Question 1
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area
Dr Hon Junius HO to ask:
Regarding the project costs for the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area ("the NDA"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the total expenditure of development works projects of various phases under the NDA; and
(2)
in respect of the total expenditure of the Second Phase development works of the NDA, of the average development cost per square foot of the 263 hectares of land involved in the development of that phase?
Question 2
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Measures to promote the development of the tourism industry
Hon SHANG Hailong to ask:
It has been reported that a large number of members of the public travelled outside Hong Kong during the recent long Easter holidays, dealing a heavy blow to various sectors in Hong Kong. Moreover, the Financial Secretary has recently pointed out in his blog that while visitor arrivals exceeded 11 million in the first quarter of this year which provided support to the retail, catering and transportation sectors, changes in the consumption patterns of inbound visitors as well as some members of the public going north more frequently for spending have presented quite a number of challenges for the operations of small and medium enterprises. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider organizing in collaboration with trade associations of various sectors citywide consumption festivals to distribute discount coupons to members of the public meeting specified spending amount, or even directly hand out holiday consumption vouchers to encourage members of the public to stay and spend in Hong Kong;
(2)
as it is learnt that members of the public and the business sector generally support raising the duty-free allowance of the Mainland visitors arriving in Hong Kong, whether the Government has put forward to the Central Government a specific timetable for such proposal; if it has not, of the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that members of various sectors have suggested that the Government should spare no effort in striving for the Central Government's reinstatement of "multiple-entry" endorsements under the Individual Visit Endorsements for Shenzhen permanent residents visiting Hong Kong, extension of the period of stay for inbound visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme ("IVS"), as well as inclusion of more second and third tier cities of the Mainland in IVS, so as to enhance the economic benefits of the series of mega events to be organized in Hong Kong and stimulate visitors' spending, whether the Government will consider such suggestions?
Question 3
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Electronic service systems of the Government and public organizations
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
The 2023 Policy Address has announced the establishment of the Digital Policy Office ("DPO") by merging the existing Office of the Government Chief Information Officer ("OGCIO") and the Efficiency Office. On the other hand, it has been reported that recently, system launch failures occurred one after another for electronic service systems of the Government and public organizations (including the mobile applications "Check-in Smart (HKDSE)" and "i-Invigilation (HKDSE)" of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, as well as the intelligent sports and recreation services booking and information system "SmartPLAY" of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department), and the relevant organizations would usually explain afterwards that system failures were due to system overload caused by a login traffic far exceeding the expected level during testing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the existing OGCIO or DPO to be established will, in the light of the expected number of users and the scale of different electronic service system projects of the Government and public organizations, improve the relevant practice guidelines and enhance monitoring by, for example, (i) requiring the contractors concerned to conduct various levels of load and extreme testing and even requiring the engagement of an independent third party for evaluation; (ii) including the past performance of contractors as one of the criteria for tender assessment; and (iii) specifying an incentive and penalty mechanism in the tenders; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as there are views that with the progressive integration of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), the development of the event economy in Hong Kong will induce more non-Hong Kong residents to register or purchase tickets for participation in various activities through electronic service systems of the Government, whether the authorities will consider commissioning the system contractors concerned to launch, in collaboration with large-scale electronic service providers in GBA, the relevant electronic service systems applicable in GBA, so as to achieve the complementarity of advantages; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as there are views pointing out that the co-hosting of the 15th National Games by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in 2025 will pose greater challenges to cross-boundary interconnectivity in the flow of people, goods, capital and information amongst the three places, and the relevant government electronic service systems (including ticketing systems) must measure up to higher requirements, whether the authorities will expeditiously step up communication and collaboration with the relevant Mainland and Macao authorities and formulate plans to cope with the situation in case of failures of the relevant systems; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 4
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Electric vehicle charging services in government car parks
Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:
Fee-paying electric vehicle ("EV") charging services ("fee-paying charging services") in government car parks have been implemented progressively since December last year, with charging fees ranging from $19 to $21 per hour. However, there are views that the fees payable for fee-paying charging services are excessively high while the charging efficiency is unsatisfactory, and the arrangement of charging the fees on a time basis is also unreasonable. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the implementation timetable of fee-paying charging services in various government car parks that have yet to implement the services;
