A 05/06-18

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 22 February 2006 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments	L.N. No.
Fugitive Offenders (Finland) Order	23/2006

Other Papers

1. No.67	-	Li Po Chun Charitable Trust Fund Annual Report for the period from 1 September 2004 to 31 August 2005
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
2. No.68	-	Audited Statement of Accounts together with the Director of Audit's Report and Trustee's Report on the Administration of the Education Scholarships Fund for the year ending 31 August 2005
(to be presented by Secretary for Education and Manpower)
3. No.69	-	Estimates for the year ending 31 March 2007 Volume IA - General Revenue Account Volume IB - General Revenue Account
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)
4. No.70	-	Estimates for the year ending 31 March 2007 Volume II - Fund Accounts
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)

II. Questions for Written Replies

1. Hon LAU Chin-shek to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of the following for the past three years:

(a)	the total amount of claims involved in the cases received each year by the Labour Tribunal, with a breakdown by claim item;
(b)	the total amount of claims awarded by the Labour Tribunal for the cases concluded each year and, in respect of these cases, the average time taken from the date of filing to conclusion, with a breakdown by the trade and occupation of the claimants; and
(c)	the number of fieldwork investigations into claims conducted by the Tribunal Officers of the Labour Tribunal, broken down by the reasons thereof?

Public Officer to reply : Chief Secretary for Administration

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

More than nine months have elapsed since a veteran journalist was subject to residence under surveillance in the Mainland last year, and the timing of concluding the court trial is not yet known. Hence the date of his return to Hong Kong is still doubtful. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a)	the latest position of the above case, including the charge, the trial proceedings and availability of assistance of local lawyers to this person; and
(b)	the health condition of this person?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

3. Hon Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)

As the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor will soon be completed, the flow of cross-boundary goods vehicles passing through areas around Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan is expected to increase substantially following the opening of the corridor, hence leading to an increased demand for container back-up area in that district. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the existing number of land lots in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan which have been designated as container back-up area and open storage space for containers; and
(b)	whether it will designate more land to serve such purposes in areas near the Deep Bay Link, in order to cope with the future growth in the flow of goods vehicles; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

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

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

It has been reported that the Fire Services Department ("FSD") is conducting a study on the possibility of Auxiliary Medical Service ("AMS") taking over part of the urgent ambulance transfer service. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the details of the study, including the scope of services involved, the mode to be adopted for consultation with the staff concerned and the public, and the expected completion date of the study;
(b)	given that AMS comprises volunteers, how it will ensure a stable and sufficient supply of manpower within AMS to provide the above service, as well as adequate professional training for AMS officers to cope with situations in which the condition of the patients worsens during the transfers; and
(c)	of the estimated annual savings to be achieved by FSD and the projected additional annual expenditure to be incurred by AMS after the above transfer of service?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

Many members of the public have complained to me that it is rather hot and even stifling on station platforms and in the train compartments of the Mass Transit Railway ("MTR") in winter. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it knows whether heating systems are activated in winter to raise the air temperature on station platforms and in train compartments of the two railway corporations, and how the temperature is adjusted to a suitable level in response to the passenger volume so as to avoid causing discomfort to the passengers;
(b)	whether it knows the respective average air temperatures on MTR station platforms in summer and winter; whether the Environmental Protection Department ("EPD") monitors such temperatures; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(c)	as the authorities indicated in March 2003 that the two railway corporations were working with EPD on formulating a Practice Note for managing air quality in air-conditioned public transport facilities, whether the Practice Note includes a suitable level of air temperature; if so, of the latest progress in this respect; if not, the reasons for that?

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

6. Ir Dr Hon HO Chung-tai to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of the number of programmes currently broadcast by various electronic media every week concerning parent-child relationship and having educational value, e.g. "Parents' Hearts" produced by the Public Affairs Television Division of Radio Television Hong Kong; how the authorities categorize such programmes; and whether consideration will be given to providing funding support for the electronic media to produce more such programmes? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the current number of aircraft routes between Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as the cities involved;
(b)	of the respective numbers of passengers travelling by air from Hong Kong to the Mainland and vice versa in each of the past three years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who transited from Hong Kong to the Mainland and to overseas cities; and
(c)	whether it plans to discuss with the relevant departments of the Mainland authorities the increase in the number of aircraft routes between Hong Kong and the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

8. Hon Howard YOUNG to ask: (Translation)

On the 9th of last month, a company placed on a number of newspapers an anonymous advertisement which looked like a feature report, alleging that certain electrical products which compete with the company's business were potentially hazardous. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it has examined the contents of the advertisement to see if they are founded; if it has, of the results of its examination;
(b)	of the number of complaints received over the past three years by the authorities concerned about advertisements with misrepresented information, the procedure adopted for handling such complaints and their outcomes; how the contents of advertisements are subject to regulation by existing legislation and the penalties the court may impose on those who place advertisements with misrepresented information; and
(c)	how it monitors the contents the advertisements in newspapers and magazines and whether it will step up its monitoring efforts; if so, of the details, if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

