A 08/09-32

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 10 June 2009 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Industrial Training (Clothing Industry) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2009118/2009
2.Air Pollution Control (Specified Processes) (Amendment) Regulation 2009119/2009
3.Land Survey (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2009120/2009
4.Airport Authority Ordinance (Map of Restricted Area) (Amendment) Order 2009121/2009

II. Questions

1. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the work of implementing gender mainstreaming and promoting gender equality, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)given that the authorities have, since 2002, applied the Gender Mainstreaming Checklist to 30 policy and programme areas which are of relevance to women, and provided training on gender mainstreaming to over 4 000 civil servants, whether the authorities have any plan to apply the Checklist to all other policy and programme areas as well as provide relevant training to all politically appointed officials and directorate civil servants; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)given that the work target of at least 25% for each gender for the purpose of appointing non-official members of advisory and statutory bodies had been attained at the end of 2005, whether the authorities have any plan to raise this target; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)given that the authorities have, since 2003, set up in all bureaux and government departments a network of Gender Focal Points ("GFPs"), most of whom being directorate officers, to assist the Government in promoting gender mainstreaming and offer suggestions, of the number of meetings held in the past three years between these GFPs and the bureaux concerned, the suggestions they have made and how such suggestions have been implemented?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

2. Hon Paul Tse to ask: (Translation)

Under the Travel Agents Ordinance, a travel agent must be a member of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong ("TIC") for it to be granted a licence to operate travel agency business. In recent years, many travel agents have relayed to me their discontent with the operation of TIC (including "black box" mode of operation and abuse of public resources for private use). They have also said that they cannot effectively monitor TIC's use of the substantial public resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)which government department and official are responsible for monitoring the operation, appointment of management staff and financial matters of TIC, as well as through what mechanism the monitoring is carried out; whether the government department concerned had audited the accounts of TIC in the past five years; if it had, of the results; if not, whether it will conduct the relevant audits expeditiously; whether the Government had conducted in the past five years any value for money audit in respect of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the operation of TIC; if it had, of the results and whether the results had been announced; if not, whether it will conduct the relevant audits expeditiously;

    (b)given that the Board of Directors of TIC had earlier requested all observers to sign a confidentiality undertaking to ensure that the discussions at the meetings of the Board of Directors and its committees would not be divulged, whether the Commissioner for Tourism, being an observer of the Board of Directors of TIC, has signed the confidentiality undertaking; if so, of the reasons for that; whether the Government has assessed the impact and constraints posed by such a confidentiality undertaking on the powers and responsibilities of the Commissioner for Tourism; and

    (c)whether it has set up any mechanism to review regularly the appointment of the chairman and directors of TIC and their discharge of duties (including evaluating whether they have effectively exercised the powers conferred by the relevant legislation to regulate travel agents, tour escorts and tour guides in an open, fair and impartial manner); if so, of the review results; if not, whether it will conduct such a review expeditiously?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

3. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that the United States will implement in 2012 an energy saving and emission reduction plan for vehicles. The fuel efficiency standard which is applicable to new vehicles sold in the United States will be raised gradually from the current standard of 25 miles per gallon (i.e. around 10.6 kilometres per litre) to 35.5 miles (i.e. around 15.1 kilometres per litre) in 2016. It is estimated that the United States will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 900 million metric tons between 2012 and 2016. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has proactively found out the details of the aforesaid plan; whether it will assess the implications of the plan in the future development and application of energy saving vehicles, and if the plan will result in vehicles with lower energy efficiency being dumped at places (e.g. Hong Kong) where the standard concerned is lower;

    (b)according to the estimation of the authorities, what benefits in terms of energy saving and emission reduction can be brought about by implementing the aforesaid new standard in Hong Kong; and

    (c)whether the authorities will, in the light of the aforesaid plan, gradually raise the energy saving and emission reduction standards applicable to vehicles for sale locally, so as to prompt vehicle manufacturers to engage themselves more actively in the research and development of environment-friendly vehicles (such as hybrid models and those propelled solely by electric power), and prompt vehicle owners to choose to use these environment-friendly vehicles, with a view to achieving reduction in emission and roadside air pollution; if it will not, of the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

