A 08/09-11

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 10 December 2008 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2008254/2008
2.Road Traffic (Breath Analysing Instruments and Screening Devices) (Amendment) Notice 2008255/2008
3.Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2008 (Commencement) Notice256/2008

Other Papers

1.No. 34-Police Welfare Fund
Annual Report 2007/2008
(to be presented by the Secretary for Security)

2.No. 35-Annual Report on the Police Children's Education Trust and the Police Education and Welfare Trust 2007/2008
(to be presented by the Secretary for Security)

3.No. 36-Hong Kong Tourism Board
2007/08 Annual Report
(to be presented by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

4.No. 37-Director of Social Welfare Incorporated
Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2008
(to be presented by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

5.No. 38-Emergency Relief Fund Annual Report by the Trustee for the year ending 31 March 2008
(to be presented by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

6.No. 39-Social Work Training Fund Forty-seventh Annual Report by the Trustee for the year ending on 31 March 2008
(to be presented by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

7.Report of Subcommittee on Technical Memorandum for Allocation of Emission Allowances in Respect of Specified Licences
(to be presented by Hon Audrey EU, Chairman of the Subcommittee, who will address the Council)

II. Questions

1. Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask: (Translation)

I have received a number of complaints in recent months alleging that the continuous expansion of the funeral and related trades in Hung Hom over the last few years has affected the environmental hygiene, property prices and business development of the district. The owners' corporation of a building which sought assistance from the District Council pointed out that the owners of a row of shops on the ground floor of that building had let their shops for the operation of funeral parlours, oblivious to the objection of 99% of the occupants of the building. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the number of complaints received by the authorities in the past three years about the nuisance caused by the operation of funeral parlours to residents in the neighbourhood, the main subjects of such complaints and how the authorities dealt with the complaints; and

    (b)the licensing procedure for the operation of funeral and related businesses, as well as the relevant details, including the government departments involved, whether the psychological impact on the residents nearby and funeral affairs being a taboo subject of Chinese people are considerations for the issuance of licences, as well as whether the authorities would consult the residents nearby before issuing such licences; if they would, how they deal with the residents' objection; if not, of the reasons for that and whether they will consider conducting consultation before issuing such licences?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

2. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

On 17 July 2008, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority published an independent consultant's report on "Review of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Work on Banking Stability". One of the recommendations was that "the current three tier structure of authorized institutions should be reduced to two tiers: banks and other deposit-takers". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it plans to take up the above recommendation; if so, of the proposed timetable for implementation?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

    3. Hon Starry LEE to ask:     (Translation)

    The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for the most recent quarter has increased to 3.5% and the Government anticipates that the unemployment rate will climb further under the impact of the global financial tsunami. In 2003, to cope with the impact of the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the then Chief Executive announced spending more than $700 million to provide a large number of additional short-term jobs and training places, and together with other measures, the Government created a total of nearly 73 000 job or training opportunities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the respective numbers of temporary posts lasting less than one year which have been created and will be created by various government departments in the current and the next financial years, as well as the relevant details (including the job nature and expenditure involved);

      (b)given that the financial tsunami has led to an increase in unemployment, the authorities will allocate funding to create more short-term or temporary posts, of the relevant details (including the type and number of posts etc.); and

      (c)given that the unemployment problem is particularly serious among construction workers, whether the authorities will allocate more resources to expedite the rehabilitation projects and works for buildings and facilities in old districts as well as the removal of unauthorized building works in those areas, thereby taking the lead in creating more job opportunities; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
    Public Officers to reply :Secretary for Labour and Welfare
    Secretary for Development

    4. Hon IP Wai-ming to ask: (Translation)

    Will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the respective numbers of workers who were engaged in maintenance and repair works of lifts and escalators in each of the past three years, and among them, the respective numbers of persons who met the criteria stipulated in paragraphs (a) and (b) under the definition of "competent lift workers" in section 29A(4) of the Lifts and Escalators (Safety) Ordinance, the respective numbers of persons who met the criteria stipulated in paragraphs (a) and (b) under the definition of "competent escalator workers" in the same provision, and the number of workers who did not meet those criteria;

