 |
A 10/11-22
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 30 March 2011 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No.
|
|---|
| 1. | Import and Export (General) (Amendment) Regulation 2011 | 43/2011
| | 2. | Declaration of Constituencies (District Councils) Order 2011 | 44/2011
| | 3. | Fisheries Protection (Specification of Apparatus) (Amendment) Notice 2011 | 45/2011
|
Other Papers
| 1. | No. 82 | - | The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust Annual Report 2009-2010
| (to be presented by the Secretary for Home Affairs)
| | 2. | No. 83 | - | Electoral Affairs Commission
Report on the Recommended Constituency Boundaries for the 2011 District Council Election
| (to be presented by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs)
| | 3. | No. 84 | - | Financial Reporting Council Annual Report 2010
| (to be presented by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)
| | 4. | Report No. 17/10-11 of the House Committee on Consideration of Subsidiary Legislation and Other Instruments
| (to be presented by Hon Miriam LAU, Chairman of the House Committee)
| | 5. | Report of the Bills Committee on Food Safety Bill
| | (to be presented by Hon Fred LI, Chairman of the Bills Committee)
|
II. Questions
1. Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that a number of juvenile crimes, including robberies, wounding and assaults, occurred in Tseung Kwan O recently, which have aroused the concerns of residents in the district. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of crimes, together with a breakdown, which occurred in Tseung Kwan O in the past three years in which the suspected offenders were aged 18 or below, and the number of people who were convicted eventually; of the areas identified as black spots of crime in the district, as well as the short-term measures taken by the Police to combat the crimes;
| | (b) | given that the Tseung Kwan O Divisional Police Station is under the command of Kwun Tong Police District at present, whether it has assessed if such an arrangement has affected the deployment of police officers to Tseung Kwan O District for patrolling and law enforcement; if it has, of the outcome; whether the authorities have considered reviewing the arrangement, including setting up an independent Tseung Kwan O Police District; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; what factors the authorities will take into consideration when studying the setting up an independent police district; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities will allocate additional resources to the voluntary agencies which at present offer extended services for young night drifters to further develop such services or introduce more teams to service young night drifters; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether there is any collaboration programme jointly organized by various government departments and the aforesaid voluntary agencies to deal with youth problems in the district?
|
| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for Security
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
|
2. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)
The Government has planned to launch a three-year pilot project in April this year under which non-profit-making organizations will provide outreach primary dental care and oral health care services (such as dental check-up, scaling, polishing, pain relief and emergency dental treatment) to elderly people in residential care homes and Day Care Centers for the Elderly, but excluding crowning or tooth-filling services. In view of the fact that the dental out-patient services provided by the Department of Health fall short of the demand, those elderly people who cannot benefit from the pilot project can only continue to seek dental treatment from the private sector and as a result have to bear very high costs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | as elderly recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance may apply for grants to cover costs of dental treatment, of the number of elderly people who had received such grants in the past five years, the total amount of grants approved and the types of dental services received by them; whether the authorities will reconsider including crowning or tooth-filling services in the scope of the pilot project; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (b) | as there have been comments that with only 11 dental clinics under the Department of Health in Hong Kong at present, many elderly people need to seek treatment from dental clinics in other districts, coupled with the fact that the service capacity is insufficient and the coverage of the services is limited to emergency treatment, whether the authorities have considered expanding the existing capacity and coverage of services, so that more elderly people in need can use the services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities have compiled statistics or conducted surveys on a regular basis to assess the dental health of elderly people in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities have reviewed the current dental services for elderly people in Hong Kong to see if these services are comprehensive, adequate and appropriate; if so, of the details; if not, whether the authorities will consider conducting such a review and making improvement?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health
3. Hon WONG Kwok-kin to ask: (Translation)
The first land lot allocated for "flats with limited floor areas" (i.e. the minimum number of flats as well as the smallest and largest floor areas of flats being specified in the conditions of sale) was recently granted through tender to a developer at a price over $2.4 billion. Given that market estimations are that the per-square-foot price of flats in the development project, which is located in Yuen Long, will reach $6,000, quite a number of people in the sandwich class consider that they cannot afford those flats, hence the aforesaid land sale conditions will not help them acquire home ownership, and will on the contrary further push up the prices of small and medium-sized residential units. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether the policy objectives for the measure on allocating land for flats with limited floor areas include helping the sandwich class purchase their first home; if not, whether the authorities have clearly informed the public of the purpose of the measure; whether the authorities will reconsider constructing Home Ownership Scheme flats because the measure fails to assist the sandwich class in acquiring home ownership, so as to complement the insufficient supply of affordable small and medium-sized flats on the market;
| | (b) | in considering the tender price of the land allocated for flats with limited floor areas, whether the authorities have taken into account that if the price of the successful bid is too high, it will not only fail to help curb the current high property prices, and may on the contrary further push up the prices of small and medium-sized residential units; if they have, what solutions the authorities have; if not, of the reasons for that; given that a number of urban sites allocated for flats with limited floor areas will soon be put on sale by tender, what ways the authorities have to prevent developers packaging small and medium-sized residential units as luxury flats for sale, aggravating the situation of such units being turned into luxurious ones; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities will review the sale conditions for land allocated for flats with limited floor areas as soon as possible; if they will, whether conditions such as "ceiling on the prices of flats" and "target buyers of flats" will be added to ensure that the supply of small and medium-sized residential units will increase, the sandwich class will be assisted in acquiring home ownership, as well as the upward spiral of property prices will be alleviated; if they will, whether the review will be completed before inviting tender for the next lot allocated for flats with limited floor areas; if not, of the reasons for that?
