A 00/01-34(1)
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 20 June 2001 at 2:30 pm
I. Tabling of Papers| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No.
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| 1. | Designation of Libraries (No. 2) Order 2001 | 138/2001
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| 2. | Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Public Markets) (Designation and Amendment of Tenth Schedule) (No. 2) Order 2001 | 139/2001
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| 3. | Declaration of Markets Notice (Amendment) (No. 2) Declaration 2001
| 140/2001
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Other Papers | 1. No.90 | - | Report of changes to the approved Estimates of Expenditure approved during the final quarter of 2000-01 (Public Finance Ordinance : Section 8)
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(to be presented by Secretary for the Treasury)
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| 2. No.91 | - | 2000 Annual Report by the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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(to be presented by Hon Fred LI, who will address the Council)
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| 3. No.92 | - | Independent Commission Against Corruption Complaints CommitteeAnnual Report 2000
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(to be presented by Prof Hon NG Ching-fai, who will address the Council)
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4. Report of the Finance Committee on the examination of the Draft Estimates of Expenditure 2001-2002 (June 2001)
(to be presented by Dr Hon Philip WONG, Chairman of the Finance Committee, who will address the Council)
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| 5. Report of the Bills Committee on Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Bill 2001
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(to be presented by Hon SIN Chung-kai, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
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| 6. Report of the Bills Committee on Revenue Bill 2001 and Revenue (No.2) Bill 2001
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| (to be presented by Hon Margaret NG, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
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II. Questions
1. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)
After considering the initial report submitted by the People's Republic of China on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("SAR"), the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted its Concluding Observations on 11 May this year. The Committee expressed concern that the provisions of the Covenant had not yet been incorporated into the laws of the Hong Kong SAR, and stated that it was a mistaken understanding of the legal obligations arising from the Covenant on the part of the States parties to hold the opinion that the Covenant is "promotional" or "aspirational" in nature. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has implemented the Covenant through the laws of the Hong Kong SAR, in accordance with Article 39 of the Basic Law; if not, whether it has assessed if the Hong Kong SAR has contravened this Article, and whether it will consider incorporating the provisions of the Covenant into the laws of the Hong Kong SAR; if it will consider, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
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| (b) | it will follow the advice of the Committee to not argue in court proceedings that the Covenant is only "promotional" or "aspirational" in nature?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Justice
2. Hon LAW Chi-kwong to ask: (Translation)
Under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance, persons who employ and those who are employed as "domestic employees" are exempt from joining the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme; the relevant employees are therefore not entitled to statutory retirement benefits. Futhermore, "domestic employee" is defined as an employee who "provides domestic services in the residential premises of the employer". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | among the persons employed to work for households as cooks, cleaners, chauffeurs, gardeners or other posts, of the ones who are exempted from the operation of the Ordinance and those who are not, and the criteria it adopts for the differentiation; and
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| (b) | if the answer to part (a) above is that cooks and cleaners are exempted whereas chauffeurs are not, and as most cooks and cleaners are female while most chauffeurs are male, whether a situation will arise in which the majority of female household employees are not entitled to retirement benefits whereas most male household employees are; if so, has the relevant authority assessed whether the above provision substantively constitutes sex discrimination and therefore contravenes the provisions in the Sex Discrimination Ordinance; if the result of the assessment is in the affirmative, of the time when it plans to revise the provision; if the result of the assessment is in the negative, of the justifications for that?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Financial Services
3. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the arrangement for allocating public rental housing ("PRH") units to the elderly, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the measures being taken to ensure that the elderly who have been registered under the Proactive Registration Campaign for the Elderly will be allocated PRH units by the end of 2003;
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| (b) | whether it will consider allocating more urban sites in the next three years for building more self-contained PRH units for the elderly; if it will, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that; and
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| (c) | whether it will study if the current design of the units under the Housing for the Senior Citizens Scheme and its complementing services can meet the needs of the elderly; if it will, of the details of the study; if not, the reasons for that? |
Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Housing
4. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)
In its Concluding Observations, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urged the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("SAR") to take note of the following when formulating and implementing its policies on permanent residence and split families:
| (a) | give the most careful attention to all the human rights dimensions of the issue;
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| (b) | reconsider extending the "concession" made by the Hong Kong SAR; and
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| (c) | enhance the transparency of all relevant processes, including appropriately disaggregating all data and making them public, and tabling such data in the Legislative Council every six months.
