A 05/06-20

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 8 March 2006 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Road Tunnels (Government) (Amendment) Regulation 200633/2006
2.Road Tunnels (Government) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Notice 200634/2006
3.Dutiable Commodities (Fee Revision) (No. 2) Regulation 200635/2006
4.Pawnbrokers (Fee Reduction) Regulation 200636/2006
5.Firearms and Ammunition (Fee Revision) Regulation 200637/2006
6.Firearms and Ammunition (Revision of Storage Fees) Order 200638/2006
7.Markets (Cessation of Application of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance) Declaration 200639/2006
8.Public Health and Municipal Services (Cessation of Designation as Public Markets) Order 200640/2006
9.Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Amendment of Tenth Schedule) Order 200641/2006
10.Registration of Persons (Application for New Identity Cards) (Amendment) Order 200642/2006
11.Statutes of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Amendment) Statute 200643/2006
12.Statutes of the University of Hong Kong (Amendment) Statute 200644/2006

Other Paper

No.74-The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust
Annual Report 2004-2005
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)

II. Questions

1. Hon Howard YOUNG to ask: (Translation)

About providing travel agents with protection against professional indemnity risks, as well as assisting them in applying to the Travel Industry Compensation Fund ("TICF") for refund of the advanced payments made and contacting travel insurance companies for outbound tour group members when accidents happen, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that some travel agents have not taken out professional indemnity insurance because they cannot afford the high premiums and that the TICF has accumulated a balance of over $420 million up to the end of last year, whether the authorities concerned will consider utilizing the fund to take out indemnity insurance collectively on behalf of travel agents, so as to strengthen the protection for outbound tour group members;

    (b)as travel agents will make advanced payments when accidents occur to outbound tour groups to expedite relief of the group members, but the agents have to go through complicated formalities afterwards to recoup the advanced payments from the TICF, whether the authorities will consider streamlining such formalities; and

    (c)whether the authorities will require tour group members to take out travel insurance on a mandatory basis, and to provide travel agents with copies of their insurance policies to enable travel agents to contact insurance companies on their behalf when accidents happen; if they will, when the measure is expected to be implemented; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

2. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

According to a household health survey jointly conducted by the Department of Health ("DH") and the Department of Community Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, some underweight people are still trying to reduce their body weight. Another survey has also revealed that among 40% of the respondents who are secondary students, many have tried to reduce their body weight by methods detrimental to health, resulting in eating disorders in some cases. In addition, a survey conducted by the Consumer Council ("CC") has revealed that most of the body-slimming advertisements contain exaggerated and misrepresented information. However, as the Beauty Industry Code of Practice drawn up by CC has no legal effect and is intended only for voluntary compliance by the industry, it can hardly serve to protect the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)DH plans to follow up the findings of the above household health survey; if so, of the main target groups and the estimated amount of expenditure to be incurred; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)DH and other relevant government departments will take measures to strengthen their efforts in preventing and treating eating disorders; and

    (c)it plans to respond to the findings of the CC's survey by tightening the regulation of body-slimming advertisements, including requiring all claims made in such advertisements to be supported by substantiated evidence?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

3. Hon LAU Wong-fat to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of the justifications for its plan to provide crematorium and columbarium facilities in Tuen Mun where a number of waste disposal operations are already taking place, and whether, in drawing up the plan, the authorities have considered the possibility that such a plan might further aggravate the environment of the district and upset local residents? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

4. Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG to ask: (Translation)

UBS AG was one of the Joint Global Coordinators during the listing of The Link Real Estate Investment Trust ("The Link REIT") last year, and participated in determining the offer price for units of The Link REIT, which was set at $10.30. However, in a research report published some months ago, UBS AG pointed out that the assets of The Link REIT were undervalued, and set the target price of The LINK REIT for the coming 12 months at $20.28 per unit, which is nearly two times of the initial offer price. Some members of the public therefore query if public assets have been disposed of at a knock-down price, and whether the retail and carparking facilities under The Link REIT will be divested by the investors concerned. Concerning the listing arrangements for The Link REIT, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows how UBS AG arrived at the forecast that the unit price of The Link REIT would nearly double the initial price 15 months after its listing; whether it has assessed if there was any professional negligence on the part of the Joint Global Coordinators in determining the offer price for units of The Link REIT;