|
| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for Development
Secretary for Transport and Housing
|
4. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)
The Government has indicated that it needs to plan the annual public expenditure based on the principle of prudent financial management. In the 2011-2012 Budget, the Government proposed to spend $24 billion for making a one-off injection of $6,000 into each Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme account, but a week later, it has instead proposed using $37 billion for disbursing HK$6,000 each to all Hong Kong permanent identity card holders aged 18 or above, incurring an additional expenditure of $13 billion. Furthermore, the new Work Incentive Transport Subsidy ("WITS") Scheme announced by the authorities in December last year will incur an estimated expenditure of $4,805 million for a period of three years, but some people who used to benefit under the former scheme will no longer be eligible to apply for subsidy under the new scheme as more stringent eligibility criteria have been introduced. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the Government's existing financial management philosophy, and whether it has given up the principle of prudent financial management;
| | (b) | why no eligibility criteria such as employment situation, household income and means test are stipulated in the aforesaid proposal of cash disbursement while stringent requirements including minimum working hours, household income and asset ceilings are specified in WITS Scheme; whether it has assessed if that situation shows that there are contradictions in the Government's financial management policy; if it has assessed, of the outcome; and
| | (c) | as it has been reported that the Government's proposal to disburse cash only to permanent residents is unfair to new arrivals who have not yet resided in Hong Kong for seven years and has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the public, whether the Government has evaluated the impact of the proposal on people from various sectors and the community before putting it forward?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
5. Hon Ronny TONG to ask: (Translation)
At the end of last year, the Government introduced measures to curb speculations on residential properties, including an increase in the stamp duty for a conveyance on sale of property valued at more than $20 million, and the levy of a Special Stamp Duty on a conveyance on sale of residential property resold within a short term. Notwithstanding this, the survey report published by a consultancy in the United States in January this year indicates that the residential property prices in Hong Kong are the highest in the world, and the median property price is equivalent to 11.4 times the median annual household income. In addition, some market data reveal that the number of private residential property transactions has not decreased recently, nor have the prices of luxurious residential units or more affordable flats dropped. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether the Government has established a mechanism for measuring or assessing the housing needs and affordability of the public; if it has, since when such mechanism has come into operation, how it operates, and who is responsible for its operation; if not, of the reasons for that;
| | (b) | of the respective numbers of residential property transactions valued at $2 million or below, $2.01 million to $3.5 million, $3.51 million to $5 million, $5.01 million to $10 million, $10.01 million to $30 million, $30.01 million to $50 million, and more than $50 million in each of the years since 1997, as well as the respective median personal income each year; and
| | (c) | as it has been reported recently that the residential properties in Hong Kong are the most expensive in Asia and such a situation will last for 20 years, what effective measures the Government will take to tackle the problem that it is increasingly difficult for the young generation to acquire home ownership; if it will not formulate any measure, of the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing
6. Dr Hon LAM Tai-fai to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the impact on the global and Hong Kong's economies caused by the continuous political instability in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa in recent months, as well as the onset of natural disasters of severe earthquakes and tsunami in Japan on the 11th of this month, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | regarding the export and re-export trade involving export of goods to the aforesaid areas, whether the authorities had received, in the past three months, requests for assistance from local enterprises because they were unable to receive payments for goods, their clients refused to receive the goods delivered to them or rescinded orders, etc.; if they had, of the number of related cases and details; if not, whether they have planned to look into the relevant situations in depth;
| | (b) | given that Japan is the third largest trading partner of Hong Kong, whether the authorities have assessed the impact of the aforesaid natural disasters in Japan on Hong Kong's import and export trade, as well as the tourism and retail industries; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
| | (c) | whether the authorities have assessed the impact of the aforesaid incidents on the asset value of Hong Kong's Exchange Fund and on the financial market, and whether the authorities are prepared to introduce corresponding measures to assist small and medium enterprises in facing the possible impact brought by the aforesaid incidents?
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| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
|
*7. Hon Tommy CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)
Hong Kong has surpassed New York to become the world's largest wine auction centre. Some members of the industry have pointed out that wine trading, distribution and auctions, as well as the economic activities of related industries, have created enormous economic benefits and thousands of posts for Hong Kong within a few years, reflecting the success of the policy to abolish wine duty. They have also pointed out that Hong Kong should keep up the momentum and examine the room for improving the duty system and rates on strong liquors, i.e. liquors with more than 30% alcoholic strength, so as to promote the trading of strong liquors, which is closely connected with and inseparable from the wine industry, and establish Hong Kong as a hub for liquor trading in the Asian region, as well as to bring greater economic benefits to Hong Kong and alleviate the cost pressure on the bar industry in preparing beverages such as cocktails, etc. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the following figures relating to strong liquors and wine from 2008 to 2010;
| Year | Volume of import
(changes compared to figures of the preceding year)
| Tax receipts
(changes compared to figures of the preceding year)
| Strong liquors | Wine | Strong liquors | Wine
| | 2008
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
|
( %)
| | 2009
|
( %)
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( %)
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( %)
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( %)
| | 2010
|
( %)
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( %)
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( %)
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( %)
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| | (b) | whether it has studied the difference in prices of strong liquors and duty rates between Hong Kong and the neighbouring areas, e.g. the Mainland, Macao, Taiwan and Japan, etc.; if it has, of the details (set out the relevant figures in tables); if not, whether it will conduct relevant studies and assess Hong Kong's competitiveness in the trading of strong liquors;
| | (c) | whether it has considered the recommendations from the industry to improve the duty system on strong liquors and reduce the duty rates concerned, with a view to narrowing the gap in rates and prices between Hong Kong and the neighbouring areas; if it has not, of the reasons for that; and
| | (d) | given that some members of the industry have recommended that, on top of the existing ad valorem structure for calculating the amount of duty on liquors, the specific duty structure should be introduced to calculate the duty, e.g. to determine the duty per 100 litres of liquors to be HK$100, and whichever is the lower be taken as the duty payable, so as to alleviate the pressure from duty payment on quality strong liquors which are more highly priced, as well as to encourage the public to consume an appropriate quantity of liquors, whether the authorities will consider such a recommendation; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
*8. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
In order to enable the early identification of families at risk, as well as to enhance support for families, the Government provides preventive services through the Integrated Family Service Centres ("IFSCs") and implements the Comprehensive Child Development Service in the Maternal and Child Health Centres ("MCHCs"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | regarding families which were in grave need of assistance but had previously been reluctant to receive services, of the respective numbers of such families that IFSCs in Hong Kong had taken the initiative to contact in each of the past three years, and the number of those which had eventually accepted the relevant services;
