A 04/05-23

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 6 April 2005 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments		L.N. No.
1.	Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Replacement of Fourth Schedule) Order 2005	36/2005
2.	Eastern Harbour Crossing Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Notice 2005	37/2005
3.	Swimming Pools (Amendment) Regulation 2005	39/2005
4.	Designation of Libraries Order 2005	40/2005
5.	Air Navigation (Flight Prohibition) Order (Commencement) Notice 2005	41/2005
6.	Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Ordinance 2002 (Commencement) Notice 2005	42/2005
7.	Shipping and Port Control (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2000 (Commencement) Notice 2005	43/2005
8.	Tax Reserve Certificates (Rate of Interest) (No. 2) Notice 2005	44/2005

Other Papers

1. No.76	-	Audited Statement of Accounts of the Quality Education Fund together with the Director of Audit's Report for the year ended 31 August 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Education and Manpower)
2. No.77	-	Hong Kong Tourism Board 2003/2004 Annual Report
(to be presented by Secretary for Economic Development and Labour)
3. No.78	-	Audited Financial Statements and Report on Activities of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority for the year ending 31 August 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Education and Manpower)
4. No.79	-	Report of changes to the approved Estimates of Expenditure approved during the third quarter of 2004-05 (Public Finance Ordinance : Section 8)
(to be presented by Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)
5. No.80	-	Summary and Revenue Analysis by Head, General Revenue Account, Estimates for the year ending 31 March 2006
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)
6. Report of the Bills Committee on Vocational Training Council (Amendment) Bill 2004
(to be presented by Ir Dr Hon HO Chung-tai, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

II. Questions

1. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

In response to my question at the Council meeting on 19 November 2003, the Secretary for Security stated that under the revised policy introduced on 1 July 2003, dependants of persons granted entry into Hong Kong had to apply for permission from the Director of Immigration before they could themselves take up employment in Hong Kong. The Secretary also pointed out that this policy was in line with practices adopted in many developed economies, including Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States of America, whereby dependants in similar circumstances required permission for taking up employment. However, it has been reported recently that Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden give spouses of expatriate workers the automatic right to seek employment, while the United States of America grants work permits to spouses of certain categories of people, notably managers or executives of multinational firms. It has also been reported that the results of a survey show that restriction on a spouse's right to work is now the principal reason for employees to refuse an overseas posting. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the number of arrivals in 2004 who are the spouses of persons granted entry into Hong Kong to take up employment and, among them, the number of those who have been given permission to take up paid employment in Hong Kong, broken down by gender;
(b)	whether Invest Hong Kong has evaluated the impact of the above government policy on the ability of firms in Hong Kong to attract and retain talents from abroad and, if so, of the evaluation results; and
(c)	whether the Administration will consider revising the relevant policy in order to bring it into line with the existing practices adopted in Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

2. Hon LEE Cheuk-yan to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("the Covenant") through the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR"), will the Government inform this Council:

(a)

given that, in response to the issues presented by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("the UN Committee") in May last year, the HKSAR Government stated in September last year that almost all Covenant provisions had been provided for in Hong Kong statutory law, of the Covenant provisions which have not yet been provided for in the laws of Hong Kong and the reasons for that; whether legislation will be enacted to provide for such provisions; and

(b)

as the UN Committee recommended in May 2001 that the HKSAR Government should legislate to implement certain provisions of the Covenant, whether the Administration will give effect to such a recommendation?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

3. Hon Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)

On 17 February this year, a passenger catamaran travelling to the Mainland collided with a river vessel in Kap Shui Mun Fairway, injuring more than 100 passengers. It was reported that the passenger catamaran was registered in the Mainland and the Marine Department rarely inspected Mainland-registered passenger ships in the past. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the number of reports received by the relevant authorities on the collision of vessels within Hong Kong waters in each of the past three years and, among them, the number and details of such accidents which involved Mainland-registered ships, including the dates on which such accidents occurred and their locations, the types of the Mainland-registered ships involved and the resultant casualties;
(b)	of the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted by the relevant authorities against those in charge of Mainland-registered ships for speeding, failure to navigate in designated fairways, illegal entry into or staying in Hong Kong waters, in each of the past three years; and
(c)	whether the relevant authorities will increase the frequency of inspections of Mainland-registered passenger ships or adopt other measures to enhance safety at sea; if so, of the details of these measures; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

4. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask: (Translation)