    (b)given that an investor will be required to disclose his interest only when he holds an interest in 5% or more of all the units of The Link REIT, whether it knows the list of investors who hold a relatively significant number of units and who together hold an interest in half or more of all the units of the trust; and

    (c)given that the facilities under The Link REIT and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of public housing tenants are closely bound, whether any measures are in place to prevent investors from divesting the assets of The Link REIT after gaining control of it, and whether such measures include buying back the units of The Link REIT in the market?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

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

It has been reported that the negotiation by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the MTR Corporation Limited on their merger is close to reaching an agreement, but the two railway corporations have not yet explained the employment for employees of the two railway corporations following the merger. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows if:
    (a)the merger of the two railway corporations will greatly reduce the chance of further employment for their employees;

    (b)compensation and bridging-over arrangements will be made for those employees who are made redundant as a result of the merger of the two railway corporations; and

    (c)there are measures to prevent as far as possible the loss of talent of the two railway corporations following the merger?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

6. Hon Mrs Selina CHOW to ask: (Translation)

In July last year, the Finance Committee of this Council approved a provision for gradually increasing the number of red-light cameras from 28 to 96. Also, starting from New Year's Day this year, the driving-offence points which motorists will incur for red-light jumping have also been raised from 3 to 5 while the fixed penalty has been increased from $450 to $600. Nevertheless, red-light jumping is reportedly still rampant. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective numbers of red-light jumping prosecutions instituted by the Police in January and February this year, and how such numbers compare to those for the same months last year as well as the average monthly figure for last year;

    (b)of the progress in installing red-light cameras; and

    (c)whether it plans to further increase the number of red-light cameras and step up law enforcement efforts to deter such acts?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

*7. Hon WONG Yung-kan to ask: (Translation)

Section 12 of the Pleasure Grounds Regulation (Cap. 132 sub. leg. BC) provides that "where in any pleasure ground there is placed a notice prohibiting dogs or prohibiting dogs except on a lead, no person shall bring any dog into or allow any dog to remain in such pleasure ground in contravention of the terms of such notice". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the names of the public pleasure grounds with or without the above-mentioned notice in each administrative district, the specific provisions in such notices and the reasons for prohibiting the entry of dogs;

    (b)of the numbers of persons who were warned or prosecuted respectively for contravening the above provision in each of the past three years; and

    (c)whether it planned, over the past three years, for the provision of public pleasure grounds into which people are allowed to bring their dogs; if so, of the locations considered, the criteria adopted for selecting the sites and the progress of such plans?
Public Officer to reply :Secretary for the Civil Service
(in the absence of Secretary for Home Affairs)

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

It has been reported that an elderly person sentenced to life imprisonment in January this year for arson in a Mass Transit Railway compartment had a traffic accident years ago, after which he had to walk with a limp. Abandoned by his wife and children, he had to live alone for a long period of time, which made him unsociable. Later, he was prosecuted six times for riding a bicycle illegally fitted with an electric engine and his bicycle was also confiscated. All these led him to have anti-social sentiments. Regarding the assistance to this person and other singleton elderly, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)although that elderly person had been prosecuted six times and his bicycle confiscated by law enforcement agencies, why the relevant government departments did not provide suitable social services to detect, at an early stage, his anti-social behaviour and assist him in improving his living conditions;

    (b)whether it has issued guidelines to staff of various government departments on the methods (including making referrals to the relevant government departments) for dealing with singleton elderly in need of assistance whom they met at work; and

