A 02/03-15

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 15 January 2003, Thursday 16 January 2003
and Friday 17 January 2003 at 2:30 pm respectively

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
Ocean Park Bylaw1/2003


Other Papers

1. No.52-Consumer Council Annual Report 2001-2002
(to be presented by Secretary for Economic Development and Labour)

2. No.53-Legal Aid Services Council Annual Report 2001-2002
(to be presented by Chief Secretary for Administration)


II. Questions for Written Replies

1. Hon LAU Ping-cheung to ask: (Translation)

At present, most franchised bus companies implement concessionary Bus-Bus Interchange ("BBI") schemes which offer fare discounts to Octopus card users travelling on designated route packages within specified time limits. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the criteria adopted by these bus companies for selecting the routes involved;

    (b) whether it knows the reasons why these bus companies have only introduced BBI schemes in respect of certain routes but not all the routes serving the same areas (e.g. a BBI scheme of the New World First Bus Services Limited covers Routes 38 and 42 running between the Southern District and other areas but not Routes M590 and 590A which also serve the Southern District), and whether it will ask these bus companies to adopt a common approach whereby all bus routes serving the same areas are to be covered by the same BBI scheme; and

    (c) whether it knows the reasons why these bus companies have not extended BBI schemes to bus routes of all districts, and whether it will ask them to make the relevant arrangements?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

Will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a) the criteria for determining the provision of public facilities such as mains water, footpaths and street lighting to residents in remote areas; and

    (b) the measures in place to ensure that such facilities will not ruin the natural environment and landscape of the rural areas?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

3. Hon Cyd HO to ask: (Translation)

With regard to the video-recording of public processions by the Police, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the criteria adopted by the Police for deciding whether or not to take video records of public processions, and whether uniformed officers or plain-clothes officers should be deployed to do video-recording;

    (b) whether the Police deployed uniformed and plain-clothes officers to take video records of the public procession held on 15 December last year by some organizations against the enactment of laws to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law; if so, of the respective numbers of the two types of police officers deployed;

    (c) if only plain-clothes officers were deployed to do video-recording on that day, whether and how the Police had tried to inform the participants in the procession of the Police's taking video records of them and of the justifications for doing so;

    (d) whether the Police made use of the closed circuit television systems of the Transport Department to monitor the procession on that day and to take shots of the faces of the participants in the procession; and

    (e) how the Administration will dispose of the personal data collected in relation to parts (b) to (d) above, and to ensure that the relevant procedures are in compliance with the data protection principles under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486)?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

4. Hon Martin LEE to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the Consultation Document on the Proposals to Implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the number of submissions received during the consultation period, how they are classified and determined as supporting or opposing the enactment of laws, and when a detailed compendium of the submissions will be published;

    (b) whether it will set out every undertaking made by the officials concerned on various occasions during the consultation period, in respect of the consultation concerning the enactment of laws, interpretation of the provisions and enforcement of the enacted law;

    (c) which legislative proposals it will revise and the reasons for making the revisions; and

    (d) whether it will consult the Central People's Government ("CPG") again on the enactment of laws; if so, whether CPG's advice will be made public?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

5. Hon WONG Sing-chi to ask: (Translation)

Regarding non-local students of various universities, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the respective numbers of non-local undergraduates and non-local postgraduates admitted by each university in the current academic year, as well as their percentages in the respective total numbers of students admitted;

    (b) of the number and percentage of non-local students staying in Hong Kong to take up employment after graduation in each of the past three years;

    (c) of the average amount of public fund granted to each of these non-local students, together with the total amount of such funding, in the current academic year; whether it knows which countries provide similar level of subsidies from public funds to foreign tertiary students; and

    (d) given that some universities have indicated that they will increase the percentage of overseas and Mainland students in their enrolments, how it will ensure that the chance of local students pursuing studies at local universities will not be affected?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

6. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the processing by government departments of civil servants' applications for reinstatement, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the total number of such applications on which government departments consulted the Public Service Commission over the past five years and, among them, the number of those for which the Commission recommended approval;

    (b) whether it knows the basis on which the Commission recommends approval for reinstatement; and

    (c) in respect of the reinstatement cases which were recommended for approval as mentioned in (a) above, of the longest period for which the applicants had been suspended?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

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

Regarding the relationship between economic growth and public finance, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) given that the Government forecast in March last year a 1% annual economic growth rate (in terms of real gross domestic product) for 2002, and subsequently revised the rate to 2% at the end of November last year, of the implications of such revision on the following items of public finance:

    (i) the revenue on recurrent account for the current financial year;

    (ii) the deficit on recurrent account for the current financial year; and

    (iii) the 2002-2006 medium range forecast of public revenue and expenditure; and

    (b) whether it has assessed the impact on economic growth of a 1% reduction (on a cash basis) in the current budget expenditure; if so, of the results of the assessment?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