In 2004, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department handled 31 332 cremations. Yet I learn that in the columbaria managed by the Government and Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemetery, not many vacant niches are available for placing the ashes of the deceased, while niches in columbaria managed by religious bodies only cater for their followers and privately-run columbaria charge higher rates. Furthermore, the Government has not formulated legislation or other measures to regulate privately-run columbaria. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the total number of Government departments, religious bodies, public and private institutions that provide niches for placing the ashes of the deceased, the total number of niches provided and the average waiting time of each application for a niche;
(b)	of the estimated time for all the current vacant niches to be taken up, and whether the Government or private institutions have plans to build new cemeteries or columbaria; and
(c)	whether it will enact legislation to regulate columbaria in monasteries, private industrial/commercial premises or domestic units?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

5. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)

Recently I have received a number of complaints from members of the public that, because of the open design of the Light Rail ("LR") stops, many passengers forgot to pay their fares or bought a wrong ticket at LR stops, and incurred a fine as a result. Many passengers concerned even suffer from chronic insomnia and anxiety as they often worry that they may forget to pay their fares or buy a wrong ticket. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective numbers of LR passengers who were warned or prosecuted for not paying their fares or buying a wrong ticket in the past three years;
(b)	of the number of staff deployed to warn or prosecute the above LR passengers and the amount of expenditure involved in each of the past three years; and
(c)	whether it will request the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to improve the open design of LR stops, so as to address the problem that passengers often forget to pay their fares or buy a wrong ticket because of the design?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

6. Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit to ask: (Translation)

At the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee meeting held in November last year, the Government advised that it was preparing to launch an open invitation for proposals from interested parties for the timely development of a new cruise terminal facility to meet the medium-term needs of Hong Kong, with a view to signing a provisional agreement with the selected proponent in 2005/2006. However, planning details such as the location, development and operation of the cruise terminal have not been drawn up by the Government but are left to be proposed by the interested parties; and the land adjoining the cruise terminal will also be granted to the selected proponent for development. On the other hand, there are recent suggestions to build a cruise terminal at the West Kowloon Cultural District ("WKCD"). In this regard, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the reasons for not adopting the established planning policy and procedure by firstly deciding on the location, site area, content of planning and development, as well as the operation mode of the terminal before conducting open tenders and relevant land auctions; and whether the authorities have plans to adopt the development mode of "Public Private Partnership" of the Cyberport and WKCD Projects for developing the terminal, whereby the Government invests the land costs in the development project and grants the land concerned, the development project and operation contracts by way of private treaty;
(b)	whether it will consider consulting the public on the preliminary planning and location of the terminal facility before or concurrently with the launching of an open invitation for proposals from interested parties; if it will, of the format, timetable and contents of such consultation; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	whether it will consider the proposal to build a cruise terminal at WKCD, and whether it has assessed the feasibility of the proposal in terms of fairways, transport, attractiveness to tourists and technology etc.; if the assessment results are positive, of the grounds for that?

Public Officers to reply :

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*7. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)

Of the fitness facilities provided in open areas such as gardens and playgrounds managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), only a few are suitable for the elderly. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether LCSD has formulated policies on the provision of fitness facilities for the elderly in venues under its charge; if so, of the specific details of the policies, including the criteria adopted for determining the provision of such facilities; and
(b)	as many elderly in West Kowloon have expressed to me their hope that more of such fitness facilities will be provided in the gardens and playgrounds of the district, whether LCSD has drawn up plans in this regard; if so, of the details of such plans, including the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*8. Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah to ask: (Translation)

The Financial Secretary stated in his Budget Speech this year that the Competition Policy Advisory Group ("COMPAG") would appoint an independent committee to review existing competition policy and the COMPAG's composition, terms of reference and operations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether the review will include:
	(i)	an assessment of COMPAG's effectiveness in promoting fair competition since its inception;
	(ii)	a comparison, in terms of effectiveness in ensuring fair competition, of the Government's approach of enacting trade-specific fair competition law with the approach of most countries of enacting a single fair competition law to regulate most trades; and an assessment of which of them is more suitable for the economy of Hong Kong;
	(iii)	drawing reference to and studying the experience and effectiveness of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority in enforcing the provisions on anticompetitive practice in the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106);
	(iv)	drawing reference to and studying the experiences of other places in ensuring fair competition; and
	(v)	an assessment of the feasibility and effectiveness of setting up an independent fair competition body with statutory powers and introducing fair competition legislation that covers most trades;
(b)	of the membership and appointment criteria of the independent committee and whether international academics or specialists with experience or background in studying or handling competition policy and fair competition law in other places will be appointed to that committee; and
(c)	of the anticipate time for the commencement and completion of the review, and whether the review report will be published in whole?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

