A 05/06-32

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 21 June 2006 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments		L.N. No.
1.	Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources and Contributions) (Amendment) Regulation 2006	141/2006
2.	Securities and Futures (Reduction of Levy) Order 2006	142/2006
3.	Legal Aid Ordinance - Resolution of the Legislative Council (Commencement) Notice	143/2006

II. Questions

1. Hon Martin LEE to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective numbers of footbridges and outdoor escalators currently managed and maintained by various government departments, together with a breakdown by administrative districts;
(b)	whether it will consider contracting out the management and maintenance of such facilities to private operators; and
(c)	whether it will consider providing advertising spaces at such footbridges and escalators for the display of public, cultural and recreational, or commercial information, so as to best utilize the space and generate additional revenue; if not, of the reasons for that?

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

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

I have received repeated complaints from members of the public that the extension of food business by some food premises in Kwai Fong Circuit has led to environmental hygiene and noise nuisance problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether the authorities have permitted any licensees of the food premises in Kwai Fong Circuit to conduct business at places beyond the confines of the licensed food premises;
(b)	of the number of prosecutions instituted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department last year against licensees of food premises in Hong Kong for unauthorized extension of food business, and the respective numbers of food business licences suspended and revoked as a result of such prosecutions; and
(c)	as under the existing legislation, licensees of food premises convicted of unauthorized extension of food business are subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months, whether it will consider amending the relevant legislation to enhance its deterrent effect by imposing a heavier penalty; if so, of the details of its consideration; if not, the reasons for that?

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

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

I have learnt that disseminating real-time traffic information, recorded by the closed-circuit television systems of the Transport Department ("TD"), to mobile phone users is part of the Government's work to promote the Intelligent Transport Strategy and develop the Transport Information System. The Task Force on Emergency Transport Coordination has also suggested that the Government should examine, in conjunction with telecommunications companies, the feasibility of and methods for disseminating timely traffic information through mobile phones. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the measures drawn up by the authorities in the past three years to encourage cooperation between mobile network operators and government departments in disseminating real-time traffic information to mobile phone users;
(b)	of the respective roles played by the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau as well as the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau in taking forward the above measures, and the authorities' measures to enhance cooperation between various bureaux and government departments, in order to implement the above work and suggestion as soon as possible; and
(c)	as the discussion between a mobile network operator and TD on disseminating real-time traffic information to mobile phone users has been going on for three years, why the authorities have not yet drawn up detailed arrangements and charging mode for disseminating such information; when such work is expected to complete; and whether they are different from the existing arrangements as well as charging mode, mechanism and criteria on relaying such information by other media (such as free or pay television stations)?

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

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

At present, female employees are entitled to statutory maternity leave while male employees are not entitled to statutory paternity leave. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it will study if the failure to legislate for paid paternity leave constitutes family status discrimination; if so, when such a study will be conducted; if not, the reasons for that;
(b)	whether it will study the implications and benefits of legislating for paid paternity leave on society, economy, promotion of childbirth, and private organizations, etc; if so, when the study will be conducted; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c)	of the list of countries which have legislated for paid paternity leave, the number of local organizations in the private sector which grant paid paternity leave to their employees, and whether it will consider offering paid paternity leave to civil servants?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

5. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the problem of women in poverty and measures to assist women from low-income families to get employment, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a)	it will conduct surveys to ascertain the reasons for housewives not taking up employment, and of the measures available to help women who are willing to work after childbirth to rejoin the labour market;
(b)	it will consider setting up one-stop service centres for women in various districts to provide mutual support services for housewives to enhance their confidence in securing employment, and to provide special support services for women from low-income families, including emotional and employment counselling, childcare services and gynaecological check-ups, etc; and
(c)	the Commission on Poverty will look into the problem of women in poverty and make recommendations in this regard?