In this connection, will the Government inform this Council how it will follow up these recommendations?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Security
5. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)
The series of piling scandals in public housing revealed last year have aroused public concerns about the safety of building foundations. Since June last year, the Administration has been checking comprehensively the quality of piles used in the foundation works which are in progress, but it has no plans to do so for those foundation works which have been completed. As the contractors involved have also undertaken other construction works, including flyovers, government buildings and private buildings, the piling incidents have a latent impact on the general public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it will consider conducting random checks again on the piles used in the foundation works completed by the contractors involved over the past three years; if not, of the reasons for that; and
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| (b) | if there will be no checks on those piles, how it can ensure that the construction works which involved those contractors are free from substandard piles; and how it can ensure that the quality of the unchecked foundation has conformed to the safety standards and will not cause casualties and economic loss?
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| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for Works
Secretary for Planning and Lands
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6. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)
In his speech concluding the Budget debate on 4 April, the former Financial Secretary said that he had mentioned the need to improve the monetary management system in his Budget Speech because he would like to ensure that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") continued to carry out its duties with a high degree of professionalism, fairness and transparency, and be free from political interference. The HKMA is monitored by the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee ("EFAC") which is chaired by the Financial Secretary and has nine members, five of whom are members from the banking industry. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
| (a) | whether there is any conflict of interest in having the EFAC monitor the HKMA, since the HKMA regulates banking business;
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| (b) | whether there has been incidence of political interference with the operations of the HKMA; and
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| (c) | of the measures that will be taken to ensure independent and transparent monitoring of the HKMA?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Financial Services
*7. Hon Ambrose LAU to ask: (Translation)
On 29 May this year, a serious industrial accident occurred in a construction site of a new bus depot of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited in Cheung Sha Wan, resulting in one death and nine injuries. It was reported that officers of the Labour Department had visited the site in April but had not found any violations of safety regulations. Regarding industrial safety, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the frequency and details of construction site inspections conducted by officers of the Labour Department;
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| (b) | of the specific measures in place to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents; and
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| (c) | whether it will consider providing additional resources for launching promotional and educational campaigns targeted at contractors, sub-contractors and workers respectively, in order to enhance their awareness of industrial safety; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Education and Manpower
*8. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China ("PRC") adopted the Amendments to the Marriage Law of the PRC on 28 April this year, which provide for the banning of bigamy, the prohibition of cohabitation with a third party by married people, the taking of legal action against bigamists for criminal liability and the right for the innocent party in a divorce case resulting from bigamy or cohabitation outside of marriage to claim damages. It has been reported that some women in Hong Kong plan to institute legal proceedings in Mainland courts against their husbands for cohabitation with others in the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | how judgements (including those concerning the disposal of assets in Hong Kong) delivered by Mainland courts under the Marriage Law of the PRC will be confirmed and enforced in Hong Kong;
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| (b) | of the progress of the discussions held, under Article 95 of the Basic Law, by the SAR Government with Mainland judicial organs concerning the enforcement of judgements in civil proceedings in each other's territories; and
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| (c) | whether, given the substantial difference of the matrimonial laws between Hong Kong and the Mainland, it will consider establishing a body to provide information on Mainland matrimonial laws and referral service to the people of Hong Kong?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Justice
*9. Dr Hon TANG Siu-tong to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the Housing Department ("HD")'s implementation of the scheme on greater private sector involvement in the Housing Authority's estate management and maintenance services, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the names of the housing estates the management services of which have already been transferred, or will be transferred before the end of this year, to private property services companies ("PSCs") and, in respect of each of these housing estates, the names of the companies awarded/to be awarded the service contracts, as well as the service items transferred/to be transferred by the HD;
