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A 08/09-33
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 17 June 2009 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No.
|
|---|
| 1. | Public Health and Municipal Services (Setting Aside Places for Use as Public Pleasure Grounds) (No. 2) Order 2009 | 124/2009
| | 2. | Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) (No. 2) Order 2009 | 125/2009
| | 3. | Declaration of Increase in Pensions Notice 2009 | 126/2009
| | 4. | Widows and Orphans Pension (Increase) Notice 2009 | 127/2009
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Other Papers
| 1. | Report of the Bills Committee on Disciplined Services Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2009
| (to be presented by Hon LEE Cheuk-yan, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
| | 2. | Report of the Bills Committee on Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2009
| | (to be presented by Hon CHAN Kin-por, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
|
II. Questions
1. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)
I have learnt that most of the toilets in the venues under Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Housing Department as well as most of those in various Government Offices do not have facilities such as automatic sensor water taps, automatic sensor or manually-operated soap dispensers and electric hand dryers. Quite a number of members of the public have relayed to me that such toilets have a rather heavy flow of people but do not have the aforesaid sanitary facilities, and they are worried that diseases spread easily through these toilets. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the respective numbers of toilets without the aforesaid sanitary facilities, as well as the respective percentages of such numbers in the total number of the toilets in the aforesaid venues, broken down by government department and the type of sanitary facility;
| | (b) | of the reasons for not installing such sanitary facilities in these toilets; and
| | (c) | whether it will expeditiously install such sanitary facilities in these toilets, so as to reduce the chance of diseases spreading; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health
2. Hon LAU Wong-fat to ask: (Translation)
Regarding rural schools, will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the number of rural schools in Hong Kong in their heyday and, among them, the number of those which have been closed due to under-enrolment;
| | (b) | the number of rural schools which are still in operation at present and, among them, the estimated number of those which will cease operation in the coming two years; and
| | (c) | the government department(s) responsible for the structural safety and maintenance of the vacant premises of the rural schools which have ceased operation?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education
3. Prof Hon Patrick LAU to ask: (Translation)
The MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") has proposed to set up a temporary explosives magazine south of Chung Hom Shan for the construction of the South Island Line. I have learnt that there are residents in Southern District and members of the Southern District Council objecting strongly to such a proposal as they consider that the site for the magazine and the conveyance route of the explosives are too close to residential areas, thus posing a threat to residents' safety. Moreover, as the magazine is only 200 metres away from satellite telecommunications facilities, the relevant company has raised its objection, and the Office of the Telecommunications Authority has also indicated that efforts must be made to ensure that the telecommunications facilities will not be exposed to any potential risk. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | given that the Mines Division of the Civil Engineering and Development Department has put forward the view that the site for the magazine is viable, of the justifications for the Division to put forward the aforesaid view despite objection from the Southern District Council, as well as whether it knew beforehand if the Town Planning Board had already approved the planned use of the site adjacent to telecommunications facilities as explosives storage, as well as the relevant justifications for the approval; if it did not know, of the reasons for putting forward the aforesaid view;
| | (b) | whether MTRCL has submitted to the authorities details of the design and operation of the magazine (including the daily schedule of conveying the explosives, the distance of the conveyance route and the residential areas it passes through), the risk assessment reports and environmental impact assessment reports; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | whether it has studied other "people-based" proposals, including continuing to use the explosives magazine on Lantau Island or identifying another site (such as Shek O Quarry) which is more remote and far from residential areas to set up the explosives magazine?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing
4. Dr Hon LAM Tai-fai to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the air quality of Hong Kong deteriorated in late May this year, and the readings of the Air Pollution Index ("API") recorded by the roadside monitoring stations set up by the Environmental Protection Department in Central, Causeway Bay, and Mong Kok were all at "High" or "Very High" level. For instance, the API readings of the roadside monitoring stations in Central and Mong Kok were as high as 134 and 139 respectively on 31 May this year, which were at "Very High" level. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has looked into the causes for the prolonged poor air quality of Hong Kong and its recent deterioration;
| | (b) | it will discuss with the mainland authorities in the near future the recent deterioration in air quality, with a view to formulating new responsive measures collaboratively; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | it had assessed in the past three years the impact of air pollution on the four areas: public health, healthcare expenditure, economic loss and brain drain of Hong Kong; if it had, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment
5. Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council of:
| (a) | the number of self-employed persons (e.g. fung shui consultants) who filed tax returns, the occupations of the five self-employed persons paying the highest amounts of tax, and the amounts they paid, in each of the past five years;
| | (b) | the number of self-employed persons who had not filed tax returns as found out by the authorities, the total amount of tax and the number of tax years involved, the total amount of fine imposed on them, as well as the heaviest penalty imposed on the convicted persons, in each of the past five years; and
| | (c) | the measures adopted by the authorities at present to trace the sources and amount of income of self-employed persons, as well as to counter their evasion of tax?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
6. Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask: (Translation)
The Secretary for Food and Health has said earlier that as quite a number of the staff in his Bureau have been redeployed to undertake the work on fighting the Human Swine Influenza epidemic ("anti-epidemic work"), commencement of the second stage consultation on healthcare reform will be deferred. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it has assessed until when the aforesaid consultation will have to be deferred, the impact of the deferral on the future implementation of healthcare reform, as well as under what circumstances the consultation will commence;
| | (b) | whether it has assessed if the implementation of healthcare service reform initiatives which have gained wider public support in the first stage public consultation on healthcare reform (including the development of a territory-wide electronic healthcare record sharing system and the promotion of public-private partnership in healthcare services) will need to be deferred as a result of undertaking the anti-epidemic work; and
| | (c) | apart from the second stage consultation on healthcare reform, whether the anti-epidemic work has affected the formulation and implementation of other policies which are currently within the purview of Food and Health Bureau; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that as well as why only the consultation work on healthcare reform has been affected?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health
*7. Dr Hon Samson TAM to ask: (Translation)
The Qualifications Framework ("QF"), officially implemented by the Government on 5 May 2008, enables people engaged in various industries to set, through the qualification level recognition system of QF in accordance with their individual qualifications, experience and capabilities, clear goals and directions for further studies in order to obtain quality-assured qualifications. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the work progress of the 12 Industry Training Advisory Committees already set up at present, as well as whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the relevant work; if so, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (b) | whether it has explored how QF of Hong Kong and the accreditation mechanisms on the Mainland and overseas can interconnect and mutually recognize, as well as whether it has studied the feasibility of establishing mechanisms such as "one examination for two certificates" or "one certificate for two examinations" and mutual exemption of qualification assessment; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | whether it has looked into how QF can interoperate and interface with the other relevant professional accreditation systems in Hong Kong, so as to avoid duplication and confusion among different systems?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education
*8. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
Some members of the public have relayed to me that at present, the platforms of many of the phase 1 Light Rail ("LR") stops have partial covers only, causing inconvenience to passengers who are waiting for trains at such stops, especially during rainy days when they often crowd together under the covered parts of the platforms, and hence accidents are prone to occur. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
| (a) | the existing number of LR stops with partial covers only, as well as the names of such stops;
| | (b) | if the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), which has taken over the operation of LR services since 2 December 2007, had compiled statistics on the numbers of passengers of such LR stops in the past three years; if so, of the relevant numbers, as well as the differences between such numbers and the numbers of passengers on which the design of the LR stops concerned was based; and
| | (c) | if MTRCL has any plan to carry out extension works to extend the covers to the entire platforms of such LR stops, so as to improve the environment for waiting passengers and enhance passengers' safety; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing
*9. Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the protection of the interests of animals, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | as it has been reported that in recent months, wild monkeys in Kam Shan Country Park were poached and smuggled to the Mainland for sale as food, whether the Government has looked into the latest situation and adopted measures to eradicate such activities; and
| | (b) | as it has been reported that in support of the launch of the territory-wide cleansing campaign, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department issued a notice to public market tenants last month prohibiting them from keeping cats and dogs in the stalls, of the Government's measures in place to deal with those animals abandoned by tenants in compliance with the requirement, as well as which government department is responsible for dealing with the follow-up work concerned?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health
