A 04/05-34

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 22 June 2005 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Specification of Arrangements (Swiss Federal Council) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order96/2005
2.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Republic of Finland) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order 97/2005
3.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the State of Kuwait) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order98/2005
4.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Republic of Kenya) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order99/2005
5.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Republic of Iceland) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order100/2005
6.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Aircraft Operation) Order101/2005
7.Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Kingdom of Denmark) (Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income from Shipping Operation) Order102/2005
8.News Agencies Registration (Amendment) Regulation 2005103/2005
9.Newspapers Registration and Distribution (Amendment) Regulation 2005104/2005
10.Legal Officers Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2005105/2005
11.Import and Export (General) Regulations (Amendment of Seventh Schedule) Notice 2005106/2005
12.Immigration (Amendment) Ordinance 2005 (Commencement) Notice107/2005

Other Papers

1. No.92 -Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Annual Report 2004
(to be presented by Hon SIN Chung-kai, who will address the Council)

2. No.93 -Independent Commission Against Corruption Complaints Committee Annual Report 2004
(to be presented by Hon Tommy CHEUNG, who will address the Council)

3. No.94 -The Seventeenth Annual Report of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong (June 2005)
(to be presented by Chief Secretary for Administration)

II. Questions

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

A veteran journalist has been detained in the Mainland by the Mainland authorities and forced to take residence under surveillance, resulting in loss of freedom. This has aroused much concern among Hong Kong people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has relayed to the Central People's Government ("CPG") the concern of Hong Kong people and the signature campaign in support of the journalist; if so, of the CPG's response;

    (b)whether it has assessed the impact of the incident on the international image of Hong Kong, including the reaction of and comments from the international community in respect of the efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") Government in safeguarding Hong Kong people's basic rights, upholding the freedom of the press, and protecting official and unofficial information exchanges and contacts between the Mainland and Hong Kong against allegations of breaching Mainland laws and regulations; and

    (c)whether, under the principle of "One country, Two systems", the Hong Kong authorities can enquire from the Mainland authorities about the relevant circumstance of the detention of Hong Kong people in the Mainland, including the procedures through which Mainland authorities handle the case, such as whether unlawful handling has been involved and whether the families of the Hong Kong people involved and the HKSAR Government have been notified, arrangements for residence under surveillance, and the health conditions and lawful rights of the Hong Kong people involved; if they can, whether the Hong Kong authorities have drawn up guidelines in this respect to facilitate them, upon receiving requests for assistance from Hong Kong people detained in the Mainland, to ask the Mainland authorities for the relevant information?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

2. Hon James TIEN to ask: (Translation)

In reply to my question in June last year, the Secretary for Security said that the authorities were reviewing the coverage of the entire Frontier Closed Area ("FCA"), while the Police had drawn up proposed arrangements for opening up the Sha Tau Kok pier and consulted local residents in August 2003. However, the relevant arrangements and implementation timetable have not been announced yet. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of a chronological account and the latest progress of the work undertaken for the opening up of the Sha Tau Kok pier since August 2003, as well as why the relevant arrangements and implementation timetable have not been announced;

    (b)whether it will consider taking on board the views of local residents that the entire Sha Tau Kok Market within the boundaries of Hong Kong should be opened up to promote economic recovery and employment opportunities in the area; if it will not, of the reasons for that; and

    (c)of the timing for announcing the outcome of the review of the FCA coverage and the timetable for opening up the Sha Tau Kok FCA?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

3. Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)

Since May 2004, the Government has mandatorily required that a bid for service contracts (excluding construction services) that rely heavily on the deployment of non-skilled workers will be considered only if the monthly wage rates offered by the tenderer to his/her non-skilled workers are not lower than the latest average monthly wage rates for the relevant occupation published by the Census and Statistics Department. All bureaux have notified in writing the public bodies/public corporations ("public organizations") under their purview of the requirement and have encouraged them to follow the same wherever practicable. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the public organizations which have followed the Government's practice or will do so soon and their percentage in all the public organizations;

    (b)the public organizations which have indicated that they will not follow the Government's practice, with a breakdown by job type of the total number of non-skilled workers employed by the contractors of such organizations and their average monthly wages; and

    (c)the reasons for some of the public organizations not following the Government's practice and whether the Government will take further measures to encourage them to do so?
Public Officer to reply:Secretary for Economic Development and Labour
(in the absence of Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