    (c)of its plan to improve the living conditions of singleton elderly with similar background and cater for their needs for social contacts, as well as the estimated expenditure for providing such services?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

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

In connection with defrauding of and abusing Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") payments, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective numbers of suspected and substantiated fraud cases in each year between 2003 and the end of February this year and the amounts involved, broken down by category of recipients (old age, permanent disability, ill health, single parent, low earnings, unemployment and others) and, among those substantiated cases, the respective numbers of cases which were referred to the Police, prosecuted by the Police and convicted, as well as the maximum, minimum and general penalties imposed on those convicted cases;

    (b)whether it has conducted any detailed analysis of the data relating to defrauding of and abusing CSSA payments; if it has, of the results of the analysis; if not, whether it will consider doing so in future;

    (c)of the details about the Social Welfare Department's current manpower dedicated to the prevention and investigation of CSSA fraud and abuse cases; and whether the authorities will strengthen the manpower and resources in this respect in the coming financial year; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether it has reviewed the existing measures for preventing defrauding of and abusing CSSA payments; if it has, of the review results; and whether it will introduce new measures to further prevent and expedite the processing of suspected fraud cases; if it will, of the implementation timetable and the details of the new measures?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

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

During the five consecutive months from September 2005 to January this year, no real estate developer applied for triggering of land in the Application List for the Sale of Government Land ("the Application List") for auction or tender. Besides, it has been reported that the negotiations between Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the Lands Department ("LD") on the premium for lease modifications are progressing slowly, hence delaying the timetable for tendering a number of property development projects along railway alignments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has assessed if the supply of land and private residential flats will fall short of demand in the coming few years due to the above circumstances;

    (b)of the measures to improve the Application List system, and whether it will consider disclosing the reserved prices of sites in the Application List or the basis for determining such prices, so as to enhance the transparency of the system;

    (c)of the measures to expedite the negotiations on lease modification premium between the LD and the two railway corporations as well as the Urban Renewal Authority; and

    (d)whether it will consider resuming the sale of land by auction on a regular basis?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

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

Regarding re-routing of bus routes operating via cross harbour tunnels and its impact, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective percentages of bus routes currently operating via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel ("CHT"), Eastern Harbour Crossing ("EHC") and the Western Harbour Crossing ("WHC") in the total number of bus routes operating via cross harbour tunnels, and whether the authorities have studied if the bus routes currently operating via CHT can be diverted to EHC or WHC, so as to relieve the traffic burden on CHT; if they have, of the study results; if they have not, whether they will conduct such a study in order to rationalize bus routes operating via the three cross harbour tunnels and hence achieve traffic diversion;

    (b)as it has been reported that the Citybus Limited ("CTB") and the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited ("KMB") have recently applied for diverting to CHT the overnight routes N962, N968, N969 and N11 currently operating via WHC, of the criteria the authorities adopted for determining whether or not these applications should be approved;

    (c)given that passengers can no longer travel on those four bus routes at the WHC Toll Plaza after the re-routing of such bus services, how the authorities will address the transport needs of these passengers; and

    (d)as the toll charged by CHT is far lower than that by WHC, whether the authorities, in considering the applications, will discuss with CTB and KMB a reduction in the fares of these four routes; if so, of the proposed rate of reduction; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

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

A sample survey conducted by the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre in September last year revealed that only 5% and 33% respectively of the samples of fruits and staple crops collected from the market bore an organic food label certified by an independent body. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective market shares and sale situation of various types of organic foods over the past three years;

    (b)of the types, places of origin and market shares of organic foods available on the market at present, with a breakdown by whether or not the organic food labels concerned have been certified by an independent body;

    (c)whether it plans to introduce legislation to require that organic food labels on the packages of food shall be certified by an authorized independent body; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)of the measures in place to promote local organic farming and organic foods, and increase the market shares of such types of foods?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