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

Some residents on Hong Kong Island have complained to me about the serious traffic congestion along the link roads at the northern exit of the Aberdeen Tunnel, especially at the road section around the interchange between Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East. They say that it usually takes 20 minutes for vehicles to get through that road section on Saturday afternoons, making it difficult for passengers to estimate their travelling time. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective average vehicular traffic per hour at the aforesaid road section during peak hours and non-peak hours;

    (b)whether it has assessed what help the commissioning of the MTR West Island Line and South Island Line, as well as the Central-Wan Chai Bypass will be in solving the traffic congestion on Hong Kong Island (especially at the aforesaid road section); if it is of little help in respect of the aforesaid road section, what long-term solutions are available; and

    (c)of the short-term measures to alleviate the traffic congestion at the aforesaid road section?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

5. Hon Tanya CHAN to ask: (Translation)

Following the recent spate of incidents of tree collapsing which occurred one after the other in various districts of Hong Kong, causing injuries to members of the public and property losses, some members of the community requested that the Government to step up its work of inspection and caring of trees. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it has assessed the average age of the trees on government lands other than country parks; if it has, of a breakdown of such figures by District Council district; whether the Government will step up its work of inspection and caring of trees in areas where the trees are relatively old on average and where pedestrian or vehicular flow is relatively high; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether at present it has guidelines on the locations, soil quality, growing space, intervals and tree species in respect of planting trees on government lands; if so, of the details, as well as whether it will review the guidelines; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; if it has no guidelines, the reasons for that; whether the Government will consider afresh enacting legislation on trees to provide for the caring of trees; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)whether at present it has guidelines on and procedures for the registration and selection of contractors for outsourced tree caring work, as well as matters related to the tendering exercises; if so, of the details; whether the Government, when outsourcing tree caring work, requires the contractors to fully comply with all the Government's internal technical circulars and guidelines relating to the caring and management of trees; if so, how the Government monitors the contractors' compliance with the guidelines; if not, of the reasons for that; whether contractors will be penalized if they have damaged trees in the course of the outsourced work, and what responsibility they have to bear?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

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

In the past six months, three incidents of corrosive fluid being thrown from a height onto Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct occurred one after another, causing injuries to dozens of passers-by. Such incidents not only posed serious threats to the safety of members of the public and tourists, but also dealt a blow to the business of the shops nearby. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective numbers of reports on incidents of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts in the past three years and the resultant casualties, together with the detection rates and the heaviest penalty imposed on the convicted persons;

    (b)what measures the authorities had implemented to address the problem of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts in the past five years; of the criteria adopted by the authorities for deciding whether or not to install closed-circuit television systems, commonly called the "sky eyes", for pedestrian precincts, as well as the installation process and the time normally required; and

    (c)whether the authorities will provide additional resources to the District Councils concerned to tackle the problem of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts and help the nearby buildings, in particular those old buildings which have not formed owners' corporations, to enhance security and improve the quality of building management?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

At its fourth meeting held on 3 April this year, the Task Force on Economic Challenges agreed to study how to further develop the six economic areas where Hong Kong has enjoyed clear advantages, namely testing and certification, medical services, innovation and technology, cultural and creative industries, environmental industry, and educational services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective percentage shares of the aforesaid economic areas in the Gross Domestic Product, as well as the number of people they employed, in each of the past three years;

    (b)whether the Government will implement preferential policies on land, taxation, training of manpower resources and attracting talent, etc., so as to develop these economic areas; if it will, of the details; and

    (c)of the anticipated number of jobs which can be created following the development of each economic area?
Public Officer to reply : The Financial Secretary

*8. Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask: (Translation)