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

It is anticipated that cross-boundary vehicular traffic will rise sharply upon the completion of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor next year and the scheduled commissioning of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2010. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)the authorities have measured the existing concentration levels of air pollutants (including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, suspended particulates and ozone) at locations along these two highways for use as the base of reference for the future, and for assessing the relevant figures of the air pollutants at these locations, and even in all districts in the territory, upon the commissioning of the highways;

    (b)the authorities will monitor the air pollutant concentration at the relevant locations in the long run after the commissioning of the highways; if so, of the details of the monitoring; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)the above-mentioned information will be made public; if so, of the timing and manner in which the information will be released; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

5. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the concessionary fares offered by public transport operators, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the details and the commencement dates of the concessionary fares currently offered by various public transport operators; as well as the concessions which were terminated in the past three months and those which will be terminated in the next month;

    (b)whether it has assessed the impact of terminating such concessions on people's livelihood, and whether it will advise the operators concerned to revive the concessions; if it will not, of the reasons for that; and

    (c)whether it will encourage public transport operators to provide elderly passengers with travel concessions other than the half-fare concessions; if it will not, of the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

6. Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki to ask: (Translation)

Since the enactment of the Dentists Registration Ordinance ("DRO") and its subsidiary legislation in 1940 and the setting up of the Dental Council of Hong Kong ("DCHK") in 1957, the Government has not conducted any comprehensive review of the relevant legislative provisions, and the structure and system of DCHK. As a result, many parts of them have become outmoded. For example, while local registered dentists are not allowed to advertise and promote their dental practices and clinical services as they are regulated by the legislation and relevant Code of Practice, dentists in the Mainland may publish advertisements in local newspapers and magazines listing their services and the relevant charges. Moreover, the authorities conducted consultation exercises on reforming the composition of DCHK and on the roles and functions of public sector advisory and statutory bodies in 1993 and 2003 respectively. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the dates on which individual serving members of DCHK were appointed and the duration of their terms of office; whether reform measures arising from the results of the above consultation exercises have been incorporated in its existing structure and system, and whether the authorities will review the composition and appointment procedures of DCHK, as well as the term of office of its members, with a view to enhancing its representativeness, accountability and transparency, thereby receiving views from the sector broadly and enhancing the professional standards of dentists; and

    (b)whether it will consider conducting a comprehensive review of DRO, including addressing the above problem of advertisement and promotion by dentists, and conducting an extensive consultation exercise relating to the review; if it will, of the timetable for the review?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

*7. Hon TAM Heung-man to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that a real estate developer has applied for judicial review, requesting the court to reverse the Lands Department's decision to reject the renewal of a land lease which will expire in 2012. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of land lots the existing leases of which were not extended by the Lands Department and which were allocated through open competition in the past five years and, among these, the number of the existing lessees concerned who applied for judicial review in this regard;

    (b)of the estimated number of land lots which are subject to lease renewal or allocation through open competition upon expiry of the leases in the coming ten years and, among them, the number of land lots which will be allocated through open competition; and

    (c)whether it will change the existing land policy by putting up all the land whose leases have expired for bidding or tendering again in an open and competitive manner?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

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

To assist owners of buildings in carrying out repair works to their buildings, the Hong Kong Housing Society ("HKHS"), the Urban Renewal Authority and the Buildings Department have their respective incentives and loan schemes for owners. In addition, HKHS and Home Affairs Department also assist owners in forming owners' corporations to improve the management of their buildings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the implementation of these schemes and the response of owners;

    (b)of the promotional efforts made by the Government to facilitate owners' understanding of the contents of the schemes in order to help them identify the ones that can best suit their needs and will accept their applications; and

    (c)whether it has been assessed if the target groups of these schemes have overlapped; if they have, whether the Government will consider merging and rationalizing such schemes; if they have not, how it coordinates the work of the above organizations?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*9. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that keen competition and increasing payments of claims resulted in a plunge in profits of the general insurance business by over 80% in the first quarter of this year, and this also prompted the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to introduce new measures which require insurance companies to provide information concerning their incomes from employees' compensation insurance premiums. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the details and purposes of these measures, and whether it has assessed the impact of such measures on the trade and the general public?
Public Officer to reply:Secretary for Economic Development and Labour
(in the absence of Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