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

Regarding private practice by full-time and part-time teaching staff (except those in honourary teaching positions) of the faculties of medicine at the two universities in Hong Kong and its impact, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
    (a)in each of the past five years, the number of full-time teaching staff of the faculties of medicine providing private service consultation or surgical treatments and, among them, the number of those providing such services in private hospitals; the number of full-time teaching staff who changed to part-time appointment in order to engage in private practice, and whether any vacancies arose from such change of appointment in these faculties, broken down by specialty and post; if so, whether such vacancies were filled by open recruitment in order to attract capable young doctors for the appointment;

    (b)the amount of Government subvention received by the faculties of medicine, and the amount handed over to the faculties by the teaching staff from their income in private practice in each of the past five years;

    (c)the formulae for calculating the proportion of the working hours spent by such teaching staff on their private practice, and the income shared between them and their faculties; whether there is any mechanism for declaration of interest or any express provisions for limiting the duration of their private practice;

    (d)the existing mechanism and guidelines for monitoring full-time teaching staff of the faculties engaging in private practice and for approving the applications in this respect, so as to avoid situations such as unfair handling of these applications and conflict of interests; and

    (e)whether assessment and review will be conducted on the impact of private practice by such teaching staff on the medical service provided by the relevant organizations, the operation of specialty departments, the continuation of the education and training efforts, the development of scientific research and the promotion opportunities of the teaching staff?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

To assist disadvantaged students and complement the Government's pledge to alleviate inter-generational poverty, starting from this school year, any primary school with 40% or more of their Primary One to Primary Three students receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance or full grant assistance under the Student Financial Assistance Scheme are eligible to apply to join the small-class teaching scheme. Selected schools will each be given a cash grant of $290,000 per annum for each additional class, so as to enable them to adopt the small class teaching mode with 20 to 25 students in a class for Chinese, English and Mathematics subjects. It is learnt that a total of 75 primary schools are eligible, but only 29 of them have joined the scheme. The Secretary for Education and Manpower has attributed this to the schools' concern about being adversely labelled after joining this scheme. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)of the measures taken to minimize the effect of adverse labelling; whether this scheme will be revised to ensure that participating schools will not be adversely labelled;

    (b)of the total number of disadvantaged students in the 46 eligible schools which have not implemented small class teaching; how the authorities will honour their pledge to alleviate inter-generational poverty of these students and how they will help them; and

    (c)whether they will consider extending this scheme to subjects other than Chinese, English and Mathematics?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

I have received complaints about the lack of facilities such as handrails or pedestrian ramps in such public places as walkways and lift lobbies in some public housing estates ("PHEs"), which causes difficulties to frail elderly and mobility-handicapped persons, with some even falling and injuring themselves. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of cases involving people falling in the public places of PHEs in each of the past three years and, among them, the number of cases involving the elderly and mobility-handicapped persons as well as their percentage in all such cases, together with a breakdown by the injuries sustained by these persons;

    (b)whether it has reviewed the adequacy of facilities designed to facilitate access by the elderly and mobility-handicapped persons in the public places of various PHEs; if so, of the result of the review; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)whether it plans to add these facilities; if so, of the details of such plans; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands

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

As some of the carcasses of dead birds recently collected in various districts have been confirmed to be carrying H5N1 avian influenza virus, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the details of such cases in the past three months, including the species of these birds, as well as when and where the carcasses were found;

    (b)whether it will consider uploading the details of such cases onto the Government web-site with daily updates for public information; and

    (c)of the names and locations of the existing public and private parks where birds are kept, and the respective numbers of birds by species in each of these parks; whether these birds are segregated from humans, and whether faecal testing for avian influenza virus is conducted regularly on these birds; if such testing is conducted, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

