Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Improving public order
Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:
There are views pointing out that Hong Kong has long been praised as one of the safest cities in the world, but the stabbing cases that happened one after another recently have caused many members of the public to worry about public order and personal safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of stabbing cases in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by the nature of the cases and the district in which the cases occurred;
(2)
as it has been reported that the senior management of the Hong Kong Police Force has recently issued a directive instructing various police districts to enhance frontline police presence and conduct high-profile patrols in areas with heavy pedestrian flow, whether the Police have plans to regularize such measures, so as to maintain a certain number of frontline officers on patrol; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that Hong Kong's ranking in the Legatum Prosperity Index (Safety & Security) has dropped from the sixth place in 2020 to the 16th place in 2023, what new measures the Government has put in place to reduce crimes such as violence and wounding, so as to increase public confidence in public order?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Developing Kowloon East
Hon TANG Ka-piu to ask:
In his important speech delivered on 1 July last year, the State President mentioned that Hong Kong should continue to create strong impetus for growth. There are views that Kowloon East ("KE"), being the second core business district ("CBD2") in Hong Kong, needs a clear role and positioning under the planning vision and industry spatial pattern of "South-North dual engine (finance-innovation and technology)". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will revive the shelved Environmentally Friendly Linkage System for KE to connect the whole CBD2 (including Kai Tak, Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay), so as to fortify CBD2's commercial strengths; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that the National 14th Five-Year Plan has established Hong Kong's "eight centres" positioning, of the positioning of CBD2, and whether the Government will provide policy support for such positioning through a development model of collaboration among the "government, industry, academic and research" sectors; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that there are community organizations advocating the concept of "Connecting KE with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ('ASEAN')", under which KE's economic features characterized by its diverse cultures and vibrancy will be leveraged to build a headquarters economy focusing on the member states of ASEAN and the signatories of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, whether the Government will consider the suggestion and set up a relevant support centre to facilitate Hong Kong enterprises' more active integration into the overall development of the country; if so, of the details and the essential elements to be considered; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Converting the Old Course of the Fanling Golf Course into a public golf course
Hon Michael TIEN to ask:
It has been reported that at the recent public hearing of the Town Planning Board on the development of part of the Fanling Golf Course ("FGC") site, the Government's representatives expressly pointed out that it was the Government's target to provide about 300 000 public housing units in the next 10 years, and the land identified could build about 360 000 units, which was about 59 000 units more than the target, and such units included about 12 000 units which were originally planned to be built on FGC. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, given that the housing production from the land identified exceeds the target, whether the Government has studied converting the Old Course of FGC into a public golf course, so as to benefit the general public; if it has not, of the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct a study in future?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Heat Stress at Work Warning
Hon Tony TSE to ask:
On the 2nd of last month, the Labour Department issued the Heat Stress at Work Warning ("the Warning") three times in accordance with the Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work ("the Guidance Notes"), with the intervals between the cancellation and reissuance of the Warning being just 10 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. It has been reported that some affected employers and employees were at a loss as to what to do. Besides, some trade unions and trade associations of the construction industry have indicated that owing to the nature of work, works contracts, terms of employment of employees, etc. of the construction industry, it is difficult to effectively implement the Guidance Notes' recommendation that employees should suspend work intermittently when the Warning is in force. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has conducted a review on the respective times at which, according to the Guidance Notes' recommendation, the relevant employees in the construction industry should rest and return to work on the three occasions when the Warning was in force on the 2nd of last month; if so, whether it has assessed if the relevant arrangements are sensible and practicable; and
(2)
