A 98/99-4(1)

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 22 July 1998 at 2:30 pm


I. Papers

Subsidiary LegislationL.N. No.
1. Water Pollution Control (Sewerage) (Amendment) Regulation 1998 281/98
2. Specification of Public Office282/98
3. Pilotage (Amendment) Order 1998283/98

Sessional Paper

No. 7 - The Tenth Annual Report of the Ombudsman, June 1998

(to be presented by Chief Secretary for Administration)

II. Questions

1. Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask : (Translation)

Recently, many organisations concerned about the growth of young people pointed out that some publications and television and radio programmes in Hong Kong have a negative influence on the moral concepts of young people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of its current policies on the regulation of publications and television and radio programmes which contain immoral ideas;

  2. of the respective numbers of prosecutions against publications and television and radio programmes containing immoral ideas, the criteria for instituting the prosecutions and the outcomes thereof, in each of the past three years;

  3. whether it will consider imposing heavier penalties on the operators of such illegal publications and programmes, or reviewing the relevant legislation and regulatory mechanism; and

  4. whether the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau will step up the monitoring of the impact of the media's programmes and reports containing immoral ideas on young people and consider setting up a semi-official or non-official committee to follow the issue up?

Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting

2. Hon Mrs Selina CHOW to ask :

Will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the respective numbers of applications received, processed, and approved since the establishment of the Credit Guarantee Scheme for small and medium enterprises; and

  2. of the target time for processing the applications, and whether such target has been met?

Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Trade and Industry

3. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask : (Translation)

In an effort to stimulate Hong Kong's economy and to increase employment opportunities, the Government has proposed to speed up the implementation of infrastructural projects. However, the works on the three priority railway projects, namely the West Rail, the Mass Transit Railway Tseung Kwan O Extension, and the Ma On Shan /Tai Wai Rail Link together with the Kowloon-Canton Railway extension from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui, have yet to commence. In this regard, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the up-to-date position of the planning in regard to those three railway projects;

  2. whether it will allocate additional resources or streamline the planning procedure, so that the works of these projects can commence as early as possible; if so, what the details are; if not, why not; and

  3. whether it will reconsider the possibility of extending the terminus of the Ma On Shan Railway to Kowloon in 2003, and completing at the same time the West Rail (Phase II) cross border passenger and freight line?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

4. Hon Kenneth TING to ask : (Translation)

As many business and industrial organizations point out that the handling charges at Hong Kong's container terminals are very high and have seriously affected the development of businesses and industries in the territory, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the system in place to monitor the terminal handling charges (THC) levied by shipping companies to ensure that the charges are set at a level that is both reasonable and acceptable to the shippers;

  2. whether comparisons have been made between Hong Kong and other major foreign ports in respect of THC rates; if so, what the findings are; if not, whether it will make such comparisons expeditiously and announce the findings to the industry;

  3. whether there is any plan to set up a mechanism whereby shipping companies are required to consult shippers' organizations and explain the reasons to them before revising THC, so as to enhance the transparency of the mechanism for determinating such charges; and

  4. of the plans to open up Hong Kong's container terminal industry with a view to introducing competition and minimizing monopoly in the industry?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

5. Hon Emily LAU to ask : (Translation)

It is reported that the operators of some bars and clubs had charged non-white customers at higher rates. The Secretary for Home Affairs said that a letter would be sent to the operators concerned explaining to them the Government's anti-discrimination policy and drawing their attention to the contents of the Code of Practice Against Discrimination in Employment on the Ground of Race. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

  1. whether and when the Secretary for Home Affairs has sent the letter;

  2. of the names and addresses of the bars and clubs concerned;

  3. how the Code of Practice applies to such cases; and

  4. whether these operators are still charging their customers at differential rates?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

6. Hon LEE Wing-tat to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether the Chief Executive:

  1. will, according to the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council, attend meetings of the Council during this legislative session to answer questions put to him by Members on the work of the Government; if so, what the details are;

  2. plans to address the Council and answer questions from Members after each trip to Beijing to report on his work;

  3. plans to hold question-and-answer sessions in various districts of Hong Kong after delivering his Policy Address this year, so as to solicit views directly from the public; and

  4. plans other arrangements to explain the work of the Government directly to the Council and the public; if so, what the details are; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Chief Secretary for Administration

*7. Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask : (Translation)