*10. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

I have learned that the leading elderly care services providers in the welfare sector are facing an extreme shortage of enrolled nurses to provide basic nursing services for elderly patients. Some positions remain vacant, while others have to be filled by registered nurses who are overqualified for the posts. This results in higher cost for welfare agencies and problems of frequent staff turnover as registered nurses seek employment which is more suitable to their qualifications. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has conducted any survey on providers of day and residential care services for the elderly and rehabilitation services to assess their current and future nursing establishment needs, the current and projected vacancy rates, as well as the current and projected rates of employment of registered nurses in posts designated for enrolled nurses; if so, of the survey results;

    (b)whether the rising need for elderly and rehabilitation services to cope with the aging population was considered by the authorities when they decided to stop providing training of enrolled nurses in 2000;

    (c)whether it will consider reviewing the code of practice for health workers, in order to enhance their training to the level required to provide simple nursing care in residential and community settings; and

    (d)whether it will consider facilitating the provision of training to registered nurses working in the welfare sector to enhance their managerial and supervisory skills?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

*11. Hon WONG Ting-kwong to ask: (Translation)

The global quota system for textile trading has been eliminated since 1 January this year. However, with allegations from the United States of America ("USA") and the European Union ("EU") that the quantities of exported textile products from China into Europe and USA have increased substantially, USA has reinstated its quota restrictions on seven types of textile products from China, and EU has also demanded China to restrict its exports on two types of textile products afterwards. In an attempt to dissuade USA and Europe from reinstating import restrictions on its textile products, China has implemented the automatic export licensing arrangement and imposed export duty on its textile products. However, the Mainland authorities have recently decided to abolish the export duty imposed on 81 types of textile products in order to treat Mainland enterprises fairly and avoid imposing export duty on Chinese textile products which are subject to import restrictions imposed by USA and Europe. Moreover, the Mainland authorities have agreed to exempt from export duty Hong Kong textile and clothing products that undergo outward processing in the Mainland, and to discontinue the automatic export licensing arrangement applicable to such products. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the up-to-date figures of Hong Kong textile exports and re-exports since the elimination of the textile quota system, and how they compare to those for the same period last year;

    (b)whether it has assessed the impact of the elimination of the global textile quota system and the disputes between China and USA and Europe in textile trading on Hong Kong's textile business operators; and

    (c)apart from their successful attempts in seeking exemption of the above duty and discontinuation of the automatic export licensing arrangement for Hong Kong's business operators, of the other measures taken by the authorities to assist Hong Kong's business operators in enhancing their competitiveness and in facing the uncertain future prospects?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

*12. Hon WONG Kwok-hing to ask: (Translation)

Regarding employees' compensation and insurance policies taken out by employers for their employees' injuries at work (commonly known as "employees' compensation insurance"), will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the current total number of insurance practitioners, broken down by insurance intermediaries, agents and administrative staff and, among them, the number of those engaging in the business of employees' compensation insurance;

    (b)of the average and median amounts of insurance premiums paid annually by organizations which have taken out employees' compensation insurance over the past three years, together with a breakdown by their employment size, i.e. "200 employees or above" and "less than 200 employees" and the industries involved, and how these figures compare to those in the past two years;

    (c)as self-employed persons have to take out employees' compensation insurance, of the definition of self-employed persons, their number in Hong Kong as at 30 April this year and, among them, the number of those who have taken out employees' compensation insurance; (d) of the number of local domestic helpers as at 30 April this year and, among them, the number of those whose employers have taken out employees' compensation insurance; and

    (e)of the respective numbers of enquiries received by the Employees' Compensation Division of the Labour Department for the whole of 2004 and the first four months of 2005 and, among them, the number of cases concerning unsuccessful attempts to take out employees' compensation insurance and, among such cases, the number of those requiring follow-up action, together with a breakdown by the industries involved?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

*13. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that illegal gambling activities have become increasingly rampant recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the number of cases in which law enforcement actions were taken by the Police against illegal gambling activities in Hong Kong, the amount of money involved, the number of persons arrested and the penalties imposed by the courts in each of the past three years and, among these cases, the number of those involving offshore illegal gambling activities, broken down by the nature of activities involved (such as soccer gambling, horse racing, dog racing and illegal gambling dens, etc); and

    (b)the measures to combat cross-border illegal gambling activities?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

