A 10/11-29

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 25 May 2011 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Director of Intellectual Property (Establishment) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 201188/2011
2.Construction Industry Council Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 201189/2011
3.Public Health and Municipal Services (Designation of Public Swimming Pool) Order 201190/2011
4.Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Amendment of Fourteenth Schedule) Order 201191/2011
5.Public Health and Municipal Services (Setting Aside Places and Cessation of Setting Aside Place for Use as Public Pleasure Grounds) Order 201192/2011
6.Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) Order 201193/2011
7.Waste Disposal Ordinance (Application of Section 16) Notice 201194/2011
8.Waste Disposal (Amendment) Ordinance 2006 (Commencement) Notice 201195/2011
9.Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 (Commencement) Notice 201196/2011
10.Administrative Instructions for Regulating Admittance and Conduct of Persons (Amendment) Instructions 2011 (Commencement) Notice97/2011

Other Papers

1. No. 93-Securities and Futures Commission
Approved budget of income and expenditure for the financial year 2011/2012
(to be presented by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

2.No. 94-Report of changes made to the approved Estimates of Expenditure during the fourth quarter of 2010-11
Public Finance Ordinance: Section 8
(to be presented by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury)

II. Questions

1. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

I have received complaints from quite a number of members of the public, pointing out that the noise problem in the West Kowloon district has persistently affected the lives of local residents, particularly during the small hours when vehicles travelling on major trunk roads in the district, e.g. the West Kowloon Corridor, etc., cause serious noise nuisance to residents living in the neighbourhood, e.g. Fu Cheong Estate and Nam Cheong Estate in Sham Shui Po, the old district of Sham Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui. Some members of the public have also pointed out that the noise problem is partly attributable to the illegal road racing activities on the West Kowloon Corridor during the small hours. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the relevant data obtained from traffic noise surveys conducted by the authorities in the vicinity of the main roads in West Kowloon in the past five years and the changes in such data; whether the authorities had analyzed if traffic noise along these roads showed signs of deterioration or mitigation; of the mitigation measures taken by the authorities to combat the noise problem in the aforesaid district in the past five years, and whether they have reviewed the effectiveness of such measures;

    (b)of the respective numbers of complaints about the traffic noise along the West Kowloon Corridor received by the Government in each of the past three years; whether the authorities regularly conduct traffic noise surveys in the small hours in the aforesaid district; if so, of the relevant data and analyses on the sources of traffic noise; the enforcement actions taken by the police to combat illegal road racing activities on the West Kowloon Corridor; and the respective numbers of vehicles intercepted for suspected modification, prosecutions instituted and convictions of those involved; and

    (c)whether the authorities will, targeting at the noise problem in West Kowloon and its vicinity at present, explore and implement various new mitigation measures, including implementing traffic control measures (e.g. restricting vehicles generating loud noise from using the relevant road sections during the small hours), introducing new technologies for noise barriers (e.g. using lighter materials and collapsible or expandable components to reduce additional wind load on existing roads and flyovers), and installing double-glazed windows as noise insulation for residents who are subject to serious noise nuisance?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

2. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

In the 2010-2011 Financial Year, the Government allocated $220 million for launching the Internet Learning Support Programme ("ILSP") to help needy families acquire Internet access service and computers through a non-profit making organization collaborating with the community. It has been reported that five organizations submitted proposals for ILSP and the Government unusually recommended two of these organizations to implement ILSP in collaboration, and one of the organizations, the eInclusion Foundation Limited was formed by the Internet Professional Association ("iProA") and a partner organization and the iProA is closely affiliated with a political party, but lacks a proven track record; the other organization, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, however objected to the collaboration recommendation. It has also been reported that there is public concern as to whether the personal data of those members of the public who participated in ILSP will be misused. On the other hand, Mr Jeremy GODFREY, the former Government Chief Information Officer who led the ILSP assessment work, suddenly resigned in January this year. While the Government indicated that he resigned for personal reasons, Mr GODFREY said in his letter addressed to the Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting of this Council in April after his departure that "the personal reasons" for his resignation were unrelated to his health or private life, but related to the conduct of government business. He further mentioned that his proposed corrections and clarifications would raise serious public interest questions, but the Government did not give permission for him to publicly elaborate the issues. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)why the Government deviated from the original intent of implementing ILSP by one organization as set out in the relevant Finance Committee agenda item paper, and changed to implementing ILSP by two organizations, and why the Government did not seek permission from the Finance Committee before making such a change; whether recommending two organizations to implement ILSP in collaboration, as proposed by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau ("CEDB"), is an unusual practice; whether CEDB had, in the tender exercises it had conducted in the past three years, made any recommendation for two organizations to implement a programme in collaboration;