| | (b) | of the respective numbers of cases in which children or families at risk had been identified by MCHCs in each of the past three years, and among such cases, the number of those which had been referred to the Social Welfare Department for follow-up; and
| | (c) | whether there is any plan to strengthen the work of identifying children or families at risk in MCHCs, including enhancing the training of staff and setting up medical social services units in MCHCs, etc.; if so, of the details of the plan; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare
*9. Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask: (Translation)
In its report on "Aspirations for the Higher Education System in Hong Kong" released in December last year, the University Grants Committee ("UGC") recommended that "The community college operations of UGC-funded institutions should be completely separated from their parent institutions within three years of the acceptance of this recommendation". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows from the academic year 2007-2008 to 2009-2010,
| | (i) | the items for which each UGC-funded institution ("the institution") provided subsidy annually to its community college (including items not charged at cost), and the amount of subsidy for each item; and
| | (ii) | the fees paid annually by each community college to its parent institution for renting various facilities and hiring various services, and its surplus each year;
| | (b) | whether it has assessed the impact of implementing the aforesaid recommendation of complete separation of the community colleges from their parent institutions ("aforesaid recommendation") on the room for survival and financial situations of these community colleges;
| | (c) | given that the Government has established the Start-up Loan Scheme ("SLS") to provide loans to institutions offering full-time locally accredited self-financing post-secondary programmes for purposes including building campuses, of the number of projects under SLS to date involving the construction of community colleges' campuses within the main campuses of their parent institutions, as well as the respective names of the institutions concerned, the progress of these projects and the annual amounts of loan repayments;
| | (d) | upon the implementation of the aforesaid recommendation, which parties will own the campuses mentioned in (c) and have the rights to use them; if the ownerships and rights are vested in the community colleges,
| | (i) | whether the parent institutions will have to pay fees to the community colleges concerned for using these campuses in the future (e.g. using the venues for conducting classes or activities for their undergraduates); and
| | (ii) | whether the parent institutions will violate the requirements of SLS because of using the facilities in these campuses; if so, whether the institutions need to apply to the Government or the relevant committees for changing the uses of these campus; if not, of the reasons for that; and
| | (e) | when the aforesaid recommendation is implemented, how the loans between the parent institutions and their community colleges and their surplus/deficit accounts will be dealt with, and whether the relationship between the teaching staff of the parent institutions and their community colleges as well as the parent institutions' responsibilities towards the students of their community colleges will be changed; if so, how the authorities will ensure a smooth transition in teaching work; if not, of the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education
*10. Hon LEE Cheuk-yan to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government list, on the basis of the data from the 2010 General Household Survey compiled by the Census and Statistics Department, the numbers of working persons with monthly employment earnings of $6,500 or below in each of the following categories of households?
| Household size | Household income | Number of working persons with monthly employment earnings of $6,500 or below
| | Male | Female | Total
| | 1 person
| $6,500 or below
|
|
|
| | 2 persons
| $12,000 or below
|
|
|
| | Above $12,000
|
|
|
| | 3 persons
| $13,000 or below
|
|
|
| | Above $13,000
|
|
|
| | 4 persons
| $14,000 or below
|
|
|
| | Above $14,000
|
|
|
| | 5 persons
| $14,500 or below
|
|
|
| | Above $14,500
|
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|
| | 6 persons or more
| $16,000 or below
|
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|
| | Above $16,000
|
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|
| | Total
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
*11. Hon Vincent FANG to ask: (Translation)
I have recently received complaints from members of the business sector and the public that while the Financial Secretary, before announcing the 2011-2012 Budget, consulted the views of the general public and members of different sectors in a high-profile manner, including broadcasting advertisements via the mass media such as television and radio, distributing publications such as the comic book "Embrace the Future, Believe in the Future" and the booklet "The Financial Secretary Invites Your Views", as well as conducting consultation forums, yet the content of the Budget eventually announced is a far cry from the views expressed by the public and the business sector. The complainants queried whether the consultation earlier was necessary and meaningful given that the Government had already a predetermined proposal on the Budget. They considered the consultation exercise to be just a waste of resources. Regarding the public consultation exercise for the 2011-2012 Budget, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the total expenditure and a breakdown of expenses for the consultation exercise, and how such figures compared to the corresponding figures of the past two years;
| | (b) | of the number of submissions received, and how such number compared to those numbers in the past two years; how the Financial Secretary's Office handled these submissions; the respective numbers and ratios of submissions from political parties, political groups, chambers of commerce, professional bodies and members of the public; the number of submissions suggesting tax rebate or sharing of the fruits of economic prosperity with the public, etc.;
| | (c) | of the number of consultation forums it organized; the target audiences, the numbers of attendees, as well as the venues of these forums; and whether it had to hire any venues and pay any fees (please set out the information in a table);
| | (d) | of the numbers of television publicity videos and radio announcements, their total production cost, their total broadcast frequencies and airtime, as well as the ratios of the airtime of such publicly messages to the annual total free airtime allocated by the electronic media to the Government for its video or audio announcements of public interest;
| | (e) | how many types of printed promotional materials it produced, their production costs (including costs for design of the comics and printing), as well as the copies printed and the quantity of paper used; whether the printed materials have all been handed out, and their distribution channels; and
| | (f) | whether it will adjust or even cancel the public consultation exercise for the Budget of next year in order to avoid wasting of manpower and money?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
*12. Hon Starry LEE to ask: (Translation)
Under the Portable Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme ("PCSSA Scheme"), eligible elderly persons may apply for permanent retirement in Guangdong Province or Fujian Province and continue to receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") payments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of elderly recipients under the PCSSA Scheme, the total amount of CSSA payments involved and the number of new cases in each of the past three years;
| | (b) | of the respective numbers of elderly persons who had withdrawn from the PCSSA Scheme and returned from the aforesaid two provinces to Hong Kong for permanent residence and continued to receive CSSA payments in the past three years, and whether it knows the reasons for their withdrawal from the Scheme;
| | (c) | of the number of abuse cases under the PCSSA Scheme uncovered by the authorities in the past three years, as well as the details of abuse and the amount of payments involved; and
| | (d) | whether it has planned to extend the PCSSA Scheme to other provinces such as Hainan Province, etc.; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare
*13. Dr Hon LEUNG Ka-lau to ask: (Translation)
It was reported that as early as 1977, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a subsidiary of the World Health Organization, had classified asbestos (including chrysotile) as a carcinogen hazardous to human health, and no safe level of asbestos exposure could be specified. At present, more than 50 countries have imposed a total ban on the use of products containing asbestos to safeguard the health of workers and the public at large. However, Hong Kong still allows the import and sale of certain types of asbestos products at present. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows the details (including the types and quantities) of the import into Hong Kong, re-export from Hong Kong, sale, usage and storage in Hong Kong of various kinds of asbestos materials and waste, as well as materials and waste containing asbestos, in 2008 and 2009 respectively; and
