A 00/01-15(1)

Legislative Council

Agenda
Wednesday 17 January 2001 at 2:30 pm

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments		L.N. No.
1.	Broadcasting(Licence Fees) Regulation	11/2001
2.	Securities and Futures Commission (Levy) (Futures Contracts) (Amendment) Order 2001	12/2001
3.	Clubs (Safety of Premises) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2001	13/2001
4.	Builders' Lifts and Tower Working Platforms (Safety) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2001	14/2001
5.	Fire Service (Installation Contractors) (Amendment) Regulation 2001	15/2001
6.	Timber Stores (Amendment) Regulation 2001	16/2001
7.	Commodities Trading (Contract Levy) (Amendment) Rules 2001	17/2001
8.	Securities (Exchange--Traded Stock Options) (Amendment) (No. 3) Rules 2000	18/2001
9.	Telecommunications (Carrier Licences) Regulation	19/2001
10.	Telecommunications (Examination, Certification and Authorization of Radiocommunications Personnel) Order	20/2001
11.	Telecommunication (Amendment) Ordinance 2000 (36 of 2000) (Commencement) Notice 2001	21/2001

II. Questions

1. Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the definition of and statistics on small and medium enterprises ("SMEs"), will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	given that the current number of SMEs has been reported to be about 290 000, whether it knows the basis for working out this figure;
(b)	of the criteria adopted by various government departments for defining SMEs; if different criteria have been adopted, of the reasons for that; and
(c)	according to the definition of SMEs most commonly used by government departments, of the current number of SMEs and the total number of employees thereof; and the respective numbers of SMEs and their employees in the manufacturing sector and the service sector, as well as a breakdown of these numbers by industry?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Industry

2. Hon Mrs Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)

The Administration indicated early last year that it would conduct a study to examine the viability of providing petrol filling stations in existing car parks and on land for other commercial uses, so as to promote competition in the vehicle fuel market. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the progress of the study; and
(b)	the multi-storey car parks in the private and public sectors identified in the study to be suitable for accommodating petrol filling stations, and the locations of these car parks?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

3. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)

The downturn in the local economy since the Asian financial turmoil has resulted in a persistently high unemployment rate and many owners of "negative-value" assets being forced to file petitions for bankruptcy orders. Economic hardship has made some people emotionally stressful, and even commit suicide. Regarding the assistance offered to people with financial problems, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the measures, apart from the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme, it has put in place to assist the unemployed in tackling their financial hardship;
(b)	how it has helped the residential property owners of "negative-value" assets tide over their financial hardship; and
(c)	of the channels through which it offers psychological counselling to families hard hit by financial difficulties, to prevent them from resorting to negative solutions?

Public Officers to reply	:	Secretary for Health and Welfare Secretary for Education and Manpower

4. Dr Hon YEUNG Sum to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the designation of existing roads as pedestrian precincts, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the locations of the pedestrian precincts already set up or planned to be set up;
(b)	whether it has assessed the improvements on traffic, air quality and the environment etc. in the vicinity of various pedestrian precincts after their establishment; if so, of the assessment results; and
(c)	of the expected impact of the pedestrian precinct planned to be set up along a section of the Queen's Road Central in the Central on the traffic nearby, and the complementing measures it has thus formulated?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

5. Hon Albert HO to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the allocation of vacant units flats in public rental housing ("PRH") estates, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the total number of vacant units available for allocation in PRH estates under the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society at present, together with a breakdown by districts;
(b)	of the average time required to lease out a PRH unit after the original household has moved out; and the average time taken for completing each procedural step involved; and
(c)	whether the authorities have made any performance pledge in respect of the time needed for allocating vacant units; if they have, of the details of such pledges; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

6. Dr Hon LO Wing-lok to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that the Airport Authority ("AA") accepted sponsorship in the amount of 2.4 million dollars from a tobacco company for improving the environment and facilities of a smoking lounge at the airport. The comfortable environment may make smokers stay longer in the smoking lounge, hence smoke more cigarettes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it has assessed if AA's acceptance of sponsorship from a tobacco company has contradicted the Government's anti-smoking policy; if the assessment shows this to be the case, of the actions to be taken; if the assessment shows otherwise, the justifications for that?