*10. Hon LI Fung-ying to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that formaldehyde and other types of volatile organic compounds ("VOCs") emitted from newly made wooden furniture and products are detrimental to human health, including an increased chance of developing cancer. Yet, in the absence of prescribed permissible levels of concentration and emission of formaldehyde from newly made wooden furniture and products in the existing legislation, members of the public and workers who manufacture/assemble furniture are therefore not protected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it has assessed the hazards on human health of inhaling formaldehyde and VOCs in high concentration over a long time; if it has, of the assessment results;
| | (b) | it will regulate the concentration and emission of formaldehyde from household products (especially for newly made wooden furniture); if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (c) | it will regulate the import of newly made wooden furniture and products which have or emit high level of formaldehyde and VOCs; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (d) | it will stipulate that the sale of newly made wooden furniture and products shall be accompanied by a description of the concentration of formaldehyde and VOCs, so as to alert members of the public and workers who manufacture/assemble furniture about the relevant risks; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (e) | it will draw up the relevant work safety guidelines on manufacturing/assembling newly made wooden furniture; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment
*11. Hon WONG Yuk-man to ask: (Translation)
I have learnt that in recent months, quite a number of members of the public have suffered from depression or other kinds of mental illnesses because they have been hard hit by the financial tsunami or they have incurred great losses in their investments in the Lehman Brothers-related financial products. Yet, the waiting time for first appointment in psychiatric specialist out-patient ("SOP") clinics of public hospitals is very long. As a result, the clinical conditions of some patients have deteriorated due to a lack of proper treatment, and some of them even committed suicide. On the other hand, private psychiatric out-patient services are so expensive that the general public are discouraged from seeking consultation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows the respective numbers of patients suffering from depression or other kinds of mental illnesses who committed suicide and died in the past three years;
| | (b) | of the average waiting time for first appointment in public psychiatric SOP clinics at present;
| | (c) | given that some depression patients indicated that because the seriousness of their illness had been underestimated, they were classified as the "routine category" with low priority and had to wait for a very long time, and some attempted to commit suicide while waiting, whether the authorities will review the existing triage system for new cases in psychiatric SOP clinics; and
| | (d) | whether the authorities will consider subsidizing mental patients with financial difficulties to receive treatment by private psychiatrists, so as to shorten the waiting time for first appointment in psychiatric SOP clinics of public hospitals?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health
*12. Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the control of emission of oily fumes and cooking odour from restaurants, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of complaints about restaurants emitting oily fumes or cooking odour received by the authorities from members of the public in each of the past 12 months;
| | (b) | of the number of regular inspections conducted by the Environmental Protection Department ("EPD") and the number of cases in which the offending restaurant owners were prosecuted by EPD in each of the past three years;
| | (c) | whether at present the authorities adopts, in exercising control over restaurants emitting oily fumes and cooking odour, different standards according to the types of districts (such as business districts) in which the restaurants are located; and
| | (d) | whether it will adopt new measures to step up the control of emission of oily fumes and cooking odour from restaurants; if it will, of the details?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment
*13. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)
Starting from 2008, non-Chinese speaking ("NCS") students may apply for admission to local universities using the results of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (Chinese) Examination ("GCSE (Chinese)"). The examination fee for GCSE (Chinese) is $965, while that for the Chinese Language subject in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination ("HKCEE") is $194, with a nearly fourfold difference between them. To avoid being unfair to NCS students and reduce their financial pressure, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it will consider subsidizing NCS students who apply to sit for GCSE (Chinese) to pay for the difference between the above examination fees; and
| | (b) | given that the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (French) is currently included as one of the examination subjects in HKCEE, and thus its examination fee is the same as those for other language subjects in HKCEE, whether the authorities will deal with GCSE (Chinese) in the same way?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education
*14. 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, assessment was completed for 134 770 referred cases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the number of cases for which assessment was completed in each financial year, and among such cases, the number of those which were assessed to be in need of follow-up, broken down by the District Council district in which the elderly people concerned reside and the areas in need of follow-up (set out in the table below)?