(2)
of the monthly utilization rate of the EV charging facilities in government car parks having implemented the fee-paying charging services since December last year;
(3)
of the following information on the EV charging facilities in government car parks at present:
(i)
the types and numbers of chargers of different charging speeds; and
(ii)
the monthly basic operating expenses of each EV charging facility; and
(4)
as there are views pointing out that the fees charged by EV charging stations in the market vary according to the power output of different chargers and are mostly calculated on the basis of power consumption while the fees charged by EV charging facilities in government car parks are based on the charging time, which are excessively high as a result, of the Government's pricing mechanism for fee-paying charging services; whether the Government will, by drawing reference from the market practice, consider adopting the mode of charging the fees based on the chargers' power output and power consumption; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Compensating employees for online "invisible overtime"
Hon Kingsley WONG to ask:
It is learnt that online working is increasingly common as a new mode of working, and many employees have even been asked to work during non-office hours (e.g. attending meetings and replying to emails/messages) using communication tools. On the other hand, the Supreme People's Court, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions jointly published typical cases involving disputes over non-payment of wages early this year. It has been reported that the Court ruled that the online work performed by the employee concerned during non-office hours was overtime work on the grounds that the employee had "performed substantial work" and that the work in question was "obvious occupation of rest time", and exercised discretion in determining the overtime compensation for the employee's online "invisible overtime", taking into account factors such as the frequency and duration of the employee's overtime work, and the employee's wage standards and work contents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has conducted studies on (i) the adoption of online working as a new mode of working in various local trades and industries, and (ii) the form of compensation offered by employers to employees who perform online invisible overtime work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will consider improving the labour legislation to establish a definition for online invisible overtime and the criteria for calculating the relevant compensation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as many civil servants have relayed that they are often asked to perform online invisible overtime work during non-office hours without receiving any compensation, whether the Government will set an example as a good employer and take the lead in counting invisible overtime involving the performance of substantial work and obvious occupation of rest time as official overtime, and in granting time off in lieu or an overtime allowance to the civil servants concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 6
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises on the Mainland
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
The Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Industrial Sector ("the Key Statistics") released regularly by the Census and Statistics Department ("C&SD") include, in addition to statistics of local economic activities in manufacturing, statistics of local import and export firms engaged in sub-contract processing arrangement on the Mainland and providing manufacturing-related technical support services. It is learnt that the latter are regarded as an indirect reflection of the operating situations of Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises having set up their headquarters in Hong Kong and their factories on the Mainland. Furthermore, according to the information of C&SD, there has been a continuous drop in the number of import and export firms with manufacturing-related activities, the number of persons engaged and the sales revenue in recent years, and the decrease in those numbers has accelerated since 2020 (i.e. since the outbreak of the epidemic). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that C&SD did not release the full statistical report of the Key Statistics at the end of last year as it had done in previous years, and has classified the said report as a "discontinued product", of the reasons for that;
(2)
as it is learnt that Hong Kong businesses having their headquarters in Hong Kong and producing on the Mainland have created an enormous demand for support services in finance, transport and logistics and other production service industries in Hong Kong, whether it has assessed the impact of the continuous decline in the number of relevant enterprises on the development of local production service industries (e.g. re-export trade via Hong Kong, financing and other support services for industries and commerce); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that the Financial Secretary has proposed in this year's Budget the development of Hong Kong into a multinational supply chain management centre to attract Mainland manufacturing enterprises seeking to "go global" to set up offices in Hong Kong to serve as headquarters for managing their offshore trading, and there are views that most Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises, which are a key stakeholder in bolstering Hong Kong's status as a multinational supply chain management centre, have all along chosen Hong Kong as their supply chain management centre, whether the government departments concerned have, in view of the aforesaid statistical changes, gained an understanding from the relevant sectors (including the major chambers of commerce) their latest development and how they upgrade and transform themselves; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the New Industrialisation Development Office established in February this year will join hands with government departments such as the Trade and Industry Department, C&SD and the Special Administrative Region Government's economic and trade offices on the Mainland to conduct a more thorough survey on the development of Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises on the Mainland (or trading firms defined by C&SD as being engaged in manufacturing-related activities) and provide targeted support; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
