Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Enhancing the work on employees retraining
Dr Hon NGAN Man-yu to ask:
As pointed out in the 2023 Policy Address, the Employees Retraining Board ("ERB") will review its service scope, training strategies and operation mode, etc., and submit recommendations in the third quarter of this year. On the other hand, the Government commenced the new round of Manpower Projection ("MP") in July last year to gauge the manpower requirements up to 2028. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether ERB will draw reference from the data projected by the new round of MP in its review, and introduce reforms in the light of the manpower market and the demand for new skills, so as to tie in with economic development and meet the needs for manpower training;
(2)
given that the eligibility criteria of the Employees Retraining Scheme have been relaxed since December 2007 to cover persons with education level at sub-degree or below, whether the authorities will consider further relaxing the eligibility criteria, including studying the removal of the limit on highest education attainment for enrolment, so as to encourage persons with high educational attainment to pursue continuing education; and
(3)
as there are views pointing out that subsidized programmes concerning continuing education and skills upgrading are currently under the purview of different organizations, which may easily lead to course duplication or fragmentation, etc., and hinder the utilization of resources as well as the coordination and integration of courses, whether the authorities will, in the long run, study putting the Continuing Education Fund under the supervision of ERB, and having ERB in charge of the deployment of various types of resources for continuing education?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Top Talent Pass Scheme
Hon Carmen KAN to ask:
Last year, a total of about 65 000 applications were received under the Top Talent Pass Scheme ("TTPS"), and about 51 000 of them were approved. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
among the applications approved under TTPS, of the numbers of applicants and their dependants who have entered Hong Kong and obtained Hong Kong Identity Cards, together with a breakdown by application category (i.e. Categories A, B and C), and the respective proportions of the numbers of such applicants in the numbers of successful applicants of the relevant categories; whether it has conducted surveys on successful applicants' major factors for consideration in choosing to come to Hong Kong or not; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
in respect of taking up employment and starting up business by top talents, how the authorities will step up efforts in assisting them in giving full play to their strengths, staying in Hong Kong for development and contributing to Hong Kong; and
(3)
of the number of school-age children who had come to Hong Kong in the capacity as the dependants of successful applicants under TTPS as at the end of last year, and whether it has assessed if the number of places in public and private schools as well as complementary educational resources are adequate; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Raising the awareness of water resource protection
Hon Nixie LAM to ask:
There are views that fresh water is a precious natural resource, but public awareness of water conservation is weak. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the division of work between the Environmental Protection Department and the Water Supplies Department in promoting and enhancing the knowledge of water resource protection, and the respective effectiveness of their work;
(2)
whether it knows if the authorities of the Guangdong Province have included the cost of ecological protection in the calculation of water prices in the recently signed Dongjiang water supply agreement, thereby making the HKSAR Government explicitly shoulder the responsibility for ecological compensation; if they have, of the details and the proportion of such cost; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has plans to allocate additional resources to enable more young people to learn first-hand about the history of Dongjiang water in the form of exchange tours, so as to strengthen the sense of gratitude for the source of benefit and the awareness of conservation through a deeper understanding of our country; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Committing drug-related offences by young people
Hon Lillian KWOK to ask:
It has been reported that youth drug abuse has become increasingly hidden with the ages of youth drug abusers showing a downward trend, and some lawbreakers have made use of the Internet as a platform for selling drugs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of young people aged under 21 who were arrested on suspicion of having committed drug offences in the past year, and the types of offences involved; whether the authorities will formulate new measures targeting the situation of a downward trend in the ages of persons committing drug offences; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the number of cases of online drug trafficking detected by the Police in the past five years and the penalties imposed on the convicted persons, and set out the relevant information in a table; and
(3)
given that as at 10 March last year, 223 secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in the Healthy School Programme with a Drug Testing Component implemented with funding from the Beat Drugs Fund Association, whether the authorities have gained an understanding of the reasons why the remaining schools did not participate in the Programme, and whether they will launch targeted anti-drug publicity and measures to identify high-risk persons?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Developing artificial intelligence
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