I have received complaints from the residents of Po Tin Estate in Tuen Mun and the local district council members, claiming that as Po Tin Estate was originally intended for temporary accommodation, its facilities have all along been unsatisfactory. For example, the toilets in the housing units are so small that adults can only sidle their way in and it is difficult for them to turn around in the toilets. However, as the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HKHA") is gradually changing Po Tin Estate into a public rental housing ("PRH") estate, the existing residents will have to live in the estate on a long-term basis. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the current overall letting rate of Po Tin Estate, as well as the respective numbers and occupancy rates of the PRH units and interim housing units in that estate;
(b)	whether HKHA and the Housing Department ("HD") will allocate funds to improve the facilities of Po Tin Estate including upgrading existing toilets to the standard specifications, as well as increasing children's facilities and recreational facilities in that estate; and
(c)	if HKHA and HD will not allocate funds to improve the facilities of Po Tin Estate, whether they will consider offering rent concessions to the residents of that estate as compensation; if not, the reasons for that?

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

10. Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long to ask: (Translation)

Since 1 October last year, the Mainland authorities have implemented the national Hygienic Standard for Cured Meat Products. It has been reported that Guangdong-style cured meat products generally fail to comply with the limits on the two indicators of "peroxide value" and "acid valence" prescribed in the Standard and these two indicators are not included in the chemical tests conducted under the Food Surveillance Programme of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether there is any chance that the "peroxide value" and "acid valence" of Guangdong-style cured meat products which have passed the authorities' relevant chemical tests exceed the limits in the Mainland Standard; if so, whether the health of the public will be harmed by consumption of such food;
(b)	of the criteria adopted by the authorities for determining the type of food samples to be collected for chemical tests, the frequency and sample size of the tests, as well as the test items, for ensuring the effective monitoring of food safety; and
(c)	whether the Administration has made regular reference to the items tested and relevant standards adopted in the Mainland and overseas food safety codes with a view to updating the relevant legislation and Food Surveillance Programme of Hong Kong?

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

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

Regarding the privatization of public health care services, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the details of the current provision of "private services" by public hospitals, broken down by individual hospitals, in relation to general and specialist out-patient services, in-patient services and surgical services, including the specific operation of such services, standard fees and charges, as well as the establishment and strength of the medical practitioners involved;
(b)	of the number of private patients who used the above services over the past year and the number of hospital beds and surgeries involved; the utilization rate of such "private services", its estimated expenditure, the actual cost and its percentage in the resources for public health care services, as well as its income and expenditure; if surplus was recorded, of the income sharing arrangement and the amount allocated to public health care services;
(c)	of the details of the specific operation of the "private services" provided by the medical centre jontly established by the Prince of Wales Hospital ("PWH") and the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, including whether such services operate independently and are not subordinate to the Hospital Authority ("HA"), as well as the establishment of the health care staff concerned; the impact of such services on the services provided by PWH; and whether other public hospitals plan to establish similar medical centres, or turn all their services into "private services";
(d)	of the details of the plan of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong to establish a private hospital, and whether the Faculty will change its collaboration mode with Queen Mary Hospital; and
(e)	whether it has assessed if the development direction of the privatization of public health care services will change the focus of service and target customers of HA, resulting in a situation in which first class medical services will only be available to those who can afford high charges, thereby affecting the public hospital patients' waiting time for service and relegating to second class the medical services for the elderly, the poor and the severely ill; if it has, of the assessment results?

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

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

Regarding the operation of green minibuses ("GMBs"), will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a)	it has statistics about the respective numbers of GMBs running on Hong Kong island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories whose drivers are remunerated on a "revenue-sharing" basis, and the percentage of such GMBs in all GMBs in Hong Kong and the number of operators adopting this mode of operation;
(b)	there are other wage systems for GMB drivers in addition to the "revenue-sharing" or salaried modes; and
(c)	it will consider standardizing the wage systems for all GMB drivers in Hong Kong with the salaried mode across the board as soon as possible so as to prevent GMB drivers remunerated on a "revenue-sharing" basis from speeding and ignoring the safety of passengers and other road users in the hope of maximizing their passenger trips; if not, the reasons for that?