    (b)whether they will permit Mr GODFREY to attend the meetings of the Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting of this Council so that Mr GODFREY may explain his work as well as the role of other relevant persons in handling ILSP; and

    (c)how they ensure that the aforesaid two organizations will not misuse the personal data of members of the public obtained in the implementation of ILSP to gain benefits for the political party and organizations concerned?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

3. Hon Ronny TONG to ask: (Translation)

Some healthcare staff have relayed to me that mainland pregnant women giving birth in Hong Kong has triggered the problem of severe shortage of healthcare manpower and resources in the public sector. These healthcare staff have pointed out that not only have the nurses complained that the nurse-to-patient ratio has exceeded international standards, the doctors have also complained about excessive working hours and patient numbers which have turned them into "medical machines", leaving them insufficient time for patient consultation; and there is even competition for resources among hospitals or hospital clusters because of the dearth of resources. They have also pointed out that although the Hospital Authority and the Food and Health Bureau have respectively proposed allocating additional funding and training more healthcare staff to meet the shortage so as to solve the problems emerging at present, healthcare staff and the professional bodies to which they belong are not optimistic about this. They also query whether the authorities have any long-term improvement plan to cope with the shortage of healthcare manpower and resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the measures to be formulated or the resources to be allocated by the authorities in the next five years to solve the problems of shortage of healthcare manpower, long working hours of doctors, insufficient resources and insufficient development of services in various hospitals;

    (b)whether the authorities have estimated the community demand for public healthcare services in the next five to 10 years; if they have, of the specific content and the outcome as shown in the estimation, whether the authorities can ensure that the recommendations or policies concerned will effectively meet the estimated demand at that time; if such an estimation has not been made, the reasons for that, and the role and strategy of the Government in public healthcare policy; and

    (c)under the situation of severe shortage of healthcare manpower, whether the Government will negotiate with the trade to expeditiously study the relaxation of the restrictions on foreign healthcare professionals practising in Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

4. Hon Paul CHAN to ask: (Translation)

Some members of the public have pointed out to me that Hong Kong people serving imprisonment sentences on the Mainland would not be given parole like mainland prisoners even if they behave well in prisons, as mainlanders could report to the local police at specified intervals after their release on parole, while Hong Kong prisoners applying for parole would be regarded as going back to Hong Kong afterwards and thus would not being able to report to the law enforcement agencies on the Mainland at regular intervals. Therefore, according to such members of the public, the terms of imprisonment served by such Hong Kong people will be much longer than those of mainlanders even if sentences of the same length are being imposed on them and they have behaved well in prisons. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the above situation and whether it knows that some Hong Kong people serving imprisonment sentences on the Mainland have expressed the wishes for parole; if it knows, how the Hong Kong Government handles and follows up those cases; and of the number of requests for assistance received by the Hong Kong Government in the past seven years in relation to applications for parole by Hong Kong people serving imprisonment sentences on the Mainland;

    (b)whether it knows if the mainland judicial departments are prepared to respond to the wishes of such Hong Kong people; how the Hong Kong Government will follow up the issue and act in concert with these departments to enable those Hong Kong people who behave well in prisons to receive the same treatment as their mainland counterparts and be given parole; and

    (c)whether it will consider proposing to the mainland judicial departments that Hong Kong people serving imprisonment sentences on the Mainland should be allowed to return to Hong Kong to report to the police stations in the territory instead after they are given parole, or they may stay temporarily on the Mainland and report to the mainland police at specified intervals, with a view to enabling these Hong Kong people to be reunited with their families as early as possible?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

5. Hon CHIM Pui-chung to ask: (Translation)

The former Legislative Council enacted the Block Crown Lease (Cheung Chau) Ordinance in 1995 to terminate the Block Crown Lease granted to Wong Wai Tsak Tong of Cheung Chau so as to resolve the disputes between Wong Wai Tsak Tong and the sub-lessees. According to the Ordinance, Wong Wai Tsak Tong is entitled to claim compensation for the termination of the Block Crown Lease and for the deemed surrender of the land to the Government upon expiry of the sub-leases specified in section 9(2) of the Ordinance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)the Government has granted compensation to Wong Wai Tsak Tong; if it has, of the area of the land affected, the amount of compensation granted by the Government and the average amount of compensation per square metre; and

    (b)the Government has instituted any legal proceedings in the process of land resumption?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