*9. Hon CHIM Pui-chung to ask: (Translation)

On promoting the development of cultural and creative industries, will the Government inform this Council whether it will:

(a)	draw reference to the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Act to be enacted by the authorities in Taiwan to facilitate the introduction of legislation for cultural and creative industries as a basis for various policies to promote cultural and creative industries;
(b)	encourage Government departments and public bodies to procure products and services provided by local cultural and creative industries; if so, of the specific incentive measures;
(c)	encourage individual and private sector donations to cultural and arts groups by introducing tax concessions;
(d)	encourage estate developers to include cultural and arts facilities in their developments through measures such as increasing plot ratio;
(e)	set a work target based on the percentage of cultural and creative industries output in gross national product; if so, of the target ratio; and
(f)	enhance the contents of the basic education curriculum in the aspects of culture, arts and creativity so as to better equip our next generation for future employment in the industries?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*10. Hon James TIEN to ask: (Translation)

I have received complaints from members of the public that fresh water supply to some areas in the Sai Kung District was suspended on many occasions in recent months. Despite repeated complaints by the local residents to the relevant government departments, the situation has not improved. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the dates at which fresh water supply to areas in the Sai Kung District was suspended in the past year, the duration of such suspensions and the areas affected;
(b)	the reasons for the water supply suspensions mentioned in (a) above and why the situation has not improved so far; and
(c)	the measures adopted by the authorities for solving the fresh water supply problem in some areas in the Sai Kung District, including whether they will consider exercising their statutory powers to enter private land to replace water pipes, as well as the timetable for implementing such measures?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

The Finance Committee of this Council approved the provision of fundings totalling $720,880,000 to the departments concerned in 2000, 2002 and 2004 respectively for the implementation of programmes to subsidize owners of pre-Euro diesel vehicles (i.e. diesel vehicles registered before April 1995) to retrofit their vehicles with emission reduction devices ("ER devices") so as to improve the air quality. The Air Pollution Control (Emission Reduction Devices for Vehicles) Regulation was also made in December 2003 to authorize the relevant authorities to refuse to license or cancel the licences of diesel light vehicles not installed with ER devices, and to impose fines on owners who have failed to comply with the installation requirement. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council of:

(a)	the current respective numbers of licensed pre-Euro diesel light and heavy vehicles and, among them, the numbers of those installed with ER devices;
(b)	the reductions in the daily emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by diesel vehicles as a result of the installation of ER devices, and their respective percentages in the total daily emissions of such pollutants from motor vehicles;
(c)	the number of complaints or reports received by the relevant authorities since 2000 about the emission of black smoke from diesel vehicles already installed with ER devices, and the reasons for the emission of black smoke from such vehicles; and
(d)	the number of licence applications rejected and the number of licences cancelled by the relevant authorities under the above Regulation, as well as the number of persons fined for non-compliance with the installation requirement, together with the total amount of fines involved?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

It has been reported that the Shenzhen Municipal Government is exploring the feasibility of cross-boundary operation of Shenzhen and Hong Kong taxis. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a)	the two governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have discussed the above idea; if so, of the responsible department of the Hong Kong Government, as well as the details and outcome of the discussions;
(b)	it has studied this idea; if so, of the result of the study; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	it has assessed the pros and cons for Hong Kong if this idea is put into practice; if so, of the result of the assessment?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

*13. Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that there are concerns among various sectors of the community that the arrangement for the Chief Secretary for Administration ("CS") to serve concurrently as the Acting Chief Executive ("Acting CE") following the resignation of the former Chief Executive will affect the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District ("WKCD") project. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	given that CS's workload has increased as a result of his serving concurrently as Acting CE, of the amount of time he spends in handling the WKCD project, and whether it has assessed if the progress of the project will be affected because of his increased workload;
(b)	apart from extending the period of public consultation on the project, whether the authorities will make other changes to the original timetable for the project; if so, of the details;
(c)	whether it will make public the views collected during the consultation period, such as by publishing a compendium of views; and
(d)	whether the authorities will further consult the public on the development option for the project before making the final decision?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*14. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of the following in relation to the 2004-05 to 2009-10 school years:

(a)	the respective estimated amounts of public money spent on primary, secondary and tertiary education each year; and
(b)	in respect of primary, secondary and tertiary education respectively, the respective estimated annual expenditures on:
	(i)	teachers' remuneration;
	(ii)	training for teachers;
	(iii)	mandatory provident fund contributions;
	(iv)	extra-curricular activities grant;
	(v)	rates and government rents;
	(vi)	furniture and teaching aids;
	(vii)	renovation of school premises; and
	(viii)	other purposes (please list out)?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*15. Hon MA Lik to ask: (Translation)

In connection with the Judiciary's requirements on declaration of personal investments and other interests by judges upon their appointment and during their tenure, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a)	how these requirements differ from those applicable to civil servants, and the justifications of the differences;
(b)	how these requirements compare to those applicable to judges in other jurisdictions; and
(c)	if the Judiciary has plans to tighten these requirements ?