Public Officers to reply	:	Secretary for Health and Welfare Secretary for Economic Services

*7. Prof Hon NG Ching-fai to ask: (Translation)

With regard to the Coordinated Maintenance of Buildings Scheme introduced by the Buildings Department in August last year, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the division of responsibilities between the Scheme and the Building Management Co-ordination Committees serviced by the various District Offices;
(b)	whether it plans to review the role and functions of the Committees in order to avoid overlapping with those of the Scheme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	whether it plans to enlist the assistance of District Councils in implementing the Scheme; if so, of the details of the plan?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*8. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)

Regarding employers who default in payment of wages to their employees, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)

of the total number of such cases (other than those in which the employers have become insolvent) received by the Labour Department over the past three years, and the number of employees involved in such cases; and

(b)

among such cases in (a), the number of those in which the Labour Tribunal ruled that the employers concerned had defaulted in payment of wages to their employees; the respective numbers of cases in which the employers complied and did not comply with the orders made by the Labour Tribunal in respect of their default in payment of wages; and the number of successful prosecutions against the employers for non-compliance with such orders?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Education and Manpower

*9. Hon Cyd HO to ask: (Translation)

Given the persistently high number of child abuse cases in recent years, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the date of the last meeting of the Committee on Child Abuse which is responsible for coordinating multi-disciplinary efforts to prevent child abuse; if the Committee has not convened any meeting for months, the reasons for that; and
(b)	whether it has devised positive measures and plans to deter child abuse; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*10. Hon LAW Chi-kwong to ask: (Translation)

As the findings of a survey has shown that the percentage of junior secondary school students with smoking habit has increased in recent years, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	how it enforces the provision in the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 years; of the number of persons prosecuted for contravening the above provision in the past three years;
(b)	of the amount of public expenditure in disseminating anti-smoking messages last year; and
(c)	the other measures to address the problem of juvenile smoking?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

With regard to reducing the number of false fire alarms in public rental housing ("PRH") estates and enhancing the alertness of PRH residents to fires, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the number of false alarm reports received by the relevant authorities in each of the past five years;
(b)	of the measures in place to reduce the number of such false alarms;
(c)	in order to avoid causing confusion to PRH residents, whether it will consider adjusting the sounds of the emergency alarms in the elevators and other systems used in the estates to make them distinguishable from the fire alarms; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(d)	of the measures in place to enhance the alertness of PRH residents to fires, and whether these include regular fire drills?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

*12. Hon Howard YOUNG to ask: (Translation)

Recently, I have received a complaint from a member of the public alleging that a gang of people frequently tout for fortune-telling service to tourists in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Admiralty and Wan Chai waterfront; and that although the complainant had reported such cases to the Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station over the past year, the situation has not improved. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it is aware of such activities;
(b)	of the number of complaints lodged by the public or tourists with the Police or other departments in the past year about the nuisance caused by such activities; details of how the complaints have been followed up and the results of the follow-up actions; if the complaints have not been followed up, of the reasons for that; and
(c)	of its plans to prevent these activities from causing nuisance to tourists?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*13. Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the regulation of the sale and promotion of health food products, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a)	it is a breach of the relevant provisions of the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap.132, sub. leg.) to sell health food products without "best before" or "use by" dates labels;
(b)	it is an offence to sell health food products without information on contraindications and instructions for consumption; if so, of the details;
(c)	legislation is in place to regulate the promotion of health food products under names which look like medical organizations or medical professionals; and
(d)	legislation or measures are in place to restrict the distribution of promotional materials on health food products within the confines of public hospitals and public libraries under the Hospital Authority and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*14. Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to ask: (Translation)

