A 07/08-17

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Waste Disposal (Permits and Licences) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 200811/2008
2.Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment of Schedule 5) Regulation 200812/2008
3.Pension Benefits Ordinance (Established Offices) (Amendment) Order 200813/2008
4.Public Health and Municipal Services (Cessation of Setting Aside Places for Use as Public Pleasure Grounds) Order 200814/2008
5.Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) Order 200815/2008

Other Papers

1.No.67-Report by the Controller, Government Flying Service on the Administration of the Government Flying Service Welfare Fund and the Audited Statement of Accounts, together with the Director of Audit's Report, for the year ended 31 March 2007
(to be presented by Secretary for Security)

2.Report of the Bills Committee on Civil Justice (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2007
(to be presented by Hon Margaret NG, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

II. Questions

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

Some staff members of non-government organizations ("NGOs") have reflected to me that NGOs wish that they can, when assisting elderly people who are poor and those who are on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") in arranging burial matters, introduce paper coffins, which are lower in costs. They have also pointed out that at present, members of the public who use government crematoria services are all required to make cremation arrangements through licensed undertakers. However, as most of these undertakers do not wish to introduce paper coffins due to commercial considerations, it is therefore difficult for members of the public to choose to use such coffins. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the current number of licensed undertakers who have introduced paper coffins for the choice of members of the public, and the number of paper coffins sold in Hong Kong last year;

    (b)whether the authorities will formulate policies and take administrative measures to provide NGOs, charitable organizations and members of the public intending to use paper coffins with assistance (e.g. helping them purchase paper coffins according to their own wishes, or allowing them to use government crematoria services directly without having to make the arrangements through licensed undertakers, etc.); and

    (c)given that encouraging the public to use paper coffins is conducive to the promotion of environmental protection, whether the authorities have set targets and timetable for promoting paper coffins; if not, whether the authorities will consider setting such targets and timetable; and what new measures the authorities will take this year to promote paper coffins to the public, especially the elderly?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

It is learnt that in a court case in which a tycoon was prosecuted for alleged speeding, the Department of Justice amended the charge only after the commencement of the trial of the case early this month. The speed of the vehicle concerned as detected with a laser gun was revised from 114 kilometres per hour ("km/h") to 79 km/h, and thus the charge was significantly lessened from speeding in excess of the speed limit by 64 km/h to speeding by 29 km/h. The case has aroused wide public concern about the fairness and justice of the prosecution procedure. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the detailed reasons for significantly lessening the charge in the case, and whether any mistake made by legal officers or law enforcement officers is involved; if so, of the follow-up actions the Government will take;

    (b)whether it has explored how it can address public concern about the fairness and justice of the prosecution procedure arising from the case, and if its way of handling the case has followed the principle that "justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done"; and

    (c)whether it has assessed if the evidence obtained by using laser guns to detect the speed of vehicles can still meet the standard of proof required by the law?
Public Officers to reply :Secretary for Justice
Secretary for Transport and Housing

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

Will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the current total number of government quarters (excluding departmental quarters of the disciplined services) and their overall vacancy rate as at 30 September in each of the past three years;

    (b)of the current number of the above units rented to members of the public; the average and longest vacant periods of such units before their current leases came into operation, and the loss of rental in the past three fiscal years due to the above government quarters being left vacant; and

    (c)given that the residential rental market in Hong Kong has boomed and rental has soared in recent years, whether the authorities have plans to rent out more of the above government quarters to members of the public, in order to increase government revenue?
Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
(in the absence of Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

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

In April 2002, the Governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") and the Guangdong Province reached a consensus to reduce, in their best endeavours, the emissions of four air pollutants by 20% to 55% in the Pearl River Delta ("PRD") Region by 2010, using 1997 as the base year. However, according to the report on the mid-term review published this month, the actual pollutant emissions in the PRD Economic Zone in 1997 and the economic growth of both sides in the period far exceeded the estimations in 2002. As a result, the actual emission levels of three pollutants, namely, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and respirable suspended particulates, will still exceed the original targets by 38%, 40% and 89% respectively, even with the additional control measures to be introduced by the Governments of both sides. Public expectation of the blue sky returning in 2010 may fall through. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)when the authorities became aware that the actual pollutant emissions in 1997 had been underestimated, the relevant details and who should be held responsible; why the relevant figures were not published until five years later; and whether any assessment has been made to see if the HKSAR Government has misled the public by never mentioning that the 1997 estimations were inaccurate;