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| (b) | of the ways in which the HD collects the views of tenants on the performance of PSCs and the views collected so far;
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| (c) | how the effectiveness of this services-outsourcing programme compares to the original estimation in achieving savings in public expenditure;
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| (d) | of the circumstances under which the service contracts of PSCs will be terminated, as well as the mechanism and the procedure for terminating such contracts;
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| (e) | of the division of responsibilities among the Property and Tenancy Service Section, the District Tenancy Management Office and the Estate Management Advisory Committee of the HD in monitoring and assessing the provision of management services by PSCs;
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| (f) | of the remaining duties of the HD's estate offices after estate management services have been outsourced; and
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| (g) | whether the HD is required to pay service fees to private management companies entrusted with the management of shopping centres and/or markets in housing estates, and of the sources of income of such management companies?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Housing
*10. Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)
It was reported that, to facilitate the construction of the Ma On Shan Railway, the Government had closed the cycling park in Tai Wai this February and allocated a piece of land at Ma On Shan to the Sha Tin Sports Association for constructing a new cycling park. However, construction works for the new cycling park had not commenced to date because the Government was considering an application from the contractor of T7 Road who sought to use part of the designated land as the construction site for the road. Recently, due to poor security arrangements at the site of the new cycling park, a number of bicycles stored there were stolen. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it knows the original and the current forecast opening dates of the new cycling park; if the current forecast opening date falls behind the original date, of the reasons for that;
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| (b) | it knows the latest commencement and completion dates of the construction works on the new cycling park;
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| (c) | it plans to approve the application to use the above-mentioned land as a construction site for the road project;
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| (d) | it knows if owners of the bicycle-hiring stalls may receive compensation for delay in the opening of the new cycling park; if they may, of the relevant details; if not, the reasons for that; and
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| (e) | it will deploy more policemen to patrol the site of the new cycling park before the completion of the construction works?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Home Affairs
*11. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask: (Translation)
Under the Frontier Closed Area (Permission to Enter) Notice (Cap. 245 sub. leg.), only "drivers of and through passengers on road vehicles to or from China" may use the Sha Tau Kok Control Point for entering and leaving the territory. Sha Tau Kok residents are not allowed to use that control point for crossing the border unless they are the aforementioned drivers and passengers, and can only use other control points further away from their homes for entering and leaving the territory. This arrangement has caused much inconvenience to Sha Tau Kok residents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it will consider allowing holders of Sha Tau Kok Closed Area Permits to use the Sha Tau Kok Control Point for crossing the border; if so, of the additional amount of public funds that will be incurred each year; if not, the reasons for that; and
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| (b) | it has discussed with the Mainland border security units the feasibility of the arrangement mentioned in (a) above; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Security
*12. Hon LAW Chi-kwong to ask: (Translation)
The Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap. 374, sub. leg.) stipulate that a person driving a motor vehicle during the hours of darkness or in poor visibility conditions shall show lighted lamps at the front and rear of the vehicle; furthermore, where a system of street lights is in operation or in the face of approaching traffic, the lamps lighted at the front of the vehicle shall be dipped. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the number of persons prosecuted for breaching the "dipped headlamp" stipulation; and
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| (b) | the number of traffic accidents which involved non-compliance with the "dipped headlamp" stipulation, and the casualties which resulted from these accidents
in each of the past three years?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Transport
*13. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that since the commissioning of the Hong Kong Central Library in mid-May, there have been complaints about its short daily opening hours, frequent false activation of its burglar alarm system, frequent computer breakdowns, as well as the hubbub of noises and the use of mobile phones in the Library. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council whether they:
| (a) | are aware of the above situations; and
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| (b) | will take any improvement measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Home Affairs
*14. Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)
