 |
A 02/03-5
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 30 October 2002 at 2:30 pm
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No.
|
|---|
| 1. | Karaoke Establishments (Licensing) Regulation | 153/2002
| | 2. | Karaoke Establishments (Fees) Regulation | 154/2002
| | 3. | Aviation Security Ordinance (Replacement of Schedule 1) Order 2002 | 155/2002
| | 4. | Shipping and Port Control (Amendment) Regulation 2002 (L.N. 117 of 2002) (Commencement) Notice 2002 | 156/2002
| | 5. | Patents (General) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2002 | 157/2002
|
Other Papers | 1. No.11 | - | Environment and Conservation FundTrustee Report 2001-2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works)
| | 2. No.12 | - | Audited Statement of Accounts and Auditor's Report for the Fish Marketing Organization for the year ended 31 March 2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 3. No.13 | - | Audited Statement of Accounts and Auditor's Report for the Vegetable Marketing Organization for the year ended 31 March 2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 4. No.14 | - | Marine Fish Scholarship Fund Trustee's Report for the period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, and Audited Statement of Accounts and Auditor's Report for the Fund for the year ended 31 March 2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 5. No.15 | - | Agricultural Products Scholarship Fund Trustee's Report for the period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, and Audited Statement of Accounts and Auditor's Report for the Fund for the year ended 31 March 2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)
| | 6. No.16 | - | Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Report of the Board of Trustees for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002
| (to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
| | 7. No.17 | - | Ocean Park Corporation Annual Report 2001-2002
| (to be presented by Hon Henry WU, who will address the Council)
| | 8. No.18 | - | Hongkong Post Annual Report 2001/02
| | (to be presented by Secretary for Economic Development and Labour)
|
II. Questions
1. Hon Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)
As a major tourist spot in Hong Kong, Stanley attracts many local and foreign visitors for sightseeing and shopping. However, the roads leading to Stanley and the roads in the district are narrow, resulting in heavy traffic congestion on public holidays. To cater for tourism development in Stanley, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has any specific road infrastructure programmes as well as long and short-term traffic measures to improve the traffic in Stanley and the traffic to and from the district; and
| | (b) | it has any plan to construct piers in the district for promoting sea excursion tours so as to reduce the traffic flow on land; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Secretary for Economic Development and Labour
|
2. Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the United Nations has warned that two in three persons in the world would face water shortage by the year 2025 if the world continued to consume water at the current rate. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has assessed the wastage of potable water by Hong Kong people every year; if so, of the quantity of water wasted and its value based on the unit price of water supply;
| | (b) | it has any plan to encourage water saving by the public; if so, of the details and whether it will offer financial incentives as an encouragement; and
| | (c) | it has any plan to implement waste water recycling; if so, of the implementation timetable?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
3. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask: (Translation)
Regarding healthy diet for pupils, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | in view of the decision made by the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District in the United States at the end of August this year to extend the prohibition of the sale of soft drinks in primary schools to secondary schools within the same school district in order to prevent obesity in children, whether it has examined implementing such measure in all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong; if so, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (b) | of the extent of observance and effectiveness of the stipulation that tuckshops in schools should not sell items of cooked food which may easily be contaminated, e.g. fish meat balls, rice rolls and rice dumplings, as stated in Guidelines on Meal Arrangements in Schools issued to schools by the Education Department in May this year; and
| | (c) | of any other measures to enhance pupils' awareness of a healthy diet? |
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
4. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask:
Regarding the Government's efforts against persons who take up employment in Hong Kong illegally, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of illegal workers arrested at construction sites last year; and
| | (b) | whether it will consider introducing amendments to the Immigration Ordinance to impose heavier penalties for breaching conditions of stay and remaining in Hong Kong without permission; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
5. Dr Hon LO Wing-lok to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the Hospital Authority is planning to levy a charge for Accident and Emergency services at public hospitals at a rate of $100, starting from the end of this year. In this regard, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
| (a) | the Authority's purposes of introducing the charge, and whether the Authority has evidence to show that the charge can achieve such purposes;
| | (b) | how HA will assess the effectiveness of the charge in order to ascertain if the intended purposes have been achieved; and
| | (c) | the categories of persons who are exempted from the charge and the criteria for determining their eligibility?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
6. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the fare arrangements for franchised bus routes served by a mix of air-conditioned ("A/C") and non-A/C buses, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the factors for determining the differences in full journey fares between A/C and non-A/C buses plying the same routes;
| | (b) | of the average, maximum and minimum percentage points by which the fares of A/C buses are higher than those of non-A/C buses plying the same routes; and
| | (c) | whether it will request various bus companies to undertake a comprehensive review on whether there is room for downward adjustment of A/C bus fares; if it will not, of the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
*7. Hon Michael MAK to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the scheme for the Hospital Authority ("HA") to take over all the general out-patient clinics of the Department of Health, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the financial and staffing implications of the take-over scheme on HA, and whether the scheme will lead to the implementation of further enhanced productivity programmes by HA;
| | (b) | of the details of the conditions of service to be offered to the clinic staff who opt to take up HA's employment; how the authorities concerned will ensure that these staff will all be employed by HA with salaries and fringe benefits no less favourable than the existing level; and
| | (c) | whether it will introduce voluntary retirement scheme or early retirement scheme for those clinic staff who are not offered employment by HA; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*8. Dr Hon David CHU to ask: (Translation)
The Financial Secretary raised the idea of promoting the development of the local community economy when presenting the Budget for the current financial year. Thereafter, the government departments concerned launched various projects throughout the 18 districts in the territory for promoting such development, and the first project launched to this end is the restoration of the former "Poor Man's Nightclub" in Sheung Wan. However, not only was the opening of the project delayed, but the facilities therein were also the subject of complaints from the stall holders. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the reasons for the delay in the opening of this project, and whether it was attributable to the fact that approvals from a dozen government departments were required for the project; and
| | (b) | the measures to prevent the recurrence of the problems encountered in launching the above project, so as to ensure that other projects for promoting the development of the local community economy will be implemented smoothly?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs
*9. Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask: (Translation)
As there has been a decreasing trend in the number of school-age children in recent years, some schools have to reduce their classes due to insufficient intakes, resulting in a surplus of permanent teachers in the establishment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the respective numbers of government and subvented primary and secondary schools and special schools whose classes were reduced resulting in a surplus of teachers in each of the past three school years, together with the numbers of these schools by school districts;
| | (b) | of the respective numbers of surplus primary school teachers who were provided with vocational counselling by the Education Department in each of the past three school years, with a breakdown by the subjects they used to teach and their years of service at the time they became surplus teachers;
| | (c) | of the following figures, based on the latest population projections in various districts, in each of the next three school years in every school district:
| | (i) | the numbers of students in each grade from Primary One to Secondary Seven;
| | (ii) | the estimated numbers of classes to be reduced and surplus teachers; and
| | (iii) | the number of government and subvented primary and secondary schools and special schools affected; and
| | (d) | whether it has assessed if the problem of surplus teachers will aggravate; if it will, of the measures to provide proper and equitable arrangements for the employment of the surplus teachers?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower
*10. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
In view of the economic downturn, weak consumer sentiment of the public and the operational difficulties experienced by tenants of public markets, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it will implement measures to reduce the operating costs of the public market stall tenants when the rent-freeze period for public markets expires at the end of this year, thereby reducing people's daily expenses; if it will, of the details;
| | (b) | whether it will lower the rentals of public market stalls, in particular those for commercial premises and stalls in old markets; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | of the measures in place to improve the operating environment of public markets?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*11. Hon Ambrose LAU to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the Immigration Department has contracted out the crowd control work at the boundary control points at Hung Hom, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok to a private security company in early October this year in order to release resources for setting up additional immigration counters. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the numbers of security guards of the contractor deployed to each of the boundary control points;
| | (b) | of the amount of money saved per year through the above contracting-out arrangements, and how the savings will be deployed; and
| | (c) | since the security guards of the contractor are not government officers and do not have law enforcement powers, whether the authorities have assessed if the contracting-out arrangements will undermine the quality of crowd control service or incur enforcement problems; if they have, of the outcome?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