Given that Hong Kong has enacted legislation to regulate the registration, eligibility for practice, continuing education, conduct and discipline of Chinese medicine practitioners, will the Government inform this Council whether it plans to formulate a similar legislative framework for the regulation of the practice of Chinese medicine dispensers; if so, of the details and the legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

Regarding the duty rosters of officers of the Immigration Department at border control points, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective average hourly numbers of officers deployed to man immigration counters at Lo Wu Control Point during the Lunar New Year, the Easter and the Christmas holidays in each of the past three years, and their respective proportions to the average hourly numbers of people travelling to and from the Mainland via that control point during the same periods;
(b)	whether it has assessed if the number of officers is adequate to cope with the service demand; if it is assessed to be inadequate, whether it has plans to increase the establishment; if so, of the details;
(c)	of the longest number of hours of duty undertaken continuously by officers at immigration counters at Lo Wu Control Point during the last Christmas holidays; how it compares with the corresponding figures for the Christmas holidays in the previous two years;
(d)	of the arrangements during the peak hours of cross-boundary travel for officers manning immigration counters to take rests or have meals; and
(e)	whether officers are required to give written or oral explanations if they refuse their superiors' request at short notice to undertake overtime work at immigration counters?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

Will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the total number of incidents over the past five years in which the concrete structures on the external walls of buildings fell off or canopies collapsed, the resultant casualties in these incidents, as well as the respective numbers of investigation orders and repair orders issued to the owners concerned; and
(b)	the measures to minimize these incidents?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning and Lands

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

Regarding the maintenance and cracking incidents of the main aqueducts for conveying Dongjiang water, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the details of the maintenance plans for the main aqueducts within Hong Kong for conveying Dongjiang water;
(b)	the number of reports received concerning cracking of such aqueducts in the past three years, and the measures in place to reduce such occurrences; and
(c)	the criteria adopted for deciding whether to offer compensation to persons who have suffered losses caused by the cracking of aqueducts?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Works

*18. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the redevelopment of Kwun Tong town centre, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether a redevelopment timetable has been drawn up, if so, of the details; if not, when this will be done;
(b)	whether it will conduct public consultation on the redevelopment plan; if so, of the timing of the consultation; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	of the expected improvements in air quality, traffic flow and community facilities after the district has been redeveloped?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning and Lands

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

Will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

(a)	of the institutions or government departments with which complaints may be lodged by persons who have been refused medical insurance coverage by insurance companies because they suffer from serious illness; the respective numbers of such complaints received by those institutions or departments in the past three years, together with a breakdown by the subject of such complaints; and
(b)	whether legislation is in place to regulate such acts of insurance companies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

*For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

1. Land Registration (Amendment) Bill 2000
2. Hong Kong Tourist Association (Amendment) Bill 2001

Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned)

1. Land Registration (Amendment) Bill 2000	:	Secretary for Planning and Lands
2. Hong Kong Tourist Association (Amendment) Bill 2001	:	Secretary for Economic Services

IV. Members' Motions

1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon Mrs Selina CHOW to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that in relation to the Waterworks (Amendment) Regulation 2000, published as Legal Notice No. 358 of 2000 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 20 December 2000, the period referred to in section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap.1) for amending subsidiary legislation be extended under section 34(4) of that Ordinance to the meeting of 7 February 2001.

2. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon LAU Chin-shek / Hon James TIEN to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Country Parks and Special Areas (Amendment) Regulation 2000, published as Legal Notice No. 349 of 2000 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 13 December 2000, be repealed.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Treasury

3. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon LAU Chin-shek / Hon James TIEN to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Marine Parks and Marine Reserves (Amendment) Regulation 2000, published as Legal Notice No. 350 of 2000 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 13 December 2000, be amended by repealing section 2(a).

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Treasury

4. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon LAU Chin-shek / Hon James TIEN to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Electricity (Wiring) (Amendment) Regulation 2000, published as Legal Notice No. 352 of 2000 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 13 December 2000, be repealed.

