A 04/05-12

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 15 December 2004 at 2:30pm

I. Tabling of Papers
Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments L.N. No.
1.Schedule of Routes (Citybus Limited) Order 2004201/2004
2.Schedule of Routes (Citybus Limited) (North Lantau and Chek Lap Kok Airport) Order 2004202/2004
3.Schedule of Routes (Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited) Order 2004203/2004
4.Schedule of Routes (Long Win Bus Company Limited) Order 2004204/2004
5.Schedule of Routes (New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited) Order 2004205/2004
6.Schedule of Routes (New World First Bus Services Limited) Order 2004206/2004
7.Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2004207/2004
8.Telecommunications (Designation of Frequency Bands subject to Payment of Spectrum Utilization Fee) (Amendment) Order 2004208/2004
9.Telecommunications (Method for Determining Spectrum Utilization Fees) (Third Generation Mobile Services) (Amendment) Regulation 2004209/2004
10.Telecommunications (Level of Spectrum Utilization Fees) (Second Generation Mobile Services) Regulation210/2004
11.Registration of Persons (Application for New Identity Cards) (Amendment) Order 2004211/2004
12.Application for New Identity Cards (Persons Born in 1943 to 1951 or 1970 to 1973) Order212/2004
13.Employees' Compensation Ordinance (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2004213/2004
14.Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 2004214/2004

Other Papers
1. No.32-Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped Report and Accounts 2003-2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)

2. No.33-Estate Agents Authority Annual Report 2003/2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands)

3. No.34-The Accounts of the Lotteries Fund 2003-04
(to be presented by Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

4. No.35-Report of the Chinese Temples Committee on the administration of the General Chinese Charities Fund for the year ended 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

5. No.36-Grantham Scholarships Fund Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

6. No.37-Report of the Chinese Temples Committee on the administration of the Chinese Temples Fund for the year ended 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

7. No.38-The Sir Murray MacLehose Trust Fund Trustee's Report for the period from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

8. No.39-Report of the Brewin Trust Fund Committee on the Administration of the Fund for the year ended 30 June 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

9. No.40-Audited Statement of Accounts of the Director of Social Welfare Incorporated together with the Director of Audit's Report for the year ended 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)

10. No.41-Forty-third Annual Report on the Social Work Training Fund by the Trustee of the Fund for the year ending on 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food)

11. No.42-Hong Kong Housing Authority Annual Report 2003/2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands)

12. No.43-Hong Kong Housing Authority Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands)

13. No.44-Hong Kong Sports Development Board
Annual Report 2003-2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

14. No.45-Police Welfare Fund Annual Report 2003/2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Security)

15. No.46-Annual Report on the Police Children's Education Trust and the Police Education and Welfare Trust for the year 2003/2004
(to be presented by Secretary for Security)

II. Questions

1. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask:

It has been reported that the Guangdong Province is experiencing a 1-in-50 years drought. So far, 65% of the land in the Province has been adversely affected, leading to severe curtailment of agricultural production. The Mainland authorities have indicated that potable water supply to Hong Kong can be maintained at the agreed level only for the first half of 2005 but there is no guarantee thereafter. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the actions it has taken or will take to address the imminent reduction in potable water supply to Hong Kong; and

    (b)whether it will explore other sources of potable water supply; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

While the Hong Kong Airport Authority ("HKAA") stated in March this year that it would negotiate with the other four major airports in the Pearl River Delta Region (namely the Shenzhen Baoan International Airport ("SBIA"), Zhuhai Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport ("GBIA") and Macau International Airport) in order to enhance cooperation, no specific plans or progress have been made so far. On the other hand, it has been reported that the operators of SBIA and GBIA intended to put forward expansion plans in the near future. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the details of the negotiations between HKAA and the above four airports on the cooperation plans, as well as the progress of such negotiations; whether HKAA has encountered any difficulties in the course of the negotiations; if it has, of the details;

    (b)whether the Hong Kong and Mainland authorities have explored ways to enhance their communication and exploit more benefits of collaboration regarding the joint development of the above five airports; and

    (c)whether it knows the details of the expansion plans for SBIA and GBIA; and whether the relevant authorities have assessed the impact of such expansion on Hong Kong's air transport industry?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

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

One of the mandatory requirements stipulated in the Invitation For Proposals for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District ("WKCD") is the provision of the canopy proposed in the Foster scheme, covering at least 55% of the development area. The Government has pointed out that the scheme, which won the West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition, is well received by the public and has attracted little adverse criticism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether systematic and comprehensive consultation has been conducted on the above requirement; if so, of the details and results of the consultation; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether it has assessed if a canopy covering over half of WKCD is required to serve as a landmark of Hong Kong; if it has, of the assessment results; and