According to the new Scheme of Control Agreements which the Government signed with CLP Power Hong Kong Limited and Hongkong Electric Company Limited ("the two power companies") respectively, the basic tariff of the two power companies was lowered from October last year and January this year respectively. Yet, the fuel clause charge included in the tariff of the two power companies was raised. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective monthly prices (including the free-on-board prices, the cost-insurance-and-freight prices and the freight charges involved) of the fuel costs of the two power companies last year;

    (b)given the decrease in the international coal prices in the past six months, whether the Government will discuss with the two power companies how to adjust the fuel clause charge in a more timely manner;

    (c)whether it knows if there will be room for reduction in the fuel clause charge next year as estimated by the two power companies; if there will be room for reduction, of the extent; and

    (d)of the authorities' new measures to monitor the fuel clause charge and tariff adjustments of the two power companies effectively, as well as those to enhance the transparency of the tariff mechanism?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

*9. Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask: (Translation)

According to several items of statistical information, eight of the world's top 10 ports with the highest container throughput are in Asia, which are Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Busan, Guangzhou, Ningbo-Zhoushan and Qingdao, in descending order of throughput ranking. The consolidated container throughput of Shanghai and that of the Pearl River Delta ("PRD") (i.e. Shenzhen and Guangzhou) soared by 148% and 142% respectively in 2008 as compared to those in 2003, while that of Hong Kong rose by 20% only. There have been comments that with the rapid growth of the mainland economy in recent years, the demand for inbound and outbound freight services is enormous, but Hong Kong has failed to seize the opportunity to acquire a bigger market share. In addition, the State Council has recently approved the plan to develop Shanghai as an international shipping centre. Hence Hong Kong's position as a maritime and logistics centre is facing increasingly tough challenges. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)how Hong Kong will compete with the other container ports in the PRD region;

    (b)whether it will inject resources to construct a logistics park to consolidate Hong Kong's position as an ideal import and export centre for critical parts (such as high-tech proprietary products); and

    (c)given that the container port industries of Hong Kong's neighbouring regions are booming, whether the Government has, in the light of the latest assessment, changed its position that it is necessary to build Container Terminal No. 10, and when the Government will make a decision, in order not to delay or affect the development of southwest Tsing Yi?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

*10. Hon WONG Yuk-man to ask: (Translation)

I often receive complaints from elderly people and concern groups pointing out that it is very tiring and inconvenient for patients to go to the Shek Kip Mei Health Centre ("SKMHC") for consultation. Since there is no escalator connecting SKMHC, which is located on a slope, patients need to climb an open-air staircase of almost 100 steps to reach there. Moreover, the lack of barrier-free access in SKMHC has also caused inconvenience to wheelchair users and elderly people with limited mobility. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of attendances of SKMHC in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by whether the patients were "60 or above";

    (b)whether it knows the number of patients who fell down and were injured at the staircase outside the entrance of SKMHC in each of the past five years;

    (c)whether it will consider building escalators connecting SKMHC; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)whether it will consider building a cover for the aforesaid staircase, so that patients will not be tormented by the scorching sun and lashing rain; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (e)whether it will consider providing barrier-free access in SKMHC (including building a wheelchair access at the entrance of SKMHC), so as to facilitate wheelchair users and elderly people with limited mobility to seek consultation; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

Regarding the regulatory system for drugs, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)it has found out if the drugs produced by Hong Kong pharmaceutical manufacturers with Good Manufacturing Practice ("GMP") certification may be sold in the European Union ("EU") and the United States ("US"); whether it knows if the drugs produced by the pharmaceutical manufacturers with GMP certification by the authorities in Australia, Japan, Singapore or other Asian countries may be sold in EU;

    (b)it will study enhancing the GMP guidelines in Hong Kong to set their standards not lower than those in Australia and Singapore; if it will, of the details and the relevant timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)the authorities recognize the GMP certification issued by the mainland authorities of the national and provincial levels; if so, of the authorities' measures to ensure that the GMP guidelines are strictly followed, and whether they know if the authorities in EU, Australia, the US, Japan and Singapore recognize such certifications; and

