines such as Chinese language and literature, history, Chinese studies and Chinese culture in the higher education sector in Hong Kong; if it has studied and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether it has issued specific guidelines or formulated indicators for the development of such disciplines, and whether it will introduce relevant policy measures to change this development trend?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme
Hon Rock CHEN to ask:
The Government implemented, on a pilot basis, the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme ("the Scheme") in January 2021 to encourage enterprises with business both in Hong Kong and in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA") to employ Hong Kong university graduates, and deploy them to work in the GBA Mainland cities. The Scheme was regularized in March this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the highest, lowest and average salaries of the young people participating in the Scheme who have reported for duty, with a breakdown by (i) the industry in which they are engaged and (ii) the post they hold;
(2)
as a study has pointed out that some young people employed under the Scheme who have reported for duty consider that the salary levels in the GBA Mainland cities are generally lower than those in Hong Kong, hence they are not confident that they can secure jobs with their target salary levels in the GBA Mainland cities, whether the authorities will raise the amount of salary subsidy granted to enterprises participating in the Scheme, so as to encourage the enterprises concerned to increase the salaries of the jobs they offer, thereby attracting more Hong Kong university graduates to participate in the Scheme; and
(3)
as there are views that the rapid development of innovation and technology, engineering as well as smart manufacturing on the Mainland is a rare opportunity for Hong Kong graduates aspiring to join relevant industries, whether the authorities will consider afresh extending the scope of application of the Scheme to all Hong Kong graduates of associate degree and higher diploma programmes, so as to support young people with different academic qualifications in seizing the opportunities arising from the development of the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Funding schemes that support technology enterprises
Hon Jimmy NG to ask:
The Government provides support for technology enterprises through a number of funding schemes, which include the "Incubation Programme" and "Incu-bio Programme". However, as at February this year, the success rates of applications for these two programmes were only 56% and 54% respectively. Moreover, the success rate of applications for the "Cyberport Creative Micro Fund" ("CCMF") was as low as about 15% in the past three years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of applications received and approved by the authorities since the launches of the Incubation Programme and Incu-bio Programme, as well as the respective average amounts of funding granted to the approved applications;
(2)
of the respective numbers of applications for CCMF received and approved by the authorities in each of the past five years, and whether all the approved applications were granted a cash grant of $100,000 in each case;
(3)
whether it has taken the initiative to look into the reasons for the low success rates of applications for the aforesaid schemes; if so, of the details; of the number of small and medium enterprises assisted by SME ReachOut set up by the Trade and Industry Department in applying for the aforesaid schemes in each of the past two years; whether SME ReachOut will step up its efforts to assist applicants in applying for the aforesaid schemes in the future, with a view to increasing the success rates of applications for such schemes; if so, of the details; and
(4)
whether it will consider raising the amounts of funding to be granted under the aforesaid schemes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the flow of manpower in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
Some members of the community consider that the continuous decrease in the number of individuals tax returns issued by the Inland Revenue Department ("IRD") in recent years reflects that Hong Kong's labour population and labour force are on a continuous decline. On promoting the flow of manpower in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of individuals tax returns issued, the actual number of taxpayers, and the revenue from salaries tax in each of the past five years of assessment, with a tabulated breakdown by gender and age group of taxpayers;
(2)
as IRD explained earlier on that the drop in the number of individuals tax returns issued might involve various reasons, including that some taxpayers did not need to pay tax for several consecutive years, and that some people fell outside the tax net because their income dropped as a result of the impact of the economy and they benefitted from tax concession measures, of the number of people who had employment income but were not issued with tax returns in each of the past five years of assessment, with a tabulated breakdown by reason for not being issued with tax returns; and
(3)
whether it has studied whether the continuous decrease in the number of individuals who need to file tax returns is related to the continuous decline in the labour population; if it has studied and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether the Government will discuss with the Mainland authorities the promotion of the flow of manpower in GBA to replenish Hong Kong's labour force; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Civil service establishment
Dr Hon TIK Chi-yuen to ask:
Regarding the civil service establishment, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current respective numbers of civil service permanent and supernumerary posts on the Directorate Pay Scale ("DPS") (or equivalent), with a breakdown by pay point;
(2)
of the respective expenditures on salaries and benefits for civil service permanent and supernumerary posts on DPS (or equivalent) over the past year, with a breakdown by pay point;
(3)
of the respective numbers of additional civil service permanent and supernumerary posts on DPS (or equivalent) in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by pay point;
(4)
of the changes in the number of civil servants (including permanent and supernumerary posts) and the relevant expenditures in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by type of post (i.e. permanent and supernumerary posts); and
(5)
of the current number of civil service supernumerary posts and the distribution of the dates on which such posts will lapse?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the popularization of electric taxis
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng to ask:
There are views that electric vehicles ("EVs") showcase a new trend of transport development which would help Hong Kong achieve the goal of carbon neutrality before 2050, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Meanwhile, the Government has mentioned in the latest Policy Address the introduction of about 3 000 electric taxis ("e-taxis") by end-2027. Regarding the promotion of the popularization of e-taxis, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current number of e-taxis with approvals for operation in Hong Kong and their percentage in the overall number of taxis in Hong Kong;
(2)
given that the Government will, in the medium to long term, gradually convert some existing petrol filling stations and gas filling stations into quick charging stations to address the charging needs of e-taxis and other EVs, of the relevant details and specific implementation timetable; and
(3)
apart from the Dedicated 100% Loan Guarantee Scheme for Battery Electric Taxis, of the Government's preferential policies to further promote the popularization of e-taxis?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Improving the Government's procurement system
Hon Tony TSE to ask:
There are views that in recent years, the country's innovation, technology and industry development in a number of areas has been by leaps and bounds, and it has got a large number of relevant professional and skilled talents. However, as quite a number of outdated and rigid restrictions still exist in the relevant requirements of Hong Kong SAR Government's existing procurement system, including those on product and technology certification, the proportion of local staff employed, and whether or not bidders have been awarded relevant contracts in the past and have relevant experience, etc., it is difficult for Hong Kong to make good use of relevant Mainland technologies and professionals. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will give equal treatment to Guobiao (i.e. the standards of the country) which are for the certification of Mainland products and technologies, and the relevant standards of overseas countries such as the United States, the European Union and Japan; if not, of the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct a review and a reform;
(2)
while ensuring priority employment of local talents, for some projects for which Hong Kong does not have sufficient relevant professional and skilled talents, whether the Government can flexibly relax the requirements related to the proportion of local staff employed, so that successful bidders can bring into Hong Kong professional and skilled teams which are more mature and experienced, so as to provide members of the public with services which are more novel and of better quality; if not, of the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct a review and a reform; and
(3)
for projects which involve new technologies and practices, or do not face sufficient competition in the local market, whether the Government, when marking relevant tenders, will give equal treatment and scores to bidders which have been awarded relevant contracts and have relevant experience on the Mainland and bidders with similar local experience; if not, of the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct a review and a reform?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
The manpower of academic staff of universities
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:
According to the latest statistics from the University Grants Committee ("UGC"), the eight UGC-funded universities lost a total of 361 academic staff members in the 2021-2022 academic year, which accounted for 7.4% of the total number of academic staff and represented a record high in 25 years. It is learnt that some academic staff departed because they switched to work in other countries or regions. Regarding the manpower of academic staff of the UGC-funded universities, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of academic staff who left the UGC-funded universities and switched to work in other countries or regions in the 2021-2022 academic year;
(2)
of the current number of vacancies of academic staff in the eight UGC-funded universities;
(3)
of the policies in place for retaining teaching talents in the UGC-funded universities; and
(4)
of the policies in place for attracting teaching talents from universities around the world?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Reforming the Growth Enterprise Market
Hon Adrian HO to ask:
There are views pointing out that the authorities' amendments to the Growth Enterprise Market ("GEM") Listing Rules in 2018 to raise the GEM admission requirements and remove the streamlined process for transfer of listings from GEM to the Main Board ("GEM Streamlined Process") have increased the difficulties of small and medium enterprises ("SMEs") in financing, and as Hong Kong is now at a critical stage of economic reopening, GEM should be fully utilized as the most convenient financing channel for SMEs and innovative enterprises in Hong Kong. Moreover, the Financial Secretary has indicated in the 2023-2024 Budget that the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited ("HKEX") will put forward specific reform recommendations on GEM within this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows if HKEX will be able to finish and make public the specific reform recommendations on GEM within this year as scheduled;
(2)
whether it has plans to set up an advisory committee to help promote the enhancement of GEM and invite members of the industry to join it, so as to establish a more effective communication channel, thereby enhancing the authorities' understanding of the needs of the market;
(3)
whether it has formulated a comprehensive plan for the enhanced GEM (including bringing in technology start-ups from abroad to list on GEM), so as to increase the vibrancy of and attention to GEM, and facilitate it to serve its functions and drive up the number of listed companies and the trading volume; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it will, in response to market changes and demands of members of the industry, consider resuming the implementation of the GEM Streamlined Process, so that GEM can serve as a springboard for SMEs to list on the Main Board and provide better fund-raising opportunities for such enterprises?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting cross-border healthcare services
Hon CHAN Hok-fung to ask:
It has been reported that during the three consecutive days of long holidays from the end of last month to the beginning of this month, the waiting time at the accident and emergency ("A&E") departments of a number of public hospitals exceeded eight hours, reaching the maximum waiting time that can be shown on the website of the Hospital Authority. There are views pointing out that the Government should promote cross-border healthcare services to enhance healthcare services for Hong Kong residents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider, by leveraging the advantages of land resources in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), constructing hospitals of Tier 3 Class A ("'Grade 3A' hospitals") in such cities and model them on the healthcare system of Hong Kong for use by residents in GBA (including Hong Kong residents), so as to alleviate the problem of excessively long waiting time of Hong Kong patients for healthcare services at present; if so, of the details;
(2)
whether it knows the average time taken for constructing "Grade 3A" hospitals in the Mainland cities of GBA in the past three years, as well as the number of "Grade 3A" hospitals already completed or soon to be completed in the Mainland cities of GBA;
(3)
whether it has assessed (i) the journey time for transporting patients from Hong Kong to Mainland hospitals (e.g. those located in Zhongshan or Zhuhai) for medical treatment, and (ii) the average waiting time for patients to receive medical treatment at A&E departments of public hospitals in Hong Kong during long holidays; and
(4)
as it is learnt that quite a number of Hong Kong residents are living, studying or working in the Mainland cities of GBA, whether the Health Bureau has plans to share the medical records of such Hong Kong residents across the border, thereby expediting the integration of the healthcare system in GBA; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for special schools
Hon Judy CHAN to ask:
Regarding the support for special schools, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of different types of special schools and special schools with a boarding section, as well as the number of places and students in such schools (including the respective numbers and percentages of local and non-local students) in each of the past five school years, and set out the breakdown in a table;
(2)
whether it has made adjustments to the planning for the future supply of school places of different types of special schools to cope with the current situation of a sharp decline in school-age population in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it has considered adding information technology technical support personnel to the staffing establishment of special schools to support the development of STEAM (i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education in different types of special schools; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
of the number of job vacancies of different types of special schools (including but not limited to teacher assistant, cook, school bus driver and watchman, etc.) in each of the past three school years, with a tabulated breakdown by type of job; whether the Government has reviewed the impact of the relevant vacancies on the operation of special schools and taken corresponding measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
given that the Education Bureau has earlier set up a working group to review the "Practice Guide for Special Schools on Planning and Managing Boarding Service" in a holistic manner, of the progress of the review, and whether it has drawn up a timetable for revising the Guide; and
(6)
as there are views pointing out that the current establishment of clerical support workers in the boarding sections of different types of special schools still follows the structure adopted in the 1990s, which has long been outdated, whether the Government will follow up the relevant views and conduct a review on enhancing the establishment of such workers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?