Year
200x-200x | Number of cases for which assessment was completed in the year : ___ ;
number of those cases in need of follow-up: ___ |
Areas in need
of follow-up | Central & Western | Eastern | Southern | Wan Chai | Kowloon City | Kwun Tong | Sham Shui Po | Wong Tai Sin | Yau Tsim Mong | Islands | Kwai Tsing | North | Sai Kung | Tai Po | Sha Tin | Tsuen Wan | Tuen Mun | Yuen Long | Total |
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| 7) | Alcohol abuse,
hazardous drinking |
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| 10) | Depression and anxiety |
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| 13) | Cardio-respiratory systems |
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| 20) | Skin and foot problems |
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| 22) | Brittle support system |
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| 25) | Preventive
health measures |
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| 27) | Reduction of formal service |
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| 28) | Environment assessment |
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| 30) | Follow-up on urinary incontinence
and indwelling catheter |
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| Total |
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* Activities of daily living
# Instrumental activities of daily living
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare
*15. Dr Hon David LI to ask:
The Government has adopted various incentive schemes to encourage owners of pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles to replace their vehicles with newer models which are more environment-friendly. However, some members of the public have relayed to me that with respect to the provision of residents' bus services, government policy explicitly favours the retention of older vehicles by facilitating applications by operators that source buses from the existing non-franchised bus ("NFB") fleet. For example, in the notes to application for Passenger Service Licence - Public Bus Service (Residents' Service), it is stated in paragraph (E)(5) that "If the vehicle for which an application for service endorsement is made is sourced from the existing registered NFB fleet and the application will not entail a net increase in the NFB fleet size, a more flexible approach will be adopted by Transport Department in the granting and/or amendment of endorsements". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the total number of vehicles in the existing NFB fleet, with a breakdown by the emission standard which they meet; their average age and, among these vehicles, the number of those which were manufactured five years or more ago;
| | (b) | whether it has assessed if the aforesaid government policy has artificially resulted in high prices of second-hand NFB; if the assessment outcome is in the affirmative, of the respective average amounts of the pricing distortion in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and whether it has assessed if the aforesaid government policy or pricing distortion has created any disincentive regarding or impediment to the replacement of pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles, which the Government hopes to accelerate; and
| | (c) | whether the Government will consider adjusting the aforesaid policy to align it more closely with its policy to encourage owners of pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles to replace their vehicles with more environment-friendly newer models; if not, of the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing
*16. Hon Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the sticking of heat-insulating and light-transmitting colour films on windscreens and windows of vehicles by vehicle owners, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of prosecutions instituted in the past five years against vehicle owners for sticking heat-insulating and light-transmitting colour films on vehicle glass without approval;
| | (b) | of the number of the relevant applications received by the Transport Department in the past five years and, among them, the number of applications rejected as well as the reasons for rejecting the applications;
| | (c) | whether the Government had tested in the past three years the impact of sticking heat-insulating and light-transmitting colour films on how fast the temperature inside vehicles increases and the fuel consumption rate of vehicles under sunlight; if it had, of the test results; if not, whether it will conduct such tests;
| | (d) | whether it knows how overseas authorities regulate the sticking of heat-insulating and light-transmitting colour films on vehicle glass by vehicle owners; and
| | (e) | given that the authorities are drafting legislation to ban idling vehicles with running engines, whether the Government will relax the regulation on the sticking of heat-insulating and light-transmitting colour films on vehicle glass, so as to lower the temperature inside vehicles; if so, of the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing
*17. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)
The Environment and Conservation Fund has provided a funding of $450 million to offer financial assistance to building owners for conducting energy-cum-carbon audits and energy efficiency projects for their buildings. The Government expects that more than 1 600 projects may be subsidized, and many employment opportunities will be created. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