*12. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that the Government has offered concessionary rent-free periods to companies leasing offices at the Cyberport. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the total number of tenants at the Cyberport who have been offered concessionary rent-free periods, as well as the average duration of the rent-free periods, the total floor area and the total amount of exempted rents involved; and
| | (b) | whether it is an established practice for the Government to offer rent-free periods to private companies that lease government property; if so, of the rationale for such a practice; if not, the criteria adopted and considerations involved in exceptionally offering rent-free periods to tenants at the Cyberport?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*13. Hon SIN Chung-kai to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the service contracts of government information technology ("IT") projects, including outsourcing contracts, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the statistics on the service contracts outsourced to local small and medium enterprises in each of the past three years, including the number of contracts, the contract sums and the ratio of contracts outsourced to foreign companies in Hong Kong;
| | (b) | (i) | of the average percentage of the manufacturing processes performed outside Hong Kong (including the Mainland) among all the manufacturing processes stipulated in the service contracts concerned in each of the past three years;
| | (ii) | whether it will consider stipulating the ratio of the manufacturing processes to be performed outside Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (iii) | whether it has formulated measures to ensure that the bulk of the manufacturing processes stipulated in the service contracts are performed in Hong Kong, so as to improve the employment situation of the local IT industry and ensure that local IT companies can truly benefit from the government expenditure on IT projects; and
| | (c) | whether it has stipulated entry requirements for employees of service contractors, such as requiring that some positions in the contracts can only be filled by degree holders and not by non-degree (such as higher diploma) holders, even if the latter have received relevant professional training in post-secondary institutions and have had many years of relevant working experience; if so, of the details of such entry requirements and the reasons for stipulating such requirements; and whether it has considered if the stipulation will deprive non-degree holders of employment opportunities?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*14. Hon NG Leung-sing to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the lawsuit filed some time ago by a mobile phone user against his mobile phone service provider for collecting tunnel surcharge from him, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it knows the criteria adopted by mobile phone service providers for determining tunnel surcharges; if it does, of the details; and
| | (b) | there is any mechanism in place to regulate the tunnel surcharge to ensure that the form of collection and the amount of fee charged are fair and reasonable to mobile phone users; if there is, of the details?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*15. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)
Regarding applications by Hong Kong people's spouses in the Mainland for One-way Exit Permits ("OEPs") for settlement in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows which authority in the Mainland is responsible for the standardized handling and assessment of applications for OEPs submitted via the Exit and Entry Administration Department of the Public Security Bureau in various cities or counties;
| | (b) | whether it is able to approach the relevant authority in the Mainland to enquire about the nation-wide number of applications for OEPs on grounds of reunion with spouses that are waiting for vetting and approval; if it is able to do so, whether it has made the enquiry and the number obtained; if the number may not be published, the reasons for it; if it is unable to make enquiries with the relevant authority, the reasons for it; and
| | (c) | among holders of OEPs who entered Hong Kong in 2000, 2001 or the first six months this year for reunion with their spouses, of the respective numbers who had been married for a period of "less than five years" or "five to less than ten years" when they arrived?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
*16. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)
At present, artistic works and sculptures are displayed at public places, such as the Airport, roadsides and parks, for landscaping purposes. In connection with the selection and purchase of artistic works, as well as the promotion of local artistic creation, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the information pertaining to the artistic works purchased in each of the past five years for display at public places, including their quantities, costs and places of origin;
| | (b) | whether it has concrete plans to display more works of local artists in public places; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | of the measures and policies adopted for promoting local artistic creation and public support for such creation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? |
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs
*17. Hon CHAN Yuen-han to ask: (Translation)
I have learnt that an elderly tenant of the hostel-type Housing for Senior Citizens ("HSC") provided by the Housing Authority ("HA"), whose memory was deteriorating with age, had failed to turn up at the office of the Social Security Field Unit ("SSFU") at the specified time to complete the formalities required for continuous release of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") payments, thus resulting in the SSFU concerned withholding his/her CSSA payments for a period of time. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it has measures to improve the existing service to prevent recurrence of similar incidents; if so, of the details;