According to the Administration's reply to my question in January this year, as at 1 December 2004, each of the following statutory bodies had more than 10 staff members receiving remuneration equivalent to or higher than the first salary point of the Directorate Pay Scale of the civil service ("directorate officers"): Hospital Authority, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong Baptist University, Securities and Futures Commission, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Lingnan University, Hong Kong Productivity Council, Urban Renewal Authority, Hong Kong Institute of Education and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows, for each of these bodies:
    (a)the number of its directorate officers, broken down by their rank, title and duties;

    (b)its total expenditure on remuneration and allowances for the last financial year, the amount and percentage taken up by directorate officers, and the corresponding estimates for the current financial year;

    (c)its directorate establishment for the current financial year and the percentage of this figure in its total staff establishment; and (d) if there is any plan to reduce its directorate establishment; if so, the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

Regarding controversies arising from a television programme featuring legal knowledge, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)the enforcement of the law by law enforcement agencies and the criteria for prosecution adopted by the Department of Justice will be affected if legal professionals and government departments have different interpretations of the legislative provisions; if not, of the reasons for that, and how it will avoid confusion among the public arising from different interpretations of the legislative provisions;

    (b)it has issued any guidelines in respect of television programmes on legal knowledge; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and how it will prevent these programmes from disseminating mistaken legal knowledge; and

    (c)it will promote the popularization of legal knowledge through infotainment programmes in view of the growing popularity of such programmes; if so, how it will promote it?
Public Officer to reply:Law Officer (International Law)
(in the absence of Secretary for Justice)

*16. Hon KWONG Chi-kin to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the respective numbers of suspected illegal workers and their employers prosecuted by the authorities between 1 January and 30 May 2005, with a breakdown by industry; and how the figures compare to those of the same periods in the past two years;

    (b)the maximum and average fines and prison terms imposed on the illegal workers and their employers who were successfully prosecuted and penalized during the above period; the time and the industries involved in cases where the maximum fines and prison terms were imposed, how the above average figures compare to those of the same periods in the past two years, and the respective numbers of illegal workers and their employers prosecuted for the same crimes;

    (c)the number of cases reported to the authorities in each quarter of the past two years about employing illegal workers, with a breakdown by industry and number of workers involved; (d) the number of enforcement actions taken by the authorities against illegal employment in each quarter of the past two years, with a breakdown by industry, the 18 administrative districts and the numbers of illegal workers and employers arrested; and

    (e)the numbers of visitors refused entry into Hong Kong in each of the past five years for having previously engaged in illegal employment in Hong Kong, with a breakdown by nationality, and the criteria adopted by the authorities for determining that the visitors should be refused entry for the above reason?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*17. Hon CHAN Yuen-han to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the manpower in public hospitals, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the respective numbers of medical practitioners employed on a temporary basis or short-term contracts in various hospital departments at present; and

    (b)the respective numbers of persons in each grade who departed, in each of the past two years and to date this year, under the Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme implemented by the Hospital Authority or the second Voluntary Retirement Scheme implemented by the Government and, among them, the number of staff at management level?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

*18. Hon LEE Wing-tat to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the work of the Council for Sustainable Development ("CSD"), will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)CSD has deliberated on significant and pressing issues with far-reaching implications on the sustainable development of Hong Kong, such as the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Concept Plan for Lantau and the preservation of the Central Police Station Compound; if so, of the details of the deliberations; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)it will consider allowing public participation in determining subjects for deliberation by CSD and enhancing the transparency of CSD's work;

    (c)it will consider appointing to CSD representatives of green groups so that its membership and deliberations will be more balanced; and (d) it will expand the terms of reference of CSD so that it may offer views on policies proposed by the Government which have far-reaching implications on the sustainable development of Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply :Chief Secretary for Administration

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

It has been reported that after purchasing their flats under the Tenants Purchase Scheme ("TPS"), some public rental housing residents altered the layouts of their flats, for example, by converting kitchens into bedrooms or balconies into kitchens. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the owners of TPS flats are allowed to alter the layouts of their flats under the Deeds of Mutual Covenant concerned; if so, of the reasons for that; if not, how the relevant authorities deal with cases of unauthorized alterations to the layouts of flats and whether any penalties have been imposed in respect of such cases;

    (b)of the procedure to be followed by owners of TPS flats for applying to alter the layouts of their flats, and the respective numbers of such applications received and approved by the relevant authorities in the past five years as well as the criteria for vetting and approving such applications; and