| | (b) | as I have learnt that Taiwan is planning to impose a total ban on the use of asbestos in the next five years, whether the authorities also have the plan to impose a total ban on the use of products containing asbestos and the trading of such products in Hong Kong; if they have, of the details, if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment
*14. Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask: (Translation)
Recently, I have received complaints from residents in the neighbourhood of Mei Foo Sun Chuen that while the space under a vehicular flyover near the housing estate is a public place, it has been occupied for years by itinerant recyclable waste collectors for placing furniture and miscellaneous items they have collected. Since October last year, the residents have repeatedly requested the government departments concerned to follow up the case but unfortunately, instead of showing any improvement, the situation has deteriorated with those waste collectors piling up even more objects in that place and treating the place as their temporary storage and rest bay. The complainants pointed out that such an act not only caused obstruction but also gave rise to hygiene and pest problems, and the objects which were piled up to an excessive height also posed a potential threat to the safety of pedestrians. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of complaints against illegal occupation of public places received by government departments, the major categories of the objects causing obstruction, and the respective numbers of prosecutions and convictions, in the past three years;
| | (b) | which government department is at present responsible for following up complaints related to public places being illegally occupied, and the procedure for processing the complaints;
| | (c) | of the respective penalties for first, second and repeat offences of illegal occupation of public places;
| | (d) | whether staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are authorized to immediately remove objects occupying public places for an extended period of time and the owners of which are untraceable; and
| | (e) | on the premise of not banning local recycling business casually, whether the authorities will put forward a solution to help members of the itinerant recycling trade continue their operation, as long as they are hygienic and do not cause obstruction?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development
*15. Hon CHIM Pui-chung to ask: (Translation)
I have learnt that recently fund-raising activities have frequently been conducted at the pedestrian walkway outside Admiralty Station of the MTR Island Line by persons holding identification documents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether the authorities have imposed restrictions on the location, date and time of these fund-raising activities so that such activities will not cause traffic chaos and endanger the safety of members of the public;
| | (b) | whether the authorities' prior approval is required for conducting these fund-raising activities, and whether notices are issued to inform the public; and
| | (c) | given that some organizations have mobilized elderly people to conduct on-street fund-raising activities and some members of the public feel pressurized as they worry that they may appear to be very unsympathetic if they refuse to donate money, whether the authorities will review the relevant requirements on fund-raising activities?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare
*16. Dr Hon PAN Pey-chyou to ask: (Translation)
It was reported earlier that the paint used by the Water Supplies Department for the dam maintenance works in Tai Po Kau contained an environmentally hazardous substance, epoxide resin, and some environmental groups were concerned about that. Regarding the procurement and use of chemical materials in government works, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether at present, the composition of the materials used by government works contractors is subject to regulation by the Government, and whether the use of materials containing environmentally hazardous chemicals is prohibited; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has required various government departments to keep a record of the environmentally friendly products they procure in order to facilitate monitoring;
| | (b) | how the authorities ensure that the materials used in government works will not damage the environment and adversely affect the quality of potable water;
| | (c) | whether the authorities have made it mandatory for government departments to adopt, in the procurement of works materials, the relevant green procurement measures (as set out in the Guidelines for Drawing up Tender Specifications at Appendix III (F) of the Tender Procedures for Government Procurement in Chapter III of the Stores and Procurement Regulations); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities have considered incorporating the relevant guidelines into their formal procurement standards and requirements;
| | (d) | given that in 2007 the Government formulated the Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants ("the Implementation Plan") with a view to reducing or eliminating persistent organic pollutants ("POPs") and started to formulate its green procurement policy and chemicals procurement procedure on the basis of the Implementation Plan, of the latest implementation progress of various action items under the Implementation Plan; and
| | (e) | given that nine POPs, including chlordecone, were newly listed under the Stockholm Convention in 2009, whether the authorities have planned to incorporate these nine POPs into the Implementation Plan and correspondingly amend the Government's green procurement policy and chemicals procurement procedure; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the Government has commenced its environmental monitoring work in respect of these nine POPs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development
*17. Hon WONG Ting-kwong to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that owing to the dual impact of continuous rise in inflation on the Mainland and persistent depreciation of Hong Kong dollar against Renminbi, the number of Hong Kong residents who used to live in the Pearl River Delta Region returning to settle in Hong Kong has surged recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | whether it knows the number of Hong Kong people who returned in the past three years from the Mainland to settle in Hong Kong; the age distribution of these people and the number of elderly people among them;
| | (b) | whether it knows the number of applications for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance made by Hong Kong people in the past three years after they had returned from the Mainland to settle in Hong Kong, and among these applications, the number of those rejected; what other assistance the authorities will provide to the people who have returned from the Mainland to settle in Hong Kong; and
| | (c) | whether, according to the authorities' estimation, there will be an increase in the number of Hong Kong people returning from the Mainland to settle in Hong Kong in the coming three years, and of the estimated number of these people; if such a trend is anticipated, whether the authorities have assessed the impact of such a trend on the economic, social and other aspects of Hong Kong; if they have assessed, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
|
Public Officer to reply : The Chief Secretary for Administration
*18. Hon Alan LEONG to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the situation of elderly persons aged 65 or above receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") payments or Old Age Allowance ("OAA"), will the Government inform this Council of the following statistics:
| (a) | the respective numbers of the various categories of elderly persons receiving CSSA payments;
| Year |
Number of persons |
Total number of persons |
| Old age | Ill health | Permanent disability | Others |
| 2005-2006 |
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| 2006-2007 |
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| 2007-2008 |
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| 2008-2009 |
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| 2009-2010 |
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| | (b) | a breakdown of the expenditures on making various types of CSSA payments to elderly persons; and
| Year |
Expenditure |
Total expenditure |
| Standard rates | Special grants | Long-term supplement | Others |
| 2005-2006 |
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| 2006-2007 |
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| 2007-2008 |
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| 2008-2009 |
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| 2009-2010 |
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| | (c) | the respective numbers of elderly persons receiving Normal OAA (for application by those aged 65 to 69) and Higher OAA (for application by those aged 70 or above) and the expenditures incurred?