| | (b) | whether the health condition of elderly tenants of HSC flats is kept in view by any government department or non-governmental organization; if so, of the responsible department or organization; if not, whether resources will be allocated for the provision of such service; and
| | (c) | of the duties of wardens of hostel-type HSC?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
*18. Ir Dr Hon HO Chung-tai to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has assessed, in the past three years, the effectiveness of using Chinese as the medium of instruction ("mother-tongue education"); if so, of the criteria for assessment and the results thereof;
| | (b) | the Chinese language proficiency of those students who study in schools offering mother-tongue education has improved as a result of receiving mother-tongue education; and
| | (c) | apart from English language classes, other means of learning English are provided by schools offering mother-tongue education?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower
*19. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)
When the Administration announced the Cyberport project in 1999, it claimed that the project aimed to create a cluster of leading information technology and information services companies in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
| (a) | whether the current tenancy position of the Cyberport offices meets the Administration's anticipated occupancy rate;
| | (b) | of the name of each prospective tenant; whether the offices of these tenants are newly set up in Hong Kong or merely relocated from other parts of Hong Kong;
| | (c) | whether the level of rents of the Cyberport offices is lower than that of the offices of comparable quality in private commercial buildings; if so, whether the unfavourable tenancy position of the Cyberport offices is the reason for the Administration's setting low rents to attract tenants; whether they have assessed if such a measure will result in competition for profits with the private sector and deal a blow to the rental market of private commercial offices; and
| | (d) | whether, having regard to the tenancy position of the Cyberport, they have assessed if the project has achieved its intended objective, and is attractive to the companies concerned; if an assessment has been made, of the outcome?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
*20. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask:
It was reported that, owing to leakage in the ceiling, the Transport Department ("TD") had closed off 37 parking spaces in a government car park in Central since February this year. The Architectural Services Department ("ASD") had commissioned a consultancy study on how to carry out the maintenance works and was planning to carry out the waterproofing works in January next year. Subsequent to media reports, TD had stated that interim remedial measures would be taken with a view to reopening the parking spaces as early as possible. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | based on the hourly parking fees charged by the car park, of the annual income to be generated by the 37 parking spaces and the income foregone as a result of the closure;
| | (b) | whether ASD's commissioning an outside consultant is due to its lack of resources and capability;
| | (c) | of the fees charged by the consultant, the time it has spent on the study and its findings; and
| | (d) | whether TD had, before the media reports, considered taking any interim measures; if so, of its conclusion; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
*For written reply.
III. Members' Motions
- Transport needs of people with disabilities
Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung: (Translation)
That, as existing public transport services are unable to meet the needs of people with disabilities for integrating into society and for travelling to work and to seek medical treatment, etc., this Council demands that the Government:(a) urge various public transport operators to offer half fare concessions to people with disabilities;(b) press various public transport operators to improve their facilities so as to reduce barriers to people with disabilities; and(c) improve the Rehabus service.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
- Developing renewable energy resources
Dr Hon LAW Chi-kwong: (Translation)
That, with the signing of the Kyoto Protocol and the international agreements reached at the Earth Summit by China, Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, has the responsibility to implement the commitments in these agreements, particularly the use of renewable energy resources and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; to this end, the Government should expeditiously formulate and implement the policy on renewable energy development so as to achieve the objectives in energy resources, environmental protection and economic aspects; the implementation of strategies for renewable energy resources should include:(a) increasing the use of renewable energy resources and setting a practicable target in this regard;(b) formulating corresponding legislation and administrative framework to facilitate the research and development and application of renewable energy resources;(c) providing support and incentives to promote the scientific and technological research and market development of renewable energy resources;(d) incorporating the policy on renewable energy resources into town planning and urban development strategies and making it one of the key factors to be taken into account;(e) collaborating actively with the Pearl River Delta authorities and the Guangdong Provincial Government in studying the feasibility of developing and introducing renewable energy resources; and(f) promoting education, professional training and publicity, with a view to enhancing the public's understanding of renewable energy resources and their application skills.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Clerk to the Legislative Council
|
|
|
|