    (c)whether the relevant authorities have deployed staff to carry out regular inspections to check if the owners of TPS flats have made unauthorized alterations to the layouts of their flats?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*20. Hon SIN Chung-kai to ask: (Translation)

In connection with the mobile network operators ("MNOs") entering government buildings or lands for installing telecommunications transmission equipment, such as base stations and antennas, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the application procedure, approving department(s) and criteria, and average time taken for processing the application;

    (b)of the total numbers of government buildings and lands where MNOs' telecommunications transmission equipment has been placed; and

    (c)whether there are new initiatives to facilitate MNOs' installing telecommunications transmission equipment; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

*For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill 2005

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill 2005 : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

IV. Members' Motions

  1. Enhancing the quality of early childhood education
    Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong: (Translation)

    That, as the Government is actively carrying out the integration of early childhood education ("ECE"), which includes the harmonisation of teacher qualifications and the regulatory guidelines for kindergartens and nurseries, with a view to achieving quality ECE in a progressive manner, this Council urges the Government to make use of the opportunity to improve the quality of ECE, increase subsidized training places for in-service kindergarten teachers ("KG teachers") and fully upgrade the qualifications of KG teachers to diploma level, so as to help them meet the basic academic qualifications required of KG teachers in advanced countries and to lay a foundation for upgrading the qualifications of KG teachers to degree level; furthermore, in order to avoid wastage of qualified KG teachers, the Government should formulate a pay scale for teachers with diploma or degree in ECE, and provide additional grants to ECE organizations if the number of their diploma or degree teachers reaches a specified proportion, so as to encourage and assist these organizations in upgrading the qualifications of their teachers without having to keep on increasing their school fees; in the long run, the Administration should consider integrating ECE into subsidized education, and should continuously enhance the quality of ECE to meet the expectations of the community for improving ECE.

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education and Manpower

  2. Expectations for the new Chief Executive
    Hon Martin LEE: (Translation)

    That this Council urges the new Chief Executive to carefully consider the recommendations and expectations of this Council in relation to policies regarding democracy, human rights, rule of law and people's livelihood, etc.

    Amendments to motion
    (i)Hon Howard YOUNG: (Translation)

    To add ", as the new Chief Executive has been elected," after "That"; to delete "the new Chief Executive" after "this Council urges" and substitute with "him"; and to add "the development of Hong Kong's economy," after "in relation to policies regarding".

    (ii)Hon TAM Yiu-chung: (Translation)

    To add "that" after "That this Council urges"; and to delete "to" after "the new Chief Executive" and substitute with "must: (a) strictly adhere to the principle of 'one country, two systems', uphold national unity, and be fully committed to implementing the Basic Law and the principle of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' with 'a high degree of autonomy'; (b) strive to uphold and develop the spirit of the rule of law in Hong Kong, ensure equality before the law, and safeguard the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people in accordance with the law; (c) unite all strata of the community to foster social stability and harmony, endeavour to improve the standard of governance, and promote the constitutional development in Hong Kong; (d) persevere in the 'people-oriented' spirit, strive for improvement to people's livelihood, and raise the standard of living for the community; and (e) exert all efforts to promote co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, enhance public understanding of the motherland, and open up a new phase of political mutual trust, reciprocal economic benefits and cultural exchanges, and".

    Amendment to Hon TAM Yiu-chung's amendment
    Dr Hon YEUNG Sum:     (Translation)

    To delete "and" after "uphold national unity,"; to add ", safeguard the basic rights of the Hong Kong people, and ensure that the local affairs of the HKSAR are not interfered with by the Central authorities" after " 'a high degree of autonomy' "; to add "uphold the common law," after "the rule of law in Hong Kong,"; to add "in the direction of democratic elections by universal suffrage" after "constitutional development in Hong Kong"; to delete "and" after "people's livelihood,"; to add ", and alleviate the disparity between the rich and the poor" after "standard of living for the community"; to add "enable the Central Government to have an in-depth understanding of the different opinions of the people of Hong Kong," after "public understanding of the motherland,"; to delete "and" after "reciprocal economic benefits"; and to add "and social integration" after "cultural exchanges".

    (iii)Hon WONG Kwok-hing: (Translation)

    To add ", and to expeditiously implement the undertakings he gave during his election campaign as well as to present to this Council a timetable for implementation" after "people's livelihood, etc".
Clerk to the Legislative Council