| Year |
Normal OAA |
Higher OAA |
Total expenditure |
Population aged 65 or above |
| Number of persons | Expenditure | Number of persons | Expenditure |
| 2005-2006 |
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare
*19. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)
There are two types of village representatives under the Village Representative Election Ordinance (Cap. 576) ("the Ordinance"), namely Indigenous Inhabitant Representatives and Resident Representatives. Some electors for the Resident Representative Election ("RRE") have relayed to me that in their villages, certain candidates for RRE have been living outside Hong Kong for a long time, but they still succeeded in registering as electors and standing for election. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | of the number of complaints or reports received by the authorities in the past five years in relation to electors or candidates for RRE not meeting the eligibility requirements for electors, and the follow-up actions taken by the authorities;
| | (b) | whether the authorities had in the past five years proactively verified or randomly checked whether registered electors for RRE still meet the eligibility requirements for electors set out in the Ordinance; if they had, of the number of people found to be ineligible; if not, the reasons for that;
| | (c) | given that the Ordinance provides that electors for RRE shall be residents of the village concerned, and that "resident" means "a person whose principal residential address is in the Village" while "principal residential address" means "the address of the dwelling place at which the person resides and which constitutes the person's sole or main home", whether the authorities had verified, in the past five years, if the addresses furnished by registered electors and persons applying to be registered as electors were the addresses of their dwelling places which constituted their sole or main home; if they had, of the number of cases verified;
| | (d) | whether the Government has specified, for the purpose of recognizing a registered elector or a person applying to be registered as an elector to be a "resident" as defined in the Ordinance, a minimum number of days in the year preceding the compilation of the provisional register of electors each year for which the resident is required to have resided in the dwelling place at the "principal residential address" which he/she has furnished; whether a registered elector or a person applying to be registered as an elector will still be regarded as a "resident" as defined in the Ordinance if, in the year preceding the compilation of the provisional register of electors each year, the duration of his/her being outside Hong Kong is longer than that of residing in the dwelling place at the "principal residential address" he/she furnished; and
| | (e) | of the number of people whose names and particulars were struck out in the past five years from the final register of electors by the Electoral Registration Officer pursuant to the Ordinance on the ground that these people had not resided in the village concerned?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs
*20. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that when the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line ("LMCSL") Control Point opened at 6:30 a.m. on 11th of this month, the accordion electric folding gate at the arrival hall on the second floor malfunctioned and could not be opened for half an hour. During that period, the Immigration Department ("ImmD") led visitors to the departure hall on the first floor via the emergency access to complete immigration clearance procedures. The incident caused delay to the journey of more than 300 visitors for up to 45 minutes. Some visitors considered the "closure of boundary" lasting for tens of minutes due to malfunctioning of folding gates a serious incident, reflecting that ImmD had not put in place proper contingency measures (including inadequate signages for the emergency access and the failure of staff to check the various facilities in the Control Point before opening hours, etc.). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
| (a) | apart from LMCSL Control Point, whether electric folding gates of the same type are used at other boundary control points; of the number of cases of malfunctioning of such gates in the past five years and the reasons for malfunctioning; which government department or organization is responsible for the regular maintenance and repair works of the various facilities (e.g. electric gates, etc.) at various boundary control points; how often such works are carried out; and how it ensures that the staff at boundary control points are aware of and familiar with the operation of the facilities;
| | (b) | given that LMCSL Control Point has come into operation only for less than four years when the problem of malfunctioning of folding gates occurred, whether the authorities will pursue with the government department or organization responsible for the maintenance of the gates over the responsibility of the incident; and whether comprehensive checks will be conducted on other folding gates of the same design; and
| | (c) | whether ImmD has drawn up contingency measures (e.g. those for diverting visitor flows) for various potential crises at various boundary control points; if it has, of the contents and procedure of the measures, and whether drills have been carried out for such contingency measures; if so, how often such drills are carried out; if no such drills have been carried out, how it ensures that all frontline staff are familiar with the contents and procedures of the contingency measures and plans; and whether it will review the existing "one-way" design of the computers at the immigration counters of boundary control points, which can perform either immigration or departure clearance procedure only?
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Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
* For written reply
III. Bills
Second Reading (Debate to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading
| | Food Safety Bill | : | Secretary for Food and Health
| Secretary for Food and Health to move Committee stage amendments
(The amendments were issued on 23 March 2011
under LC Paper No. CB(3) 602/10-11)
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IV. Motions
- Proposed resolution under the Legal Aid Ordinance
Secretary for Home Affairs to move the following motion:
Resolved that－
| (a) | the Legal Aid Ordinance (Cap. 91) be amended as set out in the Schedule; and
| | (b) | this Resolution is to come into operation on a day to be appointed by the Secretary for Home Affairs by notice published in the Gazette.
| Schedule
Amendments to Legal Aid Ordinance (Cap. 91)
| | 1. | Section 5 amended (Persons eligible for legal aid)
Section 5(1)－
| | | Repeal
"$175,800"
Substitute
"$260,000".
| | 2. | Section 5A amended (Supplementary legal aid)
Section 5A(b)－
| | | (a) | Repeal
"$175,800"
Substitute
"$260,000";
| | | (b) | Repeal
"$488,400"
Substitute
"$1,300,000".