    (b)apart from implementing the additional control measures stated in the aforesaid report to achieve the relevant pollutant reduction rates, whether the Governments of both sides will take other measures to ensure that the actual pollutant emissions in 2010 will not exceed the original projections; and

    (c)of the current number of factories operated by Hong Kong enterprises in the PRD Economic Zone, the total amount of air pollutants emitted from these factories each year, and the measures the HKSAR Government has put in place to encourage these Hong Kong enterprises to meet their obligations to reduce emissions?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

5. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that on 15 January this year, the wholesale price of a small proportion of live pigs in Hong Kong surged by 70% to $2,400 per 100 catties. In this regard, the Secretary for Food and Health and the Financial Secretary remarked one after another that the Government would monitor the situation closely to see whether there were any improper or even unlawful activities, and the Consumer Council would also look deeply into the situation. Moreover, Ng Fung Hong indicated that due to snowfall in a number of provinces and municipalities on the Mainland, no live cattle were supplied to Hong Kong on 17 January this year. Yet, some members of the trade have pointed out to me that the fact that no live cattle were supplied to Hong Kong was due to Ng Fung Hong's failure in competing with its counterparts on the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the investigation relating to the above surge in the wholesale price of live pigs has revealed that improper or unlawful activities were involved; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for the surge in the wholesale price of live pigs;

    (b)given that the wholesale price of live pigs has returned to the normal level a few days after 15 January this year, but the retail price remains on the high side, whether the Government has assessed if artificial "price-boosting" activities are involved; if the assessment outcome is in the affirmative, how the Government will prevent such activities; if the assessment outcome is in the negative, of the reasons for the retail price remaining high; and

    (c)as members of the trade have come up with different reasons for the above suspension of live cattle supply to Hong Kong, whether the Government has conducted any investigation into this matter; if so, of the reasons for the suspension; and the measures taken by the Government to ensure a sufficient supply of live cattle to Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

6. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)

It has been learnt that children aged below two and elderly people aged above 65 are highly susceptible to invasive pneumococcal diseases ("PD"). On average, about 20 people suffering from various serious complications caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae were taken to public hospitals each year between 2000 and 2004, and nine children aged below five even died of the diseases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)as a medical research has pointed out that the inclusion of pneumococcal vaccines in the local childhood immunisation programme ("CIP") will bring about herd immunity, which can effectively reduce the risk of family members and other people who have not been vaccinated contracting PD, and the Department of Health is conducting, in collaboration with the Hospital Authority and the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, a study on the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing elderly people from contracting such pneumonia, whether the study has considered the effect of herd immunity; if not, of the reasons for that;

    (b)since a local university was commissioned in early 2006 to carry out a study on the possibility of incorporating pneumococcal vaccines in the local CIP, when the study is expected to be completed and the Government's subsequent specific work plans; and

    (c)given that quite a number of international health care organizations are increasingly concerned about PD, for instance, the World Health Organization released in March last year the global position paper suggesting that priority be accorded to including pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in national immunisation programmes, whether the Government will include the vaccine in the local CIP to address the international community's expectation; if it will, when it will be implemented; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*7. Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung to ask: (Translation)

Quite a number of chambers of commerce and professional bodies have proposed introducing the arrangements of "group loss relief" and "loss carry-back" for corporate losses under the profits tax regime. The former allows losses of one or more companies to offset profits of other companies of the same group while the latter allows losses to offset profits made in previous years so that the company concerned can get a refund on tax paid. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)it had conducted any study on the introduction of the above two taxation arrangements in the past two years; if it has, of the results of the study;

    (b)it knows the countries which currently implement these two taxation arrangements, and the impact of such arrangements on their economy; and

    (c)it will reconsider introducing these two taxation arrangements; if it will not, of the other new taxation arrangements it will implement to improve the business environment and enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
(in the absence of Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

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

According to the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme ("CIP") implemented by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, newborn babies to children in Primary Six should be immunised with different types of vaccines against nine communicable diseases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the criteria the authorities have based on for deciding to include in CIP the vaccines against those nine communicable diseases and those for selecting new vaccines to be included in CIP;

    (b)of the frequency of the reviews on CIP conducted by the authorities, and whether they have conducted any further reviews on CIP since CIP's immunisation recommendations were updated in February 2007;

