 |
A 02/03-36
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 9 July 2003 at 2:30 pm
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No.
|
|---|
| 1. | Registration of Persons (Amendment) Regulation 2003 | 165/2003
| | 2. | International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities)(Office of the Commission of the European Communities) Order | 166/2003
| | 3. | Administration of Estates by Consular Officers Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2003 | 167/2003
| | 4. | Consular Conventions (Application of Section 3) Order | 168/2003
| | 5. | Port Control (Public Cargo Working Area) Order 2003 | 169/2003
| | 6. | Telecommunications (Carrier Licences) (Amendment) Regulation 2003 (L.N. 134 of 2003) (Commencement) Notice 2003 | 170/2003
| | 7. | Statutes of the University of Hong Kong (Amendment) (No. 2) Statutes 2003 | 186/2003
|
Other Papers | 1. | No.101 - | J.E. Joseph Trust Fund
Report for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 2. | No.102 - | Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Loan Fund
Report for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 3. | No.103 - | Sir Robert Black Trust Fund
Annual Report for the year 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003
| (to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
| | 4. | No.104 - | Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation Annual Report 2002-2003
| (to be presented by Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology)
| | 5. | No.105 - | Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 40 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits and Supplemental Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 39 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits(July 2003 - P.A.C. Report No. 40)
| (to be presented by Dr Hon Eric LI, Chairman of the Committee, who will address the Council)
| | 6. | Committee on Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Progress Report for the period July 2002 to June 2003
| (to be presented by Hon TSANG Yok-sing, Chairman of the Committee)
| | 7. | Report of the Panel on Transport 2002/2003
| (to be presented by Hon Miriam LAU, Chairman of the Panel, who will address the Council)
| | 8. | Report of the Panel on Financial Affairs 2002/2003
| (to be presented by Hon Ambrose LAU, Chairman of the Panel, who will address the Council)
| | 9. | Report of the Panel on Economic Services 2002/2003
| (to be presented by Hon James TIEN, Chairman of the Panel, who will address the Council)
| | 10. | Report of the Bills Committee on Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2002
| (to be presented by Hon SIN Chung-kai, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
| | 11. | Report of the Bills Committee on Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2003
| (to be presented by Hon Mrs Selina CHOW, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
| | 12. | Report of the Bills Committee on Prevention of Child Pornography Bill
| | (to be presented by Hon Andrew CHENG, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
|
II. Questions
1. Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah to ask: (Translation)
In early May this year, the Government invited two Chinese medicine experts from Guangdong Province to Hong Kong to examine if the method which integrates Chinese and western medicine ("the integrated method") is more effective than the method which uses western medicine alone ("the WM method") in the treatment of patients suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ("SARS"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | how SARS patients treated with the integrated method compare to those treated with the WM method in terms of length of stay in hospital, mortality rate, relapse rate and lung function;
| | (b) | how the medication cost of the integrated method compares to that of the WM method; and
| | (c) | as the mortality rate of SARS patients in Hong Kong has been the highest in the world, whether the authorities have assessed if such a high mortality rate is related to treatment methods and medication or some other reasons?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
2. Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the assessment of academic qualifications obtained in the Mainland, will the Government:
| (a) | list the respective numbers of qualifications assessments conducted by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation ("HKCAA") on bachelor's degrees obtained in the Mainland by residents of Hong Kong, the Mainland and other regions, in each of the past three years; and inform this Council of the number and percentage of cases in which the relevant qualifications were assessed and recognized as equivalent to local bachelor's degrees, and the names of the Mainland universities concerned;
| | (b) | list the respective numbers of Mainland professionals and talents admitted to Hong Kong in each of the past three years, broken down by the Mainland universities which conferred the bachelor's degrees on them; and inform this Council of the details of whether HKCAA's assessment of the qualifications of each applicant; and
| | (c) | inform this Council whether it has drawn up a specific and clear policy on recognized qualifications obtained in the Mainland and will publish a list of recognized Mainland universities with their relevant programmes; if it has, of the relevant details; it not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower
3. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that the fire resistance specifications for smoke doors in public housing blocks were amended in 1996. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the current fire resistance specifications for smoke doors in public housing blocks;
| | (b) | in respect of the public housing blocks which were completed in or before 1996, the number of smoke doors which do not conform to the current fire resistance specifications and the fire resistance capability of these smoke doors, broken down by housing estate and court; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities will consider replacing the public housing blocks smoke doors which do not conform to the current fire resistance specifications; if so, when they will be replaced; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands
4. Dr Hon LAW Chi-kwong to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the financial situation of the Hospital Authority ("HA"), will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it has assessed the financial implications on HA brought about by the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; if so, of the assessment results;