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

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

At present, political parties have to obtain temporary hawker licences ("THLs") issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") before they may sell goods in public places for raising funds. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the criteria adopted by FEHD for vetting and approving the THL applications made by political parties; and the differences between such criteria and those adopted for vetting and approving THL applications by other people;
(b)	the numbers of THL applications, received and approved respectively by FEHD in each of the past two years, from political parties as defined in Section 60A of Legislative Council Ordinance, together with a breakdown by political parties; and
(c)	the number of THLs issued in the past two years to political parties with conditions imposed by FEHD, the details of these conditions and the reasons for imposing them?

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

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

It was reported that on 17 May this year, when tropical cyclone warning signal No. 3 was in force, a lifeguard tower at a public swimming pool was flipped over by a gust of wind, causing injuries to a duty lifeguard on the tower. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it has drawn up any work safety guidelines to safeguard the safety of staff on duty at swimming pools and beaches managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, when tropical cyclone warning signals are in force and in severe weather conditions; if it has, of the details of such guidelines; if not, the reasons for that? Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

The land lease of Galaxia has specifically stipulated that the leasee is required to develop at its own expenses a number of public facilities, including an escalator for public use, and to bear the management and maintenance responsibilities for the escalator. Nevertheless, after the construction of the escalator, it has been idled by the manager of the housing estate for a long period and has just started operating from 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight daily since May this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it has studied if the manager of the housing estate has breached the special terms concerned by operating the escalator during some specified hours only;
(b)	of the number of cases in Hong Kong in which the special terms stipulated in land leases were breached in the past three years, and how such cases were handled, including the criteria adopted for deciding whether or not to institute legal proceedings; and
(c)	whether, in future land sales for residential developments, it will stipulate in the land leases that the repair and maintenance responsibilities for all facilities for public use (such as accesses and escalators) shall be borne by the developers of the projects concerned and may not be shifted to those individual property owners who purchase the flats subsequently?

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

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

Starting from 19 February this year, passengers who take the same franchised bus route or route of the same group (except certain routes) for their return trip on the same day will enjoy return fare discounts if the fare is $10 or more and is paid with Octopus cards. On the other hand, to reduce overlapping of bus routes and put the bus and road resources to optimal use, the Transport Department has encouraged franchised bus companies to implement bus-bus interchange schemes in recent years. However, I have recently received many complaints from members of the public who make use of the interchange schemes that they do not enjoy return fare discounts, although the total fare they pay for the two journeys is $10 or more. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the estimated daily average number of these passengers;
(b)	of the reasons why it did not ask franchised bus companies to offer return fare discounts to these passengers; and
(c)	whether it will discuss with franchised bus companies the offering of return fare discounts to these passengers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

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

*10. Hon Howard YOUNG to ask: (Translation)

As Hong Kong citizens who travel abroad independently are not taken care of by professional tour escorts or local tourist guides, when they encounter accidents or natural disasters outside Hong Kong, they are often helpless and their family members in Hong Kong do not know whether they are safe or their whereabouts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the measures to ensure the safety of Hong Kong citizens while they travel abroad independently;
(b)	how it will assist those who travel independently and are stranded abroad;
(c)	whether it has considered asking outbound travellers to voluntarily file a record with the Immigration Department about their length of stay abroad, especially when they may travel to places where Hong Kong travellers seldom visit; if not, where any disaster or incident happen in such places, how the authorities know at the earliest opportunity the number of Hong Kong travellers staying there; and
(d)	whether it will step up publicity on matters to be noted by individuals travelling abroad independently?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

It has been reported that some hospital clusters under the Hospital Authority plan to rent out their vacant premises to service organizations or medical groups for the provision of medical services, so as to increase the income of the hospitals concerned. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	whether it knows the number of participating hospitals in the above plan, and the amount of additional income to be generated annually; and
(b)	given that some private medical practitioners have pointed out that private medical practitioners will not benefit from the plan which will only give medical groups more room for development, how the authorities will address this issue and whether they have assessed the impact of the plan on the private medical treatment market?

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

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

It has been reported that as this year's mosquito problem in the territory is expected to be more serious than in last year, the authorities have made a funding provision of over $10 million for environmental improvement projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the detailed use of the funds;
(b)	how the Ovitrap Indexes recorded since January this year in various districts of the territory compare with those of the same period last year; and
(c)	of the measures adopted to alleviate the mosquito problem, and whether special measures will be targeted at those districts which are particularly affected by the mosquito problem?