It is learnt that in recent years, various countries in the world have been vigorously promoting the development of artificial intelligence ("AI"), including the promulgation of the Development Plan on the New Generation of Artificial Intelligence by the country in 2017, as well as the promulgation of the Singapore National AI Strategy 2.0 and the updated National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence by Singapore and Russia respectively at the end of last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has conducted an in-depth analysis and study on the AI development strategies of the Mainland and other countries as well as their impacts on Hong Kong; if so, of the results and corresponding measures, including whether it will formulate an overall plan and strategy for AI development in Hong Kong, and conduct regular reviews and updates; if so, of the specific objectives and implementation timetable of the relevant plan and strategy, as well as supporting measures and deployments in aspects such as the overall manpower demand, technological development, digital infrastructures, policies, laws and regulations, as well as standards and systems;
(2)
whether it has comprehensively assessed if the current supply of human resources, digital infrastructures, laws and regulations, etc. of AI in Hong Kong can meet the needs of its future AI development; if it has, of the outcomes, and how it addresses the inadequacies; and
(3)
whether it will assist and support various trades and industries (in particular micro, small and medium-enterprises) in Hong Kong in a holistic manner, including how they will measure and enhance the level of awareness and mastery of AI technologies of their employees, so as to embrace the opportunities and challenges in the new era of AI development?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Promoting Halal-certified diet to develop tourism
Hon Edward LEUNG to ask:
There are views pointing out that in terms of receiving Muslim travellers mainly from Middle East countries and promoting the Halal food culture, Hong Kong compares unfavourably with the Mainland and even neighbouring countries or regions. According to the information from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, only 80-odd restaurants are Halal-certified in Hong Kong. It is learnt that many Middle East travellers do not choose to visit Hong Kong because of Hong Kong's failure to cater for their Halal dietary needs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has studied the proportion of the number of travellers from Middle East countries visiting Hong Kong in the total number of travellers visiting Hong Kong in each of the past 10 years, as well as the trend of change in such proportion; if so, of the outcomes;
(2)
whether it has implemented official Halal diet certification measures to assist Muslim travellers in meeting their dietary needs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; as it is learnt that at present, most hotels do not provide their guests with Halal-certified food choices and, as a result, Muslim travellers face dietary difficulties even at their places of accommodation, whether the authorities will consider how to proactively support the hotel industry in satisfying the dietary needs of the Muslim traveller market; and
(3)
whether the Government will proactively play the role of a promoter, e.g. requiring the future Day and Night Vibes activities and food expos to be held in venues such as the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the AsiaWorld-Expo and Victoria Park to have a specified proportion of booths for promoting Halal-certified food?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑plus Scheme
Prof Hon William WONG to ask:
On 18 October last year, the Innovation and Technology Commission launched the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑plus Scheme ("the Scheme") and started accepting applications for the first application solicitation exercise until 30 November. The Scheme provides funding on a matching basis to at least 100 research teams from eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee ("UGC") which have good potential to become successful start-ups. There are views that some application requirements of the Scheme may constitute barriers to eligible universities in reaching out to reliable investors, while affecting the success rate of applications. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of applications submitted by various universities for the Scheme;
(2)
given the Scheme's requirement that each of the universities can only submit a maximum of 15 applications for each application solicitation exercise, whether, under the situation of having unused quotas in the first application solicitation exercise, applications will be allowed from those universities which have already reached the upper limit of their application quotas or other non-UGC-funded tertiary institutions;
(3)
as it is learnt that some large enterprises find it necessary to stipulate a redeemable requirement when they enter into investment agreements with external parties, but the Scheme's requirement that capital investment from the industry must either be a non-repayable cash contribution or an investment with no redeemable requirement has rendered it difficult for universities to seek to cooperate with large enterprises with more robust financial strengths, whether the authorities will review the relevant requirement, so as to ensure that investors can fulfil their investment commitment, while the Scheme can cater for the actual operation of the market;
(4)
whether it will review the framework of the assessment criteria of the Scheme (especially the assessment item on financial considerations of projects), and whether it will consider including more assessment considerations (such as the investment value of projects) to enhance the clarity of the assessment criteria;
(5)
as it is learnt that when submitting project applications for the first stage of the Scheme, universities are required to submit at the same time details of their cooperation with investors at both the first and second stages, but there are views that as it takes a maximum of three years for projects to proceed from the first stage to the second stage, during which unpredictable changes are bound to occur, making it extremely difficult to submit at an early stage the relevant cooperation arrangements for the coming few years, whether the Government will consider allowing the applicants to submit details of the cooperation arrangements in the second stage when project applications for that stage are submitted; and