| (a) | it knows if the Employees Retraining Board ("ERB") has assessed how many relevant training courses it needs to organize, so as to provide training for workers engaged in the aforesaid trades;
| | (b) | it has assessed the amount of resources need to be injected to assist members of the public in joining the aforesaid trades; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | it had assessed last year the amount of resources need to be deployed by ERB to organize the relevant training courses to tie in with the development of green economy; if so, of the details?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment
*18. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)
In the consultation paper "Review of the Role and Functions of Public Sector Advisory and Statutory Bodies" published in 2003, the authorities set a minimum ratio of 25% of non-official members of either gender in advisory and statutory bodies ("ASBs") and stipulated that in general, a non-official member of an ASB should neither serve more than six years in any one capacity ("six-year") nor as a member on more than six boards or committees at the same time ("six-board"). The paper also pointed out that "there is a need to review ASBs in the public sector in order to enhance their openness, effectiveness, representativeness and transparency". Subsequently, in reply to the question of a Member of this Council on 6 December 2006, the former Secretary for Home Affairs advised that the Government "will consider reviewing the 25% gender benchmark", but it is learnt that at present there are still 185 non-official members in ASBs who have served for more than six years and the ratio of women members is only 27.6%. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | why at present there are still many incumbent members who have served for more than six years, and how many persons are currently serving as members on more than six boards or committees at the same time;
| | (b) | whether it will formulate measures to ensure that the various policy bureaux and government departments will abide by the six-year and six-board rules in appointing those members; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (c) | whether it has devised any appraisal mechanism to monitor the attendance rates of those members at meetings and upload such rates onto the Internet, so as to enhance transparency and their public accountability; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (d) | what measures the various policy bureaux had taken in the past five years to actively promote the participation of women in ASBs, and whether it has assessed if such measures are adequate;
| | (e) | whether it has conducted any review on the aforesaid 25% gender ratio benchmark since December 2006; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (f) | whether it will set a minimum ratio of the number of persons under 35 years old among the non-official members of ASBs, so as to ensure that the views of the young people are considered?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs
*19. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the Government's provision of computers in public libraries, community centres and community halls for Internet browsing by the public, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the current number of computers provided for such use;
| | (b) | of the utilization of such computers in the past three years and the annual utilization rates of these facilities in each of the venues (broken down by the District Council district in which they are situated); and
| | (c) | given that quite a number of low-income families, which are financially deprived but are not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, do not have Internet services at home, whether the Government will consider introducing new administrative measures (e.g. increasing the number of the aforesaid facilities, extending the operating hours of these facilities and according priority to the use of such facilities by members of the families concerned) to assist them in this regard; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
*20. Hon Paul TSE to ask: (Translation)
Section 32I of the Travel Agents Ordinance (Cap. 218) stipulates that travel agents shall periodically pay to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong ("TIC") a levy for it to meet operational expenses. Yet, I have learnt that no less than 20% of TIC's total operational expenses have to be met by other incomes (including the income derived from organizing training courses). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows the number of training courses organized by TIC and the income derived from such courses in each of the past three years, the percentage of income used for paying the administration expenses of organizing courses, as well as the names and tuition of the five courses with the highest and lowest tuition fees;
| | (b) | whether it knows how TIC makes use of the profits derived from organizing training courses;
| | (c) | whether it has monitored if the quality and applicability of the courses organized by TIC meet the needs of travel agents, as well as whether it knows if TIC has regularly reviewed the qualifications and choices of trainers; whether TIC has recruited trainers through open procedure; if it has, of the recruitment details; if not, of the channels through which TIC uses to recruit trainers; and