      (b)whether it will amend the respective paragraphs (b) under the definitions of "competent lift workers" and "competent escalator workers" in the above provision to the effect that such competent workers who currently or used to meet the criteria under these paragraphs will still be considered as competent workers even when they are no longer employed directly by any registered contractor for lifts or escalators; if it will, of the legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and

      (c)given that section 6.3.1 of the Code of Practice for Safety at Work (Lift and Escalator) drawn up by the Labour Department stipulates that "as far as practicable, workers should not be allowed to work alone on lifts or escalators in premises", and clause 4.3.3 of the Code of Practice for Lift Works and Escalator Works drawn up by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department lists only two circumstances under which the works should be carried out by two or more lift workers, of the reasons for the difference between the two codes; whether it will draw up another standardized code of practice for safety at work on lifts and escalators, which will set out the number of competent persons required for each maintenance or repair process, so as to ensure that they will not be assigned by contractors to carry out relatively more dangerous work alone?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

    5. Dr Hon LAM Tai-fai to ask:     (Translation)

    With effect from the first of this month, the Ngong Ping 360 Limited ("the Company") has increased the ticket prices for cable cars, admission to attractions and packages, by almost 10% for the highest rate of increase. There have been comments that given the frequent occurrence of cable car incidents, its poor image and reputation, the Company's raising the prices substantially might affect the tourism industry of Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the dates, causes and duration of service suspension incidents since the commissioning of the cable car system on 18 September 2006;

      (b)whether it has assessed the impact of the price increases on the tourism industry, the price-increasing trend of public services, public sentiments and the business tenants operating at Ngong Ping Village amid the financial tsunami; if it has, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that; and

      (c)given that the Company is a subsidiary of MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), of the stance of Government representatives on the issue of ticket price adjustments at the relevant board meetings of MTRCL and their justifications for taking such a stance?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

    6. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask:     (Translation)

    Regarding the implementation of the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2006 ("the Amendment Ordinance") enacted by this Council in October 2006, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)as the authorities had stated that after 12 to 15 months from the enactment of the Amendment Ordinance and upon completion of the work of setting up a fixed penalty system for smoking offence, it would commence the work to designate statutory no smoking areas in bus termini and public transport interchanges, of the progress of the work and when the relevant smoking ban will be implemented;

      (b)as the Amendment Ordinance imposes a general ban on misleading descriptors on all tobacco product packaging, and the one-year grace period for this requirement already expired on 26 October last year, whether the Government has investigated if tobacco products with packaging containing such descriptors are still on sale in the market; and

      (c)whether it knows if the sale of tobacco products and the proportion of smokers in the population have dropped since the implementation of the Amendment Ordinance, and whether the Government will consider increasing the duty on tobacco products in the next financial year to drive up the prices of tobacco products, so as to discourage members of the public from buying these products?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

    *7. Hon Paul TSE to ask:     (Translation)

    Given that the financial tsunami has dealt a heavy blow to the tourism industry in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council whether:
      (a)it has recently discussed with the relevant departments of the Guangdong Provincial Government or the Central People's Government the introduction of new measures to allow residents of the Guangdong Province with no criminal record to visit Hong Kong without the need to apply for an endorsement under the Individual Visit Scheme, so as to revitalize the tourism industry in Hong Kong; if it has, of the progress of the discussion; if not, whether it will expeditiously proceed with the discussion; and

      (b)it has considered allowing Taiwan visitors to apply for entry visas upon arrival (i.e. visa-on-arrival); if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

    *8. Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:     (Translation)

    The Government presently provides subvention for 10 uniformed groups to fund the provision of non-formal education and training to their members, aiming at, inter alia, fostering positive values among young people and thereby helping to promote civil education. In this financial year, the total amount of subvention granted to these groups by the Government was $41.48 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. However, as the Government reduced the amount of relevant subvention for two consecutive financial years in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, the said total amount of subvention is even smaller than that in the year of 2003-2004. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the amount of subvention obtained on average by each member of each uniformed group in each of the past five years;