as some members of different sectors have relayed that there are huge discrepancies between the recommendations set out in the Guidance Notes and those put forward by the authorities during consultation, whether the authorities will, having regard to the problems arising from the implementation of the Guidance Notes and the views of various sectors, comprehensively review the contents and scope of implementation of the Guidance Notes as early as possible, including exploring with the sectors alternatives to the arrangement of intermittent suspension of work?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Injuries or sudden deaths of employees caused by overexertion at work
Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:
In recent years, incidents of sudden deaths of employees suspected to be caused by overexertion at work (commonly known as "deaths from overexertion") have been heard from time to time. In 2017, the Government commissioned the Occupational Safety and Health Council to undertake the Study on Relationship between Workplace Deaths and Work Condition, but the authorities reached the conclusion that there was no direct relationship between "workplace deaths" and "work factors", and so far the Government has not legislated for deaths from overexertion to include the employees concerned in the scope of protection. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of cases, as recorded by the Labour Department in each year since 2018, in which employees suddenly died in the course of the employment not as a result of accidents arising from work; of the industries and job types involved in and the situation of the follow-up work for such cases;
(2)
whether it has plans to formulate new targeted measures, including legislating for standard working hours, so as to prevent injuries or sudden deaths of employees caused by overexertion; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will, by drawing reference from the practices of neighbouring countries and regions, designate sudden deaths of employees caused by overexertion as occupational injuries and deaths for which employees' compensation may be claimed, and draw up a legal definition or guidelines for deaths from overexertion?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Building a strong digital security barrier
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
In February this year, the State Council published the "Plan for the Overall Layout of Building a Digital China" ("the Plan"), proposing to build a firm, credible and controllable digital security barrier. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
on the premise of integrating into the overall development of the country, pressing ahead with the development of a digital economy and promoting the high-quality development of the economy of the country and Hong Kong, whether the authorities will conduct an in-depth study on the Plan, and explore the opportunities and impact that it will bring to Hong Kong and how Hong Kong should complement the Plan for better implementation of it (including whether it will interface with the Plan in the future), so as to manifest the spirit of "one country, two systems";
(2)
whether it has comprehensively assessed the digital security risks at Hong Kong's and even the country's level; if so, of the specific risk assessment mechanism (including the areas involved, and whether risk levels have been set and the criteria based on which such levels are set), as well as the outcome of the assessment; and
(3)
how it will reinforce the digital security barrier in Hong Kong, including whether it will conduct top-level planning under the leadership of the Secretaries of Departments and even the Chief Executive, introduce relevant plans by making reference to the Mainland's practice, and consider enacting relevant laws and regulations as well as formulating guidelines, etc., so as to safeguard national security; if it will consider enacting legislation, of the specific direction and implementation timetable?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Subvented organizations' work on publicizing national awareness
Hon Stanley NG to ask:
There are views that some organizations subvented by the Government such as schools, social welfare organizations, environmental groups as well as cultural and performing arts groups did not discharge their responsibilities to proactively publicize national awareness and tell China's story well in the past, and they even took part in supporting black-clad violence during the riots. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has formulated guidelines requiring various statutory bodies and non-governmental organizations (including but not limited to schools, social welfare organizations, environmental groups as well as cultural and performing arts groups) and projects which receive recurrent subventions from the Government to carry out the following work and set performance indicators for such work:
(i)
displaying the national flag solemnly on major festivals, such as the National Day and the anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in accordance with the guidelines;
(ii)
providing staff members, service users and the public with national education and books on national affairs, as well as conducting appropriate written assessments on the relevant work of staff members for keeping in their personnel files, which will serve as one of the reference criteria for promotion; and
(iii)
showing in the introductions of such organizations or projects the wording of "subvented by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China";
if it has, of the number, percentage and names of organizations which have complied with the guidelines, and whether the relevant work have met the targets; if it has not, the reasons for that, and when the Government will formulate the relevant guidelines and performance indicators; and
(2)