given that the Financial Secretary announced in the 2022-2023 Budget that a total funding of $135 million would be allocated to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in the three years that followed for the introduction of the Support Scheme for Pursuing Development in the Mainland, but there are views that the effectiveness of such measure has room for improvement, whether the Government will consider, by drawing reference from the initiative proposed in last year's Policy Address of earmarking $30 million for clansmen associations, providing regular or project-based subsidies for chambers of commerce and groups of Hong Kong people on the Mainland, so as to assist Hong Kong manufacturing businesses, in particular, in developing the Mainland domestic sales market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Handling of styrofoam waste
Hon LAM So-wai to ask:
Regarding the handling of styrofoam waste, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current daily amount of styrofoam waste being sent to landfills;
(2)
as it is learnt that styrofoam is widely used as a packaging material for some household electrical appliances (e.g. air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and televisions), whether the Government has compiled statistics on the amount of styrofoam waste generated from the packaging materials of household electrical appliances in each of the past three years and, among such waste, the amount that was sent to landfills;
(3)
as there are views that the economic benefits of styrofoam recycling are relatively low, how the Government assists the recycling industry in handling large volumes of styrofoam waste when alternatives that can completely replace styrofoam have not yet emerged;
(4)
whether it has assessed if the problem of styrofoam waste can be fully resolved when I•PARK1, a modern waste-to-energy incinerator for treating municipal solid waste, becomes operational in 2025; and
(5)
whether the Government currently has plans to fully resolve the problem of styrofoam waste?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
The problem of crimes committed by "bogus refugees"
Dr Hon Johnny NG to ask:
Regarding the problem of crimes committed by "bogus refugees", will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
among the crimes which occurred in Hong Kong in the past year, of the number of those involving non-ethnic Chinese non-refoulement claimants, together with a breakdown by month, offence and district in which the crime occurred;
(2)
as it has been reported that the problem of crimes committed by bogus refugees has plagued Hong Kong for many years, and a number of recent gang fights and robberies in busy districts are also related to these refugees, whether the authorities will target those districts with a higher number of crimes committed by bogus refugees (e.g. Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po) by deploying additional police officers on patrol and conducting random checks on suspicious persons, so as to combat crimes and triad activities in such districts; if so, of the manpower arrangements, as well as the major initiatives to be implemented in the future to combat crimes and triad activities involving bogus refugees; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has plans to further shorten the length of stay of non-refoulement claimants in Hong Kong (including enhancing the efficiency in processing appeal cases related to non-refoulement claims, strengthening communication with the countries concerned to expeditiously verify the nationality and identity of bogus refugees, and speeding up the repatriation procedure), so as to prevent them from committing crimes in Hong Kong?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Student Activities Support Fund
Hon Tony TSE to ask:
The Government established in early 2019 a $2.5 billion Student Activities Support Fund ("the Fund") to support primary and secondary students with financial needs to participate in school-organized or recognized out-of-classroom life-wide learning activities, so as to foster their whole-person development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the annual and cumulative (i) amounts of revenue and expenditure of and (ii) numbers of school and student beneficiaries as well as activities organized (together with the types and natures of the activities) under the Fund since its establishment;
(2)
whether there are schools which have never or scarcely applied for subsidy under the Fund; if so, whether the authorities know the reasons for that, and whether assistance has been provided to such schools to ensure that all students with financial needs are given the opportunity to participate in life-wide learning activities;
(3)
as it is reported that situations such as low birth rate, decline in the number of school-age children and the addiction of many students to online activities arise in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will encourage schools to make use of the subsidy granted under the Fund to organize more life-wide learning activities conducted in groups and physical settings;
(4)
whether the authorities have received complaints on or identified problems in the operation of the Fund since its establishment; if so, of the follow-up actions; and
(5)
whether the authorities have assessed if the operation of the Fund since its establishment can achieve its intended objectives; whether a comprehensive review of the overall operation of the Fund will be conducted in the light of the experience gained in the operation of the Fund, feedback of stakeholders, development of society, changes in students' needs, etc.?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Lifts connecting to public footbridges
Prof Hon LAU Chi-pang to ask:
Regarding lifts connecting to public footbridges ("the lifts"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