| | (b) | given HA's decision last month to defer the departure dates of the health care personnel who would depart under the Voluntary Early Retirement Programme, of the impact of HA's decision on its financial situation, and whether the authorities will ask HA to review if its manpower requirement has changed after the epidemic, so as to ensure that there is sufficient health care personnel to provide the necessary services; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities will review the amount of funding allocated to HA and exempt HA from implementing the efficiency saving programme and having to cut its operating expenditures, or will make adjustments to the relevant targets?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
5. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that some women engage in prostitution in sublet rooms of single-block private flats, causing great nuisance to other residents in the same flat. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the current number of sublet rooms that are being used as vice establishments, as estimated by the Police, together with a breakdown by police districts;
| | (b) | the number of complaints about nuisances caused to other residents received in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by police districts; and
| | (c) | the measures in place to prevent residents from being
disturbed?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
6. Hon SZETO Wah to ask: (Translation)
In the 2000 Policy Address, the Chief Executive set the target of letting 60% of Hong Kong's senior secondary school leavers receive tertiary education within ten years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the projected numbers of post-secondary places in University Grants Committee-funded and self-financing programmes respectively, their percentage changes in the total number of places as well as students' enrolment in such programmes in each of the ten years mentioned above; and of the percentage changes in the government funding involved in the same period;
| | (b) | of the names of education providers funded by the Start-up Loan for Post-secondary Education Providers, the amount requested by and granted to the education provider in each loan application, the courses involved, the number of courses broken down by education level, and the estimated and ultimate number of places provided; and
| | (c) | given that, except for the three types of programmes specified by the authorities, other Associate Degree programmes will run on a self-financing basis, of the results of the authorities' assessment of the impact of the change on students' affordability, the quality of courses, and the competition between universities (including schools of continuing education and institutions offering external programmes) and non-university education providers in the market? |
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower
*7. Hon HUI Cheung-ching to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the initial design work of the Yamen to Gongbei section of the Guangdong West Coast Expressway, a project of "The Tenth Five-year Highway Construction Plan of Guangdong Province", is underway expeditiously, and that the construction of this section will commence soon. After completion of the section concerned, it will be quicker and more convenient to travel between the western part of the Guangdong Province and Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Moreover, the report on the preliminary feasibility study of the bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai has been endorsed by the Central Government. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it has learnt from the Guangdong Provincial Government about the details of the above highway project and assessed the impact of the highway on Hong Kong in attracting freight and passenger transport from the western part of the Guangdong Province; and
| | (b) | whether it knows the progress of the study on the construction of the above bridge, including site search, design and environmental impact assessment etc.? |
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
*8. Hon Ambrose LAU to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council of the details of:
| (a) | the work of the Government's overseas offices relating to Hong Kong's efforts in combating atypical pneumonia during its outbreak; and
| | (b) | the post-epidemic follow-up work, including publicity and trade promotion, being and to be undertaken by the above offices?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*9. Hon IP Kwok-him to ask: (Translation)
Some members of the public have reflected to me that many locations in Yuen Long are still not covered by mobile phone networks, which has caused them much inconvenience. Some have also complained that at some locations where the mobile phone network signals from the Mainland are stronger than those of the local networks, their local mobile phone calls are automatically switched to the Mainland networks without their knowledge, resulting in their local phone calls being charged at roaming service rates, which are higher than those for the local service. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of a breakdown by districts of the number of complaints about mobile phone networks coverage received last year by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") and the follow-up actions taken in each complaint;
| | (b) | given that some mobile phone networks operators are reluctant to invest in facilities to improve the network coverage in remote areas due to commercial considerations, whether it has taken measures to encourage such investment; if it has, of the details of such measures; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | of the details of the regular reviews between OFTA and the Guangdong and Shenzhen authorities on the faulty roaming of mobile phone signals as well as the timetable for implementing the improvement measures?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*10. Hon NG Leung-sing to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it has conducted any investigation and survey in respect of members of the public who suffer from mental health problems due to unemployment; if it has, of the investigation results; and the number, age, sex, former occupation and duration of unemployment etc. of those persons who committed suicide in the past year due to the above problems; and
| | (b) | of the measures in place to provide mental health counselling for people with such problems and assistance targeted at helping them find employment?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*11. Dr Hon TANG Siu-tong to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the health care workers who have been infected with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ("SARS") and speciality training in infectious diseases provided in the public health and medical care system, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | as the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the World Health Organization jointly conducted an investigation in April this year on the conditions of 26 health care workers who had contracted SARS in order to identify the causes of their infection, whether the authorities plan to invite these organizations to conduct a similar investigation on other health care workers who have also contracted SARS, or to conduct an investigation on its own, so as to find out the causes of their infection; and