whether it has immediately terminated the provision of subventions for organizations or projects which have deliberately violated the aforesaid requirements or failed to meet the targets, and demanded the organizations or the responsible persons of the projects concerned to return the subventions to the Government from the date of the deliberate violation or failure to meet the targets; if so, of the number and names of the organizations or projects concerned; if not, the reasons for that, and how the Government will hold the organizations or the responsible persons of the projects concerned accountable?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Improving the driving test arrangements
Prof Hon LAU Chi-pang to ask:
It is learnt that there has been a rising trend in the number of driving test ("road test") appeal cases in recent years, reflecting that members of the public are dissatisfied with the road test arrangements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current number of people waiting for road tests for various vehicle types and the daily quota for road tests;
(2)
of the current passing rates of road tests for various vehicle types, and how such passing rates compare with those in the past 10 years, with a breakdown by road test route; whether the Government has reviewed if there is too great a difference in the difficulty of various road test routes, and whether it will adjust the road test routes according to the passing rates of various road test routes, so as to avoid the occurrence of unfairness;
(3)
given that according to the Transport Department ("TD")'s guidelines, candidates are still required to take road tests in bad weather conditions, such as when a rainstorm warning signal is in force, whether the Government has maintained data on the passing rates of road tests conducted in bad weather conditions; if so, of the relevant data; whether the Government will review the arrangements for road tests in bad weather conditions;
(4)
as there are views pointing out that the large number of learner drivers' vehicles and road test vehicles has caused congestion on the roads of road test routes, of the total number of road test routes in Hong Kong at present, and the basis on which the Government has formulated such routes; whether the Government will review the impact of learner drivers' vehicles and road test vehicles on the road conditions of such routes; and
(5)
of the number of complaints about road tests received by the Government in each of the past 10 years; whether TD has regularly reviewed the process of road test arrangements and considered formulating improvement measures; if so, of the details (including the time interval between each review and the specific proposals); if not, whether it will formulate a review proposal and the relevant timetable?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Impact of extreme weather and unforeseen incidents on the agriculture and fisheries industry
Hon Steven HO to ask:
Quite a number of fishermen and farmers have relayed that the protection mechanisms in relation to the agriculture and fisheries industry in Hong Kong lag behind those in other regions, resulting in a lack of support for operators in the industry and their difficulties in coping with the impacts brought about by extreme weather and unforeseen incidents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has assessed the amount of losses incurred by the agriculture and fisheries industry due to extreme weather or unforeseen incidents in each of the past three years; if so, of the assessment method; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the details of follow-up actions taken and support provided by the Government for fishermen and farmers affected by extreme weather or unforeseen incidents in the past three years;
(3)
of the Government's measures put in place to issue emergency notifications to fishermen and farmers and assist them in coping with extreme weather or unforeseen incidents (such as the large-scale power outage incident in some areas in Northwest New Territories);
(4)
whether the Government will consider carrying out reforms of the existing mechanism in respect of the primary producer grants under the Emergency Relief Fund by putting such grants under the administration of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, which has good understanding of the relevant industry, and raising the amount of the grants, or introducing related insurance schemes that meet the needs of the industry; and
(5)
given that some members of the industry have relayed that at present, most operators in the industry can only maintain low-cost production or extensive farming operations due to the short tenancy tenures of farmland and the difficulties involved when making applications for agricultural structures, of the Government's new approaches in place to support the agriculture and fisheries industry in enhancing their production equipment and technologies, and whether it has plans to put forward the relevant proposals when formulating the blueprint for the sustainable development of agriculture and fisheries, so as to mitigate the impacts brought about by extreme weather or unforeseen incidents on them?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Attracting ethnic minorities to join the disciplined services
Ir Hon Gary ZHANG to ask:
A survey of an organization has pointed out that the unemployment rate of ethnic minorities ("EMs") during the epidemic was almost 50%, which was higher than the overall unemployment rate in Hong Kong during the same period. Besides, it has been reported that there are quite a number of vacancies in the disciplined services. On attracting EMs to join the disciplined services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of EMs who were unemployed and their unemployment rate in each of the past five years;
(2)
of the current staffing establishment of the Ethnic Minorities Relation Team of the Correctional Services Department ("CSD") and the expenditure involved;