      (b)what criteria are adopted by the Government for determining the respective amounts of subvention obtained by these uniformed groups as a whole and individually; and

      (c)given that government revenue may decrease under the impact of the financial tsunami, whether the Government presently plans to reduce the amount of subvention to these uniformed groups in the next financial year; if so, whether it will assess the impact of such a move on the services provided by these uniformed groups?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

    *9. Dr Hon Samson TAM to ask:     (Translation)

    As there were a number of incidents of explosion in manhole in recent years, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the number of incidents of explosion in manhole in the past five years; the location, cause and resultant casualties (together with the number of staff of public utility organizations among them) of each incident, as well as the organization to which the manhole belonged;

      (b)whether it has studied in the past three years ways to how such incidents could be reduced; if so, of the study results and specific measures; if not, the reasons for that;

      (c)whether it will assess the explosion risks of all manholes in Hong Kong; if it will, of the implementation timetable and related expenses; if not, the reasons for that;

      (d)whether it has studied the feasibility of sealing off holes surrounding the pipelines connected to manholes, so as to prevent explosion caused by inflammable gas leaking into the manhole through such holes; if it has, of the results and whether it will legislate for mandatory enforcement by public utility organizations; if not, of the reasons for that;

      (e)whether it has assessed the trend in explosion in manhole caused by power line failure in the past three years; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

      (f)what measures are in place to enhance the occupational safety of staff of the Government and public utility organizations when they are working in the manholes?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

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

    At present, Hong Kong implements "The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal" ("the Basel Convention") through the Waste Disposal Ordinance ("WDO") (Cap. 354). Yet, in an episode of "60 Minutes" broadcast on a television channel of the Columbia Broadcast System of the United States ("US") in the middle of last month, it was reported that over the years, toxic electronic wastes were smuggled in containers by thousands of vessels every year from US to Hong Kong for storage and subsequent shipment to the largest hub of electronic wastes on the Mainland -- the town of Guiyu in Shantou City. The local residents adopted primitive methods such as open air combustion, etc. to break down these wastes in order to extract metals, thereby causing serious pollution to the environment, as toxic substances were released during the process. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
      (a)whether they know the locations at which such toxic electronic wastes as reported in the programme are stored in Hong Kong, and whether they will conduct investigation in regard to that report;

      (b)whether they will discuss with the US government ways to curb the above activities;

      (c)of the number of cases in which the authorities uncovered dumping or toxic electronic wastes during searches on intercepted container vessels over the past three years, the types and quantities of such dumping and wastes, and how the authorities disposed of such wastes; and

      (d)given that some environmental groups have criticized that WDO does not regulate the import and export of discarded toxic circuit boards, whether the authorities will review the Ordinance and amend it according to the Basel Convention to plug the loopholes; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

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

    Regarding Tung Chung Road, which is the only vehicular access connecting North and South Lantau, will the Government inform this Council:
      (a)of the latest expected completion date of the improvement works to Tung Chung Road;

      (b)whether the black rainstorm on 7 June this year, which caused landslides to occur over a vast area on Lantau Island, has led to any delay or over-spending in respect of the above works; and

      (c)what measures have been put in place to prevent Tung Chung Road from being affected by inclement weather, reduce the cases of road closure, and shorten the time of such closures?
    Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

    *12. Hon Audrey EU to ask:     (Translation)

    Will the Government inform this Council of its revenue from the licence fees of diesel commercial vehicles in the 2007-2008 financial year, with a breakdown by the items in the following table?