| | (b) | of the number of infected health care workers who have been confirmed or are suspected to have contracted SARS in the intensive care units ("ICUs") so far; and how many of them have undergone training on working in ICUs?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*12. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
Regarding directorate officers in the civil service, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the respective figures on the establishment and strength of directorate officers in the administrative, professional and other grades in each of the past three years; how the respective numbers compare to those of the preceding year and their percentages in the establishment and strength of the entire civil service of the respective years; and
| | (b) | whether it has formulated measures to reduce the number of directorate officers; if it has, of the details of these measures; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service
*13. Hon Cyd HO to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that although bachelor's degree courses in Chinese medicine are being offered by three local universities, no internship training opportunities in the hospitals of the Hospital Authority ("HA") are provided to Chinese medicine students. As a result, students studying Chinese medicine at these universities have to go to Chinese medical institutes in the Mainland for internship training. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it plans to provide internship training for Chinese medicine students in the HA hospitals; if so, of the implementation time; if not, of the impact of the non-provision of such training in Hong Kong on the development of local Chinese medicine;
| | (b) | it pays any emolument to students undergoing internship training in the Mainland Chinese medical institutes; if so, of the amount and how this amount compares to that payable to medical school students on internship training in local hospitals; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | it has included care in Chinese medicine in the existing health care training courses to cater for the need in the current development of Chinese medicine; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*14. Hon Henry WU to ask: (Translation)
Following the submission of its report in March this year, the Expert Group to Review the Operation of the Securities and Futures Market Regulatory Structure ("the Expert Group") appointed by the Financial Secretary ("FS") in October last year was disbanded. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the total number of meetings held by the Expert Group and details of each meeting, including the date of meeting, starting and ending time, attendance list and items discussed, and whether the minutes of the meetings will be made public; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (b) | the details of each of the meetings (including informal ones) between the Expert Group and FS or other Government officials, including the date, starting and ending time, attendance list and items discussed, and whether the records of such meetings will be made public; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | the details of the direct and indirect expenditure involving the Expert Group, including the public expenditure on air tickets, food and accommodation, the indirect costs calculated on the basis of man-hours and remuneration of each supporting staff who worked for the Expert Group, and the additional rental and sundry expenses?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
*15. Hon LEUNG Fu-wah to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the Housing Department has set up a Labour Registration Information System for the staff of its building services contractors to monitor their service quality. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the details of the operation method of the above System;
| | (b) | the types of trades covered by the System; and
| | (c) | the number of warning letters issued and workers' permits of the contractors' staff permanently recalled by the authorities since the System was set up?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands
*16. Hon Michael MAK to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the medical supplies donated by the Central People's Government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to help Hong Kong fight Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the details of the relevant discussions held between the Administration and the Mainland authorities before the delivery of the medical supplies;
| | (b) | the categorized quantities and the details of the allocation of these supplies, as well as their respective daily consumption; and
| | (c) | whether there are any surplus stocks; if so, how they will be disposed of?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*17. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that the land lease of Galaxia at Diamond Hill requires the construction of a public bus terminal, a public toilet and Exit C of the MTR Diamond Hill Station by the developer at the ground level of the development project, while the Deed of Mutual Covenant of the project stipulates that the land interest for such facilities is vested in the Government, but other property owners of the development project are required to share the responsibility for maintaining such facilities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the Government's policy on matters relating to the terms of land leases which require developers to develop public facilities, and the changes to the policy over the past ten years;
| | (b) | of the justifications for requiring other property owners of the above project to shoulder the maintenance responsibility for public facilities owned by the Government, and of the occupied residential projects and those that are being constructed in the territory to which similar terms of land leases are applicable; and
| | (c) | as the owners have neither the land title and management right of these public facilities, nor the right to approve the maintenance expenses of the facilities in advance, whether the Government will consider assuming the maintenance responsibility; if not, of the justifications for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands
*18. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)
Recently, many members of the public have reflected to me that the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited ("HSBC") has closed down many of its branches in various districts in Hong Kong, causing great inconvenience to its customers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it is aware of the number of HSBC branches closed down in various districts over the past five years;