(3)
of the number of EMs recruited by CSD through Project Nova in the past three years;
(4)
of the respective numbers of non-ethnic Chinese youths recruited by various disciplined services through Project Gemstone in each year since it was launched by Yau Tsim Police District in February 2013;
(5)
of the resources currently allocated by the Hong Kong Police Force to the Cross-disciplined Forces Training Programme for Ethnic Minority Youth;
(6)
of the total number of EMs recruited by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department since it established the Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team in 2019;
(7)
of the reasons why the Government currently does not require persons joining the disciplined services to declare their ethnic origins; and
(8)
of the respective current details of the various disciplined services' relevant projects to attract EMs to join them and the respective expenditures involved?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Non-civil service contract staff
Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask:
There are views that in the face of an upsurge of departure of civil servants, full-time non-civil service contract ("NCSC") staff with certain work experience in the Government can become important manpower resources for government departments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the total number of full-time NCSC staff currently employed by the Government, as well as the government departments employing the largest number of full-time NCSC staff and the number of such staff;
(2)
of the number of full-time NCSC staff who left the service before the expiry of their contracts between June last year and May this year, and the reasons for their departure;
(3)
of the number of full-time NCSC staff who were appointed as civil servants between June last year and May this year;
(4)
given that NCSC staff are not entitled to civil service benefits, whether the Government will consider improving the benefits of full-time NCSC staff, such as providing dental benefits, etc., so as to reduce the wastage of such staff; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(5)
as it is learnt that some full-time NCSC staff possess certain qualifications (e.g. a bachelor's degree and a pass in the Common Recruitment Examination), whether the Government will consider establishing an internal screening procedure to allow full-time NCSC staff who have gone through the procedure to be converted to civil servants, so that full-time NCSC staff can see better job prospects; if not, of the reasons for that?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Human papillomavirus vaccination
Dr Hon David LAM to ask:
Since the 2019-2020 school year, the Department of Health ("DH") has provided free human papillomavirus ("HPV") vaccination (also known as "cervical cancer vaccination") to eligible Primary Five school girls under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunization Programme through school outreach vaccination service to help them prevent cervical cancer. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether there were delays in DH's arrangement of school outreach service for female students to receive HPV vaccination during the period of class suspension amid the COVID-19 epidemic; if so, of the details and the corresponding measures;
(2)
of the respective coverage rates of the first and second doses of HPV vaccination for Primary Five and Six female students in Hong Kong as at June this year; and
(3)
as the Government indicated in January this year that a one-off catch up programme was under planning, in which mop-up HPV vaccination would be arranged for secondary school female students or older girls (i.e. 18 years old or below), of the details and timetable of the programme?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Deception cases on social media platforms
Prof Hon William WONG to ask:
It is learnt that there has been an upward trend in the number of online deception cases, and quite a number of them involve online social media platforms. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of deception cases involving social media platforms in the past three years, with a breakdown by the type of deception cases; among such deception cases, of the top three social media platforms involving the highest number of deception cases and the largest amount of defrauded money; if such information is not available, whether it will compile such statistics;
(2)
of the number of fake accounts that the Police requested social media platforms to remove in each of the past three years; whether it has compiled statistics on the number of fake accounts whose holders reopened accounts using other identities after such fake accounts had been removed mandatorily; if it has not compiled such statistics, whether it will request social media platforms to compile relevant statistics regularly in order to identify suspicious accounts for preventing fraudsters from committing deception again;
(3)
whether it knows the number of online deception cases involving social media platforms in the past three years for which compensation was made by third parties (e.g. the social media platforms or banks involved), and the amount of compensation involved;
(4)
whether any legislation is currently in place to require the self-regulation of social media platforms, including taking the initiative to remove fraudulent advertisements, block fake accounts or accounts suspected of engaging in fraudulent activities, and mark suspicious accounts, etc.; if not, whether it will consider enacting legislation on relevant matters to regulate social media platforms, and penalize the platforms which fail to discharge their obligations in accordance with the law;
(5)