*17. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

In its report released last month, the Subcommittee to Study the Subject of Combating Poverty ("the Subcommittee") of the Legislative Council recommended that the Government should provide financial assistance such as rental and travel subsidies to the working-poor households. On the other hand, the Financial Secretary stated in his Budget Speech delivered last month that the Government would provide short-term travel support on a trial basis for Tin Shui Wai, Tung Chung and North District residents who are financially needy and have completed full-time courses with the Employees Retraining Board, so as to encourage unemployed people in districts further afield who are not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to take up employment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the details of the trial scheme, including the date of implementation, the basis for deciding the districts to be covered by the scheme, how those who are "financially needy" are identified, the length of time to be regarded as "short-term", whether there are restrictions on the means of transportation taken by the recipients, how the travel support will be granted, the estimated public expenditure to be incurred and the number of recipients each year, and the anticipated effect of the scheme towards poverty alleviation;

    (b)of the measures to prevent employers from reducing accordingly the wages of their employees while the latter are receiving the travel support; and

    (c)as the Subcommittee has recommended that long-term financial assistance should be provided to the working-poor households, of the reasons for the trial scheme being devised in such a way that it is only targeted at the unemployed who have completed the relevant courses but not the working-poor households, and it only applies to the three districts mentioned above but not all the remote areas, and why the travel support is granted only on a short-term basis; of the other schemes in place to help the working-poor households?
Public Officer to reply : Financial Secretary

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

Will the Government provide the current number of vehicles running on the roads in Hong Kong, broken down by the emission standard to which they meet (pre-Euro, Euro I, Euro II, Euro III and Euro IV) and the class of vehicle (large public buses, coaches, various types of goods vehicles, public light buses and private cars, etc)? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works

*19. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)

Some members of the public have complained to me that, after their applications for changing the telecommunications service providers had been accepted and their original telecommunications services contract terminated, they were denied the services by the relevant telecommunications service providers on the ground that their telecommunications networks could not be rolled out in the applicants' housing estates, and they were given no compensation for the inconvenience and loss so caused. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of complaints similar to those mentioned above received by the authorities from members of the public in each of the past three years and, among them, the number of cases in which there was no compensation from the relevant telecommunications service providers, as well as the reasons for the providers declining to compensate them; and

    (b)whether there are any punitive provisions to prevent telecommunications service providers from accepting applications for the provision of telecommunications services in the areas where they are not able to roll out their telecommunications networks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

*20. Hon WONG Yung-kan to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the speed limits in Hong Kong waters and the past marine accidents, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether there are speed limits in the East Lamma Channel and other channels and fairways in Hong Kong; if so, of the speed limits set for the various channels and fairways; if no speed limit is set for the East Lamma Channel, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider setting a speed limit for that channel; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (b)of the respective numbers of marine accidents that occurred in the past three years in the East Lamma Channel and each of the other channels and fairways with navigation speed limits, as well as the types of vessels, the casualties and the amounts of property loss involved?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

*For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

1.Chief Executive Election and Legislative Council Election (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2006

2.Births, Deaths and Marriages (Digital Image) Bill

3.Interception of Communications and Surveillance Bill

Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned)

1.Chief Executive Election and Legislative Council Election (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2006 :Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

2.Births, Deaths and Marriages (Digital Image) Bill :Secretary for Security

3.Interception of Communications and Surveillance Bill :Secretary for Security

IV. Motions

Proposed resolution under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury to move the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Resolution made and passed by the Legislative Council on 14 May 1997 and published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 237 of 1997, as amended by section 3 of the Revenue (No. 2) Ordinance 2000 (27 of 2000) and by the Resolution made and passed by the Legislative Council on 19 March 2003 and published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 77 of 2003, be amended by repealing "2006" and substituting "2009".

V. Members' Motions

  1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

    Hon Fred LI to move the following motion:

    RESOLVED that in relation to the -

    (a)Waste Disposal Ordinance (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) Notice 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 19 of 2006; and

    (b)Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Licensing of Livestock Keeping) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 20 of 2006,

    and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 8 February 2006, the period for amending subsidiary legislation referred to in section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap. 1) be extended under section 34(4) of that Ordinance to the meeting of 29 March 2006.