(6)
as it is learnt that many companies have not heard of the Scheme, of the details of the authorities' promotion of the Scheme to the industry since the launch of the Scheme, for instance, whether briefing sessions have been held; if so, of the number of such sessions; of the authorities' arrangements to promote the Scheme to the industry before the Scheme starts accepting applications for the second application solicitation exercise?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Issue of cable trunking coating in public works projects
Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
Regarding the issue of cable trunking coating in public works projects, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the Hospital Authority ("HA") confirmed in November last year that the cable trunking coating of the new building of Kwong Wah Hospital ("KWH") failed to meet the standards, while the Architectural Services Department has advised that it will take samples of and conduct tests on cable trunkings with regard to approximately 148 ongoing public works contracts involving cable trunkings, and the testing of the first batch of around 38 works contracts is expected to be completed within three to four weeks, of the names of the approximately 148 works projects and the respective government departments and cable trunking suppliers involved in such projects;
(2)
of the test results of the aforesaid first batch of around 38 works projects (including whether the standards were met and how the results deviated from the standards);
(3)
as the aforesaid works projects to be tested do not include public works completed in recent years, and the media have pointed out that the problem of substandard cable trunking coating is also found in public works completed in recent years, whether the Government will extend the relevant tests to public works completed in recent years; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(4)
as it has been reported that HA, in its initial response to the media regarding the cable trunking coating incident of KWH, advised that the principal contractor and a team of independent experts appointed by the principal contractor each conducted tests on the relevant cable trunking in the presence of HA staff, and the results of both tests were satisfactory, whether it knows the reasons why the cable trunking coating concerned still failed to meet the standard in the end, and whether HA has investigated if there was falsification or other problems involved?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Providing civil servants with training outside Hong Kong
Prof Hon LAU Chi-pang to ask:
Regarding providing civil servants with training outside Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the Government indicated in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 14 June last year that it was resuming various training courses outside Hong Kong in an orderly manner, of the latest progress of the relevant work;
(2)
of the respective estimated expenditures to be incurred in the provision of overseas and Mainland training for civil servants by the Government in each of the next five years, and whether it has established a ratio between the two in advance;
(3)
of the criteria adopted by the Government for selecting overseas and Mainland training institutes to provide training for civil servants; and
(4)
since April 2023, of the respective numbers of overseas and Mainland training courses that the Government (a) has organized, (b) will organize and (c) has yet to confirm, as well as the following information on each course: (i) the number and name of training institute, (ii) the type of course (i.e. degree and certificate course), (iii) the training target (i.e. Administrative Officers, Executive Officers and other grades) and (iv) the number of place?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Penalty scheme for power supply incidents
Hon Joephy CHAN to ask:
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited ("CLP") experienced two power supply incidents this month. On the 1st of this month, a fault occurred in the equipment of CLP's Nga Ying Chau Street Substation in Tsing Yi. CLP reported that no electricity shortage was found during the period but short voltage dips were resulted from the incident. It is learnt that some members of the public were materially affected, such as being trapped in lifts and unable to use the lifts normally. In addition, on the 7th of this month, a fault occurred in an underground cable at On Mei House, Cheung On Estate in Tsing Yi, leading to partial power supply interruption at On Mei House, affecting more than 300 CLP customers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the new penalty scheme introduced under the 2023 interim review on the Scheme of Control Agreements is for large-scale electricity supply interruptions, and that no electricity shortage was found in the aforesaid incident involving the Nga Ying Chau Street Substation, and therefore the penalty scheme was not triggered, whether the Government will consider including this type of incident in the scope of the penalty scheme; if not, whether the Government will consider enhancing the penalty scheme (e.g. by including in the relevant scope instances of unstable electricity supply which have a material impact on members of the public) in order to enable the two power companies to bear their due social responsibilities and improve their service standards;
(2)
as it is reported that the index of Customer Interruption Duration ("CID") (i.e. the sum of the product of "number of customers being interrupted" and "duration of power interruption" for each group of affected customers for each large-scale electricity supply interruption incident) of the aforesaid incident involving the underground cable at On Mei House was approximately 30 000-odd minutes, and hence the penalty scheme was not triggered, there are views that the threshold set for the index (i.e. 15 000 000 minutes) under the penalty scheme is too high, whether the Government has reviewed if the penalty scheme is ineffective in preventing the occurrence of power supply incidents of the two power companies and is virtually non-existent;