    (c)of the respective quoted prices for the construction of the canopy in the proposals submitted by the three screened-in proponents, and whether any assessment has been made on the annual repair and maintenance costs of the canopy; if so, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*4. Hon TSANG Yok-sing to ask: (Translation)

According to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, Hong Kong residents can apply to the Mainland authorities for setting up individually owned businesses in the Mainland. The Administration has informed this Council that about 300 applications for setting up individually owned businesses had been approved as at the end of March this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the latest number of approved cases and the details concerned, including the number of cases in which the business operation has commenced, with a breakdown by the education, age and work experience of the Hong Kong residents concerned and the type of trade being operated (such as retail, beauty services and catering);

    (b)of the Government assistance available to Hong Kong people when they encounter difficulties in their applications for setting up individually owned businesses; and

    (c)whether it will regularly enquire with the Guangdong authorities the latest situation on applications for setting up individually owned businesses by Hong Kong people and release the information so obtained?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

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

Regarding the dependant parent allowance, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of taxpayers granted dependant parent allowance in each of the past three years;

    (b)of the respective numbers of currently working and non-working persons who are aged 50 or above; and

    (c)whether the authorities will consider granting a new allowance to taxpayers who support the livelihood of non-working parents aged 50 or above or relaxing the current minimum age requirement for dependants in relation to dependant parent allowance from 60 years old to 50 years old; if they will, of the details, and whether they will consider making use of the information concerning Mandatory Provident Fund contribution, valid documentary proofs provided by taxpayers or other means to investigate if the parents of the taxpayers concerned are working or not, so as to facilitate the arrangement for granting the allowance; if they will not consider granting the new allowance or relaxing the minimum age requirement, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

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

With regard to promoting the use of wireless services and technologies, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)how it has implemented the recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Promotion of Wireless Services and Technology in November last year;

    (b)of the pilot projects on wireless and mobile services and technologies recommended to the Government by the Task Force on the Promotion of Wireless Services and Technology, which is responsible for following up the work of the said Working Group; the projects that have been launched in response to these recommendations and their results; and the pilot projects to be launched next year; and

    (c)given that the Taiwan authorities are going to pursue the objectives of the "M-Taiwan Plan" by allocating seven billion Taiwan dollars to develop wireless Internet access infrastructure and applications, whether it will make reference to the plan and take measures to encourage public and private enterprises to set up wireless broadband Internet access infrastructure at locations with high pedestrian flow, such as shopping malls, MTR stations, railway stations, large housing estates and commercial areas, to promote the widespread adoption of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and to provide diversified e-government services for the public through wireless technology so as to promote the use of wireless services; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

*7. Hon CHAN Kam-lam to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") said earlier that there had been an increase in the number of cases in which intermediaries made cold calls on the public illegally with an intent to induce them into transacting in futures contracts with overseas exchanges, especially the Commodity Exchange in Japan. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the following over the past three years, listed in table form: the number of cases regarding the above activities investigated by SFC, the investment vehicles and products involved, the number of transactions actually processed and the amounts of money involved, the number of investors who suffered from losses and the amounts of money involved, the number of cases in which intermediaries received payments from the investors but did not process the transactions concerned and, among them, the number of cases in which the investors could receive full or partial compensation, the respective numbers of cases in which prosecutions were instituted or sanctions imposed after investigation, the results of prosecutions and the penalties imposed;

    (b)whether it knows the number of cases being investigated by SFC at present and the respective numbers of investors and amounts of money involved in each case; and how the characteristics of these cases compare to those in the past three years; and

    (c)whether it knows if SFC has studied the causes of the substantial increase in the number of the above activities recently; if it has, of the findings, and whether SFC plans to step up publicity and education efforts shortly, informing the public that such cold calls are illegal and advising them not to participate in transactions of investment products involved in such promotion and sales activities?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

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

On 26 October this year, a concrete slab for holding an air conditioner cracked and fell down from the external wall of a flat in Kwong Ming Court, a Home Ownership Scheme estate in Tseung Kwan O completed only seven years ago. Staff of the Housing Department subsequently inspected other flats of the Court and found that similar concrete slabs on the external walls of 12 flats needed repairing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the causes of the cracking of the concrete slab;