    (d)findings of bioequivalence evaluation studies on generic drugs (i.e. non-patent drugs) have to be provided to prove that their efficacy and safety are the same as those of the original brand name drugs before they are registered in Hong Kong; if not, how the authorities ensure that the generic drugs reach the efficacy and safety standards of the original brand name drugs; whether they know if the EU, Australian and Singaporean authorities have adopted the same relevant measures as those in Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*12. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

Some concern groups on animal interests have recently told me that some people who lack expertise in pedigrees and breeding of animals breed animals with genetic defects for sale as pets. People who buy such animals have to bear the high costs of curing animals, and the animals concerned also endure pain due to genetic diseases. It has been reported that the European Union had already stipulated that cats known as Scottish Folds should not be bred because of their genetic defects, and Japan had also stipulated that animals suffering from genetic diseases must not be bred. Moreover, the concern groups have also pointed out that the trading of animals on the Internet is becoming prevalent, but such activities are not subject to any regulation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)it will make reference to the practice of foreign countries and ban the breeding and sale of animals with genetic defects as pets in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)it will set up a database to keep information on common genetic diseases and other illnesses among the animals being kept as pets, so as to enable the public to get hold of the relevant information before making a decision on buying or adopting animals, as well as avoid subsequent abandonment of the animals by the public due to animals' illnesses, which causes community problems; and

    (c)it will regulate animal trading activities on the Internet; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*13. Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung to ask: (Translation)

The Social Welfare Department has implemented the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services since November 2000. As at 28 February 2009, 147 550 cases had been referred to the Mechanism for assessment. Among these cases, assessment was completed for 134 770 cases, with 12 780 cases remaining. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)among the aforesaid cases for which assessment had not been completed, of the number of those in which the applicants had given up their turn for assessment, and whether it knows their reasons for that;

    (b)among the above referrals, of the number of applicants who passed away while waiting for assessment;

    (c)of the average waiting time for assessment and the number of accredited assessors, broken down by the District Council districts in which the applicants reside;

    (d)whether it has any plan to increase the number of accredited assessors; if so, how many accredited assessors will be increased in each district and of the implementation date; and

    (e)of the mechanism for arranging priority assessment for applicants in emergency cases, the total number of applicants who have received priority assessment so far, and the means to enable the public to be aware of such a mechanism directly?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

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

On 29 May this year, a man suspected to have a mental illness seizure was alleged to have chopped a three-year-old toddler to death, while the toddler's father was also chopped and seriously injured. It is learnt that this was the sixth wounding case involving mental patients in the past 11 months and also the third fatal case involving mental patients since May this year. The authorities have indicated that the existing policy on the treatment of mental patients is to allow patients with stable conditions to return to the community and be controlled by medications and followed up by healthcare staff and social workers. Yet, the policy cannot give a 100% guarantee that similar incident will not occur. It has been reported that about 140 000 out of the 150 000 mental patients in Hong Kong are currently living in the community, but the number of healthcare staff and social workers providing the relevant support services is inadequate. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it will re-examine the policy of allowing mental patients to return to the community; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether it has assessed if the existing manpower and resources for providing follow-up services to mental patients after their discharge and return to the community are adequate; whether the authorities have set the ratios of discharged mental patients to psychiatrists, nurses and medical social workers stationed in hospital; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)given that the authorities have indicated that the Working Group on Mental Health Services ("Working Group"), chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health, is reviewing the mental health policies in Hong Kong and will complete its report as soon as possible, but the Working Group has not reported on the work progress since its establishment in 2006, of the number of meetings held by the Working Group so far, as well as the work progress, the review direction and outcome; and

    (d)given that the review of the Rehabilitation Programme Plan in Hong Kong completed by the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee in 2007 has set out strategic directions for the development of rehabilitation services including those for ex-mentally ill persons, whether the Working Group will correspondingly expedite the progress in reviewing the mental health policies and set a timetable for completing the report; when the authorities will fully implement the medical and rehabilitation programme for mental patients?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