(3)
who defined "each group of affected customers" in the calculation of CID and of the criteria adopted; whether the Government grasps such definition and criteria; and
(4)
given that the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has requested CLP to expeditiously identify the causes of the two aforesaid incidents and submit detailed reports on such incidents respectively, whether the Government will conduct a review on the relevant reports to ensure that the data provided by CLP is consistent with the actual situation?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Employment of illegal workers by furniture direct selling factories
Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
Some members of the local renovation and design trades have relayed that in recent years, some so-called "furniture direct selling factories" that attract customers via channels such as cross-border e-commerce platforms and social platforms have reduced their operating costs by employing illegal workers to install furniture on-site for customers, thereby lowering the prices of their goods to attract customers. Such a practice has posed unfair competition to the local shops that operate by employing legal workers in compliance with relevant laws and regulations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it is aware of the aforesaid situation; if so, of the corresponding actions or measures taken in the past three years; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the respective numbers of persons arrested and prosecuted in relation to employment of illegal workers by the aforesaid factories in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by the identity of those persons (i.e. illegal workers and employers);
(3)
whether the customers concerned need to bear any legal liabilities; and
(4)
whether it will consider other effective measures to combat the aforesaid situation?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Transport planning for tourist attractions in the Northern Metropolis
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
The Northern Metropolis Action Agenda published by the Government at the end of October last year outlines the four major zones, including the Blue and Green Recreation, Tourism and Conservation Circle, in the Northern Metropolis and adopts an "industry-driven and infrastructure-led" approach as its key planning axle. Regarding the transport planning for tourist attractions in the Northern Metropolis, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as there are views that the current restriction on the entry of tour coaches into the section of Luk Keng Road from Bride's Pool to Sha Tau Kok not only obstructs the access of tourists, but also wastes the scenery along Starling Inlet which may attract tourists, whether the Government has plans to widen Luk Keng Road, improve the transport infrastructure of the road, and relax the restriction on the access of tour coaches to the aforesaid road section;
(2)
as the Second Phase Opening-up of Sha Tau Kok began on 1 January this year, whether the authorities will open up the Frontier Closed Area of the section of Lin Ma Hang Road between Wang Lek and Sha Tau Kok to allow vehicles or bicycles to go to Sha Tau Kok via that road section;
(3)
as there are views pointing out that at present, the roads in the Northern Metropolis are narrow, making it difficult for tour coaches to get close to the declared monuments in the area, whether the authorities have studied the widening of the vehicular entrances and exits of the monuments or historic buildings in the area to facilitate tourists' visits to them; and
(4)
whether it has adjusted the routes of public light buses and public buses as well as provided additional parking spaces for tour coaches in the light of the increase in the vehicular and passenger flows arising from the Opening-up of Sha Tau Kok?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Mandatory Provident Fund
Hon Kingsley WONG to ask:
In delivering the 2023-2024 Budget in February last year, the Financial Secretary ("FS") pointed out that society at large had clear aspirations for Mandatory Provident Fund ("MPF") funds that offered stable returns at low fees and he had instructed the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority to conduct a study on this. He also indicated that to start off, he planned to earmark a certain proportion of the future issuances of Government green bonds and infrastructure bonds for priority investment by MPF funds. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the progress of the aforesaid study and whether FS has received the study report; if so, of the recommendations made in the report and the expected time for implementing the recommendations; if not, the expected completion time of the study;
(2)
of the development progress of the eMPF platform; whether it has assessed if the platform can be launched as scheduled to dovetail with the implementation of the abolition of MPF "offsetting arrangement" and the implementation of policies such as the making of MPF contributions by the Government on behalf of low-income persons; and
(3)
as it is learnt that the minimum and maximum income levels for MPF contributions have not been adjusted upward for almost 10 years and have significantly lagged behind the benchmarks stipulated under the statutory review mechanism, when the authorities plan to adjust such income levels?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Integrated development of the financial industries of Shenzhen and Hong Kong
Hon Robert LEE to ask:
On 21 December last year, the Central Authorities promulgated the Overall Development Plan for the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone ("Qianhai Overall Development Plan"), which includes deepening the opening up and innovation of the financial industry and deepening the integrated development of financial services between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that Qianhai is one of the major cooperation platforms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), whether the authorities will discuss with the Mainland regulatory authorities on conducting a pilot trial in Qianhai to progressively implement a mutual recognition mechanism for professional qualifications in securities, futures and asset management, etc. in GBA, so as to dovetail with the efficient flow of talents between the two places;