Regarding various kinds of special schools (including schools for social development), practical schools and skills opportunity schools, will the Government inform this Council of:

  1. the supply and demand of school places in each school; the number of schools planned to be built and commissioned during the next three years and the number of additional school places available as a result; and

  2. the reasons for the surplus or shortfall in the supply of these school places and the counter-measures in place?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*8. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

It is learnt that the consultancy study on the feasibility of installing traffic noise mitigation facilities for existing roads has been completed. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. whether it has reviewed the existing policy on abating traffic noise in the light of the study's findings, if so, what the outcome is;

  2. of the consultancy study's recommendations in respect of the following places:

    1. Fung Shue Wo Road in Tsing Yi;

    2. Tsuen Wan, Tsing Lung Tau and Sam Shing Hui sections of Tuen Mun Road;

    3. Hung Shui Kiu and Ping Shan sections of Castle Peak Road in Yuen Long; and

    when the recommendations are planned to be implemented; and

  3. whether it has conducted another study to examine the feasibility of installing noise mitigation facilities on certain sections of elevated roads; if so, of the locations of these road sections?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

*9. Hon Emily LAU to ask : (Translation)

According to a number of surveys conducted recently, air pollution on roads in Hong Kong is so serious that pollutant concentrations are found to be far exceeding the air quality objectives set by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), and high enough to make people feel sick. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

  1. when the EPD is expected to be able to measure accurately the level of air pollution on roads in various districts in the territory;

  2. whether they know the number of people who contracted diseases or died because of air pollution in each of the past three years; and

  3. whether they will consider providing air filtration masks for people who work on roads for long hours and arranging medical check-ups for them on a regular basis?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

*10. Dr Hon TANG Siu-tong to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows if the Hospital Authority has any plan to expand the Pok Oi Hospital, so as to cope with the demands for medical services of residents in the Yuen Long District (including Tin Shui Wai); if so, of the schedule of the expansion works, the party to bear the costs and the rationale therefor?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*11. Dr Hon David LI to ask :

It is reported that, as a measure to solve the acute unemployment problem, the Director of Education informed schools on June 3 1998 that staff aged 60 or above should retire, unless permitted otherwise. As a result, many applications for extension of service by one year from teachers and principals who have reached the retirement age had been rejected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

  1. as the notice was issued only in June, it has studied if there is sufficient lead time for schools to recruit new teachers and principals before the new academic year begins in September; if so, what the results are; and

  2. it has considered creating more teaching posts as an alternative for solving the acute unemployment problem; if so, what the details are; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*12. Hon LEE Wing-tat to ask : (Translation)

Since the opening of the new airport, a large number of residents of Tung Chung, Tsing Yi, Kwai Chung, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin have complained about the disturbances caused by aircraft noise. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

  1. the environmental noises in these districts are mainly generated by the air traffic along the new flight path;

  2. it has studied the effect of future flight movements late at night or in the early hours in the morning on the noise levels in these districts; if so, what the findings are; and

  3. it will conduct late-night noise tests in these districts and adopt appropriate noise mitigation measures in the light of the findings of these tests?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

*13. Dr Hon HO Chung-tai to ask : (Translation)

It is reported that the Buildings Department is at present investigating 15 cases of suspected piling problems involving private construction projects, and that the contractors responsible for those projects are also carrying out 14 public works projects for the Government at the moment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the public works projects being handled by the contractors concerned, the location of the construction sites and the construction costs thereof;

  2. how it ensures that these public works projects meet the required construction and safety standards;

  3. whether a comprehensive investigation will be conducted on the operation of the contractors; and

  4. whether a contractor found to have carried out foundation piling work not in accordance with approved building plans will have his licence revoked by the Works Bureau, so as to stop him from tendering for further works?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Works

*14. Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

It is recommended in the Education Commission Report No.7 that all schools in Hong Kong should implement school-based management by the year 2000. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

  1. the Education Department will streamline its organizational structure and confer more powers on schools in order to expedite and give impetus to the implementation of school-based management in schools; if so, of the details and the specific timing of such initiatives; and

  2. it will consider amending the Education Ordinance to tie in with the implementation of school-based management; if so, what the details are; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*15. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask : (Translation)

It is reported that two successive incidents of train failure on the Tung Chung Line of the Airport Railway in the morning of 8 July this year caused a delay of services for about 20 minutes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