    Class of vehicles Permitted gross
    vehicle weight
    (tonnes)    		 Licence fee revenue
    Meeting pre-Euro emission standards Meeting Euro I emission standards
    Goods vehicle and special purpose vehicle (other than van-type light goods vehicle) not exceeding 1.9

    exceeding 1.9 but not exceeding 5.5

    exceeding 5.5

    Van-type light goods vehicle not exceeding 1.9

    exceeding 1.9

    Non-franchised bus

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

      *13. Hon Cyd HO to ask:       (Translation)

      From the year 2008-2009 onward, a total of 300 million dollars will be allocated in each financial year to District Councils ("DCs") for implementing district minor works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
        (a)in respect of each DC since January this year, of the number of projects endorsed, the respective numbers of funding applications for such projects which have been approved, are still being examined and have been rejected by the delegated authorities, the contents and estimated amount of expenditure of each project, as well as the reasons why some of them have not yet been approved or have been rejected; and

        (b)as it has recently been reported that the funding has not been utilized so far, of the reasons for that; and whether it will review the funding mechanism to ensure that the funding applications can be examined and approved expeditiously so that the community can be benefited as soon as possible?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

      *14. Hon CHEUNG Kwok-che to ask:       (Translation)

      Since 1 February 2007, the Hospital Authority ("HA") has implemented new arrangements for obstetric services for non-local pregnant women, which include setting a booking system and raising the Obstetric Package Charge from the previous level of $20,000 to $39,000 for those with a booking and to $48,000 for those without one. On 5 August this year, HA announced that the bookings for delivery in public hospitals would be closed for non-local pregnant women if their expected delivery dates fell between September and December. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows the following:
        (a)the number of non-local pregnant women who made bookings for obstetric services in public hospitals (and the number of them married to Hong Kong residents), the extra revenue generated from the increased charge, the number of additional obstetrics beds provided and the number of additional healthcare staff employed by public hospitals, since 1 February 2007;

        (b)as the authorities indicated in February this year that HA would conduct in the middle of this year a comprehensive review on the use of public hospitals' obstetric services by non-local pregnant women, the specific details of the review and whether participation of community organizations had been invited; and

        (c)the average number of obstetrics beds in public hospitals and their average utilization rate between September and November this year, the number of non-local pregnant women who gave births in public hospitals during the same period without a booking for obstetric services and, among them, the number of those who were married to Hong Kong residents, and how these figures compare to those for the same period in 2007?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

      The way forward for Radio Television Hong Kong ("RTHK") was a focus of the public service broadcasting ("PSB") reviews conducted by the Government in recent years. Quite a number of members of the public have expressed to me their concern that RTHK's editorial independence and room for freedom of speech could be reduced in the future. They are worried that freedom of the press presently represented by RTHK would be "dried up". They also hope that the Government will set up community radio stations for public use. Yet, the Government has stated in the 2008-2009 Policy Agenda that as the relevant issues are "complicated", the authorities need to take more time to study the subject than they earlier anticipated and will embark on extensive consultation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
        (a)given that both the independent review committee appointed by the Government and the Research and Library Services Division of the Legislative Council Secretariat had studied in detail the subject of PSB, of the detailed reasons why the Government needs to take more time to study the subject and the timetable for the above consultation;

        (b)whether it will undertake to include "RTHK's disestablishment from a government department and transformation into a statutory public broadcaster" and "setting up community radio stations for public use" as two of the proposed options in its consultation paper when conducting the consultation; and

        (c)whether it will undertake to fully engage RTHK staff and the general public in its public consultation on PSB policy?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

      *16. Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to ask:       (Translation)

      Regarding the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") Scheme, will the Government inform this Council of:
        (a)the number of CSSA cases at the end of each year since 2005, together with a breakdown by category (unemployment, low earnings, permanent disability, old age, health impairment, single parent family and others), and the number of relevant recipients in each category;

        (b)the number of CSSA cases of the "unemployment" category over the past five years, together with a breakdown by age group (in 10-year bands from the age of 15 to 65) to which the applicants belonged;

        (c)the current number of CSSA cases of the "unemployment" category also broken down by the above age groups and number of years for which the applicants have received CSSA payments; and