how it monitors the cleansing works performed by the contractors for the lifts (e.g. whether the contractors are required to submit regular reports) to ensure that the lifts are clean and bright;
(2)
how frequently the maintenance works of the lifts are carried out, and of the average time taken by the contractors to deal with unforeseen lift failures; how the Government monitors and ensures that the contractors carry out regular inspections;
(3)
given that the Government has enhanced its newly constructed lifts for the convenience of users (including the introduction of touchless lift buttons, the installation of reflective panels inside the lifts and the provision of buttons on the side walls of the lift cars), whether the Government has plans to adopt such a design in all its lifts; if so, of the specific work plan; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
given that the Government indicated in its paper submitted to the Panel on Transport of this Council in October last year that it was conducting tests on a number of materials and devices (including nano-self-cleaning coatings and nano-fibre filters) for its lifts and lift towers to reduce the accumulation of dust and dirt, whether the results of the tests meet the relevant requirements; if so, of the specific timetable for the adoption of such materials; if not, the improvement plans in place to meet the relevant requirements; and
(5)
given that the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is contemplating the use of cleansing robots to carry out cleansing works for the lifts, whether the Government has plans to introduce more similar programmes to reduce the workload of cleansing workers and minimize the impact of the suspension of lift service on the public?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Encouraging Hong Kong young people to take up employment in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area
Hon Martin LIAO to ask:
The Government implemented the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme on a pilot basis ("the pilot scheme") in 2021 and regularized the scheme ("the regularized scheme") in 2023. On encouraging Hong Kong young people to take up employment in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("the Greater Bay Area"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025, the Government indicated that 718 job offers for young people had been received under the regularized scheme as at 29 February this year, of the industries in which the employed young people are engaged, and whether the participation in the regularized scheme has met the Government's expectation;
(2)
as it has been reported that a total of 1 091 young people had been employed under the pilot scheme, and among the 632 people who had completed the 18-month on-the-job training, 464 were offered further employment, whether the authorities have followed up on the reasons why the young people participating in the pilot scheme quitted midway and were not offered further employment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
as a survey has pointed out that some young people who have completed the pilot scheme aspire to pursue development in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, but they have indicated that the Mainland job search platforms are not clear about how to recruit Hong Kong young people to work on the Mainland and resolve technical issues such as taxation and the "five insurances and one housing fund" for them, how the authorities will optimize the regularized scheme to assist the young people who have completed the scheme to continue to seek development in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, so as to enhance continuity of the relevant policy initiatives;
(4)
whether the authorities will consider arranging cross-programme collaborations between the regularized scheme and other youth programmes in the Greater Bay Area (e.g. the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area, and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area), so as to provide assistance for the entire community of Hong Kong young people who pursue development in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, and to enhance the long-term exchanges between young people on the Mainland and in Hong Kong; and
(5)
given that the authorities of the Guangdong Province have introduced measures, including the Centralised Public Recruitment of College Graduates by the Public Institutions in the Guangdong Province in 2023 and the Guangdong Province Internship Programme for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Students, to provide Hong Kong young people with employment and internship opportunities in various industries in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, how the authorities will step up cooperation with the authorities of the Guangdong Province to attract more Hong Kong young people to take up employment in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, so as to encourage them to integrate into the country's overall development?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Shopping centres in public housing estates under the Hong Kong Housing Authority
Hon Vincent CHENG to ask:
It is reported that recently, numerous shops have been left vacant in many shopping centres in public housing estates ("PHEs") under the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA"), while supermarkets, shops selling daily necessities, etc. have also surrendered their tenancy, greatly affecting the daily lives of the residents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the shopping centres in PHEs under HA in the past year: (i) the number of shops, (ii) the number of vacant shops, and (iii) the vacancy rate, and set out in Table 1 a breakdown by District Council ("DC") district;
Table 1
(2)
of (i) the number of vacant shops and (ii) the vacancy rate of the seven shopping centres in PHEs in the Sham Shui Po District under HA (i.e. (a) Shek Kip Mei Shopping Centre, (b) Ching Lai Commercial Centre, (c) Nam Shan Shopping Centre, (d) So Uk Shopping Centre, (e) Lai Tsui Shopping Centre, (f) Hoi Lai Shopping Centre, Sham Shui Po and (g) Pak Tin Commercial Centre) in each of the past five years, and set out in Table 2 a breakdown by name of shopping centre;
Table 2Year:
| Name of shopping centre | (i) | (ii) |
| (a) | | |
| …… | | |
| (g) | | |
(3)