(2)
given that the Qianhai Overall Development Plan supports the deepening of the pilot trial for the Qianhai Qualified Foreign Limited Partnerships ("QFLP"), whether the authorities can clarify the applicable tax rates (including income tax and dividend tax) for QFLP in Qianhai; whether service support centres will be established to assist Hong Kong's limited partnership funds in participating in the pilot trial; and
(3)
given that the Qianhai Overall Development Plan proposes to explore mutual access between the financial markets of Hong Kong and Macao at a high level, whether the authorities and the Mainland regulatory authorities will study, on the existing basis, the introduction of more connectivity products, such as the Commodities Connect, Futures Connect and IPO Connect; if so, of the specific measures and implementation timetable?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Collection and recycling of food waste
Hon Dennis LEUNG to ask:
Regarding the collection and recycling of food waste, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Home Recycling One Stop Shop webpage on the Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website currently operated by the Environmental Protection Department ("EPD") does not include information on food waste recycling, whether EPD has plans to add to the webpage information on food waste recycling locations and related information; whether information on food waste recycling can be accessed through the "iAM Smart" mobile app;
(2)
of the amount of food waste that EPD managed to collect from residential premises and restaurants in the whole of last year; given that according to EPD's information, O•PARK1, the Organic Resources Recovery Centre ("ORRC"), and O•PARK2, ORRC Phase 2 scheduled to commence operation this year, have a food waste treatment capacity of 200 tonnes and 300 tonnes per day respectively, yet about 45 000 tonnes and 45 700 tonnes of food waste were recycled in O•PARK1 in 2021 and 2022 respectively, i.e. less than 150 tonnes of food waste were handled by O•PARK1 on average per day, whether EPD has other plans to increase the amount of food waste recycled from residential premises, apart from the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates ("the Pilot Scheme"); if not, of the reasons for that;
(3)
prior to the implementation of municipal solid waste charging in August this year, whether EPD has plans to provide food waste recycling facilities at Recycling Stations, Recycling Stores and Recycling Spots of the community recycling network GREEN@COMMUNITY; if not, of the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the Government has plans to provide food waste recycling facilities at public refuse collection points ("RCPs") in rural villages by August this year; if so, of the target number of RCPs to be provided with food waste recycling facilities; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
of the following information on the Pilot Scheme as at 31 December last year: (i) the number of applications approved, (ii) the number of private housing courts installed with food waste smart bins ("FWSBs"), (iii) the number of FWSBs installed, (iv) the amount of food waste managed to be collected, and (v) the time taken from the receipt of applications to the completion of vetting and approval; whether EPD has set targets for the number of private housing courts managed to be installed with FWSBs by August this year, as well as the number of FWSBs involved; whether the housing courts concerned will be provided with subsidies at the initial stage of FWSB installation for increasing manpower to educate residents on the use of FWSBs (such as the types of food waste that are recyclable); if not, of the reasons for that; and
(6)
of the amount of food waste collected through the Smart Food Waste Bins ("SFWBs") in public rental housing ("PRH") estates as at 31 December last year; whether EPD has set targets for the number of PRH estates managed to be installed with SFWBs by August this year, as well as the number of SFWBs involved?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Supporting the admission of elderly people with infectious diseases to residential care homes for the elderly
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
It has been reported that an elderly person in his seventies was infected with Candida auris in a public hospital, and the hospital concerned subsequently discharged the patient on the grounds that the patient did not pose a risk to public health. However, as the Centre for Health Protection ("CHP") required residential care homes for the elderly ("RCHEs") to adopt infection control precautions, it was difficult for the patient to find a suitable RCHE to reside, and even when some RCHEs were willing to accept the patient, the RCHEs had to charge additional fees to meet CHP's requirements (e.g. arranging a separate room to accommodate the patient). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the total number of separate beds available in public RCHEs throughout the territory;
(2)
of the number of public RCHEs which received subsidies from the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for the purchase of anti-epidemic mobile cabins during the COVID-19 epidemic, and whether all such cabins have been retained to date; if so, of the number of such cabins;
(3)
of the circumstances, other than having infectious diseases, under which public RCHEs will require elderly residents to undergo isolation;
(4)
of the current average waiting time for applications for admission to public RCHEs, and the average waiting time for applicants who are required to undergo isolation;
(5)
whether SWD will consider arranging for public RCHEs to prioritize the admission of elderly people with infectious diseases, so that these elderly people can receive appropriate care as early as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6)
whether SWD will consider subsidizing individual public RCHEs to set up additional anti-epidemic mobile cabins, so as to support them in admitting elderly people with infectious diseases; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7)