Public Officer to attend: Secretary for the Treasury

5.Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon LAU Chin-shek / Hon James TIEN to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Electrical Products (Safety) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2000, published as Legal Notice No. 353 of 2000 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 13 December 2000, be repealed.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Treasury

6. Expediting the incorporation of Chinese medicine into the public health care system

Hon David CHU: (Translation)

That this Council urges the Government to adopt effective measures to expedite the incorporation of Chinese medicine into the public health care system, including:

(a)	providing the impetus for the Hospital Authority, in addition to operating Chinese medicine out-patient clinics, to expedite the introduction of Chinese medicine services, including clinical research and treatment, in hospitals under its management and to establish Chinese medicine hospitals;
(b)	allocating additional resources for local tertiary institutions to offer more professional courses on Chinese medicine, so as to nurture talents and enhance the standard of the profession;
(c)	implementing the proposal for the establishment of an Institute for Chinese Medicine, and attracting the private sector to conduct researches in Chinese medicine and develop the Chinese medicine industry in Hong Kong;
(d)	promoting exchanges and co-operation between the regulatory bodies of health care professions in western medicine and the Chinese Medicine Council to encourage the combined application of Chinese and western medicines;
(e)	vigorously facilitating the exchange of professional knowledge and experience between Chinese medicine organizations in the Mainland and overseas countries and the Chinese medicine sector in Hong Kong; and
(f)	apart from recognizing the statutory status of Chinese medicine practitioners, granting them their due statutory rights.
Amendments to Hon David CHU's motion
	(i)	Dr Hon LO Wing-lok: (Translation) To delete "public" after "the incorporation of Chinese medicine into the"; to delete "," after "health care system" and substitute with "and, under the premise that public resources are limited, formulate policies that define the scope and mode of Chinese medicine services in public health care,"; to delete "providing the impetus for the Hospital Authority,"; to delete ", to expedite the introduction of Chinese medicine services, including clinical research and treatment, in hospitals under its management and to establish Chinese medicine hospitals" and substitute with "in public medical institutions on a trial basis, examining the feasible mode of providing Chinese medicine in-patient services in hospitals"; to delete "locating additional resources for" and substitute with "reviewing whether the professional courses on Chinese medicine offered by"; to delete "to offer more professional courses on Chinese medicine, so as to nurture talents and enhance the standard of the profession" and substitute with "meeting the practical needs of the development of local health care services, and assessing comprehensively the manpower resource requirement of the Chinese medicine profession in Hong Kong after the registration of Chinese medicine practitioners has been completed, so as to facilitate long-term education and manpower planning"; to delete "co-operation" after "promoting exchanges and" and substitute with "co-ordination"; and to delete "encourage the combined application of" and substitute with "foster mutual understanding between health care professionals in".
	(ii)	Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG: (Translation) To delete "and to establish Chinese medicine hospitals".

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Health and Welfare

7. Developing renewable energy resources

Ir Dr Hon HO Chung-tai: (Translation)

That, in view of the limited reserves of fossil fuels, which render their prices susceptible to changes in supply and demand in the world market or to manipulation by certain countries and organizations, and as the consumption of such fuels also leads to environmental pollution, it is necessary for Hong Kong to actively develop and utilize renewable energy resources; this is not only a way to identify and make the best use of local scientific and technological research talents and natural resources, but is also in line with government policies on innovation and technology, as well as the principle of sustainable development; as such, this Council urges the Government to adopt the following measures as soon as possible to expedite the development of renewable energy resources and their introduction into Hong Kong:

(a)

actively formulating a policy on the development of renewable energy resources, and making use of Hong Kong's advantages on various fronts, including its natural environment, availability of the relevant scientific and technological research talents, free flow of information, advanced communication equipment, sound financing services and close co-operation with the Mainland in scientific and technological research and development, so that Hong Kong will become a leader rather than just a follower in the development and utilization of renewable energy resources; and

(b)

apart from policy support, providing sufficient financial support to facilitate researches in and development of renewable energy resources, and promoting the necessary pilot projects.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Environment and Food

Clerk to the Legislative Council