as there are views pointing out that high rental is one of the reasons for the many vacant shops in the shopping centres in PHEs, whether HA has considered reviewing the mechanism for determining shop rents or lowering the rents to attract new and old tenants; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether HA will, in view of the rising shop vacancy rates of the shopping centres in PHEs, review the principles for formulating the types of trades and tenant trade mix of the shops in the shopping centres in PHEs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
as some members of the local community in Sham Shui Po have proposed organizing crowd-pleasing activities or providing other concessions at the shopping centres in PHEs within the district to attract visits and patronage by more members of the public and create an ideal business environment for the tenants, thereby lowering the shop vacancy rates, whether HA will consider adopting the relevant proposals; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Enhancing the level of convenience in the use of Home Return Permits
Hon Maggie CHAN to ask:
It is learnt that when members of the public register Mainland online services with their Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (commonly known as "Home Return Permits"), they often come across situations like "authentication failure" or "non-valid type of identity document" as these permits are not Mainland identity documents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that as pointed out by the People's Government of Guangdong Province in the "Three-Year Action Plan of Digital Greater Bay Area Construction" announced in November last year, it would promote the unification of identity authentication for residents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA") and expeditiously take forward the initiative to accord the same level of convenience for Home Return Permits and Residence Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents ("residence permits") in the handling of businesses in areas such as transport, accommodation and job-seeking registration in GBA as that of Mainland resident identity cards, and the HKSAR Government indicated in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025 that it would proactively participate in the Action Plan, and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer ("OGCIO") was now studying with the Government Services and Data Management Bureau ("GSDMB") of Guangdong Province, which is responsible for the implementation of the Digital GBA, the setting up of a joint task force to discuss and take the next step of work, whether OGCIO will consider first discussing with GSDMB of Guangdong Province the expedition of promotion of the relevant business handling arrangements for Home Return Permits and residence permits; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will proactively conduct regular exchanges and collaboration with the relevant Mainland authorities, so as to promote the full digitalization of the process from application for Home Return Permits to immigration clearance with the use of Home Return Permits; if so, of the details; and
(3)
given that some members of the public hope that the level of convenience in the use of Home Return Permits will be enhanced, whether the HKSAR Government will relay their aspiration to the Mainland Government in the coming year and conduct regular exchanges and communication in this regard; if so, of the details?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Cross-boundary medical cooperation
Hon Stanley LI to ask:
Many members of the public have indicated that the waiting time for specialist outpatient services and related medical examination services at public hospitals is excessively long. Regarding cross-boundary medical cooperation, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the average waiting time for various examination services (e.g. Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging) at public hospitals in the past five years;
(2)
given that the Government launched the Pilot Scheme for Supporting Patients of Hospital Authority in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area last year to enable eligible patients of the Hospital Authority to receive subsidized consultation services at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, whether the Government will consider extending in the near future the healthcare institutions in which such patients can receive consultation services to Mainland hospitals accredited under the China's International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version) ("the Accreditation Standards") ("accredited Mainland hospitals") and hospitals of Tier 3 Class A in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
in order to alleviate the burden on the public healthcare system in Hong Kong, whether the Government will consider recognizing the medical records issued by the accredited Mainland hospitals, and publishing the list of accredited Mainland hospitals for public reference; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the Government will consider referring members of the public who have needs for specialist services to the accredited Mainland hospitals for further examinations if they so wish; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
whether the Government will consider cooperating with more Mainland cities to build more healthcare institutions on the Mainland that adopt the Hong Kong management model and are accredited under the Accreditation Standards, so as to promote cross-boundary medical cooperation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund
Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
According to the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund Annual Report for the year from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, both the rate of application for Traffic Accident Victims Assistance and the total amount of assistance paid in the year had increased as compared with those in 2021-2022, and among which, the victims of nearly 90% of the cases sustained slight injuries. There are views pointing out that the increased amount of assistance paid is due to the abuse of the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund ("the Fund"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the applications made to the Fund in 2022-2023 in respect of the aforesaid slight injury cases:
(i)
the respective numbers of applications in which the victims were drivers, passengers and pedestrians;
(ii)
whether it has categorized the severity of the injuries under "slight injury"; if so, set out the respective numbers of applications in which the victims were drivers, passengers and pedestrians with a breakdown by such categories;
(iii)
the respective numbers of applications submitted with injury certificates issued by doctors in public and private healthcare institutions;
(iv)
among the applications with injury certificates issued by doctors in private healthcare institutions, (a) the number of applications involving an re-assessment of the injury certificates and (b) whether it has found cases involving injury certificates mostly issued by a small number of private doctors; and
(v)
the respective numbers of applications in which injury grant and interim maintenance grant were granted, together with a breakdown by the number of days of sick leave for the victims (i.e. less than one month, one month to less than three months, and three months to six months) as certified by doctors;
(2)
the number of reports on fraud of the Fund received by the Government in the past three years; whether it will step up measures to encourage the public to report suspected cases; and
(3)
given that the amount of assistance disbursed from the Fund in 2020-2021 was substantially higher than that in 2019-2020, and the Fund recorded deficits in the past three years, whether the authorities will consider tightening the Fund's eligibility criteria as well as the vetting and approval of applications, such as by tightening the requirements on sick leave certificates or shortening the time limit for the submission of an application after the accident, so as to eradicate fraud and abuse of the Fund by lawbreakers and reduce the financial pressure on the Fund; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Overall walkability strategy for Hong Kong
Hon Judy CHAN to ask:
From 2019 to early 2021, the Transport Department ("TD") decluttered non-essential traffic signs and pedestrian railings in the pilot areas of Central and Sham Shui Po. To tie in with the overall walkability strategy for Hong Kong, TD will extend the decluttering works to other suitable locations progressively. However, some members of the public have relayed that at present, many narrow footpaths on Hong Kong Island are still cluttered with non-essential traffic signs, causing much inconvenience to pedestrians. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of (i) the number of non-essential traffic signs and (ii) the length of non-essential pedestrian railings removed each year since the completion of the pilot scheme, together with a breakdown by District Council ("DC") district;
(2)
of the existing mechanism adopted by the authorities to identify non-essential traffic signs and pedestrian railings for removal; whether they will consider establishing a channel for DC members and members of the public to formally put forward proposals for removal of non-essential traffic signs and pedestrian railings; and
(3)
of the specific plans in future to achieve respectively the four objectives of "make it connected", "make it safe", "make it enjoyable" and "make it smart" under the overall walkability strategy for Hong Kong, so as to create a more comfortable walking environment for members of the public?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Food waste recycling
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
The Government will implement the Municipal Solid Waste Charging ("MSW charging") on 1 August this year. However, some members of the catering industry have indicated that the current food waste recycling supporting facilities for eateries are still insufficient. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current average daily quantity of food waste recovered in each of the 18 districts across the territory;
(2)
of the current number of the following premises participating in the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Collection in Hong Kong: (i) food processing factories, (ii) public markets, (iii) cooked food centres, (iv) wholesale markets, (v) hospitals, (vi) government facilities, (vii) tertiary institutions, (viii) hotels, (ix) club houses, (x) restaurants, (xi) public housing estates, and (xii) private housing courts (with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district);
(3)
of the current average daily quantity of food waste recovered at (i) each food waste recycling point at refuse collection points and (ii) each food waste recycling spot in Hong Kong, with a tabulated breakdown by District Council district;
(4)
of the maximum handling capacity of each food waste treatment facility of the Government; the total quantity of food waste from the industrial and commercial sectors recovered by each food waste treatment facility in each of the past three years, and the percentage of such quantity in the maximum handling capacity of the facilities;
(5)
whether it has assessed if the quantity of food waste to be recovered will increase after the implementation of MSW charging; if it has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether it has assessed if the current food waste treatment facilities of the Government can cope with the increasing quantity of food waste to be recovered; if it has assessed and the outcome is in the negative, of the corresponding measures to be put in place;
(6)
of the authorities' specific means to further encourage the industrial and commercial sectors to reduce food waste at source, such as whether they will consider subsidizing the catering industry to set up sorting and recycling facilities, or encouraging the industry to participate in food recovery and donation activities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7)
whether the authorities will introduce measures to facilitate the development of the downstream food waste recycling industry, so as to improve the food waste recycling industry chain; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
The situation of importation of labour
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