as it is learnt that there have been an increasing number of outbreaks of multidrug-resistant fungal/bacterial infections in public hospitals, whether SWD will consider providing assistance to those elderly people who need to be admitted to RCHEs and are confirmed patients of these infections, such as providing a certain amount of subsidy directly to the elderly people who have contracted bacterial infections in public hospitals, so as to assist them in finding suitable RCHEs to reside; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the development of the automotive parts market
Dr Hon Johnny NG to ask:
There are views pointing out that the Mainland's automotive parts market has become increasingly mature and that the field of automotive aftermarket driven by vehicle modification is a new area of growth for the Mainland's automotive market. However, Hong Kong's market for automotive parts and modification supplies is not vibrant, and Hong Kong's legislation related to vehicle modification is more stringent than that of other regions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on (i) the Police's law enforcement action and prosecution in respect of illegal vehicle modification (including figures on vehicles detained for examination and ticketed), and (ii) the numbers of serious traffic accidents and incidents relating to vehicle modification in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by cause of accident; whether it has studied whether vehicle modification is the cause of the aforesaid traffic accidents;
(2)
as there are views that Hong Kong's existing legislation related to vehicle modification is more stringent than that of other countries, which has in effect stifled the development of the automotive parts market, whether the Government will strike a balance between road safety and modest vehicle modification by considering amending the relevant legislation (including section 53 of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374)), as well as relaxing the regulation and allowing vehicle modification with reference to the practices of advanced regions, such as Europe, the United States and Japan; and
(3)
whether it has assessed the contribution to be made to Hong Kong's economy and trade annually by the development of the market for automotive parts and modification supplies; whether it will study the promotion and development of Hong Kong's automotive parts market in order to increase the volume of trade of relevant products and dovetail with the development of the country's automotive market?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Cross-boundary transport services during major festivals
Dr Hon Dennis LAM to ask:
According to the Government's statistics, 195 000 Mainland visitors came to Hong Kong on 31 December last year. It has been reported that due to insufficient cross-boundary transport services, a large number of Mainland visitors were stranded in Hong Kong in the early hours of the following day after watching the fireworks display, and some visitors had to wait for hours at a terminus for cross-boundary coach service to the Huanggang Port as they were unable to display the QR code tickets for All China Express service on their mobile phones due to suspected telecommunications network problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong on major festivals (e.g. New Year's Day, the Lunar New Year, Labour Day and National Day) in each of the past three years;
(2)
whether it will consider setting up high capacity government Wi-Fi hotspots near the All China Express cross-boundary coach service terminus at Arran Street, Mong Kok, so as to facilitate visitors purchasing tickets through the Internet and displaying the QR code tickets; and
(3)
as the Government has indicated that it will discuss with the Mainland authorities about increasing the number of boundary control points ("BCPs") with 24-hour clearance, of the latest progress of the relevant work; whether it will first extend the opening hours of some BCPs to 3:00 am on major festivals before the introduction of the relevant measures?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
"M" Mark System
Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask:
The Government has launched the "M" Mark System to support the staging of major sports events in Hong Kong. According to the information from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, "M" Mark events received government funding of more than $200 million over the past 10-odd years, and the number of events increased from 4 at the beginning to 14 in 2019. With Hong Kong's resumption to normalcy from the epidemic, most of the "M" Mark events resumed to be held last year, and new items have been introduced. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the "M" Mark events held last year (including the events which received government funding and those which did not apply for government funding): the event titles, the amounts of funding received, the numbers of participants, and the numbers of spectators (set out in a table);
(2)
whether it has put in place a monitoring mechanism or performance indicators for the "M" Mark events receiving government funding to serve as reference for assessing whether or not to continue to provide funding for the events concerned;
(3)
whether it has set a cap on the number of years for which "M" Mark events may receive government funding; whether there are "M" Mark events which, due to special circumstances, have received funding in excess of the cap of $15 million;
(4)
for the "M" Mark events receiving government funding, whether the relevant government departments will be provided with a certain number of admission tickets or admission eligibility, etc. for publicity purposes;
(5)
whether the organizers of the "M" Mark events receiving government funding have requested government departments for other assistance in addition to funding (e.g. road arrangements for off-road racing events), and whether the Government has set up an inter-departmental group to provide the relevant assistance, so as to enable the events to be held more smoothly and enhance their effectiveness; if so, of the details (with examples); if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