8. Hon IP Kwok-him to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the children who cross the border to attend schools in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the number of such students and the districts in which their schools are located;

    (b) of the modes of transport used by these students for travelling to and from school; and

    (c) whether the travelling expenses incurred by these students are higher than those incurred by students living in Hong Kong; if that is the case, whether it has accordingly adjusted the level of travel subsidy granted to them; if it has, of the computation formula for the subsidy and the criteria for granting the subsidy; if it has not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

9. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask: It has been reported that a Hong Kong-born Indian girl, who is not a near relative of any Chinese national, was recently naturalized as a Chinese national. It is learnt that such case is quite rare. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a) there has been a change recently in the policy for handling ethnic minorities' applications for naturalization as Chinese nationals; and

    (b) it has estimated the number of persons belonging to the ethnic minorities who are going to apply for naturalization as Chinese nationals in the near future; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

10. Hon Henry WU to ask: (Translation)

Regarding investigations conducted on intermediaries by the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC"), will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
    (a) the types of investigation conducted by SFC other than routine and sampling investigations, as well as the purpose and sampling method of each type of investigation;

    (b) whether SFC has issued to its investigating officers the procedures or guidelines for conducting each type of investigation; if it has, of the details; and whether it has made public or notified the investigation targets of such procedures or guidelines; if it has not made them public or notified the investigation targets, of the reasons for that;

    (c) of the number of such investigations conducted by SFC in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by the types of intermediaries and investigations;

    (d) for cases in which no breaches were found upon completion of the investigation, whether SFC has notified the investigation targets of the completion;

    (i) if it has, of the manner of notification; and among those investigations which were completed within the past three years, of the average, longest and shortest duration taken by SFC from the commencement of investigation to notifying the targets of the completion, together with a breakdown by the types of intermediaries and investigations; and(ii) if not, of the reasons for that, and

    (e) of the number of such investigations completed by SFC in each of the past three years, as well as the number among these investigations in which no breaches were found but SFC has not yet notified the targets of the completion in writing so far?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

11. Hon NG Leung-sing to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that among the batch of 1000-odd "Smith and Wesson Model 10" heavy barrel revolvers bought by the Police a few months ago, some 200 had to be returned to the manufacturer for replacement because cracks had been found in the gun barrels. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a) the Police's gun procurement procedure;

    (b) the number and percentage of guns bought by the Police over the past five years that were returned due to specification-related problems; and

    (c) the procedure followed by the Police in replacing guns that do not meet the specifications and taking relevant follow-up actions?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

12. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the rules and regulations relating to the People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR"), will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a) it knows the disciplinary rules and regulations which members of the Garrison are required to observe, in addition to abiding by national and HKSAR laws, including the rules governing their off-duty attire outside the barracks (e.g. whether they are allowed to wear military uniform);

    (b) other than the relevant provision in the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228), there are other laws as well as any Mainland laws and regulations restricting the wearing or use of the Garrison's military uniform by persons other than members of the Garrison; if so, of the details; and

    (c) the Garrison and its members are required to pay levies to the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund; if so, of the respective numbers of vehicles and personnel in respect of which the Garrison is liable to pay the levies each year since the Reunification, and the total amount of such levies paid?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

On 18 December last year, the derailment of a Light Rail vehicle disrupted services for more than two hours, causing inconveniences to tens of thousands of passengers. Some people suspected that the derailment was caused by the failure of a switching point at a rail crossing, or the excessive erosion of tracks in some sections. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) whether it knows:

    (i) the effective operation rate of switching points at Light Rail crossings in the past three years, and how this rate compares to those in other countries;

    (ii) the frequency and timetable for changing the tracks of all lines since the commissioning of the Light Rail Transit System ("LRT"), and how they compare to the international standard;

    (iii) the number of times for which Light Rail tracks and the relevant mechanical control devices were found to have been eroded over the past three years, and the remedial measures adopted by the authorities concerned; and

    (iv) if the authorities concerned have assessed whether the current overhead Light Rail tracking projects have affected the normal operation of the Light Rail signalling system; if so, of the results of the assessment;

    (b) of the authorities' measures to ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of LRT; and

    (c) how the authorities will improve the contingency traffic arrangements in times of LRT incidents, so as to ensure the timely diversion of the passengers concerned?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

14. Hon CHAN Kwok-keung to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the despatch of Department of Health's mobile dispensaries, floating clinics and flying doctors to provide medical services to residents living on outlying islands and certain remote areas in the rural parts of the territory, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the numbers of vehicles, vessels and helicopters deployed to provide mobile medical services, and their annual operating and maintenance costs;

    (b) of the respective numbers of medical and supporting staff at various ranks for such services and the annual expenditure on their salaries;

    (c) of the annual salary and other expenditures for the relevant supporting staff (such as pilots and crew members) of other government departments involved;