It has been reported that Mr ZHOU Yongjun, a leader of the June 4th democracy movement who has permanent residency in the United States ("US"), was arrested in Shenzhen by the mainland Police on his way from US to the Mainland via Hong Kong last year. He was formally arrested by the mainland Police for "financial fraud" in early May this year. Regarding the vetting and approving of entry applications by the authorities, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has any role to play in the arrest of Mr ZHOU Yongjun, including notifying the mainland authorities of Mr ZHOU's arrival at Hong Kong;

    (b)of the reasons for refusing the entry of Mr Jens GALSCHIOT, a sculptor from Denmark who created the Pillar of Shame, and Mr WANG Dan, Mr WANG Chaohua, Mr WANG Juntao and Mr YANG Jianli, who are democracy activists, and whether any political consideration was involved; and

    (c)of the number of visitors who were refused entry each month since January 2008 by the authorities in the course of performing the work to "prevent the entry of undesirable persons", the nationalities of these visitors and the reasons for refusing their entry?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*16. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask:

The Family Council was established in 2007 with the terms of reference to discuss and promote core family values and harmonious relationships among family members. The Family Council recommended that it should form a closer alliance with the Commission on Elderly, Commission on Women and Commission on Youth, and make more concerted efforts to help enhance support services for families. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the work schedule of the Family Council and the aforesaid three Commissions, and how each of them interfaces with the existing consultative framework and government departments concerned;

    (b)of the details of and the latest progress in the promotion of family-friendly work practices in the business community as pledged in the 2008-2009 Policy Address by the Chief Executive, and the latest progress in the related work areas of the three Commissions; and

    (c)whether the Government will establish an inter-departmental mechanism to assess the possible impact on families of any new policy; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

At present, the Government provides Teacher Relief Grant ("TRG"), for appointing supply teachers, to aided schools with incorporated management committees ("IMCs") established. The Education Bureau uses 2.5 man-days a year per teacher as the basis for calculating the amount of grant to be provided, and schools are no longer required to apply for reimbursement of expenses of hiring supply teachers on an accountable basis. However, some members of IMCs have relayed to me that the amount of grant is often insufficient to meet the actual demand, which exerts pressure on both the schools and the teachers because the schools have to meet the shortfall themselves and teachers who have fallen ill refrain from taking sick leave. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the differences in the authorities' policies on provision of supply teacher grant respectively to aided schools with IMCs and those without; the highest, lowest and average amounts of supply teacher grant provided respectively to these two types of schools in each of the past three school years and the current school year so far, broken down by the number of classes in the schools;

    (b)whether it is aware of the situation of schools meeting the shortfall themselves because TRG is insufficient to meet the actual demand; if so, of the number of primary schools and secondary schools involved and the shortfall; whether the Government will help schools solve the problem, such as providing additional grant, so as to assist schools in maintaining the quality of teaching;

    (c)of the justification for using 2.5 man-days a year per teacher as the basis for calculating the amount of TRG, and whether the authorities will make adjustment in response to actual demand; and

    (d)whether it has plan to review the implementation of TRG; if it has, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

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

Regarding the 162 non-governmental organizations funded under the Lump Sum Grant subvention mode in the 2008-2009 financial year for providing welfare services, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the respective amounts of cumulative reserves of each organization at the end of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 financial years ("year-end reserve amount"), expressed as percentages of the actual amounts of allocation received for the respective year; if it does, group these organizations by their year-end reserve amounts and the aforesaid percentages (each group covering five percentage points) in each of the two years, and set out in the following table (i) the number of organizations and (ii) the average year-end reserve amount for each group?