whether it will study enacting legislation to require social media platforms to take up due responsibilities when their users are deceived by advertisements and fraudulent accounts on the platforms, including making compensation to persons who have been deceived; and
(6)
of the measures currently in place to ensure information security on social media platforms, with a view to making every effort to prevent the occurrence of deception cases?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international trade centre
Dr Hon Johnny NG to ask:
Regarding two of the indicators relating to International Trade Centre in the Annex: Indicators for Specified Tasks to the 2022 Policy Address, namely seeking early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ("RCEP") by holding or participating in 60 related events/meetings/dialogues to liaise with RCEP members and stakeholders in 2023, and promoting Hong Kong as the functional platform for the "Belt and Road" Initiative in 2023 through a series of work, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details and latest progress of the authorities' aforesaid work to liaise with RCEP members and stakeholders (including the numbers and contents of related events/meetings/dialogues they have held or participated in and the member states they have liaised with so far), and whether it has assessed the effectiveness of such work;
(2)
of the details and latest progress of the authorities' work to promote Hong Kong as the functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative, including the numbers of related promotional programmes and networking sessions held in the first half of this year as well as the numbers of participants (with a tabulated breakdown by project), and whether it has assessed the effectiveness of such work; and
(3)
of the latest progress of Hong Kong's accession to RCEP, and whether it has assessed if Hong Kong is able to accede to RCEP within this year as scheduled; the Middle East regions or emerging economies with which the Government will sign Free Trade Agreements as well as Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements; the new measures and plans the authorities have put in place to assist small and medium enterprises in exploring the markets of RCEP member states?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Signboard control
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
The Buildings Department ("BD") has implemented the Large Scale Operation on Target Streets since 2014 to issue statutory removal orders against dangerous and unauthorized signboards. On the other hand, it has been reported that the steel cleaver-shaped signboard of Leung Tim Choppers Factory in Sham Shui Po and the signboard of a pawnshop named "Nam Cheong Pawnshop" in a Grade 3 historic building have been removed earlier on, arousing public concern about signboard conservation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether BD has compiled statistics on the existing numbers of the following types of signboards: (i) projecting signboards, (ii) neon signs, (iii) wall signboards and (iv) signboards on the roof of a building, with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district;
(2)
of the following statistics on signboard-related work of BD in each of the past five years: (i) the number of removal orders issued, (ii) the number of signboards removed (with a breakdown by way of handling upon removal (i.e. (a) abandonment, (b) handing over to museums and (c) handing over to signboard owners for their own handling)), (iii) the number of signboards repaired, and (iv) the number of outstanding removal orders, with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district;
(3)
whether the Government will allocate additional resources and manpower in respect of the work of inspection and examination of signboards; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
given that some conservation groups have requested the Government to preserve some abandoned signboards with distinctive features or historic significance, whether the Government will consider joining forces in conserving such signboards through cross-departmental efforts, including the provision of additional funding and venues for keeping the signboards, etc.; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Supporting the development of the think-tank community
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
There are views that as Hong Kong has entered the new stage of "advancing from stability to prosperity", it is necessary to identify ways to create strong impetus for growth. Thus, the Government should enhance its support for the local think-tank community in terms of funding and talent, so as to expedite the resolution of the deep-rooted problems in Hong Kong by bringing together the wisdom of the whole society. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective specific assessment criteria of the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme and the Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme administered by the Chief Executive's Policy Unit ("CEPU") (e.g. whether preference will be given to selecting proposals that are based on academic researches or applied policy researches); whether the Government will appoint members of the Assessment Panel of the two schemes according to the principle of supporting evidence-based public policy research in Hong Kong;
(2)