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

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

In reply to a question raised in this Council on the 24th of last month, the authorities advised that on the basis of the air quality and population data of 2000, the economic losses caused by respiratory and cardiovascular diseases possibly related to air pollution were estimated to reach $1.7 billion each year. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

(a)	how the losses were computed;
(b)	of the respective numbers of persons who suffered from or died of diseases related to air pollution each year since 2000, and the amount of healthcare expenditure incurred as a result; and
(c)	whether the authorities will regularly publish the figures in (b) above?

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

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

In recent years, quite a number of primary schools have ceased operation due to insufficient intakes, but there are still plans to build a number of new school premises. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective numbers of school-aged children for primary one and secondary one, the number of schools which ceased or will cease operation, and the number of school premises which were or will be built, in each of the past and next five years, broken down by school zones;
(b)	whether it has assessed the amount of resources that were wasted in each of the past three years as a result of school premises being left vacant and teaching equipment laying idle following the cessation of operation of schools;
(c)	whether, in order to reduce wastage, it will reconsider introducing small class teaching first in the districts with an decreasing number of school-aged children; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(d)	whether it will consider suspending the construction of new school premises; if not, of the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

It is reported that the number of complaints received by the Consumer Council about spa treatments has been on the rise in recent years, and a British organization has released a report warning that spa may cause serious harm to health, with the greatest hazard of possible contraction of Legionnaire's disease. However, numerous advertisements on the spa treatment and massage services are still found in newspapers and magazines. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the number of beauty centres or other organizations which provide spa treatment and massage services in Hong Kong in the past three years;
(b)	of how such services are regulated and the differences between such regulation and those on sauna rooms and massage establishments; and
(c)	whether it will consider enacting legislation to regulate spa treatment and massage services, including monitoring the environmental hygiene conditions, such as water quality and ventilation, in order to protect the health of consumers and employees?

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

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

It has been reported that a poll launched earlier by a radio programme allegedly involves blatant insults to women, reckless disregard for the morals of the community, and promotion of sex crimes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the respective total numbers of complaints received in each of the past three years about the programmes of that radio station and other radio stations, together with a breakdown by the nature of such complaints; and
(b)	whether it has investigated if the above poll involves abetting indecent assaults on women or a breach of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance; if it has, of the details of the progress of the investigation; if not, the reasons for that, and the maximum penalty for the offences involved?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology

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

As the Kai Tak Planning Review is underway, the plan to develop cruise terminal facilities in South East Kowloon (that is, the Kai Tak area) cannot be implemented in the near future. The Tourism Commission invited interested parties to submit, by 31 December last year, Expressions of Interest for the development of a new cruise terminal, in order to ascertain whether there were suitable locations other than Kai Tak that might facilitate the earlier completion of the development of a cruise terminal. Regarding the progress of developing a new cruise terminal, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)	the progress and outcome of the authorities' consideration of the Expressions of Interest received last year;
(b)	the timing for consulting this Council and the public on the location of the new cruise terminal; and
(c)	the anticipated completion date of the new cruise terminal and the implementation timetable for the whole facility?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