    (c)if the authorities know whether, apart from pneumococcal vaccine, vaccines against other diseases had been successfully developed in other places in the past five years; if so, whether the authorities will include such new vaccines in CIP; if they will not, of the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of CIP; if so, of the details (including how to assess the importance of CIP's immunisation recommendations on children's health)?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

It has been reported that with the rollout of digital terrestrial television broadcasting by local television broadcasters, members of the public plan to replace their existing analog television sets in the coming two years. There have been comments expressing concerns that a large number of television sets will be disposed of and become electronic waste, causing environmental pollution problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has estimated the number of analog television sets members of the public will dispose of in the coming two years;

    (b)whether it will draw up guidelines and monitoring measures in respect of the proper handling of discarded television sets by the electronic product recycling industry, so as to reduce the pollution caused by such electronic waste to the environment; if so, of the relevant details; and

    (c)given that the Government organizes territory-wide Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Days each year and donates the television sets collected to people in need in Hong Kong, whether the Government will consider donating some of the television sets collected to the people in need in places outside Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

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

Regarding the role and operation of Hong Kong Public Libraries ("HKPL"), will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that the Committee on Libraries completed in the middle of last year a report putting forth a number of recommendations on the development of HKPL, of the follow-up actions taken by the Government so far concerning those recommendations and their progress;

    (b)given that the Committee has put forth a number of recommendations (including strengthening HKPL's role as a cultural base for the community, supporting life-long learning and bringing culture to the community), yet some residents in Kowloon have reflected to me that the activities organized by various public libraries in Kowloon are significantly fewer than those organized by the Hong Kong Central Library, whether the Government has conducted any review in this regard;

    (c)of the current number of public libraries situated in the properties leased to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") by the Hong Kong Housing Authority, The Link Management Limited or other private owners;

    (d)of the number of organizations participating in the Community Libraries Partnership Scheme each year since the Scheme was launched by LCSD in December 2005, and whether any organizations have withdrawn from the Scheme; if so, of the number of withdrawal each year and the reasons for withdrawal;

    (e)given that some organizations have reflected to me that LCSD had not provided adequate support to participating organizations of the above Scheme, whether the Government has conducted any review in this respect and on the other arrangements of the Scheme; and

    (f)given that the Government has indicated that Wi-Fi facilities will be provided in public libraries and other government facilities, of the timetable for providing such facilities in public libraries and the progress of the works concerned?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

Regarding the provision of public services, vocational training opportunities and language courses to local residents who are totally illiterate in Chinese or in both Chinese and English, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)apart from the initiatives mentioned by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs in his response to the debate on a Member's motion at the Council meeting on 11 July 2007, whether the Government had provided other assistance to the above persons in the past three years, so that they would not be denied access to public services due to language barrier; if it had, please list by government departments details of the relevant assistance provided to the above two categories of persons respectively, the expenditure involved and the number of beneficiaries each year, as well as the means though which the persons concerned obtained such assistance; if no other assistance had been provided; of the reasons for that;

    (b)whether it will, by making reference to the practices in other places, establish central translation and interpretation services, which are to be provided by the Government, to assist the above persons in using the various public services; if it will, of the relevant details and the estimated expenditure involved; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)whether it has, in the light of the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework and relevant quality assurance mechanism, provided suitable vocational training courses for the above persons; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether it has provided various courses and related tuition fee remission schemes for local residents who are not students and are totally illiterate in Chinese, so as to assist them in learning Chinese to meet the needs in their daily life; if it has, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

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

It has been reported that starting from 1 October 2007, the Hospital Authority ("HA") offers a nine-year employment contract to doctors undergoing specialist training. Yet, some doctors working in HA's general outpatient clinics ("GOPCs") told me that they were recently offered a one-year renewal contract only (and the total duration of their renewed and previous contracts was still under nine years), and the heavy workload also affected their training opportunities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of a breakdown of the number of doctors working in GOPCs at present by their employment status (i.e. civil servants, permanent staff, contract staff etc.);

    (b)since July 2003, of the respective annual numbers of GOPC doctors recruited and those who were not offered contract renewal, as well as the reasons thereof;

    (c)of the reasons for not offering a nine-year employment contract to doctors working in GOPCs and whether HA has considered the effect of this measure on the morale of the staff concerned;