    (b)of the current number of public housing flats with similar concrete slabs, and the follow-up actions the authorities have taken in respect of these flats;

    (c)whether the Housing Department deploys staff to inspect the execution of outsourced repair works on a regular basis;

    (d)how the Housing Department monitors the quality of public housing construction works; and

    (e)given that building construction works of the Hong Kong Housing Authority are not subject to the regulation of the Buildings Department under the existing legislation, whether it will consider amending the relevant legislation to bring such works into the regulatory purview of the Buildings Department?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*9. Hon Albert HO to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the employment of ethnic minorities by government departments and public bodies, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether there is a policy of employing ethnic minorities on a necessity basis, such as the employment of ethnic minorities by the Social Welfare Department to assist in handling matters concerning application for social welfare and receipt of social services by ethnic minorities;

    (b)of the number of persons of the ethnic minorities currently engaged in government departments and public bodies (including the Police Force, Social Welfare Department and public hospitals, etc) as well as their ranks; and

    (c)whether it will consider employing ethnic minorities up to a certain proportion in individual essential public service areas (such as medical, security and social welfare), so that those persons of the ethnic minorities who are unable to communicate with the Chinese due to the language barrier can obtain suitable and essential public services?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

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

Regarding the appointment of members of ethnic minorities to advisory and statutory bodies, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the advisory and statutory bodies whose terms of reference cover issues relating to various ethnic groups and racial harmony and thus require members of ethnic minorities to serve as members of those bodies;

    (b)the number of members of ethnic minorities who serve as members of advisory and statutory bodies at present, and the percentages of them in the respective membership of those bodies, broken down by the advisory and statutory bodies they belong to; and

    (c)the advisory and statutory bodies to which the Government plans to appoint more members of ethnic minorities, the number of additional members to be appointed to each of such bodies, as well as the timetable for such appointments?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*11. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

The Commercial Credit Reference Agency ("CCRA") established by the Hong Kong Association of Banks and DTC Association with the support of the Administration, started operation on 1 November this year. The CCRA has been established to enhance the credit assessment infrastructure in Hong Kong and, over time, it is hoped that the CCRA will benefit well-run small and medium-sized enterprises ("SMEs") by improving access to credit. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the relevant authorities have carried out surveys of SMEs' views on the CCRA; if so, of the results of such surveys; and

    (b)of the publicity and other efforts that the relevant authorities have made to encourage SMEs to give consent to their lending institutions for disclosing their credit data to the CCRA?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

*12. Hon Daniel LAM Wai-keung to ask: (Translation)

Upon the opening of the East Rail Tsim Sha Tsui ("TST") Extension of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation ("KCRC"), residents in the New Territories East can make use of this convenient mass transit line to gain direct access to the urban area, which not only saves them the trouble of interchanging but also reduces their travelling expenses. Nevertheless, residents in the New Territories West ("NTW") do not enjoy any similar benefits and fare concessions at all. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will rationalize urban Kowloon's public transport networks, particularly the networks connecting the TST Extension, and deploy idle modes of transport to ply NTW routes, so as to meet the increasing demand of NTW residents for cross-district transport services? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

Given that some private lands have been zoned for provision of communal facilities and the land leases concerned have stipulated that the Government may resume the lands on grounds that they have ceased to be used for the permitted uses for over 12 months, will the Government inform this Council of the respective numbers of applications made, since 1 July 1997, by the owners of such lands:
    (a)to the Town Planning Board ("TPB") for rezoning these lands for residential uses; the respective numbers of applications approved and rejected by the TPB, the location and area of the land involved in each application as well as the date on which the TPB made the relevant decision; and

    (b)to the Lands Department for lease modifications to allow residential developments to be undertaken; the respective numbers of applications approved and rejected, the location of the land involved in each application and the floor area of the residential project, as well as the amount of land premium required?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

*14. Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the judgment handed down by the Court of Final Appeal on 10 January 2002 about the appeals for right of abode of the people born in the Mainland to Hong Kong residents, will the Government inform this Council, among the appellants whose cases had been dismissed, of the number of people who were later granted Permits for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macau for Settlement in Hong Kong on grounds of reunion of spouses and the need to take care of parents, as well as the number of people who are still staying in Hong Kong although the Recognizance Forms issued to them by the Immigration Department have expired? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

Will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective expenditures on salaries and benefits for non-civil service contract staff and civil servants, and their respective percentages in the gross expenditure of Government departments in each of the past three years;

    (b)whether guidelines on the recruitment of non-civil service contract staff issued by the authorities to heads of Government departments include arrangements for increments for such staff; if so, of the details;