| | (d) | of the government department and officials to whom travel agents and other people of the industry who are dissatisfied with the courses may lodge their complaints; and the number of complaints received by the departments and officials concerned in each of the past three years?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
* For written reply
III. Bills
First Reading
Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2009
Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)
| | Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2009 | : | Secretary for Labour and Welfare
| Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading
| | 1. | Disciplined Services Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2009 | : | Secretary for the Civil Service
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Hon James TO to move Committee Stage amendments
(Contents of Hon James TO's amendments are contained in
LC Paper No. CB(3) 699/08-09 issued on 15 June 2009)
| | 2. | Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2009 | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
| | Other Public Officer to attend | : | Secretary for Food and Health
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IV. Members' Motions
- Promoting cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen
Hon LAU Kong-wah: (Translation)
That, under the impact of the financial tsunami, Hong Kong's economic development should seek new opportunities amid the crisis and enhance cooperation with Shenzhen, and operating businesses in the Pearl River Delta will be the new economic drive for Hong Kong in the future; recently, the State Council has approved the Shenzhen Overall Comprehensive Reform Pilot Programme and Shenzhen has proposed to jointly establish with Hong Kong a global 'logistics centre', 'trade centre', 'innovation centre' and 'international cultural creativity centre', which is a course of action taken by the Central Authorities to implement the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020), and Hong Kong should also grasp the opportunity, change its mindset and take the initiative to plan for the future; this Council urges the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to:
| (a) | take the initiative to expeditiously start discussion with Shenzhen on jointly establishing a global 'logistics centre', 'trade centre', 'innovation centre' and 'international cultural creativity centre', so as to deepen its cooperative relationship with Shenzhen;
| | (b) | enhance cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen on the financial front, assist local securities companies in setting up offices in Shenzhen at an early stage and on a pilot basis, and study the feasibility of merging the two stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, thereby combining the strengths of both places and increasing the depth and breadth of the market, so as to consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre;
| | (c) | create a new Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation mechanism, and study the feasibility of setting up an integrated office on Hong Kong-Shenzhen opportunities;
| | (d) | formulate publicity strategies to promote to the world Hong Kong's opportunities for cooperation with Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, so as to attract more investments and talents;
| | (e) | discuss with Shenzhen the joint planning and development of the Qianhai zone in Shenzhen, and explore the feasibility of Hong Kong and Shenzhen jointly operating businesses in the Qianhai cooperation zone;
| | (f) | expedite and push forward the works for the interface of major infrastructural facilities in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and speed up the implementation of measures to facilitate Shenzhen residents to visit Hong Kong, so as to achieve a more convenient and efficient flow of people, capital, goods and information;
| | (g) | assist Hong Kong's professional services industries to develop in Shenzhen, and implement facilitation measures to further relax market entry for the services in 20 areas covered in Supplement VI to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, namely, legal, architecture, healthcare, research and development, real estate, convention and exhibition, telecommunications, audio and visual, distribution, banking, securities, tourism, cultural and recreational, maritime transport, air transport, railway transport, individually-owned stores, job intermediary, printing and publishing, and public utilities, etc;
| | (h) | jointly build green and environmental cities with Shenzhen, raise the air and water quality in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and develop green and environmental industries;
| | (i) | jointly develop education industries with Shenzhen, and assist Hong Kong's tertiary institutions in setting up branch campuses in Shenzhen;
| | (j) | cooperate with Shenzhen to facilitate Hong Kong products in entering the Mainland's local consumption market, so as to boost Hong Kong brands and assist Hong Kong enterprises in their transformation;
| | (k) | expeditiously implement various development proposals in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen river-loop area; and
| | (l) | foster integration of the two places, including abolishing telephone roaming charges in both places, developing an Octopus Card (electronic wallet) which can be used in both places, establishing public transport services systems which link up the two places, and setting up 24-hour boundary control points, etc.