    (d)of the current minimum, average and maximum numbers of patients attended by GOPC doctors in each four-hour session and whether HA has assessed if the workload of these doctors has affected their training opportunities; and

    (e)when HA assigns work to GOPC doctors, how many hours per week it grants to those doctors undergoing specialist training in Family Medicine for receiving the relevant training, and whether HA gives the other GOPC doctors time or subsidy for participating in continuing medical education activities; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*13. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

Will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the number of Hong Kong students currently studying on the Mainland on a full-time or part-time basis, and among them, the number of those who had received scholarships, grants or loan-guarantees from public or private sources; and

    (b)whether the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government offices on the Mainland provide counselling or advisory services or any other support to Hong Kong students studying on the Mainland; if so, of the number of students receiving such forms of support provided by the above offices last year?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

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

Since 2005, the Housing Department has implemented the Programme on Source Separation of Domestic Waste by placing sets of three waste separation bins in all public housing estates ("PHEs") to facilitate the separate disposal of waste paper, plastic bottles and aluminium cans by residents. However, some residents have pointed out that the waste separation bins are not placed at each floor of the housing blocks in some PHEs, hence lowering the rate of separate recovery of domestic waste and the effectiveness of the Programme. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the percentage of PHEs in which waste separation bins are placed at each floor of their housing blocks among all the PHEs;

    (b)of the current rate of separate recovery of domestic waste in PHEs and the effectiveness of the Programme; and

    (c)whether it will place waste separation bins at each floor of the housing blocks in all PHEs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

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

The Government is conducting an open tender for the development of a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak. In the assessment of the bids, 70% weighting will be given to the quality aspects and 30% to the premium aspects. Moreover, the Government has also invited several persons as independent advisers to advise the Tender Assessment Panel on specific areas. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that the Stores and Procurement Regulations adopted by the Government stipulate that where the quality is of paramount importance for tendered services or product contracts, the weightings for technical score and price score should be 30%-40% and 60%-70% respectively, of the reasons for the quality weighting in the aforesaid tender being as high as 70% and deviating significantly from the weightings set down by the Regulations; as well as the other tenders, since 1997, in which similar practice has been adopted; and

    (b)whether there have been, since 1997, other tenders with individuals being invited to act as independent advisers to advise the relevant Tender Assessment Panels; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for the aforesaid tender deviating from the standing practice?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

Regarding the sale of weight-loss drugs containing unregistered drug ingredients by slimming service providers and the prescription of such drugs by medical practitioners, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)over the past two years, the relevant authorities had deployed staff to carry out regular inspections of all Chinese and western medicine clinics to check if they were in possession of unregistered drugs; and of the number of cases of unregistered drugs being found during the inspections, the types of drugs involved, and how such cases were handled;

    (b)it has assessed if the situation of slimming service providers selling and medical practitioners prescribing weight-loss drugs containing unregistered drug ingredients is serious at present;

    (c)measures have been put in place to enhance consumers' awareness of the hazards of weight-loss drugs; and

    (d)it has considered stepping up regulation of clinics operating within the outlets of slimming service providers?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

In his policy address delivered in October last year, the Chief Executive said that the Government would earmark funding of $200 million in the next five years for implementing a plan to improve the homes of the elderly who live in relatively poor communities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the details of the aforesaid plan, including its implementation date, eligibility for application, the improvement works and districts covered, the funding mechanism, the estimated number of beneficiaries and the anticipated effectiveness of the plan, whether its targets are confined to tenants or owner-occupiers, and whether it will only apply to certain types of buildings (such as private buildings, public housing estates or other types of subsidized housing);

    (b)whether it has assessed how the aforesaid plan can arouse the community to care for the elderly in need, and whether the Government will encourage the business sector to fulfil their social responsibilities by providing support for these elderly people on various fronts;

    (c)how the aforesaid plan will complement the existing policy on care for the elderly; and

    (d)given that in reply to my question on 13 December 2006, the Government said that in general there should be market demand for reverse mortgage products in a society with an ageing population, and the aforesaid plan can improve the conditions of the properties owned by the elderly, whether the Government will reconsider launching reverse mortgage schemes, so that elderly owner-occupiers can obtain cash income by mortgaging their properties?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