  2. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

    Hon Miriam LAU to move the following motion:

    RESOLVED that in relation to the Fugitive Offenders (Finland) Order, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 23 of 2006 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 22 February 2006, the period for amending subsidiary legislation referred to in section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap. 1) be extended under section 34(4) of that Ordinance to the meeting of 26 April 2006.

  3. Promoting health care reform and health care financing

    Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki: (Translation)

    That, as the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau will publish a consultation paper on health care financing this year, and the community is widely concerned about the direction of Hong Kong's health care reform and the changes in the financing models for public and private medical care services, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously examine the long-term difficulties faced by Hong Kong's health care system, and to put forward feasible options and measures to improve the current situation; such measures should include:

    (a) reviewing the existing framework for the provision of public and private medical care services; enhancing the transparency of the operation and decision-making process of the Hospital Authority; and regulating the operation of medical groups, with a view to facilitating the communication and cooperation between public and private medical organizations;

    (b) mapping out the direction of health care reform and clearly defining the objectives of public medical care services; disclosing to the public such information as the costing methodology of the services; seeking a consensus in society on the direction of health care reform; and drawing up a timetable for implementing such reform;

    (c) expediting the progress in setting up an electronic system for sharing patient records, thereby establishing a mechanism and procedures for referring patients between public and private health care systems;

    (d) comprehensively reviewing the supply and demand of as well as the planning for health care manpower; and enhancing the training for health care personnel, improving their remuneration packages and work environment as well as boosting their morale, so as to solve the problem of wastage of health care personnel and prevent the emergence of a succession gap; and

    (e) expeditiously formulating and implementing a health care financing plan that can sustain the development of health care services, so as to relieve the burden on the public and to ensure that the grassroots and the vulnerable receive appropriate health care services and that the middle-class is given fair opportunities to obtain medical treatment; in formulating the health care financing models, the Government should consider providing tax deductions for people who utilize private medical care services and take out medical insurance, and should also consider implementing the medical fee increase option by phases and should, at the same time, establish a proper safety net as a complementary measure while implementing the option.

    Amendments to motion
    (i) Hon LI Kwok-ying: (Translation)

    To delete "Hong Kong's health care reform" after "concerned about the direction of" and substitute with "the reform of the Chinese and Western health care systems in Hong Kong"; to delete "Hong Kong's health care systems" after "the long-term difficulties faced by" and substitute with "the Chinese and Western health care systems in Hong Kong"; to delete "and" after "mapping out the direction of health care reform" and substitute with "which includes the Chinese medicine profession, with emphasis on the importance of disease prevention and comprehensive primary medical care services,"; to add "Chinese and Western" after "the planning for"; to delete "problem" after "to solve the" and substitute with "problems"; and to add "as well as employment of and continuous training for Chinese medicine graduates," after "wastage of health care personnel"; and to delete ", and should also consider implementing the medical fee increase option by phases and should, at the same time, establish a proper safety net as a complementary measure while implementing the option" after "take out medical insurance".

    (ii) Hon Andrew CHENG: (Translation)

    To add ", the fees and scope of public medical care services," after "health care reform"; to delete "; enhancing" after "provision of public and private medical care services" and substitute with ", including the organizational structure, the operation as well as"; to delete "operation and" after "the transparency of the"; to delete "; and regulating the operation of medical groups" after "Hospital Authority"; to add "(b) enhancing the regulation of the operation of private medical care services, including medical groups and private medical practitioners, etc.; and establishing an independent statutory body for handling complaints about public and private medical care services, so as to ensure that patients are provided with good medical care services and enhance their confidence in using private medical care services;" after "between public and private medical organizations;"; to delete the original "(b)" and substitute with "(c)"; to delete the original "(c)" and substitute with "(d)"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to add "study the feasibility of implementing a central health insurance system in Hong Kong, and" after "in formulating the health care financing models, the Government should"; and to delete ", and should also consider implementing the medical fee increase option by phases and should, at the same time, establish a proper safety net as a complementary measure while implementing the option" after "take out medical insurance" and substitute with "for this purpose; in considering the provision of tax deductions, the Government should, at the same time, study the impact of developing a private health insurance system on the overall health care system, as well as the regulation of private health insurance systems in overseas countries; the Government should also ensure that there is a proper safety net which serves as a complementary measure under the new financing option".