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- Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Secretary for Home Affairs to move the following motion:
Resolved that the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources and Contributions) (Amendment) Regulation 2011, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 35 of 2011 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 2 March 2011, be amended as set out in the Schedule.
Schedule
Amendment to Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources and
Contributions) (Amendment) Regulation 2011
| | 1. | Section 3 amended
Section 3(2), Chinese text, new rule 8(2)(a)－
| | | Repeal
"第50個百分值住戶開支"
Substitute
"住戶開支第50個百分值".
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- Proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance
Secretary for the Environment to move the following motion:
Resolved that the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 3) Order 2011, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 36 of 2011 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 2 March 2011, be amended as set out in the Schedule.
Schedule
Amendment to Protection of Endangered Species of
Animals and Plants Ordinance (Amendment of
Schedules 1 and 3) Order 2011
| | 1. | Section 4 amended (Schedule 3 amended (Convention instruments))
Section 4(11) -
| | | Repeal
"no more"
Substitute
"more".
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- Proposed resolution under the Road Traffic Ordinance
Secretary for Transport and Housing to move the following motion:
Resolved that the period for which there remains in force the limit on the number of vehicles which may be registered as public light buses specified in the Public Light Buses (Limitation on Number) Notice (Cap. 374 sub. leg. K) and extended to 20 June 2011 by Legal Notice No. 124 of 2006, be further extended to 20 June 2016.
V. Members' Motions
- 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 following motion:
Resolved that the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region be amended as set out in the Schedule.
Schedule
Amendment to Rules of Procedure of the Legislative
Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | 1. | Rule 58 amended (Procedure in Committee of the Whole Council on a Bill)
Rule 58(2)－
Repeal
"In order to save time and avoid repetition of arguments, the Chairman may allow a single discussion to cover a series of interdependent amendments"
Substitute
"Where there is a series of interdependent amendments, the Chairman may, in order to save time and avoid repetition of arguments, allow a single discussion in relation to those amendments and, if necessary, change the order of consideration as provided in subrule (5) or (7)".
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- Concern about the impact of the earthquake in Japan on Hong Kong
Hon WONG Ting-kwong to move the following motion: (Translation)
That, since an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 on the Richter Scale that occurred in Japan on 11 March has, apart from causing enormous casualties, also affected the global economy, this Council urges the SAR Government to, having regard to the latest development of the incident, strengthen the monitoring of the impact of the earthquake in Japan on Hong Kong's financial market, import and export trade, consumer market of Japanese products and tourism industry, and provide timely information and adopt effective measures, so as to lessen the impact of the earthquake in Japan on the Hong Kong economy and stabilize people's confidence; at the same time, given that the problem of nuclear power safety triggered by the earthquake in Japan has aroused Hong Kong people's concern about their health, this Council urges the SAR Government to step up surveillance of the radiation levels in Hong Kong and the safety tests on food products imported from Japan, and announce the relevant surveillance information as soon as possible; moreover, the SAR Government should strengthen the publicity of the contingency plan for nuclear power incidents to the public, and recommend the Guangdong provincial authorities to increase the number of non-routine inspections and perfect the existing notification mechanism for nuclear power incidents.
Amendments to the motion
| (i) | Hon Frederick FUNG to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "since" after "That," and substitute with "given that"; to delete "has" after "11 March" and substitute with "and the resultant tsunami and nuclear power crisis have"; and to add "; and the SAR Government should also learn a lesson from the worldwide panic caused by the recent nuclear power incident in Fukushima, and completely shelve the proposal of increasing the proportion of imported nuclear power in the fuel mix for power generation to about 50%, and on the premise of conserving energy and developing renewable energy, formulate afresh a future fuel mix for power generation in order to achieve the objective of emission reduction" immediately before the full stop.
Amendment to Hon Frederick FUNG's amendment
Hon Jeffrey LAM to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "completely shelve" after "Fukushima, and" and substitute with "review".
| | (ii) | Hon Albert CHAN to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add "given that" after "That,"; and to add "; this Council also requests that the Central Government should: (a) strengthen in the immediate future the monitoring of nuclear power plants which are in operation; (b) immediately stop all nuclear power projects which are being planned and nuclear power plants which are being constructed; and (c) in the long run, progressively close down the nuclear power plants which are in operation, so as to immune several hundred million nationals from the threat of nuclear power incidents" immediately before the full stop.
Amendment to Hon Albert CHAN's amendment
Prof Hon Patrick LAU to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "requests that the Central Government should" after "this Council also" and substitute with "urges the SAR Government to reflect to the Central Government that it should"; to delete "stop" after "(b) immediately" and substitute with "conduct a comprehensive inspection of"; to add ", carry out safety assessments based on the most stringent standards, immediately halt the construction of those which do not meet safety standards, and suspend vetting and approving new nuclear power projects before the approval of safety plans" after "constructed"; to delete "in the long run, progressively close down the" after "(c)" and substitute with "strengthen the safety and operational management of"; and to delete "so as to immune several hundred million" before "nationals" and substitute with "and adopt relevant measures to ensure their absolute safety, so as to immune".
| | (iii) | Hon Audrey EU to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add "this Council is deeply sorry that" after "since"; to delete ", apart from causing enormous casualties," after "11 March has" and substitute with "caused enormous casualties, and the incident has"; to delete "strengthen the publicity of the contingency plan for nuclear power incidents to the public, and recommend" after "SAR Government should" and substitute with ": (a) review afresh its nuclear power policy; and starting from primary school, comprehensively step up public education on the general knowledge about nuclear power risks, nuclear power safety and ways to respond to nuclear power incidents; increase the depth and breadth of nuclear power safety drills; study the setting up of fallout shelters, and request"; and to add "; (b) express grave concern about our country's acceleration of nuclear power development in the future and its construction of a number of nuclear power plants; and strive for a high degree of transparency for the monitoring and notification mechanisms from our country's Ministry of Environmental Protection and National Nuclear Safety Administration; (c) reflect to the State Council Hong Kong people's worries and anxieties about the construction, within the Guangdong Province, of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station in western part of Guangdong, Yaogu Nuclear Power Station in Taishan, Tianwei Nuclear Power Station in Lufeng and Lingao Nuclear Power Station Phase 2; urge the Central Government to examine afresh the risks of nuclear power plants; and strive for Hong Kong people's involvement in and discussions on the relevant nuclear power projects; and (d) conduct study on improving the notification mechanisms for nuclear power risks and nuclear power safety among the International Atomic Energy Agency and the various governments in East Asia (including Taiwan)" immediately before the full stop.