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

With the Chinese New Year drawing near, many people of Hong Kong will go shopping in Shenzhen in preparation for the festival. Nevertheless, it has been reported that in order to make quick money, some unscrupulous merchants on the Mainland produced some substandard and even poisonous products (such as counterfeit mobile phones, water-injected mutton and poisonous dried seafood) for sale on the market. Such products will be detrimental to the health of the people of Hong Kong if they are brought into Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it will, during the run-up to the Chinese New Year, discuss further strengthening the relevant notification mechanisms between the Mainland and Hong Kong with the relevant mainland authorities, and request the relevant authorities in Shenzhen to take special measures to step up inspection of the merchandise for sale in the shopping hot spots in Shenzhen frequented by the people of Hong Kong and, at the same time, timely reflect to the Shenzhen authorities complaints from the people of Hong Kong about the above merchandise; and

    (b)as prices of products are now surging, whether the Government will deploy additional manpower to patrol the city of Hong Kong, so as to eradicate the inflow into the local market of the above products, which lure customers with low prices?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

Regarding the governance of statutory bodies, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the respective statutory bodies -

    (i)which are not monitored by The Ombudsman because The Ombudsman Ordinance (Cap. 397) is not applicable to them, and the reasons why the Ordinance does not apply to them;

    (ii)which are not subject to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201) because the Ordinance is not applicable to them, and the reasons why the Ordinance does not apply to them;

    (iii)which have or have not established audit committees, and the criteria for determining whether it is necessary to establish audit committees; or

    (iv)with incumbent non-official members who have served in the same post in the bodies concerned for more than six years; and

    (b)the details of the cases in which the attendance rates of official representatives at the meetings of statutory bodies in the past three years were lower than 50% (including the names of the statutory bodies concerned, the post titles of the official representatives and their attendance rates)?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

Regarding the promotion of gender equality, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)whether, before submitting any policy proposals or funding proposals or introducing any bills to this Council, they will apply the Gender Mainstreaming Checklist to assess if the gender perspectives have been incorporated in the relevant policies and measures; if so, when such a practice will be implemented; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether they will set up a fund to assist grassroot women in developing their potentials; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)as the authorities already attained, in December 2005, the work target of at least 25% of the members of statutory and advisory bodies being of either gender, whether the authorities will further raise the percentage to 30% or 40%; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)as the findings of The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries have revealed that in 2004-2005, only 6% of the independent non-executive directors on the boards of listed companies in Hong Kong were female; whether the authorities will take measures to raise the percentage; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

*For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 2008

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 2008 :Secretary for Labour and Welfare

Second Reading (Debate to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading

Civil Justice (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2007 :Chief Secretary for Administration

IV. Motions

Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Secretary for Transport and Housing to move the motion in the Appendix.

V. Members' Motions

  1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

    Hon Miriam LAU to move the following motion:

    RESOLVED that in relation to the Road Traffic (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulation 2008, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 3 of 2008 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 16 January 2008, 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 5 March 2008.

  2. Optimizing the use of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor

    Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung: (Translation)

    That, given the persistently very big discrepancy between the traffic flow of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (i.e. the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Shenzhen Bay Bridge) and the projected figures since its commissioning on 1 July last year, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously discuss with the Mainland authorities to improve the ancillary facilities in the vicinity of the port area, expedite the construction of the Guangshen Yanjiang Expressway and explore incentives on various fronts to attract more cross-boundary vehicles to use the Corridor; at the same time, totally relax the restrictions on the use of cross-boundary vehicular permits to allow vehicles with Lok Ma Chau, Sha Tau Kok or Man Kam To cross-boundary vehicular permits to use the Corridor, with a view to optimizing the use of the port, achieving the function of diverting traffic flows and alleviating the traffic congestion at other control points.

    Amendments to motion
    (i)Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming: (Translation)

    To delete "That, given the" before "persistently" and substitute with "The"; to add ", which was built for alleviating the frequent congestion at other cross-boundary control points," after "Shenzhen Bay Bridge)"; to add "indicates the failure of the Corridor to serve its intended purpose; in this connection" after "last year"; to add ": (a)" after "urges the Government to"; to delete "and" after "Expressway" and substitute with "; (b) expedite the works on the Tuen Mun Western Bypass and Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, which are connected to the Corridor; (c)"; to delete "at the same time," after "cross-boundary vehicles to use the Corridor;" and substitute with "(d) discuss with the Mainland Government to"; and to add "; (e) discuss with the Mainland Government to provide more cross-boundary coach and franchised bus routes; and (f) open up the port to allow entry of school buses" after "vehicular permits to use the Corridor".