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

I have recently received complaints from some fishermen that many Mainland fishing vessels often make unauthorized entry into Hong Kong to fish illegally in the waters south of Lantau, including the areas near Peng Chau, Cheung Chau, Tai A Chau and Siu A Chau, and by means of illegal fishing methods, causing serious damage to the marine ecology. Hong Kong fishermen have repeatedly complained about this to the Marine Police and the Marine Department. However, the situation has not improved, but has also deteriorated recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the manning scale of Marine Police officers patrolling the waters south of Lantau, including the areas near Tai A Chau, Siu A Chau, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau in the past three years;
(b)	of the number of cases involving Mainland fishing vessels suspected of making unauthorized entry into Hong Kong and fishing illegally in Hong Kong waters in the past three years, and the respective numbers of cases in which the persons involved were prosecuted and convicted;
(c)	of the existing penalties for the above offence; and
(d)	whether it has taken any measures to tackle the problem of Mainland fishing vessels making unauthorized entry into Hong Kong and fishing illegally in Hong Kong waters, so as to protect the rights and interests of local fishermen and the ecology of local waters; if so, of the details of the measures; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	of the number of patients in the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre of the Correctional Services Department and the establishment of its registered and enrolled nurses in the psychiatric stream in each of the past 10 years, as well as their present strength;
(b)	of the staffing standards for nursing personnel which have been formulated by the above Centre over the past 10 years, and whether it has reviewed such standards in the light of changes in service demand; if it has, of the outcome of the review; if not, the reasons for that;
(c)	whether it will review the current demand and supply of nursing manpower at the Centre; if so, of the timetable for the review; if not, the reasons for that; and
(d)	whether it has forecast the Centre's demand for and provision of nursing care services and the related staffing establishment, in the coming five years, as well as whether there will be a succession gap in nursing manpower; if so, of the details?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*20. Hon Martin LEE to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the immunisation of babies with the (i) diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine, (ii) poliomyelitis vaccine, and (iii) measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the maternal and child health centres under the Department of Health, will the Government inform this Council:

(a)	among the babies born in each of the past 10 years, of the respective numbers and percentages of those who were immunised with the above vaccines;
(b)	among the babies born in Hong Kong in each of the past three years to mothers who were not Hong Kong residents, of the respective numbers and percentages of those who were immunised with the above vaccines;
(c)	among the babies born in Hong Kong in each of the past three years to the mainland wives of Hong Kong residents, of the respective numbers and percentages of those who were immunised with the above vaccines; whether it has studied if there are discrepancies between such percentages and those of the babies born to Hong Kong residents during the period, the factors leading to such discrepancies and the impact on the future health of the babies;
(d)	whether it knows how those women who are not local residents and have not received antenatal and post-natal care at the maternal and child health centres can obtain the information about the immunization of babies, and whether it will consider placing materials containing such information in the public and private hospitals;
(e)	whether it knows if the babies who have not been immunised with the above vaccines in Hong Kong will be vaccinated after their mothers, who are not local residents, bring them back to the Mainland, and the incidence rates of the relevant diseases among those babies who have not been immunised; whether it has assessed the impact on the health profile of the Hong Kong population and the demand for medical and social services when the babies who have contracted the relevant diseases in the Mainland return to settle in Hong Kong in the future; and
(f)	whether it will adopt measures to ensure that at least 95% of the babies born in Hong Kong are immunised with the above vaccines; if so, of the details of the measures; if not, the reasons for that?

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

*For written reply.

III. Motions

1. Proposed resolution under the Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Ordinance 2001
   
   Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that the Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Ordinance 2001 (Amendment) Notice 2006, made by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology on 30 May 2006, be approved.
   
   

   (The Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Ordinance 2001 (Amendment) Notice 2006 has been issued on 2 June 2006 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 598/05-06)

   
   
2. Proposed resolution under the District Councils Ordinance
   
   Secretary for Home Affairs to move the following motion:
   
   Resolved that the District Councils Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2006, made by the Chief Executive in Council on 9 May 2006, be approved.
   
   

   (The District Councils Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2006 has been issued on 19 May 2006 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 571/05-06)

IV. Members' Bills

First Reading

Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children Incorporation (Amendment) Bill 2006

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children Incorporation (Amendment) Bill 2006

:

Hon Bernard CHAN

V. Members' Motions

1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
   
   Hon KWONG Chi-kin to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that in relation to the Security and Guarding Services (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 104 of 2006 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 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 12 July 2006.
   
   
2. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
   
   Hon CHAN Kam-lam to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that in relation to the -
   
   

   (a)	Deposit Protection Scheme Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 4) Notice 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 107 of 2006;
   (b)	Deposit Protection Scheme (Representation on Scheme Membership and Protection of Financial Products under Scheme) Rules, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 108 of 2006;
   (c)	Deposit Protection Scheme (Payment of Contributions, Late Payment Fees and Rebates) Rules, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 109 of 2006; and
   (d)	Deposit Protection Scheme Ordinance (Commencement) Notice 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 110 of 2006,
   and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 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 12 July 2006.

3. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
   
   Hon Howard YOUNG to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that in relation to the -
   
   

   (a)	Electoral Affairs Commission (Registration) (Electors for Legislative Council Functional Constituencies) (Voters for Election Committee Subsectors) (Members of Election Committee) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 112 of 2006;
   (b)	Electoral Affairs Commission (Nominations Advisory Committees (Election Committee)) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 113 of 2006; and
   (c)	Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (Election Committee) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 114 of 2006,
   and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 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 12 July 2006.

   
   
4. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
   
   Hon LI Fung-ying to move the following motion:
   
   RESOLVED that in relation to the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Loadshifting Machinery) Regulation (Commencement) Notice 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 120 of 2006 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 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 12 July 2006.
   
   
5. Developing Hong Kong into a regional education hub
   
   Hon TSANG Yok-sing: (Translation)
   
   That, as Hong Kong's education services are diversified, its education programmes and academic qualifications are internationally recognized, and as it has established close ties with the Mainland, coupled with its background as a meeting point of Eastern and Western cultures, there are favourable conditions for Hong Kong to develop into a regional education hub; in addition, since promoting Hong Kong as a regional education hub will attract talents, enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness and help broaden the horizons of local students, this Council urges the Government to review the relevant policies and formulate measures to facilitate and attract more non-local students to study in Hong Kong, and encourage local education institutions to provide education services outside Hong Kong; the specific measures include:
   
   

   (a)	relaxing immigration control to reduce barriers for non-local students aspiring to receive education at various levels in Hong Kong;
   (b)	on condition that local students' opportunities to pursue further studies in Hong Kong will not be reduced, allowing tertiary institutions to increase the ratio of the admission quotas for non-local students;
   (c)	on condition that the employment of local people will not be affected, allowing non-local students to take up part-time jobs while attending full-time programmes so that they can obtain relevant working experience and their financial burden can be alleviated;
   (d)	providing affordable boarding facilities to non-local students by such means as granting land to schools and institutions at nominal premium for the construction of hostels or allowing the conversion of vacant school premises into hostels;
   (e)	providing more scholarships for non-local students with outstanding academic achievements in specific subjects;
   (f)	assisting local institutions to run schools in the Mainland, especially in the Pearl River Delta region, to promote co-operation between the two places; and
   (g)	establishing a dedicated department to promote Hong Kong's education services to the Mainland and overseas.

   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education and Manpower
   
   
6. Polarization in the job market
   
   Hon LI Fung-ying: (Translation)
   
   That, as structural unemployment is serious in our job market and employment polarization has occurred, this Council urges the Government to improve the employment environment for low-skilled employees, create job opportunities and strengthen the training for them, so as to enhance their competitiveness.
   
   

   Amendments to motion
   (i)	Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung: (Translation) To delete "as" after "That," and substitute with "although there are signs of recovery in some industries in Hong Kong,"; to add "; as such" after "employment polarization has occurred"; and to add "adopt the following measures: (a) expeditiously implementing minimum wage and standard working hours to stabilize and raise the employment rate; (b) introducing amendments to the Employment Ordinance as soon as possible to clearly include commission in the definition of wages so as to reduce the turnover of employees in various sectors and alleviate polarization of employment; (c) creating permanent posts in order to convert non-civil service contract staff and temporary contract staff with longer years of service to permanent staff so as to stabilize their employment prospects; (d) stopping further sale of the operation and management rights of government public facilities and outsourcing of services so as to avoid further job losses; and (e) strengthening on-the-job training for young people and non-skilled middle-aged persons, in order to" after "this Council urges the Government to".
   (ii)	Hon Andrew CHENG: (Translation) To add "legislate against age discrimination in employment," after "this Council urges the Government to".

   Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour
   
   

Clerk to the Legislative Council