| | (b) | whether the closure of HSBC branches has any impact on the elderly recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments;
| | (c) | whether the Government has adopted measures to regulate the number of branches to be closed down by banks; if so, of the details; and
| | (d) | how the Government ensures that the public can enjoy reasonable banking services in all districts?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
*19. Hon SIN Chung-kai to ask: (Translation)
"2001 Digital 21 Strategy: Hong Kong Connecting the World" was launched in May 2001, and the target completion dates of most of the tasks were scheduled by or before the end of this year. It is learnt that other countries and regions have also launched their medium-to-long-term blueprints for the development of information technology ("IT"), such as the "e-Taiwan Plan" of Taiwan, the "e-Korea Vision 2006" of South Korea and the "Connected Singapore" of Singapore. These plans are scheduled for completion in around 2006 or 2007. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it will review the effectiveness of the implementation of the IT strategies; if so, of the timetable of and the criteria for the review;
| | (b) | whether it will launch new medium-to-long-term IT strategies and consult the public and the IT sector when drawing up these strategies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | as other countries and regions are actively implementing their IT strategies and are striving to position themselves as leaders in the strategies concerned, what policies and measures the authorities have to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness in IT, so as to accomplish the long-term vision, set by the Chief Executive in 1997, of Hong Kong becoming "a leader and not a follower in the information world of tomorrow"?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*20. Hon Emily LAU to ask:
The acquisition of the holding company of the Citybus Limited by the major shareholder of the holding company of the New World First Bus Services Limited last month has caused public concern that the move is paving the way for monopolizing the franchised bus services on Hong Kong Island. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council whether:
| (a) | they have assessed if the acquisition has violated the principle of fair competition as set out in the Government's Statement on Competition Policy promulgated in May 1998; if the assessment result is in the negative, of the justifications for that;
| | (b) | they will reconsider introducing a comprehensive competition law, or at least, adopting a sector-specific approach, in order to introduce an approval process for mergers and acquisitions in the franchised public transport sector;
| | (c) | they will conduct a study to examine the pros and cons of the acquisition in the light of public interests; if so, of the details of such a study; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (d) | they have the legal authority to set up mechanisms similar to those governing the broadcasting and telecommunications industries, for the purpose of curbing anti-competitive behaviour or abuse of dominant positions in the public transport sector; if so, of the details of such authority and mechanisms; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
*For written reply.
III. Bills
First Reading
Revenue (No. 3) Bill 2003
Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned) | Revenue (No. 3) Bill 2003 | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
|
Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading | 1. Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2002 | : | Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
| | 2. Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2003 | : | Secretary for Home Affairs
| | 3. Prevention of Child Pornography Bill | : | Secretary for Security
|
IV. Motions
- Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Secretary for Home Affairs to move the following motion:
RESOLVED that the Village Representative (Election Petition) Rules, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 151 of 2003 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 11 June 2003, be amended in section 5(4) by adding "and in a conspicuous place on or near the outer door of the building in which the office of the Rural Committee is situated" after "Ordinance".
- Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Secretary for Constitutional Affairs to move the motion to amend the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (District Councils) (Amendment) Regulation 2003, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 125 of 2003 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 21 May 2003.
(Contents of the motion are contained in the paper issued on 3 July 2003 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 843/02-03) Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Hon Andrew WONG to move the following motion:
RESOLVED that the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (District Councils) (Amendment) Regulation 2003, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 125 of 2003 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 21 May 2003, be repealed.
V. Members' Motions
- Mainland/Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
Hon CHAN Kam-lam: (Translation)
That, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Central Government have signed the "Mainland/Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement", which provides market development opportunities for Hong Kong's manufacturing and service industries, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously formulate relevant measures, such as streamlining various licensing procedures and enhancing intellectual property protection, in order to improve the business environment and attract more enterprises to invest in Hong Kong; this Council also urges the Government to expand its support network in the Mainland for Hong Kong enterprises and assist Hong Kong businessmen in strengthening their promotion and publicity efforts in Mainland cities, so as to enable Hong Kong enterprises to make full use of the business opportunities brought about by the above Arrangement, thereby creating more employment opportunities and improving the economy.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
- Accountability system for principal officials
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum: (Translation)
That this Council considers that the accountability system for principal officials introduced by the Chief Executive, Mr TUNG Chee-hwa, is neither democratic nor accountable, and is a failed system.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional Affairs
Clerk to the Legislative Council
|
|
|
|