    (c)since the recruitment of non-civil service contract staff in 1999, of the Government departments in which the employment contracts of such staff stipulate that they enjoy the salary increments linked to the salary points of civil servants, the number of such employees and whether such increments have been cancelled; if so, of the times and reasons for cancellation;

    (d)of the respective amounts of Mandatory Provident Fund ("MPF") contributions made by each Government department for non-civil service contract staff over the past three years; and

    (e)of the reasons for deducting MPF contributions made by the Government for non-civil service contract staff from the contract gratuity of such staff?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

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

As a number of fare concessions currently offered to West Rail passengers will expire shortly and some of them will not be extended, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)it knows the number of West Rail "One-Month Pass" sold in each month since the introduction of the monthly pass, and how the average monthly ridership of West Rail compares to that before the introduction of the pass;

    (b)it will request West Rail to allow all passengers to buy an "One-Month Pass" at the price of $300 so that new users of the pass need not pay $400 for it, and to cancel the requirement that only those who continuously purchase the monthly pass can enjoy the concessionary price of $300; if so, of the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)it will request West Rail to extend the following fare concessions upon the expiry of their effective periods, and conduct a review of these concessions only after the commissioning of the Kowloon Southern Link:

    (i)a further 10% fare discount to passengers travelling from the North West New Territories to urban Kowloon (i.e. the second 10% discount on West Rail fares);

    (ii)the "One-Month Pass"; and

    (iii)the interchange discounts between West Rail and Mass Transit Railway at Nam Cheong and Mei Foo Stations;

    if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)it will request West Rail to reduce the fares so as to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on passengers and to increase the ridership; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

It has been pointed out in the report released by the Review Panel on Family Services in Tin Shui Wai ("the Report") last month that the population in Tin Shui Wai has increased sharply in recent years and the living environment in the community is very crowded. Moreover, its population profile is seriously imbalanced, with more than 80% of the population living in public housing estates. The public as well as cultural and recreational facilities such as playgrounds, libraries, football fields and swimming pools in the community are not sufficient to meet the demand of the residents, and the situation is particularly serious in Tin Shui Wai North. As a result, the residents in the community have difficulty in finding facilities for leisure activities, and they have no way to relieve the pressure of life. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has studied if the acute shortage of public as well as cultural/recreational facilities in Tin Shui Wai has brought about negative impacts on the mental health of the residents in the community; if it has impacts, of the details of such impacts; if not, the justifications for that;

    (b)whether it will, in the light of the recommendations set out in the Report, expeditiously provide additional public as well as cultural/recreational facilities in Tin Shui Wai, so as to improve the living environment of the residents; if so, of the amount of resources to be injected, the works to be carried out as well as their commencement dates; and

    (c)as the Administration provided a note for the Public Works Subcommittee ("PWSC") of this Council last month, giving an overview of the 76 potential capital works items to be submitted to the PWSC for consideration in the current legislative session, yet none of them is related to the provision of public or cultural/recreational facilities in Tin Shui Wai, whether the Administration can explain the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*For written reply.

IIA. Statements

1.The Fourth Report of the Constitutional Development Task Force :Chief Secretary for Administration

2.Electoral Affairs Commission Final Report on the 2004 Legislative Council Election :Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

III. Members' Motions

  1. Vigorously reducing air pollution Hon James TIEN: (Translation)

    That, since air pollution remains severe in Hong Kong in recent days, which not only poses a health hazard to Hong Kong people, but also discourages foreign businesses from investing in Hong Kong, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously discuss with the Guangdong authorities the adoption of vigorous tackling measures to improve the situation, including:

      (a)strengthening co-operation with the Guangdong authorities to tighten the emission standards for factories, power plants and motor vehicles, etc, and achieving the emission reduction targets for 2010 at an earlier date;

      (b)endeavouring to unify the emission standards and regulatory systems in Hong Kong and Guangdong;

      (c)expeditiously implementing the emissions trading pilot scheme in collaboration with the Guangdong authorities;

      (d)providing Hong Kong business operators in the Pearl River Delta who have installed air pollution control systems in their plants with tax relief on depreciation of the relevant machinery;

      (e)striving to reduce pollutants such as sulphur dioxide emitted in the process of power generation by the two power companies in Hong Kong, and increasing the use of more environmentally friendly energy;

      (f)further promoting the incentive scheme for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) light buses and extending it to light goods vehicles;

      (g)considering the provision of additional sites for setting up LPG filling stations;

      (h)actively engaging in research and development on the utilization of renewable energy;

      (i)expediting the introduction of a registration system for vehicle repair technicians and garages; and

      (j)vigorously introducing other types of environmentally friendly vehicles and related incentive measures,

      with a view to minimizing emissions, thereby enabling residents of the whole Pearl River Delta to enjoy clean fresh air.