It was reported that the Hong Kong Sports Development Board ("HKSDB") had spent $16.5 million on building a golf driving range in Shatin, and not until the construction works had been completed was it found that the perimeter fencing of the driving range could not block all golf balls, and additional safety facilities had to be built as a result. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows the cost involved in building the additional safety facilities, as well as the official opening date of the driving range;
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| (b) | whether the HKSDB had consulted the relevant government departments on safety facilities when designing the driving range; if it had, of the details; if not, how the HKSDB ensured that the design would comply with the safety requirements; and
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| (c) | how it supervises the HKSDB's spending on major projects?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Home Affairs
*15. Ir Dr Hon HO Chung-tai to ask: (Translation)
A consultancy firm annually invites overseas employees posted to Asia to take part in a survey to give ratings in respect of air quality, water quality, noise levels and traffic congestion in the areas where they work. It has been reported that according to the survey findings this year, Hong Kong ranks seventh among 12 Asian territories, whereas Singapore and Thailand rank first and sixth respectively. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it knows Hong Kong's ranking in the survey in each of the past three years;
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| (b) | it has examined the reasons for Singapore's topping the list; and
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| (c) | it has reviewed why Hong Kong ranks after Singapore and Thailand, and of the latest plans to improve air quality, water quality, noise levels and traffic congestion in Hong Kong?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for the Environment and Food
*16. Hon David CHU to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council of the occupancy rates of the following categories of stalls and shops, as well as the median per-square-metre rental of such occupied stalls and shops, as at 1 April this year:
| (a) | shops in the shopping arcade of each public rental housing estate ("PRH estate");
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| (b) | market stalls in each PRH estate; and
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| (c) | stalls in each of the markets managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Housing
*17. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask:
It has been reported that the Government is considering a plan to merge the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | details of the plan; and
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| (b) | the impact on insurance companies upon implementation of the plan?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Financial Services
*18. Hon LEUNG Fu-wah to ask: (Translation)
On 24 November 1999, the Legislative Council approved by resolution the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation (Cap. 59, sub. leg.) made by the Commissioner of Labour. The Regulation makes provisions regarding a safety management system for implementation in designated industrial undertakings, but its main provisions have yet to come into effect. Regarding the implementation of the safety management system, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the reasons for not having set a commencement date for the main provisions of the Regulation;
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| (b) | the progress in implementing the safety management system; and
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| (c) | the present position regarding the adoption of the 14 elements of safety management system by the contractors and proprietors of the designated industrial undertakings?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Education and Manpower
*19. Hon LI Fung-ying to ask: (Translation)
On the 5th of this month, two industrial accidents occurred successively in which four workers were suspected to have been struck by lightning, resulting in one death and three injuries. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the deceased's cause of death;
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| (b) | the means it has adopted to remind employers and employees of the industrial safety issues they should pay attention to during thunderstorms, particularly the safety measures when it is necessary to work outdoors; and
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| (c) | the measures the relevant government departments will adopt to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Education and Manpower
*20. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the bearing units of Tsing Ma Bridge were found to have deformed last year and needed replacement. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the specific conditions of the deformed bearing units; and whether the safety of the Bridge has been affected;
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| (b) | whether it has investigated the cause of the deformation; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
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| (c) | of the designed operational life of bridge bearings in general; and whether it is normal for bearing units to deform after having been used for only a few years;
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| (d) | of the costs of replacing the bearing units; and whether the costs were borne by the contractors of the Bridge; and
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| (e) | of the measures in place to step up the supervision of the maintenance and repairs of the Bridge?
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Public Officer to reply
: Secretary for Works
*For written reply.