among the "M" Mark events receiving government funding, of the number of those which have received funding for five years or more, and the reasons for their continuous application for funding?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Assisting schools in implementing municipal solid waste charging
Hon CHU Kwok-keung to ask:
The Government will implement municipal solid waste charging this year with two charging modes, either through the purchase and use of pre-paid designated bags ("DBs") or designated labels, or through a "gate-fee" based on the weight of waste. However, many schools have relayed to me that it is difficult to estimate the relevant costs, including the cost of purchasing DBs or designated labels, and the cost of being charged by private waste collectors based on the weight of waste. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current average daily quantity of solid waste disposal by public sector primary and secondary schools;
(2)
whether the Education Bureau ("EDB") will provide DBs and designated labels to public sector primary and secondary schools; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether EDB will allocate additional grants to schools for the purchase of DBs and designated labels; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
of the specific measures put in place by the Government to enhance waste reduction and promote recycling in schools?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Ensuring stable electricity supply
Hon Adrian HO to ask:
Two power incidents involving CLP Power Hong Kong Limited ("CLP") occurred in the same week this month, with the first one affecting a substation, and the second one which took place in the transformer room of a public rental housing estate even resulted in power outage at one point. Some members of the public are gravely concerned about the successive incidents involving electricity facilities. They are concerned about the safety, stability and reliability of electricity supply in Hong Kong, with worries about potential threats to their daily lives and safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it is learnt that the authorities have requested CLP to submit detailed reports on the aforesaid two incidents, whether the authorities have strictly required CLP as well as the other electricity supplier in Hong Kong to formulate work plans for incident prevention, including preventing electricity facilities of all scales from ageing or falling into prolonged disrepair, and setting sufficiently stringent standards for the inspection of various equipment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that some members of the public are sceptical about CLP's routine inspection and repair work in the light of its successive power incidents, whether the authorities have gained an understanding of whether CLP has an adequate level of experienced staff to follow up repair work of the facilities, and whether it will continue to put in place proper recruitment and training of staff in the future;
(3)
as there are views that while CLP indicated earlier that drone technology and robotics had been introduced for inspection of facilities in its power stations, the recent power incidents may reflect that the relevant facilities have yet to be benefited from such arrangement, whether the authorities have liaised with various electricity suppliers to gain an understanding of how they will further ensure the normal operation of their electricity facilities of all scales through technological application in the future; if so, of the details of the relevant technological application; and
(4)
given that while the authorities completed an interim review of the Scheme of Control Agreements with the two power companies at the end of last year, with the introduction of a penalty scheme for large-scale electricity supply interruptions, under which penalties will be calculated according to a new indicator of "Customer Interruption Duration", it is learnt that the penalty scheme has not been activated for the aforesaid power incident involving the transformer room, despite having 388 households affected by the power outage, whether the authorities will conduct a detailed review on the principles for activating the relevant penalty scheme in the near future, so as to avoid the scheme concerned being rendered as virtually non-existent and to gain support from the public; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited
Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
In the 2022 Policy Address, the Chief Executive proposed the establishment of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited ("HKIC") to consolidate the management of some of the funds established under the Future Fund. In addition, the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme ("CIES") requires each applicant to place HK$3 million in the CIES Investment Portfolio. As a result, it is learnt that HKIC will have a capital of no less than $62 billion, which will be used to attract and support more enterprises to develop their business in Hong Kong. On the other hand, in the past year, HKIC established its Board of Directors and appointed its Chief Executive Officer. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether HKIC has formulated investment strategies, target returns and performance indicators; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the following information on the Co-Investment Fund: (i) the total number of investment proposals received, (ii) the total amount of investment funds disbursed, (iii) the number of institutions which have been disbursed with investment funds and the amount of funds disbursed to each institution, and (iv) the percentage of innovation and technology enterprises in the institutions which have been disbursed with investment funds; and
(3)
whether HKIC will formulate appropriate disclosure arrangements in respect of its operations (including matters such as investment strategies, investment criteria, as well as investment projects and returns) and report to the Legislative Council on a regular basis to enhance transparency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?