    (iii) Hon CHAN Yuen-han: (Translation)

    To delete "consider" after "in formulating the health care financing models, the Government should" and substitute with "first of all urge private health care organizations to enhance the transparency of their fee scales and to set the fees at a reasonable level, so as to encourage people who can afford financially to opt for private medical care services, and should also consider"; to delete "utilize private medical care services and" after "tax deductions for people who"; and to delete ", and should also consider implementing the medical fee increase option by phases and should, at the same time, establish a proper safety net as a complementary measure while implementing the option" and substitute with "; at the same time, in the process of formulating the health care financing models, the Government should stop increasing medical fees and improve the existing mechanism for fee reduction and waiver".

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

  4. Domestic violence

    Hon Margaret NG: (Translation)

    That, in view of the serious problem of domestic violence, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously formulate effective measures to curb such violence.

    Amendments to motion
    (i) Hon CHOY So-yuk: (Translation)

    To delete "serious problem of domestic violence" after "in view of the" and substitute with "increasing number of domestic violence cases in recent years, which reflects the severity of the problem"; to add "implement in the whole territory the recommendations in the Report of the Review Panel on Family Services in Tin Shui Wai and the recommendations made by the Coroner's Court in respect of the family tragedy that occurred in Tin Shui Wai in April 2004, to" after "urges the Government to"; and to add ", and to allocate additional resources to improve services and actively promote the development of the 'third sector', so as to optimize the social capital, promote community development services, encourage self-help and mutual support among the public, strengthen the community support network, enhance the capabilities of individuals and families in resolving their difficulties in life, for the purpose of cultivating the community spirit of mutual support, care and love among residents" after "to curb such violence".

    (ii) Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit: (Translation)

    To add "increasingly" after "in view of the"; to add "and the Chief Executive's assertion in the 2005-06 Policy Address that 'the Government does not tolerate domestic violence' " after "serious problem of domestic violence"; to add "and implement" after "expeditiously formulate"; and to add ", including: (a) extending the Domestic Violence Ordinance to cover more people, and enhance the protection for those under protection; (b) establishing a court dedicated to domestic violence cases; (c) allocating more resources to enable the victims of domestic violence to obtain the necessary legal services at an early stage; and (d) providing more resources that are required for the provision of training for front-line staff and the implementation of other complementary measures" after "to curb such violence".

    Amendment to Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit's amendment
    Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG:     (Translation)

    To add "(a) establishing a central inter-departmental coordinating committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, with membership including representatives from community and self-help organizations which understand domestic violence;" after "including:"; to delete the original "(a)" and substitute with "(b)"; to delete the original "(b)" and substitute with "(c)"; to add "(d) establishing a 24-hour domestic violence hotline and round-the-clock support teams comprising social workers, police officers and professionals from various disciplines; (e) setting clear work indicators and plans under the Government's policy of 'zero tolerance' of domestic violence; (f) establishing a review committee on serious injuries and deaths caused by domestic violence, with the responsibility to review the effectiveness of cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration regarding cases of serious domestic violence, in order to avoid the recurrence of similar cases; (g) establishing, under the central mechanism, a community-based coordinating mechanism with an operating structure modelled on that of the Fight Crime Committee, so as to promote awareness of domestic violence and educate people in the local communities, and to facilitate coordination of and communication in carrying out the work in the districts;" after "dedicated to domestic violence cases;"; to delete the original "(c)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete "and (d)" after "at an early stage;" and substitute with "(i)"; and to add "; (j) establishing support groups composed of victims of domestic violence, and providing them with training to promote mutual support; and (k) establishing a domestic violence fund to provide financial support for organizations engaged in preventing domestic violence and providing domestic violence support, so as to demonstrate the Government's determination to combat domestic violence and truly implement its policy of 'zero tolerance' of such violence" after "other complementary measures".