The Government successively launched the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Aviation Industry and the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme ("ESLS") last year to alleviate the manpower shortage across different sectors. However, members of various sectors have relayed to me that these two schemes, which have been implemented for more than half a year, are not as effective as expected and have failed to help them alleviate the imminent manpower shortage. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of imported workers who have arrived to work in Hong Kong since the implementation of the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Aviation Industry, with a breakdown by the 10 job types under the scheme;
(2)
of the respective numbers of applications received and approved by the authorities and the number of workers involved since the implementation of ESLS, and whether the authorities will compile statistics on/estimate the number of workers who have arrived to work in Hong Kong; of the aforesaid information on the 26 job categories normally excluded from the Supplementary Labour Scheme;
(3)
of the respective numbers of applications from the hotel, guesthouse and travel agent industries received, being processed, approved and rejected by the authorities and the job types involved since the implementation of ESLS; whether the authorities will compile statistics on/estimate the number of workers who have arrived to work in Hong Kong; and
(4)
as members of the industry generally consider that the progress of processing applications under ESLS has been slow, making it difficult to alleviate the imminent frontline manpower constraints facing the industry, and the Government indicated in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the 10th of last month that new measures will be introduced shortly to further improve the workflow of processing relevant applications, of the anticipated reduction in the average time taken to process each application following the implementation of the new measures?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Developing Kowloon East
Hon TANG Ka-piu to ask:
The 2011-2012 Policy Address put forward the Energizing Kowloon East initiative, which aims to transform Kowloon East ("KE") into the second core business district ("CBD2") through the development of the office belt and tourism and leisure facilities at Kai Tak as well as the revitalization of industrial buildings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers and gross floor areas ("GFAs") of (i) industrial buildings, (ii) commercial buildings (broken down into (a) Grade A offices, (b) Grade B offices and (c) other office sub-sectors), and (iii) business buildings providing accommodation for a mix of industrial and commercial uses in CBD2, and set out in Table 1 a breakdown by age of the building (i.e. (I) 0 to 10 years, (II) 11 to 20 years, (III) 21 to 30 years, (IV) 31 to 40 years, (V) 41 to 50 years and (VI) 51 years or above);
Table 1
Use of building | Age of building | Number of building | GFA |
(i) | (I) |
|
|
…… |
|
|
(VI) |
|
|
(ii) | (a) | (I) |
|
|
…… |
|
|
(VI) |
|
|
(b) | (I) |
|
|
…… |
|
|
(VI) |
|
|
(c) | (I) |
|
|
…… |
|
|
(VI) |
|
|
(iii) | (I) |
|
|
…… |
|
|
(VI) |
|
|
(2)
among the applications received by the Government for the new round of the revitalization scheme for industrial buildings launched in 2018, of the respective numbers of applications involving industrial buildings in CBD2 that were approved and rejected, and the reasons for the rejection of the applications;
(3)
whether it has compiled statistics on the numbers and areas of sites in CBD2 which are currently (i) idle sites for which no development plan has been finalized and (ii) sites for temporary use only with no long-term development plan, and set out in Table 2 a breakdown by landowner (i.e. (a) the Government and (b) the private sector);
Table 2
Type of site | Landowner | Number of sites | Site area |
(i) | (a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(ii) | (a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(4)
of the respective numbers and floor areas of the properties (i) owned and (ii) rented by the Government in CBD2, and set out in Table 3 a breakdown by use of the property (i.e. (a) district service centres of government departments, (b) headquarters of government departments, and (c) others);
Table 3
Property owned/rented by the Government | Use | Number of properties | Floor area |
(i) | (a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
|
|
Total |
|
|
(ii) | (a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
|
|
Total |
|
|
(5)
whether it has compiled statistics on the numbers of companies in (i) innovation and technology ("I&T"), (ii) culture, (iii) sports, (iv) tourism and (v) other industries (a) operating business and (b) headquartered in CBD2, and the numbers of jobs provided by such companies and their gross output, with a breakdown as set out in Table 4; and
Table 4
Industry of company | Operating business/setting up headquarters | Number of companies | Number of jobs provided | Gross output |
(i) | (a) |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
…… | (a) |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
(v) | (a) |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
(6)
given that in reply to my question on 5 July last year, the Government indicated that KE has the potential to promote I&T and arts, culture and creative industries given its historical background in industrial development and the ambience of cultural workers moving in one after another in recent years, whether the authorities have plans to further promote the development of the industries of I&T, culture, sports and tourism in KE, and to develop KE into a "city of entrepreneurship" for the aforesaid industries; if so, of the specific measures; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Multi-functional smart lampposts
Hon CHAN Yuet-ming to ask:
In the 2017 Policy Address, the Government proposed to implement the Multi-functional Smart Lampposts Pilot Scheme ("the Scheme") in selected urban locations. The Scheme was completed in December last year with over 400 multi-functional smart lampposts equipped with smart devices ("smart lamppost") installed in selected locations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective installation cost of various smart devices in a smart lamppost; as there are views pointing out that most smart lampposts are only equipped with radio frequency identification tags and Geo-QR code tags, rendering their deployment of smart devices incomplete, whether the Government will consider equipping these smart lampposts with more smart devices;