Public Officer to reply : Chief Secretary for Administration

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

It has been reported that more than 400 types of food products sold in the United Kingdom have to be recalled recently after being found to contain the carcinogenic dye Sudan I. Food products containing Sudan I are also available in the Mainland market. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") has identified from the tests conducted under the food surveillance programme any food products sold in Hong Kong containing Sudan I in the past year; if so, of the details;
(b)	given that food products which are found to contain Sudan I are mostly spicy products (such as chili sauce), whether FEHD has carried out any tests particularly on spicy food products in the past year; if so, of the test results; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	as food products containing Sudan I are found in both the United Kingdom and the Mainland, whether FEHD has approached the manufacturers and dealers concerned in the past year to ascertain if such food products are sold in Hong Kong; if such products are sold in Hong Kong, whether FEHD has made arrangements with the manufacturers and dealers concerned for recalling the food products; if arrangements have been made, of the details; if arrangements have not been made, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

*17. Hon LI Fung-ying to ask: (Translation)

At present, civil servants, retired civil servants, their eligible family members and surviving family members may obtain free medical services provided by the Government and the Hospital Authority ("HA"). On the other hand, HA is conducting a public consultation on the proposal to introduce the Standard Drug Formulary ("the Formulary"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)

of the impact on the above persons upon the implementation of the Formulary, including changes in the policy regarding the prescription of drugs for them by public hospital doctors, and whether they may be provided, free of charge, with drugs other than those listed in the Formulary; if not, whether imposing drug charges on them will be in breach of the provisions on medical benefits in the Civil Service Regulations, and how the drug charges payable by them will be determined; and

(b)

whether HA consulted civil service organizations when drafting the Formulary; if not, of the reasons for that; and the reasons for not including in the public consultation paper the impact of the implementation of the Formulary on the above persons?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

*18. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that the Hong Kong Jockey Club ("HKJC") has proposed to the Government a reduction of the rate of betting duty in view of the continued drop in betting turnover in horse racing. On the other hand, betting on horse racing with an extra-territorial element, including horse racing held in Macau, is prohibited in Hong Hong under the existing Gambling Ordinance. However, a number of programmes have been launched by HKJC in co-operation with the Macau Jockey Club ("MJC") in recent years, including the holding of annual races in both places and the introduction of cross-betting on Hong Kong races in Macau. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	apart from receiving views from HKJC on the drop in betting turnover in horse racing, whether it has assessed the reasons for such a drop; if it has, of the assessment results; if it has not, the reasons for that;
(b)	how the authorities deal with the proposal for reducing the rate of betting duty, and whether an in-depth study, with reference to overseas experience, has been conducted on the proposal, especially on its revenue implications; if so, of the study results; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	whether the authorities will consider amending the relevant provisions of the Gambling Ordinance, having regard to the strengthened co-operation between HKJC and MJC as well as the fact that both places are within the territory of China, so that betting by people in both places on horse racing organized by the two jockey clubs will be permitted, thereby alleviating the pressure of holding additional races in Hong Kong to maintain the level of betting revenue and HKJC's charitable and community donations, combating illegal bookmaking activities on horse racing, and increasing the betting revenue for Hong Kong and HKJC; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*19. Hon LI Kwok-ying to ask: (Translation)

It was reported that the Fire Services Department introduced a new type of trolley stretchers last year and there was an incident a few months ago in which a patient was injured after falling from such a trolley stretcher. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a)	it has investigated this incident; if so, of the investigation results; and
(b)	the authorities have provided guidelines and on-the-job training for front-line personnel when introducing new equipment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*20. Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective amounts of imported and locally produced compost, soil conditioner and fertilizer procured by various government departments and the expenses involved in each of the past three years;
(b)	whether all the compost produced at the composting facility in Sha Ling had been fully utilized in the past three years, and the amount of such compost utilized by various government departments; and
(c)	of the current annual compost output of the above composting facility and the production cost per tonne?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

*For written reply.