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| Amendments to the motion
| | (i) | Hon Mrs Regina IP: (Translation)
To delete "under" after "That," and substitute with "as the competitive edge of the traditional economic pillars is on the wane, and in the face of"; to delete "Shenzhen" after "discussion with" and substitute with "cities in the Pearl River Delta, in particular Shenzhen,"; and to add ", and strive for enhanced cooperation in the fields of science and technology as well as discussions on division of labour and strategic partnering relationship" after "cooperative relationship with Shenzhen".
| | (ii) | Hon Tommy CHEUNG: (Translation)
To add "global" after "impact of the"; to add "or further enhancing their cooperation" after "stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shenzhen"; to delete "and" after "water quality in Shenzhen and Hong Kong,"; to add ", and expeditiously reach related cooperation agreements" after "develop green and environmental industries"; to add "(j) collaborate with Shenzhen in developing healthcare industries, and assist Hong Kong's healthcare institutions in further expanding their businesses in Shenzhen;" after "branch campuses in Shenzhen;"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(l)"; to delete "and" after "Hong Kong-Shenzhen river-loop area;"; to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(m)"; and to add "; (n) set up an office in Shenzhen to enhance the assistance provided to Hong Kong people in handling various issues concerning their work or daily life in Shenzhen, such as disputes in operating business, law and order, etc; (o) discuss with the Shenzhen Municipal Government the abolition of all restrictions imposed on the purchase of local real estate by Hong Kong people, so as to facilitate Hong Kong people to start business in Shenzhen and promote co-development of both places; and (p) discuss with the Shenzhen Municipal Government the opening up of the provision of training for local service industries to Hong Kong's training institutions, so as to achieve a win-win situation" immediately before the full stop.
| | (iii) | Hon Andrew LEUNG: (Translation)
To delete "," after "That" and substitute with "opportunities for exchange between Hong Kong and the Mainland, in particular Shenzhen, have been increasing in recent years;"; to delete "Hong Kong's economic development should" after "financial tsunami," and substitute with "as the impact on the Mainland is relatively small, different economies look for opportunities to cooperate with the Mainland, it is opportune for Hong Kong to take this chance to"; to add "the neighbouring" after "amid the crisis and enhance cooperation with"; to delete "expeditiously" after "(a) take the initiative to" and substitute with "set up in Shenzhen an exclusive distribution centre for the products of Hong Kong enterprises and at the same time establish connection with the procurement networks on the Mainland to attract practitioners in various sectors to visit the centre to conduct business negotiations, build up distribution channels and further radiate out to the whole country, and"; to delete "study the feasibility of setting" after "Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation mechanism, and" and substitute with "expeditiously set"; to add "to formulate publicity strategies to promote to the world Hong Kong's opportunities for cooperation with Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, so as to attract more investments and talents" after "an integrated office on Hong Kong-Shenzhen opportunities"; to delete "(d) formulate publicity strategies to promote to the world Hong Kong's opportunities for cooperation with Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, so as to attract more investments and talents; (e) discuss with Shenzhen the joint planning and development of the Qianhai zone in Shenzhen, and explore the feasibility of Hong Kong and Shenzhen jointly operating businesses in the Qianhai cooperation zone;" and substitute with "(d) on the premise of supporting the development of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airport Rail, convey to the Shenzhen authorities that multi-modal transportation and seamless connections should be implemented at the Qianhai station for interchanging with various transportation modes outside the station, and central Qianhai in Shenzhen should be promoted as a carrier for enhancing cooperation with Hong Kong's service industries as well as new and high technology industries, etc;"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(g)"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(h)"; to add "and vocational training institutions" after "Hong Kong's tertiary institutions"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(j)"; to delete "implement various development proposals in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen river-loop area" after "expeditiously" and substitute with "finalize the use of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen river-loop area, conduct assessment on its cost-effectiveness, commence feasibility study, and expeditiously publish the report and extensively consult the public"; and to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(k)".