        (d)the changes in the numbers of CSSA cases of the "unemployment" category in each of the past 10 years?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

      *17. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask:       (Translation)

      A study conducted by a university has found that the stationing of school nurses helps to raise pupils' awareness of hygiene and healthy eating. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
        (a)there are school nurses stationed in government, aided and caput primary and secondary schools at present; if so, of a breakdown of the number of schools by the number of stationed school nurses; if not, the reasons for that; and

        (b)it has any plan to implement the "One School One Nurse" scheme in all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider providing grants to all kindergartens in Hong Kong for employing school nurses?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

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

      Since the implementation of a total ban on smoking in workplaces and shopping malls, quite a number of smokers have moved to places near the entrances/exits of office buildings and malls to smoke. As a result, people entering or leaving such buildings have to pass through a virtual smoking area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
        (a)it has assessed the impact of the above situation on passers-by; and

        (b)it will review the existing smoking ban with a view to finding a solution to this problem?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

      Since 19 February 2006, the Citybus Limited and the New World First Bus Services Limited have been offering same day return fare concessions to passengers for a period of three years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
        (a)it knows if the above bus companies have plans to extend the aforesaid fare concessions; if it knows that they do not have such plans, whether it will discuss extending the concessions with them; if it will not, of the reasons for that; and

        (b)it will urge various franchised bus companies to offer more fare concessions, so as to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on the public; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

      *20. Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask:       (Translation)

      Regarding the Vocational Training Council ("VTC") and the impact of the New Senior Secondary ("NSS") academic structure to be implemented next year on VTC's member institutions, will the Government inform this Council:
        (a)of the respective numbers of places, students and graduates of the programmes offered by each member institution of VTC in the past three years;

        (b)of the number of teaching staff and other staff of VTC and each of its member institutions, with a breakdown by mode of employment (e.g. appointment on pensionable terms, contract terms or temporary contract terms);

        (c)of the teacher-and-students ratio of each VTC's member institution in the past three years, and how such figures compare with those of other post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong;

        (d)whether it has assessed if the implementation of the NSS academic structure will have any impact on the student enrolment of the various member institutions of VTC and the programmes they offer as well as on the revenues generated from the tuition fees (including whether or not the Youth College, which specializes in offering full time courses for school-leavers from Secondary Three to Secondary Five, will be unable to operate as a result of the drastic decrease in the number of secondary school-leavers); if it is assessed to have impact, of the details of such impact on each member institution; if it is assessed otherwise, the reasons for that;

        (e)as there will be a drastic decrease in the number of student enrolment of VTC's member institutions as a result of the absence of Secondary Five school-leavers in the 2011-2012 school year and thereafter due to the implementation of the NSS academic structure, whether the authorities will adjust downward the amount of funding provided to VTC; if they will, of the amount involved and the method of calculation; if not, whether the authorities will undertake not to reduce the amount of funding provided to VTC when implementing the NSS academic structure, so as to allow VTC to restructure its programmes and enhance the quality of the programmes, as well as minimizing the impact on staff; and

        (f)of the amount of additional resources the authorities will provide to VTC and the University Grants Committee-funded institutions respectively (including the additional funding required to increase the number of teaching staff and infrastructural facilities, as well as funding for other projects) to cater for the needs arising from the implementation of the new academic structure?
      Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

      *For written reply.

      III. Members' Motions

      1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

        Hon Mrs Regina IP to move the following motion:

        RESOLVED that the Employees Retraining Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) (No. 2) Notice 2008, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 244 of 2008 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 12 November 2008, be amended by repealing section 2 and substituting -

          "2.Amount of levy specified for the purposes of section 14(2)

          Schedule 3 to the Employees Retraining Ordinance (Cap. 423) is amended by repealing "$0" and substituting -

          "$0(in respect of each imported employee to be employed by an employer under the "Scheme for Importation of Foreign Domestic Helpers" approved by the Chief Executive in Council on 25 February 2003 under section 14(3) of the Ordinance)

          $400(in respect of each imported employee to be employed by an employer under any other labour importation scheme approved by the Chief Executive in Council under section 14(3) of the Ordinance)".".

        Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

      2. Appointment of a select committee

        Hon LI Fung-ying to move the following motion:

        That this Council appoints a select committee to inquire into the vetting and approval for Mr LEUNG Chin-man, former Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands (Housing) and Director of Housing, to take up post-service work with New World China Land Limited and other real estate organizations, and whether there was any connection between such work and the major housing or land policies which Mr LEUNG had taken part in their formulation or execution and decisions which he had made pursuant to such policies while serving as Director of Buildings, Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands (Housing) and Director of Housing, that had given rise to any potential or actual conflict of interest, as well as related matters, and based on the results of the above inquiry, to make recommendations on the policies and arrangements governing post-service work of directorate civil servants and other related matters; and that in the performance of its duties the committee be authorized under section 9(2) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) to exercise the powers conferred by section 9(1) of that Ordinance.

        Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Civil Service

      3. Promoting infrastructure development

        Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO: (Translation)

        That the international financial tsunami is sweeping across the world, striking the economies of various places including Hong Kong and the situation is very acute, this Council urges the Government to promote infrastructure development with every effort at this critical moment so as to stabilize the economy, increase employment opportunities, enhance the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong and attain sustainable development; to achieve the above objectives, the Government should expeditiously adopt the following measures:

        (a)expeditiously implementing the 10 major infrastructure projects;

        (b)formulating forward-looking plans as early as possible, and planning future works projects following the 10 major infrastructure projects;

        (c)enhancing cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in planning and commencing cross-border infrastructure projects which are beneficial to both places;

        (d)implementing public participation and ensuring the smooth implementation of infrastructure projects to achieve sustainable development for Hong Kong;

        (e)enhancing coordination among departments to expedite the approval of contracts for small and medium works projects;

        (f)commencing more public works projects through public-private partnership;

        (g)ensuring a stable amount of work through detailed planning, so as to prevent a cyclical imbalance between the supply and demand in the manpower market; and

        (h)strengthening training for young engineers and construction workers.

        Amendments to the motion
        (i)Dr Hon PAN Pey-chyou: (Translation)

        To add "in facing" after "That"; to delete "is" after "the international financial tsunami"; to delete "," after "across the world" and substitute with "and"; to add "and employment situations" after "striking the economies"; and to add ", and ensuring that precast concrete units are made locally or drawing on the approach of the Tamar Development Project of not using precast concrete units, so as to absorb more construction workers" after "(a) expeditiously implementing the 10 major infrastructure projects".

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

        To add "once-in-a-century" after "That the"; to add ", recruiting engineers for District Offices in various districts, and allowing various District Councils to engage their own consultants for the minor works proposed by them, so as" after "(e) enhancing coordination among departments"; and to add "and the progress of such projects" after "small and medium works projects".

        (iii)Hon Audrey EU: (Translation)

        To add "the climate crisis has become increasingly acute, and at the same time" after "That"; to add "respond to the United Nations' call for 'Green New Deal' and" after "this Council urges the Government to"; to add "improve the environment," after "at this critical moment so as to"; to add ", stepping up the work of environmental impact assessment" after "(d) implementing public participation"; to delete "enhancing" after "(e)" and substitute with "for projects involving preservation and environment enhancement, having to enhance"; and to add ", including educating them on the latest developments in such fields as energy conservation and green construction, so as to meet the latest needs of the community" immediately before the full stop.