IIA. Statements

The term of office of a new Chief Executive : Chief Secretary for Administration

III. Bills

First Reading

1. Banking (Amendment) Bill 2005

2. Securities and Futures (Amendment) Bill 2005

3. Chief Executive Election (Amendment) (Term of Office of the Chief Executive) Bill

Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned)

1.	Banking (Amendment) Bill 2005	:	Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
2.	Securities and Futures (Amendment) Bill 2005	:	Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
3.	Chief Executive Election (Amendment) (Term of Office of the Chief Executive) Bill	:	Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

Second Reading (Debate to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading

Vocational Training Council (Amendment) Bill 2004 : Secretary for Education and Manpower

IIIA. Motion on Adjournment

That the Council do now adjourn

Hon Albert HO: (Translation)

That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of debating the following issue: The Chief Executive's Office will submit to the State Council later today a Report, proposing that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress interpret, at their meeting to be held at the end of April, Article 53 of the Basic Law concerning the term of office of the new Chief Executive.

Public Officer to attend

:

Secretary for Justice Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

IV. Members' Bills

First Reading

Citibank (Hong Kong) Limited (Merger) Bill

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Citibank (Hong Kong) Limited (Merger) Bill	:	Dr Hon David LI
Public Officer to attend	:	Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

V. Members' Motions

1. Proposed resolution under the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
   
   Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that having considered the report of the Committee on Members' Interests made to this Council on 9 March 2005 under Rule 73(1)(e) of the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Honourable James TO Kun-sun be admonished for failing to furnish to the Clerk to the Legislative Council the particular of a registrable interest, namely the name of Target Link Limited, during the period from 1 July 1998 to 25 August 2004, contrary to Rule 83 of the aforesaid Rules.
   
   Amendment to motion
   Hon LAU Kong-wah:
   
   To delete "admonished" after "Honourable James TO Kun-sun be" and substitute with "reprimanded".
   
   
2. Perfecting the policy on protection of trees
   
   Hon CHOY So-yuk: (Translation)
   
   That, as currently the Government does not have a set of effective administrative measures or legislation to protect trees, and as co-ordination is lacking because the responsibilities are scattered among various departments, which may result in trees in the territory being destroyed, damaged or removed due to urban development, negligence or other reasons, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously formulate an effective policy on protection of trees, and at the same time perfect existing relevant legislation, administrative measures as well as administrative framework, so as to effectively protect and preserve various kinds of trees, especially those that are exceptionally old and large, rare and valuable, of historical, cultural or memorial significance, and of special ecological or scientific research value.
   
   Amendment to motion
   Hon Martin LEE: (Translation)
   
   To add ", poor management, vandalism" after "negligence"; to delete "various kinds of trees" after "so as to effectively protect and preserve" and substitute with "mature trees outside country parks, as well as urban woods"; and to delete "those" after "especially" and substitute with "trees".
   
   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
   
   
3. Policy on assisting women in poverty
   
   Hon CHAN Yuen-han: (Translation)
   
   That, as the problem of poverty among women in Hong Kong is worsening, this Council urges the Government to face up to the feminization of poverty and formulate concrete policies and measures in various policy areas to assist the women in poverty.
   
   

   Amendments to motion
   (i)	Hon Albert HO: (Translation) To add "whereas the Government has often overlooked the gender perspectives in formulating public policies and the Commission on Poverty and the Women's Commission have not shown adequate concern about gender-oriented poverty problems," after "women in Hong Kong is worsening,"; to delete "feminization" after "this Council urges the Government to face up to the" and substitute with "problem"; to delete "and" before "formulate concrete policies" and substitute with "among women,"; and to add ", and, in response to the comments and recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights when examining the Report of Hong Kong in 2001, adopt corresponding measures, which should include: (a) taking into account gender perspectives in the formulation of policies; (b) providing the Women's Commission with sufficient powers and resources to ensure that gender perspectives are taken into account in the policy-making process; (c) prohibiting age discrimination; (d) enacting legislation for the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value as provided for in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and (e) introducing a comprehensive pension scheme with a view to providing adequate protection for housewives in Hong Kong" after "to assist the women in poverty".
   (ii)	Hon LEE Cheuk-yan: (Translation) To add ", which should include: (a) enhancing women's financial independence through vocational and skills training and development of community economy; (b) prescribing a minimum wage and implementing the principle of equal pay for work of equal value to alleviate the problem of working poverty among women; (c) strengthening support for single-parent families; and (d) introducing an old age pension system to protect the retirement life of non-working women" after "to assist the women in poverty".

   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
   
   

Clerk to the Legislative Council