    Amendments to Hon James TIEN's motion
    (i)Hon Emily LAU: (Translation)

    To delete "the adoption of" after "discuss with the Guangdong authorities" and substitute with "to jointly draw up a definite timetable for various work items and adopting"; to add "setting the mid-term targets and an interim review timetable in this regard," after "motor vehicles, etc,"; to add ", formulating a policy on renewable energy, requesting the two power companies to follow this policy, and stipulating in the Scheme of Control Agreements with the power companies the proportion of renewable energy to be used in electricity generation" after "the utilization of renewable energy"; and to add "and offering relief on the first registration tax and licence fee to environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrid electric-petroleum vehicles," after "incentive measures,".

    (ii)Hon CHOY So-yuk: (Translation)

    To add "natural gas storage depots" after "LPG filling stations and"; to add ", and setting higher utilization targets" after "the utilization of renewable energy"; to delete "and" after "vehicle repair technicians and garages;"; to add "fuels, and offering" after "environmentally friendly vehicles and"; and to add "; (k) requesting franchised bus companies to expeditiously renew their fleets, deploy buses that comply with Euro III emission standards to serve routes along busy roads and introduce additional bus-bus interchange discount schemes; (l) actively studying the feasibility of increasing the fines for smoky vehicles; (m) using such high-technology equipment as satellite imaging and remote surveillance devices to enhance monitoring of air pollution sources and changes in pollution conditions; (n) the HKSAR Government taking the lead in implementing energy conservation measures in various departments, and promoting community-wide involvement in energy conservation; and (o) adopting suitable methods to regulate products for industrial and commercial use that may emit volatile organic compounds" after "related incentive measures".

    (iii)Hon LEE Wing-tat: (Translation)

    To delete "and" after "vehicle repair technicians and garages;" and to add "; (k) stepping up the testing of vehicle emissions and introducing road-side remote sensors to check emissions from vehicles on the roads in the territory and from cross-boundary vehicles, so as to ensure their compliance with Hong Kong's emission standards; (l) establishing a safe and convenient network of pedestrian walkway systems, which should include pedestrian precincts, footbridge networks and automatic escalators, etc, in densely populated areas that have a high pedestrian flow, so as to develop Hong Kong into a 'city of elevated corridors', which will enable vehicle-pedestrian segregation, improve the environment for walking and encourage people to walk; and (m) further promoting the 'Indoor Air Quality Management Programme' and enacting relevant legislation in order to prevent poor indoor air quality from harming the public's health" after "related incentive measures".

    Amendment to Hon LEE Wing-tat's amendment
    Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen:     (Translation)

    To add ", as well as joining hands with the industrial and commercial sectors in actively promoting the programme," after "enacting relevant legislation".

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

  2. Formulating a sustainable policy on agriculture and fisheries

    Hon WONG Yung-kan: (Translation)

    That, as Article 119 of the Basic Law provides that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall formulate appropriate policies to promote and co-ordinate the development of various trades including agriculture and fisheries, and pay regard to the protection of the environment, this Council urges the Government to formulate a sustainable policy on agriculture and fisheries, including developing offshore fishing, deep-sea purse-seine fishing, leisure agriculture and fisheries, and mariculture; setting up a priority zone for agriculture, and developing quality livestock farming and organic farming; assisting the development of the agricultural and fishery products processing industries, as well as establishing a monitoring system for green agricultural and fishery food products, so as to enable the local agriculture and fisheries industries to develop through further restructuring and to supply quality agricultural and fishery foods to the people of Hong Kong.

    Amendment to Hon WONG Yung-kan's motion
    Hon Emily LAU:     (Translation)

    To add "to comprehensively consult members of the industries, green groups and the public" after "this Council urges the Government"; to add ", as well as studying the impact of sustainable development measures on bottom-trawling fishing as well as shallow-water and deep-water purse-seine fishing" after "and mariculture"; to delete "as well as" after "agricultural and fishery products processing industries,"; and to add ", as well as reviewing the monitoring system for marine works involving sand dredging and mud disposal" after "green agricultural and fishery food products".

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

Clerk to the Legislative Council