Financial Year: ________________________
Actual amount of allocation received for the year ($) Percentage (rounded to integers)
4%
or
below 		5%
to
9% 		10%
to
14% 		15%
to
19% 		20%
to
24% 		25%
to
29% 		30%
to
34% 		35%
to
39% 		40%
or
above
(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)
0.7 million or below

















>0.7 million to 0.8 million

















>0.8 million to 1 million

















>1 million to 1.2 million

















>1.2 million to 1.4 million

















>1.4 million to 1.7 million

















>1.7 million to 2 million

















>2 million to 2.7 million

















>2.7 million to 3.1 million

















>3.1 million to 4 million

















>4 million to 5 million

















>5 million to 6 million

















>6 million to 7 million

















>7 million to 8 million

















>8 million to 10 million

















>10 million to 12 million

















>12 million to 16 million

















>16 million to 18 million

















>18 million to 20 million

















>20 million to 27 million

















>27 million to 30 million

















>30 million to 38 million

















>38 million to 50 million

















>50 million to 70 million

















>70 million to 90 million

















>90 million to 100 million

















>100 million to 110 million

















>110 million to 130 million

















>130 million to 150 million

















>150 million to 190 million

















>190 million


















Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

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

It is learnt that the downturn of the global economy due to the financial tsunami and the worldwide spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic have resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of visitors to Hong Kong, and hence the relevant industries such as tourism, hotel, catering, exhibition and retail have been hard hit. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of visitors to Hong Kong in each of the past twelve months, broken down by the type of visitors (including business and sightseeing) and their region of origin (overseas and Mainland China);

    (b)whether it has assessed the extent to which the aforesaid industries have been affected in the past three months by the financial tsunami and the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)whether it has assessed the business situation of the aforesaid industries and the unemployment rates concerned in this month and the next six months (especially June, July and August) under the impact of the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic; if it has, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)whether it has studied implementing new measures to alleviate respectively the operational difficulties of the aforesaid industries and unemployment among people engaged in the industries concerned; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (e)whether it will request travel agencies, schools and other relevant organizations to stop organizing study tours for local students to go to countries with major outbreaks of Influenza A (H1N1) (e.g. Mexico, the United States and Japan) during the summer holidays this year, so as to reduce the chances of students getting infected; and

    (f)as it is expected that the Fifth East Asian Games, which will take place in December this year, will attract a large number of overseas and mainland visitors to Hong Kong to attend events of the Games, whether the authorities have formulated any contingency plan (including under what situations the various events will be stopped) in respect of the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

In reply to my written question in May 2006, the Government advised that the Steering Committee on Greening ("SCG") was responsible for monitoring and coordinating the concerted efforts in different greening works of various Greening Master Plans ("GMPs") and those works in the districts concerned. Moreover, I have learnt that earlier this year, the Transport Department conducted a study on the proposed improvement works under the Area Improvement Plan for the Shopping Areas of Mong Kok, and it planned to widen the pedestrian crossing at the road junctions of Prince Edward Road West and Fa Yuen Street in September this year. Yet, the Civil Engineering and Development Department commenced, in accordance with the recommendations made in the GMPs for Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, its tree planting works at that pedestrian crossing in May this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)in respect of the various completed or ongoing greening works of GMPs in the past two years:

    (i)of the number of reports received by the Government about the newly-planted vegetation withering or being damaged, together with a breakdown by GMP of the incidents mentioned in such reports, with the respective dates of uncovering the incidents, locations and the relevant reasons (e.g. the newly-planted vegetation being damaged by people, being hit by cars or withering naturally);

    (ii)whether the Government had re-planted vegetation at the locations concerned; if so, of the details such as locations where vegetation had been re-planted and the plant species;

    (iii)whether any newly-planted vegetation had been removed upon plantation in order to tie in with other works projects, respond to the request from members of the public or for other reasons; if so, of the details such as the dates when the plants were removed, the locations of and reasons for the plants being removed, the species and quantities of the plants concerned; and

    (iv)whether it had assessed the quantities of newly-planted vegetation which would need to be transplanted or removed owing to the implementation of the 10 major infrastructure projects (including the Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Shatin to Central Link), the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, the MTR West Island Line and the Central Kowloon Route project, together with a breakdown by the works projects;

    (b)whether the Government had, in the past two years, received reports about newly-planted vegetation being damaged by members of the public and shop tenants in the vicinity; if so, whether it had issued warnings to or prosecuted the persons and shop tenants concerned, together with a breakdown by GMP of the locations mentioned in such reports, number of prosecutions instituted as well as the relevant penalties imposed;