    (ii)Hon Andrew CHENG: (Translation)

    To add "it should improve the public transport services between the New Territories West and the port to attract more people to use the port for crossing the boundary; besides, the Government can explore with the Guangdong Provincial Government to" after "at the same time,".

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Transport and Housing

  3. Sharing the fruits of economic growth by all the people Hon Miriam LAU: (Translation)

    That, as the fiscal surplus for this financial year is expected to be unprecedentedly huge, this Council urges that the Government must effectively utilize the huge surplus and share the fruits of economic growth with all the people of Hong Kong and, in addition to those tax reliefs already announced by the Chief Executive, should also make enhanced efforts in returning wealth to the people, alleviating the burden of tax and rates on the public, promoting respect for the elderly and the work of alleviating poverty and helping the disadvantaged, as well as expediting the implementation of infrastructure projects to invest for the future; the relevant measures must include:

    (a)providing tax rebate of at least 50% of salaries tax, subject to a ceiling of not less than $15,000;

    (b)further widening the tax bands and reducing the marginal rates for salaries tax;

    (c)increasing the child allowance and tax allowance for newborn babies;

    (d)raising the dependent parent/grandparent allowance, and relaxing the requirement of living together for the purpose of claiming tax deduction;

    (e)increasing the amount of health care vouchers for the elderly and lowering the eligibility age for such vouchers;

    (f)actively helping the disadvantaged groups;

    (g)removing the restrictions on the usage of pre-primary education vouchers;

    (h)expediting the implementation of infrastructure projects to boost Hong Kong's competitiveness and create more jobs;

    (i)expediting and increasing the provision of community facilities; and

    (j)providing sufficient incentives and impetus to promote the development of new and high-tech industries as well as creative industries.

    Amendments to motion
    (i)Hon Frederick FUNG: (Translation)

    To add "while the Hong Kong economy continues to grow, the society's development is polarized and the disparity between the rich and the poor is worsening;" after "That,"; to add ", especially the grassroots," after "all the people of Hong Kong"; to add "raising the quality of life for the elderly, including" after "(e)"; to add ", relaxing the period of absence from Hong Kong for the Old Age Allowance and raising the asset limit of Old Age Allowance recipients, as well as increasing the number of subsidized residential care places for the elderly" after "such vouchers"; to add ", including re-opening Single Parent Centres and Post Migration Centres, as well as relaxing the mandatory work requirement under the New Dawn Project and abolishing the measure of deducting supplement" after "the disadvantaged groups"; to add ", and actively eliminating inter-generation poverty, including raising the income ceiling for student financial assistance and the amount of assistance, giving priority to increase the number of child care places and extend the service hours of child care centres in districts with more poor children, as well as offering fee remission to low-income families" after "pre-primary education vouchers"; to delete "expediting and increasing" after "(i)" and substitute with "giving priority to expedite and increase"; and to add "in districts where the poverty situation is more serious" after "community facilities".

    (ii)Hon James TO: (Translation)

    To delete "as" after "That," and substitute with "although"; to add "given that most of the additional surplus for this year comes from unstable sources of revenue such as stamp duty and land sales, and that Hong Kong faces a serious ageing population, and public health care expenditure may increase drastically," after "unprecedentedly huge,"; to delete "enhanced" after "should also make" and substitute with "appropriate"; to add "reducing the amount of medical contributions that may need to be made in the future," after "on the public,"; to add "using the fiscal surplus for this year to alleviate the public's burden of medical contributions that may need to be made in the future, e.g. appropriating $50 billion to set up an 'Old Age Fund'; (b)" after "(a)"; to delete "less than $15,000" after "a ceiling of not" and substitute with "more than $20,000"; to delete the original "(b)" and substitute with "(c)"; to delete the original "(c)" and substitute with "(d)"; to add ", and introducing a children's education allowance" after "newborn babies"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(g)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(j)"; and to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(k)".