III. Bills
First Reading
1. Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2001
2. Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Bill 2001
3. Supplementary Appropriation (2000-2001) Bill 2001
4. Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill 2001
Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned) | 1. Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for Transport
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| 2. Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for Housing
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| 3. Supplementary Appropriation (2000-2001) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for the Treasury
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| 4. Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for Health and Welfare
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Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading
| 1. Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for Commerce and Industry
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| 2. Revenue Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for the Treasury
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| 3. Revenue (No.2) Bill 2001 | : | Secretary for the Treasury
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IV. MotionsProposed resolution under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance
Secretary for the Treasury to move the following motion:
RESOLVED that the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance be amended, in Part III of Schedule 1 -
| (a) | in paragraph 1A(a) -
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| (i) | by repealing "30 June 2001" and substituting "31 March 2002";
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| (ii) | by adding "and" at the end;
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| (b) | by repealing paragraph 1A(b) and substituting -
"(b) from 1 April 2002, at $2.89 per litre.";
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| (c) | by repealing paragraph 1A(c).
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V. Members' Motions
1. Preventing and reducing suicide
Hon Michael MAK: (Translation)
That, as the problem of suicide has become serious in Hong Kong in recent years, this Council urges the Government to set up a policy group specially responsible for formulating effective strategies to prevent and reduce suicide.
Amendment to Hon Michael MAK's motion
Hon CHOY So-yuk: (Translation)
To delete "policy group specially responsible" after "this Council urges the Government to set up a" and substitute with "task force"; and to add ", which include: (a) allocating more resources to enhance the counselling services provided by the Social Welfare Department and various social service agencies; (b) enhancing publicity and education in order to instil in members of the public, particularly the young people, the positive values of cherishing their lives; and (c) strengthening various studies on the problem of suicide, such as the causes of suicide, the backgrounds and psychological conditions of the people who committed suicide and the act of copycat suicide, and using them as the basis for formulating the relevant strategies" after "to prevent and reduce suicide".
Public Officer to attend
: Secretary for Health and Welfare
2. Quality of Dongjiang water
Hon Frederick FUNG: (Translation)
That, whilst Dongjiang has become Hong Kong's major source of potable water supply, the pollutant level of the raw water of Dongjiang often exceeds the standards, and that the cost of more than HK$2 billion a year for purchasing Dongjiang water has not been appropriately spent on the construction of sufficient water treatment facilities in the Dongjiang basin, resulting in the quality of the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong not being able to fully meet the standards stipulated in the water supply agreement; at the same time, the current construction of the closed aqueduct, which is being supported by the Hong Kong Government through an interest-free loan of HK$2.3 billion, not only fails to safeguard the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong, but also disrupts the local ecological environment and may pollute the fresh foods supplied to Hong Kong; in view of the above, this Council expresses concern and urges the Government to:
| (a) | strengthen co-operation with the Guangdong Authorities in order to critically assess and announce the extent to which the ecological environment and the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong have been affected by the sharp rise of the pollutant level of the original water supply course and the back-flow of the effluent into Dongjiang caused by the works on the closed aqueduct, and assess the additional resources required to remedy the damage to and the pollution of the local ecological environment and the Dongjang water source;
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| (b) | propose to the Guangdong Authorities that the cost of purchasing Dongjiang water be appropriately spent on the construction of sufficient water treatment facilities in the Dongjiang basin until the water quality fully meets the standards;
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| (c) | ensure that the water quality standards and the legal and economic liabilities where the pollutant level exceeds the standards, are stated clearly in any new water supply agreement between Hong Kong and Guangdong;
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| (d) | strengthen co-operation with the Guangdong Authorities on waterworks, and stipulate more clearly the obligations and rights of each party in policy co-ordination and financial co-operation regarding the distribution of the quantity of water to be supplied, safeguards for water quality and environmental protection;
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| (e) | ensure that any large-scale joint waterworks projects with the Guangdong Authorities in future will be commensurate with the principle of sustainable development, and that extensive public consultation will be conducted before undertaking such projects; and
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| (f) | expeditiously formulate policies on recycling water resources, optimizing the use of local water sources and water conservation, and to conduct studies on alternative water sources.