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

        To add "which is caused by the sub-prime mortgage problem in the United States" after "the international financial tsunami"; to add "in planning the various projects, having to ensure that the projects complement the surrounding districts, avoid doing damage to the nearby natural and ecological environment and community culture, and strive with every effort to conserve relics and monuments as well as historical buildings, so as to strike a balance between conservation and development; (e)" after "(d)"; to delete "implementing" before "public participation" and substitute with "before commencing the various infrastructure projects, having to make public all information and conduct extensive public consultation, so as to implement"; to delete "ensuring" before "the smooth implementation" and substitute with "ensure"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to add ", particularly those projects for the provision of community facilities such as escalators and lifts for pedestrians, waterfront promenades and cycling tracks; and at the same time, having to streamline the approval procedures of District Councils, so that more community projects can be implemented more expeditiously" after "small and medium works projects"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(g)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete "and (h)" after "manpower market;" and substitute with "(i)"; to add ", architects, planners, surveyors, landscape architects" after "young engineers"; and to add "; and (j) subject to not violating the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement, adjusting upwards the contract caps for small projects and splitting into smaller projects for open tender" immediately before the full stop.

        Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Development


      4. Raising the limit of university places for publicly-funded bachelor's degree programmes

        Hon Starry LEE: (Translation)

        That, in the face of globalization and being an international city, Hong Kong must enhance the integrated competitiveness of its population and upgrade the academic qualifications of young people, and in order to match the development of a knowledge-based economy, this Council urges the Government to raise the limit of university places for publicly-funded bachelor's degree programmes to allow more students who meet the university admission requirements to enrol in publicly-funded degree programmes, so as to ease the long-standing shortage of articulation places in bachelor's degree programmes for sub-degree graduates, and at the same time, encourage the provision of more private university places to alleviate problems such as the worsening bottleneck in respect of university places available to secondary school graduates upon the implementation of the "3+3+4" academic structure.

        Amendments to the motion
        (i)Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong: (Translation)

        To add "the university admission rate in Hong Kong has long been lower than the levels of major countries and regions in Europe, America and Asia, and" after "That,"; to add "competition under" after "in the face of"; to add "and education level" after "the academic qualifications"; to add "and increase the corresponding student hostel places" after "publicly-funded bachelor's degree programmes"; to delete "university admission" after "who meet the"; to delete "so as to" after "publicly-funded degree programmes," and substitute with "and"; to delete ", and at the same time, encourage" after "sub-degree graduates" and substitute with "; while encouraging"; to delete "private" after "the provision of more" and substitute with "self-financing"; and to delete "to alleviate problems such as the worsening bottleneck in respect of university places available to secondary school graduates" before "upon" and substitute with ", the Government must at the same time provide reasonable allowances and subsidies to maintain the quality and quantity of degree programmes and alleviate the financial burden of students, with a view to solving the problem of the bottleneck in further studies arising from the corresponding increase in the number of secondary students promoting to universities".

        (ii)Hon IP Kwok-him: (Translation)

        To delete "in the face of" after "That," and substitute with "in view of"; to add "in the 21st century" after "globalization"; and to add "; to ensure that students have sufficient financial capability to enrol in publicly-funded bachelor's degree programmes, this Council also urges the Government to provide interest-free or low interest loans to needy students of degree and sub-degree programmes" immediately before the full stop.

        (iii)Hon CHAN Tanya: (Translation)

        To delete "in the face of" after "That," and substitute with "in view of Hong Kong's acute shortage of talents in some industries, and in the face of keen competition from the neighbouring regions, as well as"; to delete "qualifications" after "the academic" and substitute with "standards and qualities"; to add "local" after "allow more"; to add "provided that there are reasonable standards of the curricula, teachers' qualifications and facilities, implement concrete policies to" after "at the same time,"; and to add ", and the specific measures include: (a) reviewing the existing target that 18% of the relevant age cohort may enrol in publicly-funded bachelor's degree programmes; (b) allocating more resources to universities for increasing student hostel places to enable students to enjoy a more comprehensive university life, especially the university's informal education; (c) offering additional tax concessions for donations to universities and encouraging individuals and enterprises to make donations to enable universities to have sufficient resources to meet the expenses arising from the increase of university places; and (d) reviewing various existing financial assistance and loan schemes for post-secondary students so that more students can afford the expenses for pursuing studies in universities" immediately before the full stop.

        Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education

      Clerk to the Legislative Council