    (iii)Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG: (Translation)

    To delete "," after "That" and substitute with "the Government's revenue has increased significantly due to satisfactory revenue from land sales and a robust stock market; while the market booms, many people from different strata only benefit to a limited extent;"; to delete "at least" after "tax rebate of"; to delete "not less than" after "a ceiling of"; to add "introducing a tax allowance for taking out private medical insurance; (f) increasing the tax allowance for self-education expenses deduction to $80,000; (g)" after "(e)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(h)"; to add ", including restoring the rates of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payment and disability allowance to the 2003 level prior to their reductions, increasing the rates of Normal Old Age Allowance and Higher Old Age Allowance to $900 and $1,000 per month respectively, and raising the monthly income limit of recipients of Cross-district Transport Allowance to $7,000; enhancing the provision of various social services, including formulating a 'Five-year Plan' to solve the problem of prolonged waiting time for residential care places for people with disabilities and the elderly, as well as places of day care centres for the elderly and elderly health centres, while at the same time expanding home care and community support services, and immediately setting up a case management system for the elderly who need long-term nursing care, people with disabilities and ex-mental patients, with a view to preventing them from becoming patients with hidden symptoms in the community, so as to more effectively meet the basic needs of disadvantaged families" after "the disadvantaged groups"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(j)"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(k)"; to add ", focusing on the characteristics of their population structures, constructing in remote areas, such as Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung, additional leisure and sports facilities geared to the needs of local communities and at the same time enhancing the support facilities for primary health care services in such areas, including providing 24-hour out-patient as well as accident and emergency services, and expeditiously implementing the construction of Tin Shui Wai Hospital and North Lantau Hospital, so as to relieve the difficulties encountered by residents in remote areas in seeking medical treatment" after "community facilities"; and to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(l)".

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

    To add "the current prices are rising and the real wages of employees have reduced, which have aggravated the burden of livelihood on the general public, and" after "That, as"; to add "benefit the 'three have-nots' (i.e. people who do not have to pay tax, do not own properties and do not receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ('CSSA') payments or the Old Age Allowance), and must" after "the relevant measures must"; to add "waiving the rates for the whole year of 2008-2009, subject to a ceiling of $5,000 per quarter, and reducing the rates percentage charge to 3%; (b)" after "(a)"; to delete the original "(b)" and substitute with "(c) restoring the basic allowance for salaries tax to the 2002-2003 level,"; to delete the original "(c)" and substitute with "(d) offering employees a tax concession of up to $1,000 for their Mandatory Provident Fund contributions; (e)"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(g)"; to add ", increasing the amount of Old Age Allowance to $1,000, and abolishing the restrictions on absence from Hong Kong and on portability to two Mainland provinces only" after "such vouchers"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete "actively" before "helping the disadvantaged groups" and substitute with "introducing a progressive profits tax system to achieve the effect of the tax system being vertically fair and wealth being redistributed, thereby", and to add "in a better way" thereafter; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(j)"; to add "fulfil its commitment to spend $29 billion on public projects each year," before "boost"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(k)"; to add "the construction" before "and increasing"; to delete "; and" after "community facilities" and substitute with "which are closely linked with people's livelihood, particularly Tung Chung Hospital, Tin Shui Wai Hospital and various basic cultural, recreational and civic community facilities (e.g. libraries, community centres and recreation centres);"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(l)"; and to add "; (m) introducing home loan schemes and relaunching the Home Ownership Scheme, so as to assist the middle and lower classes in acquiring their own homes; (n) waiving the interests under the Non-means Tested Loan Scheme for post-secondary and tertiary students while they are receiving education, and allowing the repayments of university student loans to be tax deductible; (o) relaxing the restrictions on the Cross-district Transport Allowance, extending the payment period, and raising the monthly income limit of recipients of this Allowance to $6,500; (p) providing public transport subsidy for people with disabilities; (q) readjusting the rates of CSSA payments in a timely manner to assist CSSA recipients; (r) offering a living supplement of $1,000 per month to the poor elderly not on CSSA; (s) freezing the rents of all Government markets to assist small business operators and alleviate the burden of market rents on them; (t) freezing Government fees and charges as well as various licence fees; (u) further alleviating the burden of rents on public housing tenants; (v) increasing health care funding to cope with the ageing population problem and, based on the distribution of elderly and grassroots populations in various districts, allocating resources to hospital clusters and individual hospitals in a fair manner through a transparent mechanism; and (w) buying out the franchises of the Eastern Harbour Crossing, Western Harbour Crossing and Route 3 (Country Park Section), or extending their franchise periods" immediately before the full stop.