    (d) of the unit cost of mobile medical services and how it compares to that of a general out-patient clinic;

    (e) of the districts in which mobile medical services are provided and the timetables for the services;

    (f) of the total attendance to receive mobile medical services and the average number of persons served in each trip in each district over the past three years;

    (g) whether it knows where the residents in such districts would go to seek medical services at other times; and

    (h) of the criteria for deciding which districts should be provided with mobile medical services; whether it has regularly re-assessed if such services should be maintained in the relevant districts in the light of factors such as demographic changes, the demand for such services, the availability of public transport services and networks, as well as the costs for providing the services in these districts?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

15. Hon Eric LI to ask: (Translation)

In 2001-02, private insolvency practitioners ("PIPs") who provided winding-up services on behalf of the Official Receiver's Office ("ORO") handled 851 cases, while the ORO itself handled 322 cases. Moreover, a consultancy study considers that outsourcing winding-up cases is a cost-effective approach. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a) it has studied why it is more cost-effective for ORO to outsource winding-up cases than to handle them itself; if it has, of the findings; and

    (b) it will consider outsourcing all winding-up cases to PIPs in order to reduce public expenditure?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

16. Hon Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)

The Government announced the objective of developing railways as the backbone of Hong Kong's transport system in "Hong Kong Moving Ahead: A Transport Strategy For The Future", and proposed the provision of six new railway lines in the Railway Development Strategy-2000 ("RDS-2000"). As there have been reports that the Administration is considering delaying the implementation of new railway projects, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a) "developing railways as the backbone of Hong Kong's transport system" still remains the Government's objective; if not, of the reasons for that; and

    (b) various new railway lines will be completed on schedule according to the anticipated timetable in RDS-2000; if so, of the specific completion date of each railway line; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

The Administration informed the Panel on Health Services of this Council in January 2000 that the construction of the North Lantau Hospital was anticipated to be completed by 2007. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the latest progress of the construction and whether it will be completed on schedule; if not, of the reasons for that? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

18. Hon LEUNG Fu-wah to ask: (Translation)

Some driving instructors working in authorized driving schools have complained to me about the authorities' rule that their driving instructors' licences will become invalid once they cease to work for their schools, although they were issued licences by the Transport Department after stringent training and tests. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the tests that the applicants have to pass before they are issued licences to work as driving instructors in driving schools;

    (b) of the number of driving instructors who were newly issued licences, as well as the number of licences rendered invalid by the departure of the holders, in respect of each school in each of the past three years; and

    (c) whether it will review the rule?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

19. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the installation of flashing green countdown displays for vehicles and pedestrians with a view to lowering the number of traffic accidents, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) of the number of traffic accidents involving pedestrians that took place at signalised pedestrian crossings in the past three years, with a breakdown of the number of pedestrian casualties by the causes of accidents;

    (b) of the details of and the costs incurred for the six-month Pedestrian Flashing Green Countdown Display Trial Scheme implemented by the Transport Department last December; and

    (c) whether it will, after drawing reference from the experience gained in places such as the Mainland and Taiwan, consider installing flashing green countdown displays for vehicles, in order to facilitate drivers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

20. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

It is learnt that the number of institutions providing cosmetology courses has increased substantially in recent years. Regarding the number of and the standards of the courses offered by these institutions, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of such institutions; if so, of their current number, and the number of them which were set up in the past two years; if not, whether such statistics will be compiled;

    (b) of the number of complaints about cosmetology courses received by the authorities concerned in the past two years, together with a breakdown by the subject of complaint;

    (c) whether it plans to monitor the standards of cosmetology courses; and

    (d) whether it knows if the Vocational Training Council has plans to introduce skill tests on beauty and skin care techniques for instructors of cosmetology courses; if so, of the progress of the plan and, in order to protect consumers' rights and interests, whether the Government will consider enacting legislation to stipulate that only those who have passed the tests are allowed to teach cosmetology courses?
Public Officer to reply : Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

III. Members' Motions
  1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

    Hon Mrs Selina CHOW to move the motion in Appendix I.


  2. Proposed resolution under the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

    Hon TSANG Yok-sing to move the following motion:


    3. RESOLVED that Rule 13(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to the extent that it provides for a Motion of Thanks to be moved at a meeting not less than 14 days after the Chief Executive has presented a Policy Address to the Council, be suspended to enable a Motion of Thanks to be moved at the Legislative Council meeting of 15 January 2003.

  3. Motion of Thanks

    Hon Mrs Selina CHOW:
    4. (Translation)

    That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address.

    Amendment to Hon Mrs Selina CHOW's motion
    Dr Hon YEUNG Sum:     (Translation)

    To add ", but deeply regrets that the Government has not proposed in the Policy Address the introduction of a white bill on the enactment of legislation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law" after "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address".

    Public Officers to attend are listed in Appendix II
Clerk to the Legislative Council