as there are views that while the Government has provided very limited support for the development of the think-tank community, a substantial amount of resources has been allocated to the consultancy study reports for individual works projects, whether the authorities will draw reference from the existing subvention mode for social welfare organizations and uniformed groups, and provide a lump sum grant subvention on a fixed-term basis (for every three to five years) to think tanks with extensive research experiences and committed to promoting the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, so as to facilitate the healthy development of think tanks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as it is learnt that under the political systems around the world (including the Mainland and Singapore), think tanks have played an effective role in nurturing political talents and even form a "revolving door" for talents in the political system, whether the authorities will consider introducing a new mechanism on the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" for grooming think-tank talents as future talents in the areas of public policy, public administration and politics, and through the promotion of concerted tripartite collaboration among CEPU, the Civil Service Bureau and the Civil Service College, give full play to the functions and strengths of local think-tank community; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Work of the Task Force on District Governance
Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:
In July last year, the Chief Executive established the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force (to be renamed as the "Task Force on District Governance" ("TFDG")), led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration ("DCS"), to steer efforts of various bureaux and government departments to enhance the overall environmental hygiene and cityscape in Hong Kong. The Task Force rolled out its first phase of work with the launch of the Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots in August last year, and its second phase of work, including beautifying public space, improving street furniture and enhancing landscape architecture, etc., commenced in October last year. In addition, DCS, together with officials from the Highways Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, visited Shenzhen in March this year to study its landscape greening and cityscape enhancement measures as a reference for the Task Force in carrying out cityscape beautification in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the progress of the various work under the second phase of work;
(2)
whether it has reviewed the areas of Shenzhen Municipality's work where Hong Kong can learn from and make reference to in respect of cityscape beautification; and
(3)
whether it has, based on the findings of the aforesaid visit, formulated a specific action plan and targets for TFDG's next phase of work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange
Hon YIM Kong to ask:
There are views that developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange can help promote the spread of traditional Chinese culture worldwide and provide impetus for building a strong country in culture, and the West Kowloon Cultural District ("WKCD") has played an important role in the relevant work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of East-meets-West cultural exchange activities organized at the arts and cultural facilities of WKCD since their commissioning, and the scale of such activities;
(2)
whether it knows if the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority ("WKCDA") will in future consider regularly organizing exhibitions on important civilizations and cultures of mankind, such as the ancient Egyptian culture, the Persian culture and the Maya culture; if WKCDA will, of the details;
(3)
whether it knows if, apart from the Hong Kong Palace Museum, other venues in WKCD have plans to organize activities to promote traditional Chinese culture on a regular basis; whether WKCDA will allow some Chinese folk art groups to establish residencies at the performance venues in WKCD, so as to step up the promotion of traditional Chinese culture to the general public; and
(4)
whether it knows if WKCDA has plans to assist Hong Kong's arts groups and artists in going global and participating in cultural exchange activities held overseas, so as to tell the stories of China and Hong Kong well?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Rate of stamp duty on stock transfers
Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
To explore a new source of government revenue, the Financial Secretary announced in the 2021-2022 Budget an adjustment to the rate of stamp duty on stock transfers payable by both buyers and sellers from 0.1% to 0.13% of the transaction amounts, and the new rate has been implemented since 1 August 2021. However, according to the statistics from the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, the total turnover in the securities market in the whole of 2022 was $30.7271 trillion, representing a 25.4% decrease as compared with $41.1823 trillion in 2021. There are views that the shift to weak turnover is one of the causes for the decline in the market capitalizations of quite a number of listed companies, and the decline in market capitalizations has knock-on effects, including affecting enterprises' desire to list in Hong Kong and not favouring Hong Kong's positioning as an international financial centre. Regarding the rate of stamp duty on stock transfers, will the Government inform this Council whether it will, in the light of the external environmental factors, the geopolitical situation and the high interest rate environment, consider adjusting the rate in the near future, such as restoring the rate to 0.1%, or even lowering it to 0%; if so, of the details; if not, the relevant considerations and reasons?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Providing consultation and treatment for psychiatric patients
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:
It has been reported that between October 2021 and September 2022, there were more than 48 000 new case bookings for psychiatric specialist outpatient ("SOP") services in public hospitals, with the median waiting time concerned ranging from 14 to 63 weeks, and the longest waiting time even exceeding 90 weeks (i.e. nearly two years). As a result, some psychiatric patients were unable to receive timely treatment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Hospital Authority ("HA") will set clear indicators for the median waiting time for new case bookings for psychiatric SOP services, whether it knows when such indicators will come into force and when HA will conduct a review on these indicators, with a view to providing treatment to psychiatric patients more expeditiously;
(2)
whether it knows the number of new case bookings for psychiatric SOP services in public hospitals since January this year and the manpower for the provision of such services; and
(3)
whether it knows how HA monitors psychiatric patients with a propensity to violence to ensure that they take medications and attend follow-up consultations as scheduled after being discharged from hospitals?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Medical benefits for civil service eligible persons
Hon LAI Tung-kwok to ask:
Under the existing policy, save for paying certain fees as required, civil service eligible persons ("CSEPs") are entitled to free diagnosis and treatment as well as medical services provided by the Hospital Authority ("HA"), and currently HA has also arranged for 65 of its general outpatient clinics ("GOPCs") to reserve priority discs for serving civil servants. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the respective numbers of person-times of (i) civil servants and (ii) other eligible persons using HA's medical services (set out by general outpatient services, specialist outpatient services and accident and emergency departments' services), and the respective numbers of days for which they stayed in public hospitals, in the past three years;
(2)
whether it knows the respective average costs of providing (i) general outpatient services, (ii) specialist outpatient services, and (iii) daily inpatient services for each CSEP by HA in each of the past three years;
(3)
whether it knows the supply and demand situation of the GOPCs' priority discs reserved for serving civil servants in each of the past three years;
(4)
whether it knows the proportion of the priority discs reserved for serving civil servants in the total number of GOPCs' service quotas in each of the past three years;
(5)
as it is learnt that since 2015-2016, HA has conducted four rounds of redistribution of priority discs for serving civil servants for 11 GOPCs, whether the Government knows the details of the four rounds of redistribution;
(6)
as there are views that the current GOPCs' standing arrangement of reserving priority discs only for serving civil servants has often rendered other eligible persons unable to enjoy medical benefits in a timely manner, whether it knows if HA has plans to improve such situation, so as to ensure that other eligible persons can actually enjoy the medical benefits to which they are entitled; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7)
as there are views that at present, serving civil servants sometimes are also not able to get priority discs for receiving diagnosis and treatment, and the situation is unsatisfactory, whether it knows if HA has plans to improve the disc-distributing arrangement, so that they can receive treatment in a timely manner; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Shortage of parking spaces for commercial vehicles
Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
Some members of the transport industry have relayed that in recent years, the Government has been slow in the progress of implementing a number of measures to increase the parking spaces for commercial vehicles ("CVs"), and therefore the supply of the relevant parking spaces still falls short of demand. On the other hand, sites on short-term tenancies ("STTs") (including those used as temporary car parks) have been resumed gradually for development purposes, resulting in the aggravation of the shortage of the relevant parking spaces and even forcing CV drivers to park their vehicles across districts, making it more difficult for operators of the industry to recruit drivers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details of STT car parks the Government has planned to resume in the coming two years, including the reasons for and dates of land resumption, the locations and sizes of the land, as well as the numbers of various classes of vehicles affected (including heavy goods vehicles, medium goods vehicles, tourist coaches and vehicles providing student transport service);
(2)
of the details of the tendering exercises for STTs the Government has intended to conduct for the use of the relevant sites as fee-paying car parks in the coming three years (including the tender invitation dates and the numbers of parking spaces available for various classes of CVs); and
(3)
as it is learnt that while a majority of CVs are parked according to their drivers' places of residence, cases have occurred from time to time where the drivers concerned who reside on the Hong Kong Island have to park and retrieve their vehicles in Kowloon due to the shortage of the parking spaces concerned, and this kind of cross-district parking not only brings inconvenience to the drivers concerned but also increases the traffic burden on the roads and aggravates roadside air pollution, whether the authorities, when resuming STT car parks in the future, will consider identifying other land in the districts concerned for the construction of car parks first; if so, of the details; if not, how the Government will help the affected drivers resolve the parking problem?