    (v)Hon CHAN Kam-lam: (Translation)

    To add "Hong Kong economy has for four consecutive years recorded growth rates which are markedly higher than the forecast trend, and" after "That, as"; to add "providing an additional basic tax allowance of $30,000 for dependent parents/grandparents/grandparents-in-law who live in care and attention homes, so as to support those elderly people who require a high level of nursing care; (f) extending the tax deduction period for home loan interest from the existing 10 years to 15 years; (g) providing employees with a tax deduction for their voluntary Mandatory Provident Fund contributions, subject to a ceiling of $12,000 per year; (h) providing a tax deduction for private medical insurance contributions, subject to a ceiling of $12,000; (i) providing an after-birth grant of $3,000 for the mother of each baby who herself or the father of the baby is a Hong Kong resident; (j) reducing the duty on unleaded petrol by half; (k)" after "(e)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(l) enhancing care for the elderly and increasing the number of various types of residential care places and service quotas; (m) actively exploring and adopting appropriate means to assist the needy elderly families in maintaining and repairing their buildings; (n)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(o) providing more resources for mutual aid committees to nurture a spirit of good neighbourhood and mutual help, so as to build a harmonious community; (p) freezing various Government fees and charges which affect people's livelihood; (q) focusing on the problem of high fares of outlying island ferry services, studying suitable options and allocating resources to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on outlying island residents; (r)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(s)"; to add ", including the development of the frontier closed area, the Northern Link, Route 4 and the MTR South Island Line, so as" before "to boost"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(t) earmarking funds for building hospitals in Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung as soon as possible; (u)"; to delete "and (j)" after "community facilities;" and substitute with "(v) examining the 18 districts in the territory for implementing enhancement projects in various districts, and expediting the implementation of a 'territory-wide greening' programme, so as to improve the environment for the community; (w)"; and to add "; (x) allocating more resources to attract more Mainland and overseas companies to Hong Kong for capital raising and financing activities and, at the same time, establish a mechanism with the Central Government to enable the inflow of more Mainland funds into the Hong Kong stock market, as well as strive for the development of an oil futures market in Hong Kong, so as to further consolidate Hong Kong's position as a major international financial centre; (y) strengthening Hong Kong's capability in immediate transhipment, so as to consolidate Hong Kong's position in the international logistics market; and (z) utilizing the land in border areas and vacant factory buildings, etc, to set up a two-way exhibition and sales platform which connects China with overseas countries and serves as a showcase for international and Mainland enterprises, with a view to turning Hong Kong into a 'capital of international exhibitions and sales" immediately before the full stop.

    Amendment to Hon CHAN Kam-lam's amendment
    Hon Mrs Selina CHOW:     (Translation)

    To delete "15 years" after "10 years to" and substitute with "until the end of the repayment period, and increasing the amount of tax deduction from $100,000 to $150,000 per year"; to delete "$12,000" after "medical insurance contributions, subject to a ceiling of" and substitute with "$15,000"; to add "newborn" after "the mother of each"; to add ", as well as continuing to freeze and studying to further reduce the duty on ultra low sulphur diesel" after "by half"; to add "or community organizations" after "mutual aid committees"; to add "reducing, remitting or" after "(p)"; to add "or rents" after "Government fees and charges"; to add "and the business environment" after "people's livelihood"; to delete "and" after "Route 4" and substitute with ","; to add "and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, as well as appropriately developing Lantau, expeditiously commissioning the Liantang Control Point, and constructing large-scale exhibition and convention venues, etc" after "South Island Line"; to add "and actively developing a logistics park" after "immediate transhipment"; and to add "including opening up Chung Ying Street, developing commercial or related economic and high-tech industrial zones in the river loop area, developing green industries, logistics industries, creative industries and merchandizing cities, etc, so as" after "factory buildings, etc,".

    (vi)Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki: (Translation)

    To add "allocating more resources to the Hospital Authority to improve the situation of inadequate resources among hospital clusters; (f) allocating additional funds to recruit front-line doctors and retain senior doctors, so as to implement the reform on the working hours of doctors and improve health care services; (g) allocating substantial additional funds to improve psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation and support services for which resources are seriously inadequate for a long time; (h)" after "(e)"; to add ", and introducing dental care vouchers for the elderly" after "such vouchers"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(j)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(l)"; and to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(m)".

    Public Officer to attend : Financial Secretary

Clerk to the Legislative Council