    (c)of the average frequency at which SCG meets at present; whether SCG has adopted measures to enhance the coordination with the 10 major infrastructure projects, other major infrastructure projects and the district minor works projects implemented by various District Councils; given that some green groups have pointed out that the newly-planted vegetation withers or is damaged easily as the plants do not fit in with Hong Kong's environment, whether SCG or the relevant government departments will adopt any remedial measure; and

    (d)as the Task Force set up by the Chief Secretary for Administration is exploring the possibility of having a single office to coordinate tree management work within the Government, whether the Task Force will review the existing work of SCG, and how responsibilities will be divided between such an office and SCG?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

* For written reply

III. Bills

First Reading

Supplementary Appropriation (2008-2009) Bill

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Supplementary Appropriation (2008-2009) Bill:Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

IV. Members' Motions

  1. Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

    Hon Tommy CHEUNG to move the following motion:

    RESOLVED that in relation to the Food Business (Amendment) Regulation 2009, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 93 of 2009 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 13 May 2009, 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 8 July 2009.

  2. Proposed resolution under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

    Hon TAM Yiu-chung to move the motion in the Appendix.

  3. Improving environmental hygiene in the community

    Hon IP Kwok-him: (Translation)

    That, as the environmental hygiene conditions of some communities in Hong Kong are poor and hygiene blackspots are everywhere, which have aroused public concern, coupled with the threat of a new strain of influenza, this Council urges the Government to focus on the problem and take effective measures to ensure a clean community environment and enhance public awareness of hygiene, including:

    (a)formulating community environmental hygiene indices for the 18 districts to enable members of the public to understand the environmental hygiene conditions in various districts;

    (b)studying the provision of funds to District Councils to assist buildings without owners' corporations in carrying out work to eliminate hidden hygiene hazards in the communal areas of such buildings;

    (c)recruiting additional staff and enhancing the training for frontline personnel responsible for cleansing and epidemic prevention work, so as to ensure that the personal protection of frontline personnel is safeguarded and that public health and epidemic prevention work is effectively carried out;

    (d)organizing on a yearly and regular basis territory-wide clean housing estate competitions, and encouraging tenants of public housing as well as owners and management companies of private buildings to pay attention to environmental hygiene in housing estates;

    (e)initiating a territory-wide campaign on reporting hygiene blackspots;

    (f)by making reference to the arrangement of rest days for market cleansing, specifying a monthly cleansing day for households and communities across the territory, and through such activities, educating the public on the awareness of keeping their homes and the community clean;

    (g)setting up volunteer work teams in various districts to pay regular visits to the elderly who live alone to carry out cleansing work in their homes; and

    (h)stepping up hygiene education for the public, especially focusing on secondary and primary school students, so as to enable them to develop good hygiene habits from a young age.

    Amendments to the motion
    (i)Hon Fred LI: (Translation)

    To delete "as" after "That," and substitute with "with the implementation of clean-up campaigns in Hong Kong since the 1970s, the cityscape of Hong Kong has improved a lot; however,"; to add "still" after "some communities in Hong Kong are"; to delete "initiating a territory-wide campaign on reporting hygiene blackspots" after "(e)" and substitute with "continuing to organize territory-wide clean-up campaigns, and setting up internet and telephone complaint hotlines for members of the public to report hygiene blackspots in the territory"; to delete "and" after "cleansing work in their homes;"; and to add "; (i) devolving to District Councils some of the decision-making powers on environmental hygiene affairs, including street cleansing, refuse disposal and recycling, etc, so as to effectively improve environmental hygiene in the community; and (j) reconsidering the resumption of the management right of private streets, so as to improve the standard of environmental hygiene in those areas" immediately before the full stop.