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

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

Section 56 of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap 374) provides that the driver of a vehicle shall stop when a traffic accident causes damage to an animal which is not in or on that vehicle and, if required by a police officer, give particulars such as his/her name and address, or report the accident to the Police as soon as possible. However, an animal referred to in that section does not include common pets such as cats and dogs, and thus pet owners will not be informed of traffic accidents which happen to their pets which have gone missing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective estimated numbers of traffic accidents involving pets which were not in or on any vehicle in each of the past three years, and the respective numbers of each kind of pets concerned;
(b)	how the Police handle traffic accidents involving pets which are not in or on any vehicle; and
(c)	whether it will consider including common pets into the meaning of "animal" in the above section; if it will, of the details of its consideration and the legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

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

14. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

In his policy address delivered in October 2005, the Chief Executive said that a comprehensive review and consultation on the functions and structure of district councils ("DCs") would commence in the first quarter of this year, and the Government would continue to make available more channels for the public to participate in the management of district affairs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the definite time for commencing the review, as well as the specific arrangements and timetables for the entire review and the implementation of the review findings;
(b)	of the details of the coverage of the comprehensive review, whether it will include abolishing appointed seats in DCs, strengthening the role of DCs in district affairs, transferring certain functions of the two former municipal councils to DCs and making DCs an effective channel for the cultivation of political talents; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	of the form of conducting the public consultation, and whether public opinion polls will be conducted before or during the consultation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

15. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)

The Government is conducting a public consultation on the proposal to compel private flat owners to carry out periodic inspection of their buildings. In relation to building safety, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)

of the numbers of dangerous or defective private buildings inspected by the Buildings Department ("BD") in each of the past five years, the total numbers of flats involved and the relevant expenditure incurred; and

(b)

whether it will consider abandoning the proposed Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and instead allocate a portion of the rates revenue for BD to use to investigate all private buildings in the territory by stages, and to issue repair orders to the owners concerned in accordance with the findings of the investigation reports; if it will, of the details of its consideration; if not, the reasons for that?

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

16. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)

When the authorities engaged a person who was not a civil servant to take up the post of Financial Secretary in 2001, the public queried whether the integrity checking of the recruitment procedure had been completed prior to the appointment by the Central People's Government ("CPG"). In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council whether:

(a)	the integrity checking of candidates for principal official posts is the same as that for senior civil service posts; if not, of the differences and the reasons for such differences; and
(b)	measures are in place to ensure that the integrity checking of principal officials is completed prior to the appointment by the CPG?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

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

The Chief Executive informed this Council last month that the Administration was studying the introduction of five-day work week in the Government, with effect from July this year. Some staff of the Hongkong Post have told me that their department is considering the cessation of services on Saturday mornings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it will stipulate that the government departments shall not cut existing services and cause too much inconvenience to the public when they implement the five-day work week; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(b)	given that the offices of the government departments on the working days immediately before and after Saturdays may become busier upon the implementation of five-day work week, whether it will consider recruiting additional staff where necessary, so as to avoid increasing the workload of and pressure on the staff concerned; if not, of the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

18. Hon LAU Chin-shek to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective numbers of cases since March 2004 in which the service contractors engaged by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Government Logistics Department, the Government Property Agency, the Housing Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Hospital Authority:
	(i)	were ruled by the court to have contravened the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), the Employees' Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282), the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485) or the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115); and
	(ii)	were penalized by the departments/organizations concerned for failure to honour their pledges in the tender documents concerning the employment terms of non-skilled workers; and
(b)	provide a list, by the names of the contractors involved in these cases, on the nature of the services they usually undertake, the number and total value of contracts for the public services they are undertaking, the number and details of cases in which they have been ruled, since March 2004, to have contravened the above ordinances or reneged on their pledges in the tender documents, as well as the penalties consequently imposed on them?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

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

Will the Government inform this Council, by means of the table below, of the numbers of students enrolled in the following categories of schools and their tuition fees for the current and each of the past two school years?

		Primary schools		Secondary schools
		Number of students	Median annual tuition fees	Number of students	Median annual tuition fees
Schools under Direct Subsidy Scheme	03-04 school year
	04-05 school year
	05-06 school year
Private schools	03-04 school year
	04-05 school year
	05-06 school year
Schools under Private Independent School Scheme	03-04 school year
	04-05 school year
	05-06 school year
Caput schools	03-04 school year
	04-05 school year
	05-06 school year
English Schools Foundation schools	03-04 school year
	04-05 school year
	05-06 school year

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

Will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the current professional codes or legislation regulating the donation of bodies of the dead, organs, bone marrows, blood, human genes and other cell tissues, as well as the organisations storing such donations; and of the procedures, manpower and other resources involved in the regulatory work;
(b)	the current number of patients in need of organ transplant; the type and number of organs required, and the current position regarding the donation of these organs; the patients' average waiting time for organ transplant; and the respective numbers of cases in which the patients gave up waiting, died while waiting and underwent organ transplant; and
(c)	the measures to enhance civic education in order to encourage the public to donate their organs, and the measures to remind the persons and organisations involved in organ donation to pay attention to medical ethics and morality and make proper use of donated organs for medical, academic and scientific research purposes?

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

III. Bills

First Reading

Appropriation Bill 2006

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Appropriation Bill 2006 : Financial Secretary

Clerk to the Legislative Council