| | (iv) | Hon Albert HO: (Translation)
To add "global" after "impact of the"; to delete ", and operating businesses in the Pearl River Delta will be" after "cooperation with Shenzhen" and substitute with "under the basic principle of upholding and implementing 'one country, two systems' and a high degree of autonomy, so that the development of the Pearl River Delta will become"; to add "(a) enhance bilateral exchanges between the two places, including making arrangements for Members of the legislature of Hong Kong to meet with officials of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and pay visits to Shenzhen on a regular basis to exchange views on the development of the local government, economy and social settings;" after "this Council urges the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to:"; to delete the original "(a)" and substitute with "(b)"; to delete the original "(b)" and substitute with "(c)"; to add "as well as other places" after "cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen"; to add "and" after "on the financial front,"; to delete "and study the feasibility of merging" after "on a pilot basis," and substitute with "so as to utilize the strengths of Hong Kong and achieve complementarity of edge with Shenzhen and other places, and strengthen the links and cooperation between"; to delete "both places" after "combining the strengths of" and substitute with "the Mainland and Hong Kong"; to delete the original "(c)" and substitute with "(d)"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete "zone" after "development of the Qianhai" and substitute with "and Houhai zones"; to delete "cooperation zone" after "operating businesses in the Qianhai" and substitute with "and Houhai cooperation zones"; 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)"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(l)"; and to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(m)".
Amendment to Hon Albert HO's amendment
Dr Hon Margaret NG: (Translation)
To delete "principle" after "under the basic" and substitute with "principles"; and to add "as well as respecting Hong Kong's rule of law" after "a high degree of autonomy".
| | (v) | Hon Cyd HO: (Translation)
To delete "and Hong Kong should also grasp the opportunity, change its mindset and take the initiative to plan for the future" after "the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020)," and substitute with "Hong Kong should take the initiative to participate in the planning, enhance transparency, inform the public of the plans and implementation timetable, etc, and conduct extensive consultation to engage the whole community in deciding the plans for the integration of the two cities".
| | (vi) | Hon Ronny TONG: (Translation)
To add "; on the one hand, explore more business opportunities for Hong Kong businessmen, and on the other hand, enhance Hong Kong Government's support in relation to legal and commercial disputes when Hong Kong businessmen encounter problems on the Mainland" after "setting up an integrated office on Hong Kong-Shenzhen opportunities".
| | (vii) | Hon Paul CHAN: (Translation)
To delete "20" after "market entry for the services in" and substitute with "different"; to delete "Supplement VI" after "areas covered in" and substitute with "the various Supplements"; and to add "accounting, engineering, surveying," after "healthcare,".
| | (viii) | Hon CHAN Kin-por: (Translation)
To add "(h) assist Hong Kong's insurance industry to develop in Shenzhen under the policy of operating at an early stage and on a pilot basis, promote cooperation between the insurance industries of both places to jointly develop the Mainland's insurance market which has exceptional potential, so that the insurance sector of Hong Kong can bring their profound experience to the Mainland and contribute to the realization of financial innovation in the Pearl River Delta region;" after "public utilities, etc;"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete "raise the air and water quality in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and" after "environmental cities with Shenzhen,"; to add ", and enhance cooperation between the environmental protection departments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, so as to improve cross-boundary pollution" after "develop green and environmental industries"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(j)"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(l)"; and to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(m)".
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Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
- Proposal on the constitutional reform in Hong Kong
Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung: (Translation)
That this Council urges the Government to enact legislation on referendum and conduct a referendum on the proposal on constitutional reform in Hong Kong, so as to realize the principle of a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong people, allow Hong Kong people to decide on the selection of the Chief Executive and the election of all Legislative Council Members by universal suffrage in 2012, fully comply with the relevant requirements of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of the United Nations, and return the political power to the people.
| Amendments to the motion
| | (i) | Hon Cyd HO: (Translation)
To add ", provide resources for promoting civic deliberation before the conduct of each referendum to achieve the goal of deliberative democracy," after "on referendum".
| | (ii) | Hon WONG Yuk-man: (Translation)
To add "; and this Council also appeals to the people of Hong Kong to demonstrate on 1 July the people's power and express their determination to fight for dual universal suffrage in 2012" immediately before the full stop.
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Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Clerk to the Legislative Council
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