  1. if the incidents were caused by insufficient tests prior to the coming into operation of the Airport Railway, insufficient training for train operators, or some other reasons; and

  2. the measures to be adopted by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

*16. Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

  1. how the universities in Hong Kong determine the number of their post-graduate places; and

  2. the respective numbers of applicants for taught post-graduate programmes and research post-graduate programmes provided by local universities, as well as the number of successful applicants, in each of the past five academic years, together with the respective numbers of local and non-local applicants and the intake?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*17. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask : (Translation)

Complaints were reportedly received from taxi drivers about the fact that there was only one entry/exit thoroughfare at the taxi stand outside the passenger terminal of the new airport, with no way out for taxi drivers who wish to move out of the queue, and about the inadequate provision of washroom facilities outside the passenger terminal of the new airport. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

  1. the reasons for not providing alternative exits at the taxi stand for drivers to leave the queue;

  2. whether the Airport Authority will consider providing additional exits along the taxi stand so that taxi drivers may leave the queue; if not, why not; and

  3. whether the Airport Authority will provide additional washroom facilities outside the passenger terminal of the new airport; if so, of the additional number of washrooms to be provided; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Economic Services

*18. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

In view of the complaints from the public about disturbances caused by aircraft noise after the opening of the new airport, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the districts identified as noise sensitive areas in the noise assessments in respect of the flight path conducted prior to the construction of the new airport, and the projected noise impacts on these districts;

  2. whether, after the opening of the new airport, the Environmental Protection Department has conducted tests on the noise levels in these districts or other districts which, according to complaints from the public, are affected by aircraft noise; if so, of the results of such tests; if not, why not;

  3. whether the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has considered revising the flight path to alleviate the disturbances to residents; if so, what the outcome is; if not, why not;

  4. whether the CAD will ban aircrafts emitting a high level of noise from taking off or landing during late hours at night and early hours in the morning; if so, of the details of such a plan; if not, why not; and

  5. whether it has considered using new technologies, such as installing equipment capable of transmitting noise-reflecting electric waves on the rooftops of buildings, to alleviate the disturbances caused by aircraft noise to the residents?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

* For written reply.


III. Bills

First Reading

Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Bill 1998

Second Reading

Debate to be adjourned

Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Bill 1998 :Secretary for Economic Services

IV. Motions

1. Public Bus Services Ordinance

Secretary for Transport :

Resolved that the franchise conferring the right on the New World First Bus Services Limited to operate a public bus service on the routes specified in the Schedule of Routes (New World First Bus Services Limited) Order 1998 (L.N. 238 of 1998) and in any subsequent order made by the Chief Executive in Council shall not, for the entire period of the franchise, be subject to sections 27, 28, 29 and 31 in Part V of the Public Bus Services Ordinance.

2. Employees' Compensation Ordinance

Secretary for Education and Manpower :

Resolved that, with effect from 1 August 1998, the Employees' Compensation Ordinance be amended -

  1. in paragraphs 1(b), 2(b) and 3 of the Third Schedule, by repealing "$160" and substituting "$175";

  2. in the Sixth Schedule, by repealing all the amounts mentioned in column 2 and substituting -

" 21,000
21,000
21,000
303,000
16,000
21,000
21,000
21,000
344,000
412,000
412,000
3,490
490
970
33,000
100,000 ".

3. Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance

Secretary for Education and Manpower :

Resolved that, with effect from 1 August 1998, the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance be amended -

  1. in the First Schedule -

    1. in Part IIA, by repealing "$2,570" and substituting "$3,180";

    2. in Part IV, by repealing "$4,050" and substituting "$4,160";

    3. in Part V, by repealing "$70,000" and substituting "$100,000";

    4. in Part VI, by repealing "$14,000" and substituting "$16,000";

  2. in the Second Schedule, in paragraphs 1(b), 2(b) and 3 of Part I, by repealing "$160" and substituting "$175".

4. Buildings Ordinance

Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands :

Resolved that the Fifth Schedule to the Buildings Ordinance be amended in area number 3, by repealing everything from and including "MT/RP/1" to and including "1992" and substituting "MTR/G/1 to 3, MTR/RP/1 to 46, MTR/RP/50 to 66 and MTR/RP/101 to 170 dated 29 June 1998".

5. Dutiable Commodities Ordinance

Secretary for the Treasury :

Resolved that -

Part III of Schedule 1 to the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109) is amended in paragraph 1(b), effective 23 June 1998, by repealing "2.89" and substituting "2.00" and effective 1 April 1999, by repealing "2.00" and substituting "2.89".