| | (iv) | Hon Tommy CHEUNG to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "since" after "That," and substitute with "given that"; to add "triggered a nuclear leakage crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and" after "casualties, also"; to add "environment and people's livelihood," after "global economy,"; to add "people's livelihood," after "Hong Kong economy and"; to add "and protect employment" after "people's confidence"; to add "the SAR Government should closely monitor the impact of the disastrous crisis in Japan on the various industries in Hong Kong, and by making reference to the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in response to the financial tsunami, provide appropriate assistance to Hong Kong's small and medium enterprises which are facing operating difficulties;" after "at the same time,"; to add "and nuclear power safety" after "health"; to delete "and the" after "radiation levels in Hong Kong" and substitute with ", put in place a permanent mechanism for conducting sustained"; to delete "announce the relevant surveillance information as soon as possible" after "Japan, and" and substitute with "continue to announce on a regular basis the details of the relevant surveillance information with a high degree of transparency"; to add "conduct incident drills with public participation; the Administration should also, by making reference to the contingency arrangements for nuclear power incidents in other places, plan for emergency fallout shelters at appropriate locations in Hong Kong, particularly in the East New Territories region which is relatively close to the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, and stock up relevant emergency supplies, so as to cope with any possible accidents occurred at the nuclear power station, as well as" after "the public, and"; and to add ", and reflect to the Central Government Hong Kong people's concern about the construction of additional nuclear power plants within the province" immediately before the full stop.
| | (v) | Hon WONG Kwok-hing to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete ", since an" after "That" and substitute with "thinking of danger in times of safety and taking early precautions are eternal truths; this Council is gravely concerned that the"; to delete ", apart from causing enormous casualties, also" after "11 March has" and substitute with "caused enormous casualties and losses, and expresses its deep condolences to the affected Japanese people; given that this severe disaster in Japan has"; to add "worry and" after "Hong Kong people's"; to add "safety and" after "concern about their"; to add ", beverages, medicines and cosmetic products, etc.," after "food products"; to delete "and announce" after "imported from Japan," and substitute with "implement as soon as possible the arrangement of announcing"; to delete "as soon as possible" after "surveillance information" and substitute with "on a regular and timely basis, and upload the surveillance information onto the Internet to increase transparency"; to delete "strengthen the publicity of the contingency plan for nuclear power incidents to the public," after "SAR Government should" and substitute with "seriously learn the experience in and a lesson from the severe explosion of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan and the Japanese government's handling of the incident; comprehensively review and perfect Hong Kong's contingency plan and arrangement for drills in case of nuclear power incidents; adopt proactive and stronger measures to strengthen publicity and education for the public, popularize and enhance people's knowledge about nuclear power generation, and raise the public's understanding of ways to respond to the nuclear power incidents, thereby eliminating irrational fear and reinforcing the knowledge and capability of all members of the public about their safety protection against radiation contamination;"; to delete "and" after "non-routine inspections" and substitute with "of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station which is near Hong Kong; and further"; and to add "to increase transparency" immediately before the full stop.
| | (vi) | Hon KAM Nai-wai to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "since" after "That," and substitute with "given that"; and to add "; besides, regarding the proposal put forward by the SAR Government in the Consultation Document on Hong Kong's Climate Change Strategy and Action Agenda and in the 2010-11 Policy Address to significantly increase the future proportion of nuclear energy in Hong Kong's fuel mix for power generation from 23% in 2009 to 50% in 2020, this Council requests the Government to immediately shelve the plan of increasing the use of nuclear energy in order to allay people's worries about the use of nuclear power, and to put forward and implement a series of specific and effective measures on energy conservation, so as to reduce energy consumption and electricity consumption by the public" immediately before the full stop.
Amendment to Hon KAM Nai-wai's amendment
Hon Abraham SHEK to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "immediately shelve" after "the Government to" and substitute with "review".
| | (vii) | Hon James TO to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "since" after "That," and substitute with "given that"; to add "condemns the Administration for not conducting, out of negligence, any routine incident drills under the Daya Bay Contingency Plan in the past decade, and" after "health, this Council"; and to delete "strengthen the publicity of the contingency plan for nuclear power incidents to the public, and recommend the Guangdong provincial authorities to increase the number of non-routine inspections and perfect the existing notification mechanism for nuclear power incidents" immediately before the full stop and substitute with ": (a) comprehensively review the safety risks of using nuclear power, strengthen public education focusing on nuclear power safety and responses in case of nuclear power incidents, and conduct regular nuclear power incident drills; (b) through summarizing the nuclear power crisis triggered by the earthquake in Japan and making reference to the contingency measures for nuclear power incidents adopted by foreign countries, review afresh and update the Daya Bay Contingency Plan; and (c) strengthen the publicity of the contingency plan for nuclear power incidents to the public, raise with the Guangdong provincial authorities the issue of jointly reviewing the safety of nuclear power plants within the province and the precautionary measures, and recommend the Guangdong provincial authorities to increase the number of non-routine inspections and perfect the existing notification mechanism for nuclear power incidents".
Amendment to Hon James TO's amendment
Hon LAU Kong-wah to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "condemns the Administration for not conducting, out of negligence," before "any routine incident drills" and substitute with ", in respect of the Administration not conducting"; and to delete "and" after "past decade," and substitute with "urges the SAR Government to learn from the experience of the Fukushima nuclear power incident in Japan, and adopt a more positive and proactive attitude in handling the safety work relating to the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in accordance with international standards, and further".