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Amendments to Hon Frederick FUNG's motion
| (i) | Hon LAU Kong-wah: (Translation)
To add "in the water quality tests conducted in the past, several items pertaining to" after "Hong Kong's major source of potable water supply,"; to delete "often exceeds" after "the pollutant level of the raw water of Dongjiang" and substitute with "had exceeded"; to delete "and that the cost of more than HK$2 billion a year for purchasing Dongjiang water has not been appropriately spent on the construction of sufficient water treatment facilities in the Dongjiang basin, resulting in the quality of the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong not being able to fully meet the standards stipulated in the water supply agreement; at the same time" and substitute with "and, in the long run"; to delete "not only fails to safeguard" after "an interest-free loan of HK$2.3 billion," and substitute with "is also unable to ensure that"; to delete ", but also disrupts the local ecological environment and may pollute the fresh foods supplied to Hong Kong; in view of the above," and substitute with "will not have been contaminated before it is drawn at the Tai Yuen Pumping Stations; this Council therefore considers that the Government should actively strive for the supply of the surface water of the Xingfengjiang Reservoir, which meets the national Class I standard, to Hong Kong; at the same time,"; to delete "expresses concern and" after "this Council"; to add "take the following actions" after "urges the Government to"; to add "(a) expeditiously explore with the Guangdong Authorities the feasibility of supplying to Hong Kong the surface water of the Xingfengjiang Reservoir in He Yuan City which meets the national Class I standard;" after ":"; to delete "(a)" and substitute with "(b)"; to delete "to critically assess and announce the extent to which the ecological environment and the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong have been affected by the sharp rise of the pollutant level of the original water supply course and the back-flow of the effluent into Dongjiang caused by the works on the closed aqueduct, and assess the additional resources required to remedy the damage to and the pollution of the local ecological environment and the Dongjang water source" and substitute with "that, apart from continuing to regularly publish the test results of the water drawn at the intake point of the closed aqueduct, the information on the test items relating to the sediments on the river bed will also be made public, so that Hong Kong people will be further informed of the conditions of the quality of Dongjiang water"; to delete "(b)" and substitute with "(c)"; to delete "(c)" and substitute with "(d)"; to delete "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete "and" after "before undertaking such projects;"; to delete "(f)" and substitute with "(g)"; and to add "; and (h) expeditiously implement the Public Accounts Committee's recommendation, published in its Report No. 33B tabled in this Council in April 2000, that the Administration should, "in line with international best practice, actively consider legislating on the standard of quality of treated water in accordance with the WHO Guidelines, so that consumers are given a statutory undertaking as to the quality of treated water" " after "and to conduct studies on alternative water sources".
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| (ii) | Hon LAW Chi-kwong: (Translation)
To delete "critically assess" after "(a) strengthen co-operation with the Guangdong Authorities in order to" and substitute with "monitor"; to delete "the extent to which the ecological environment and the quality of the water supplied to Hong Kong have been affected by the sharp rise of the pollutant level of the original water supply course and the back-flow of the effluent into Dongjiang caused by" and substitute with "regularly the adverse effects of"; to delete ", and assess the additional resources required to remedy the damage to and the pollution of"; to delete "and the Dongjang water source" and substitute with ", and to formulate appropriate mitigation measures"; to delete "until" after "water treatment facilities in the Dongjiang basin" and substitute with ", and that the enforcement, planning and management work be enhanced, so that"; to add ", as well as introduce more flexible terms" after "the Guangdong Authorities on waterworks"; and to delete "co-operation" after "rights of each party in policy co-ordination and financial" and substitute with "arrangements".
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Public Officer to attend
: Secretary for Works
Clerk to the Legislative Council