V. Members' Motions

1. Ensuring employment opportunities for local personnel engaging in infrastructural projects

Dr Hon HO Chung-tai : (Translation)

That, on the premise of accelerating the implementation of infrastructural projects and creating more job opportunities in order to relieve the unemployment situation in the territory, this Council urges that the Government, in drawing up the scope of the relevant contracts, tender specifications and employment provisions, must ensure that local companies can take part and accord priority to providing more employment opportunities for local expertise and workers.

Amendment to Dr Hon HO Chung-tai's motion

Hon David CHU : (Translation)

To add "and public bodies (including the three railway corporations)" after "this Council urges that the Government"; to delete "scope of" and substitute with "tender evaluation specifications and selecting the consultancy, construction and procurement tenders for"; to delete "tender specifications and employment provisions,"; to delete "accord priority to providing" and substitute with "provide"; and to add "; and if the projects require the engagement of foreign companies possessing specialised technology, then consideration must be given to the arrangements for technology transfer; this Council also urges the Government to set up a commission to formulate new specifications for tender selection, so as to put into effect the above principles and monitor their effective implementation, thereby ensuring fair competition among the people of Hong Kong" after "local expertise and workers".

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Works

2. Restructuring Hong Kong's economy

Hon CHAN Yuen-han : (Translation)

That, in view of the undue emphasis laid in recent years on the financial and real estate businesses in Hong Kong's economy, at the expense of its industrial development, resulting in a change in the local economic structure, the loss of its past diversified characteristic, as well as unprecedented employment difficulties faced by local employees, this Council urges the Government to restructure Hong Kong's economy and modify its development strategies, so as to create employment opportunities.

Amendments to Hon CHAN Yuen-han's motion

1. Hon Christine LOH : (Translation)

To delete "the" from "That, in view of the" and substitute with "business confidence having been shaken"; to delete "undue emphasis laid in recent years on the financial and real estate businesses"; to delete "at the expense of its industrial development, resulting in a change in the local economic structure, the loss of its past diversified characteristic, as well as unprecedented employment difficulties faced by local employees,"; and to delete "urges the Government to restructure Hong Kong's economy and modify its development strategies, so as to" and substitute with "is of the view that the main issues are for the Government to reconsider its economic policy after listening to more public views, and to facilitate local production; and for the public and private sectors to cooperate to revitalize confidence as a whole so as to revive investments, enable the creation of wealth and".

2. Hon SIN Chung-kai : (Translation)

To delete "undue emphasis laid in recent years on the financial and real estate businesses in Hong Kong's economy, at the expense of its industrial development, resulting in a change in the local economic structure, the loss of its past diversified characteristic, as well as unprecedented employment difficulties faced by local employees" and substitute with "fact that Hong Kong's bubble economy has burst"; to add "Special Administrative Region" after "this Council urges the"; to add ", on the basis of the two major principles that the development direction of any industry should be led by the industry itself and driven by market forces and that conditions favourable to technological development should be created," after "Government"; to delete "restructure" and substitute with "adopt the following measures in order to modify"; to delete "economy " from "Hong Kong's economy" and substitute with "economic structure"; to delete "modify its" from "and modify its development strategies"; to add "enhance the diversified characteristic of the economy and" after "so as to"; to add "more" after "create"; and to add ": (a) to study the feasibility of setting up a centre for technology transfer or formulating measures for technology transfer, so as to facilitate the application of advanced technology in the industrial sector for design, production and the establishment of quality brands; (b) to grant tax concessions for scientific and technological researches, so as to encourage enterprises to conduct such activities and procure advanced equipment; (c) to strengthen liaison between enterprises and the academic circles, such as offering rewards, relaxing secondment restrictions, thereby encouraging cooperation between university teaching staff and the business sector in conducting technological researches and development; (d) to groom high caliber management personnel as well as technical staff with comprehensive knowledge; (e) to set up the second board market or enhance financing channels, so as to assist various trades to overcome difficulties in financing, and establish a technologically innovative manufacturing industry; (f) to provide land at reasonable prices, in order to encourage the development of technologically innovative industry; and (g) to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing policy-making and administrative powers of industrial organizations" after "employment opportunities".

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Trade and Industry


Clerk to the Legislative Council