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| Public Officers to attend | : | Secretary for the Environment
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
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- Implementing the Twelfth Five-Year Plan
Hon IP Kwok-him to move the following motion: (Translation)
That the Twelfth Five-Year Plan endorsed by the National People's Congress at its meeting devotes, for the first time, a separate chapter to Hong Kong in that it proposes to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international financial, trade and shipping centre, increase its global influence as a financial centre; support Hong Kong in nurturing emerging industries and new growth areas for its economy; and further intensify the co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong; in this connection, this Council urges the SAR Government to give active response, seize the golden opportunity presented by the Twelfth Five-Year Plan and intensify the co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, so as to promote Hong Kong's economic development and improve people's livelihood; the relevant measures should include:
| (a) | to expeditiously formulate long-term development planning for Hong Kong, so as to dovetail with the implementation of the National Twelfth Five-Year Plan;
| | (b) | to optimize the use of abundant financial revenue and huge foreign exchange reserve to further enhance the building of the social security system and take good care of the underprivileged, with a view to improving people's livelihood;
| | (c) | to develop the financial industries, promote Renminbi business, enhance market stability, and turn Hong Kong into an offshore Renminbi clearing centre and an international asset management centre, so as to enhance the global influence of Hong Kong's financial industries;
| | (d) | to expeditiously study and implement the construction of a third runway to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an aviation centre;
| | (e) | to establish a 'brand development council' and specialized funds to open up the Mainland market, and develop a 'bridgehead economy' around the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, so as to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as a trade centre;
| | (f) | to establish a standard patent examination system in Hong Kong to encourage innovation and enhance the sustainability of economic development;
| | (g) | to establish industrial investment funds for investment immigrants, strengthen training of talents, and amend the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme to attract talents, with a view to promoting and enhancing the development of emerging industries, including environmental industries, medical services, education services, testing and certification services, innovation and technology as well as cultural and creative industries, etc., fostering diversified economic development, supporting small and medium enterprises and promoting employment; and
| | (h) | to further intensify the co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, implement the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation, and foster the co-operation between Hong Kong and the Economic Zone on the West Coast of the Taiwan Strait, with a view to promoting joint development.
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| Amendments to the motion
| | (i) | Hon LEE Wing-tat to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add ", given that" after "That"; to delete "; in this connection" after "Mainland and Hong Kong"; and to add ", including providing subsidized sale flats by, for example, resuming the Home Ownership Scheme and the Tenants Purchase Scheme," after "social security system".
Amendment to Hon LEE Wing-tat's amendment
Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "providing subsidized sale flats by, for example, resuming the Home Ownership Scheme and the Tenants Purchase Scheme" after ", including" and substitute with "building an appropriate number of Home Ownership Scheme flats and more public rental housing flats".
| | (ii) | Hon WONG Sing-chi to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add ", given that" after "That"; to delete "; in this connection" after "Mainland and Hong Kong"; and to add ", including allocating an additional $20 billion as recurrent expenditure for implementing long-term and short-term policies on healthcare, education and welfare, etc. and establishing a universal retirement protection system," after "social security system".
Amendment to Hon WONG Sing-chi's amendment
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To delete "an additional $20 billion as recurrent expenditure" after "allocating" and substitute with "additional resources"; and to add ", setting up a public transport fare stabilization fund" after "social welfare, etc.".
| | (iii) | Hon Alan LEONG to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add ", given that" after "That"; to delete "; in this connection" after "Mainland and Hong Kong"; to add "an effective consultation mechanism to absorb public opinion in a 'bottom-up' manner, and on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, join hands with the relevant Mainland departments to study the" after "(a) to expeditiously formulate"; to add "increase recurrent expenditure, make long-term planning and investment for the community," after "foreign exchange reserve to"; to add "and resolving the deep-rooted conflicts in Hong Kong" after "improving people's livelihood"; to delete "and implement the construction of a third runway to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an aviation centre" after "(d) to expeditiously study" and substitute with "the co-ordination of cross-border infrastructure to avoid duplicated construction and vicious competition that impairs efficiency, and prudently assess the economic efficiency of a third runway and its environmental impact, so that the function of the aviation centre in Hong Kong can sufficiently dovetail with the direction of sustainable development for the entire Bay Area of the Pearl River Estuary"; to delete "establish a 'brand development council' and specialized funds to open up the Mainland market, and develop a 'bridgehead economy' around the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, so as to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as a trade centre" after "(e) to" and substitute with "prudently map out the development of Tung Chung New Town to dovetail with the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, avoid environmental deterioration and build a sustainable community"; and to delete "establish industrial investment funds for investment immigrants, strengthen training of talents, and amend" after "(g) to" and substitute with "revise the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme and".
| | (iv) | Hon Miriam LAU to move the following amendment: (Translation)
To add ", given that" after "That"; to add "has been" before "endorsed by"; to delete "devotes" after "at its meeting" and substitute with "and has devoted"; to delete "; in this connection" after "Mainland and Hong Kong"; to add ", particularly our country has designated the accelerated development of service industries as one of the strategic focuses to adjust the economic structure, Hong Kong should better grasp the opportunity to extend the radius of local service industries in the Mainland" after "and intensify the co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland"; to add "the overall economy and society of" after "planning for"; to add "(e) to assist local service industries in upgrading and value-adding, and discuss with the Mainland to further improve the situation of 'Big doors are open, but small doors are shut', including further relaxing the threshold of market access and strengthening mutual recognition of professional qualifications, so as to facilitate Hong Kong's small and medium enterprises to open up the Mainland market; (f) to conduct studies on rationalizing the double taxation problem under the current taxation regimes of the two places, so as to facilitate Hong Kong people going north for development and promote exchanges and interactions between talents in the two places; (g) to grasp the opportunity presented by the development of Qianhai New District in Shenzhen which is one of the 'major co-operation projects among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao', and strive for the early and pilot implementation of more policies and measures to help intensify regional co-operation, including providing special taxation arrangements to help develop Qianhai into a 'Hong Kong/Guangdong modern service industry innovation and co-operation exemplary zone', and adopting a more convenient immigration clearance mode to facilitate the interactive flows of people and goods, etc.;" after "an aviation centre;"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(j)"; and to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(k)".
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Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Clerk to the Legislative Council
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