    (iii) Hon Albert HO: (Translation)

    To add ", including: (a) establishing a standing mechanism for reviewing serious domestic violence cases; (b) making it mandatory for abusers to receive counselling and treatment; (c) studying making it mandatory for the relevant professionals to report domestic violence cases that they handle; (d) offering compassionate housing assistance to victims of domestic violence; and (e) providing victims of domestic violence with a 24-hour support system, which includes the provision of services by the police, social workers and the relevant professionals" after "to curb such violence".

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

  5. Expeditiously improving the traffic arrangements in the western and northwestern parts of the New Territories

    Hon Mrs Selina CHOW: (Translation)

    That, given the impending commissioning of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor at the end of this year, which will substantially increase the traffic load in the western and northwestern parts of the New Territories, this Council urges the Government to formulate as early as possible corresponding strategies, including buying out the ownership of Route 3 at a reasonable price and opening it up for use by motorists, as well as constructing the Easterly Link Road that connects the Deep Bay Link and Route 3, so as to divert the traffic flow from Tuen Mun Road, thereby alleviating the deteriorating traffic congestion in that district and avoiding causing great nuisance or inconvenience to local residents.

    Amendments to motion
    (i)Hon WONG Kwok-hing: (Translation)

    To add ": (a)" after "including"; to add "; (b)" after "use by motorists" and to delete ", as well as" thereafter; and to add "; (c) expeditiously completing the extension of Tuen Mun Road; (d) implementing the Northern Link project as early as possible and expeditiously completing the Kowloon Southern Link project to perfect the railway network and encourage residents of the Northwest New Territories to make use of the railways for travelling to and from different districts, so as to alleviate the pressure on Tuen Mun Road and Route 3; and (e) setting reasonable fares that are acceptable to the public, so as to encourage them to use the railway transport system" after "traffic flow from Tuen Mun Road".

    Amendment to Hon WONG Kwok-hing's amendment
    Hon Andrew CHENG:     (Translation)

    To add ", including widening the whole expressway section of Tuen Mun Road to a four-lane carriageway" after "the extension of Tuen Mun Road".

    (ii) Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming: (Translation)

    To add ": (a)" after "including"; to delete "as well as constructing" after "use by motorists," and substitute with "or lowering the existing tolls by such means as extending the franchise period of Route 3; (b) expeditiously constructing the Tuen Mun Western Bypass, the Tuen Mun to Chek Lap Kok Link, the Tuen Mun Eastern Bypass, as well as"; and to add "while the environmental impact of the alignment of the relevant roads must be adequately assessed, with a view to reducing undesirable effects on the local environment; and (c) expediting the various traffic improvements to the Tuen Mun town centre section of Tuen Mun Road," after "traffic flow from Tuen Mun Road,".

    Amendments to Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming's amendment
    (1)Hon Albert CHAN: (Translation)

    To delete "," after "use by motorists"; and to delete "or lowering the existing tolls by such means as extending the franchise period of Route 3" before "; (b)".

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

    To add "the Northern section of Route 10," after "expeditiously constructing"; and to delete "the Tuen Mun Eastern Bypass," after "Chek Lap Kok Link,".

    (iii) Hon Albert HO: (Translation)

    To add "and in case no agreement over the buying-out can be reached within half a year, expeditiously implementing the construction of the Northern section of Route 10 or widening Tuen Mun Road to a four-lane carriageway;" after "use by motorists,".

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

Clerk to the Legislative Council