(2)
as there are views that smart lampposts have been densely installed in many districts, so much so that dozens of smart lampposts can be found on the same street, of the justifications for the relevant arrangement;
(3)
whether it has evaluated the effectiveness of the Scheme, and whether it will make a report on the Scheme to this Council;
(4)
as the 2023 Policy Address proposed to expedite the expansion of mobile network infrastructure in rural and remote areas, whether the Government will pilot the use of smart lampposts as fifth generation ("5G") radio base stations in rural areas with poorer mobile network signals, with a view to improving mobile communications services in these areas; and
(5)
given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025, the Government indicated that smart lamppost would be a standard infrastructure to be installed in new development areas, whether the Government will replace conventional lampposts already installed with smart lampposts in large numbers; if so, of the relevant expenditure?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Manpower of Traffic Wardens
Hon Dennis LEUNG to ask:
Some trade unions have relayed that there has been a persistent shortage of Traffic Wardens ("TWs") and the wastage rate of new recruits is high. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of (a) the staff establishment and (b) the strength of (i) Senior Traffic Wardens ("STWs") and (ii) TWs in each year from 2019 to 2024 (set out in Table 1);
Table 1
Rank | Manpower | Year (based on the figures as at 31 December each year) |
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (as at 31 March) |
(i) | (a) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(ii) | (a) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
of (i) the target number of recruits, (ii) the number of applicants and (iii) the number of people recruited in the TW recruitment exercises conducted in 2021 and 2023 (set out in Table 2);
Table 2
Year of recruitment exercise | (i) | (ii) | (iii) |
2021 |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
|
(3)
whether it has plans to launch a new round of TW recruitment exercise; if so, when it will be conducted, and of the target number of recruits of (i) STWs and (ii) TWs (set out in Table 3);
Table 3
Rank | Target number of recruits |
(i) |
|
(ii) |
|
(4)
of the number of (i) STWs and (ii) TWs who left the service in each year from 2019 to 2024 (set out in Table 4), and the reasons for their departure;
Table 4
Year (based on the figures as at 31 December each year) | Number of departures |
(i) | (ii) |
2019 |
|
|
…… |
|
|
2024 (as at 31 March) |
|
|
(5)
whether it has estimated the number of (i) STWs and (ii) TWs who will reach their retirement age in each year from 2024 to 2026 (set out in Table 5); and
Table 5
Rank | Year |
2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
(i) |
|
|
|
(ii) |
|
|
|
(6)
of (a) the lower quartile, (b) the median and (c) the upper quartile of the length of service of (i) STWs and (ii) TWs in each year from 2019 to 2024 (set out in Table 6)?
Table 6
Year | Length of service |
(a) | (b) | (c) |
(i) | (ii) | (i) | (ii) | (i) | (ii) |
2019 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
…… |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2024 (as at 31 March) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Non-plastic disposable tableware
Ir Hon CHAN Siu-hung to ask:
It has been reported that the findings of a multinational survey on the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") in food packaging materials published by a global environmental group at the end of last year indicated that of the 119 samples tested, 64 were found to contain these substances. The food packaging materials concerned include plant fibre food containers, cardboard boxes for greasy food and grease-resistant paper bags, etc. These substances are difficult to excrete, and their accumulation in the human body may even lead to health problems such as liver damage, infertility and cancer. Regarding non-plastic disposable tableware, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that at present, tableware suppliers wishing to enrol their non-plastic disposable tableware on the "Green Tableware Platform" under the Environmental Protection Department are only required to demonstrate the compliance of the tableware with the relevant non-plastic requirements when submitting their applications, whether the authorities will, in the light of the aforesaid survey findings, consider requiring suppliers to also provide the relevant safety test reports in respect of their non-plastic disposable tableware when submitting applications via the Green Tableware Platform; if not, whether the authorities will take the initiative to test the safety of such tableware;
(2)
as the Government indicated in its paper submitted to the Panel on Environmental Affairs of this Council in February this year that it will continue to, through different channels (such as supporting community programmes that offer reusable meal box lending services), promote various "plastic-free" campaigns which aim at reducing the use of disposable plastic tableware and encouraging the use of reusable ones, of the details of the relevant support programmes; whether the Government has plans to develop centralized meal box lending services in the future; and
(3)
as it has been reported that some restaurants consider biodegradable disposable plastic tableware more environmentally-friendly and choose to use it as an alternative for disposable plastic tableware, but biodegradable disposable plastic tableware requires a specific environment to degrade and cannot be recycled and processed with other plastics, and the catering industry can still provide biodegradable disposable plastic cups and plastic food containers to takeaway customers during the first phase of implementation of the relevant legislation on regulating disposable plastic tableware, whether the authorities have studied how to reduce the amount of biodegradable disposable plastic tableware being sent to landfills before the second phase of implementation of the relevant legislation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?