    (ii)Hon Tommy CHEUNG: (Translation)

    To delete ", as" after "That" and substitute with "the Administration has announced earlier that there are over one hundred hygiene blackspots in Hong Kong, indicating that"; to delete "and hygiene blackspots are everywhere, which have aroused public concern, coupled with" after "poor" and substitute with ", which not only affect the cityscape but may also pose health hazards to the public under"; to add "; as such" after "a new strain of influenza"; and to add "and at the same time ensuring, through lasting measures, that improvement to the hygiene conditions of these blackspots is sustained, so as to prevent the resurgence of hygiene problems" after "reporting hygiene blackspots".

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Food and Health

  4. Immediately reviewing the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme

    Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong: (Translation)

    That, the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme, since its implementation in the 2007-2008 school year, has given rise to a number of problems, including the failure of the policy on fee remission which has rendered a number of parents having to pay higher school fees; moreover, the Administration has abolished the proposed pay scale for kindergarten teachers, resulting in the loss of salary protection for kindergarten teachers, who can hardly enjoy salary increase even after upgrading their qualifications, whereas pressure from work and studies has substantially increased; as the voucher system has aroused strong discontent among the early childhood education sector and parents of kindergarten children, this Council urges the Administration to immediately conduct a comprehensive review on the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme, including:

    (a)reviewing the Kindergarten Fee Remission Scheme and adjusting the level of fee remission in accordance with price indices, so as to ensure that low-income families receive appropriate assistance;

    (b)comprehensively reviewing the various subsidies for early childhood education institutions, including increasing the manpower and resources for whole-day kindergartens;

    (c)offering subsidies under the voucher scheme on a fair and equal basis so that all kindergarten children are benefited;

    (d)formulating a pay scale for kindergarten teachers which is commensurate with their qualifications, and directly subsidizing the remuneration of kindergarten teachers, so as to relieve the burden on parents; and

    (e)relieving the work pressure on kindergarten teachers, including simplifying the administrative work arising from self-evaluation, external evaluation and the voucher scheme, as well as providing sufficient support staff, etc.

    Amendments to the motion
    (i)Hon Starry LEE: (Translation)

    To add "the purpose of introducing the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme is to lessen the financial burden of parents and provide them with direct fee subsidy, but" after "That,"; to delete "in accordance with" after "the level of fee remission" and substitute with "with reference to the changes in"; to add "on an annual basis" after "price indices"; to delete "including" after "education institutions," and substitute with "as well as"; to delete "whole-day kindergartens" after "resources for" and substitute with "such institutions, so as to ensure the quality of early childhood education"; to add "and parents are free to choose the early childhood education institutions" after "benefited"; to delete "and" after "the burden on parents;"; and to add "; and (f) allowing kindergarten teachers who are still taking Certificate in Early Childhood Education courses at the end of the 2011-2012 school year to keep their teaching posts" immediately before the full stop.

    (ii)Hon Tommy CHEUNG: (Translation)

    To delete "as" after "increased;" and substitute with "furthermore, the requirement of the voucher system that only students studying in eligible non-profit-making kindergartens may receive fee subsidies has also restricted parents' freedom in choosing kindergartens; and given that"; to delete "and" after "the burden on parents;"; and to add "; (f) reviewing the mechanism under which kindergarten teachers are subsidized to pursue further studies, so that teachers working in independent private kindergartens or non-profit-making kindergartens which do not receive or cannot benefit from voucher subsidies and those working in kindergartens receiving voucher subsidies may enjoy the same opportunities and subsidies for further studies, thereby eliminating the unfair treatment faced by kindergarten teachers in receiving subsidies for further studies; (g) expeditiously resolving the discrepancies between the voucher system and the various fee subsidy schemes for child care centres and kindergartens, so as to avoid the problem of parents with financial difficulties having to pay higher school fees after the implementation of the voucher system; and (h) immediately reviewing the existing problem that the proportion of voucher subsidies received by students attending whole-day kindergartens is substantially lower than that received by students attending half-day kindergartens, as well as appropriately raising the proportion, so that parents of whole-day students can receive subsidies in a fair manner" immediately before the full stop.

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education

Clerk to the Legislative Council