6. Hon Audrey EU to ask: (Translation)

It has been reported that many members of the senior echelons of multinational enterprises came to Hong Kong to take refuge after the serious earthquake in Japan; and the Immigration Department indicated earlier that there was a significant increase in the number of visitors from Japan coming to Hong Kong for refuge, with many of them bringing their family members along. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the numbers of applications for relevant work visas received and approved by the authorities so far; whether they know, among such applications, the number of applicants who have brought their family members along to Hong Kong; given that the Education Bureau ("EDB") indicated earlier that the average admission rate of the international schools in Hong Kong reached 88% at present, whether the authorities have assessed if the aforesaid significant increase in the number of members of the senior echelons of multinational enterprises coming to Hong Kong will further aggravate the tight supply of international school places at present; and whether they have any measure to ease the present problem of tight supply of international school places; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)given that EDB has indicated that 37 primary and secondary school premises had became vacant in the past three years, among which 14 have already been deployed or re-allocated for educational use while 13 have been provisionally earmarked for educational use, including those for future development of international schools, of the original names, addresses and duration of vacancy of the 37 primary and secondary schools; which 14 schools have already been deployed or re-allocated for educational use, and which 13 schools have been provisionally earmarked for educational use; and

    (c)given that the list of international schools currently uploaded to EDB's web site provides information on school places in the 47 local international schools only up to 2009-2010, of the numbers of places in such international schools (in tabular form) at present?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

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

It has been learnt that quite a number of parents have complained about textbook prices increasing year after year. In this regard, the Education Bureau has implemented the "Policy of Debundling Textbooks and Teaching/Learning Materials for Pricing" ("debundling policy") and suggested that schools should take into account textbook prices as one of the criteria for compiling the textbook lists, with a view to reducing textbook expenditure and alleviating the financial burden on parents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows, based on the textbook lists of all government and aided primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong for the current school year, the five highest and five lowest total textbook expenditures of each grade; moreover, given that some schools now suggest in the notes of the textbook lists that continuing students may not need to or may consider not to purchase individual titles of books, such as dictionaries and reference books, etc., the five highest and five lowest total textbook expenditures of each grade if such titles of books are excluded;

    (b)in response to the implementation of the debundling policy, whether the Government has planned to allocate resources to subsidize schools in purchasing teaching materials; if it has, of the amount of resources to be allocated; and

    (c)of the short-term and long-term measures or policies put in place by the Government at present to promote textbook recycling; whether such measures will include restricting assignments which require filling in answers or cut and paste exercises in textbooks, in order to support environmental protection and at the same time alleviate the financial burden on parents?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

*8. Dr Hon PAN Pey-chyou to ask: (Translation)

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") and the Buildings Department ("BD") set up a Joint Office ("JO") in 2006 to handle complaints and enquiries about water seepage in buildings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective numbers of complaint cases received by JO, FEHD and BD from members of the public about water seepage/leakage in residential units in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by the 18 District Council ("DC") districts in Hong Kong;

    (b)of the procedures for handling cases of water seepage/leakage in residential units at present; the longest and shortest time taken from receipt of each of the complaints to completion of such cases in the past 10 years, with a breakdown by the 18 DC districts in Hong Kong; and the average time needed to complete each procedure;

    (c)of the average time taken by JO to handle each case of water seepage/leakage at present; and

    (d)among the cases of water seepage/leakage being handled by JO or other government departments at present, of the respective numbers of cases which are being followed up for more than one year, three years and five years, with a breakdown by the 18 DC districts in Hong Kong; and the reasons for failure to complete these cases?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

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

In the past few years, the Ocean Park has continued to develop new attractions and introduce animals from different places for husbandry in the Park, but incidents of death of those animals, including Chinese sturgeon, bluefin tuna, coral reel fish and penguins, etc. occurred one after another. Concerns have been raised by animal and conservation groups about issues such as the standard of the husbandry staff of the Ocean Park and adequacy of supporting facilities. Some groups have also pointed out that the weather in Hong Kong is hot and queried whether it is suitable to introduce animals which live in cold places. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the number of deaths and death rates of animals kept in the Ocean Park in the past five years and the animal species involved;

    (b)whether it knows the respective numbers, average length of service and turnover rates of the husbandry staff and veterinarians of the Ocean Park in the past five years;

    (c)whether the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ("AFCD") and other government departments have taken the initiative to find out more about and investigate the aforesaid cases of deaths of animals; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)whether, according to the existing practice, the Ocean Park needs to notify AFCD and other government departments of the deaths of animals in the Park; if so, of the details; whether the Park needs to report the causes of death of animals and whether AFCD may conduct reviews in this respect; if not, of the reasons for that;

    (e)whether it knows if the new animal species introduced by the Ocean Park in the past five years are wild or artificially bred; whether the Ocean Park will consult AFCD or other government departments before it decides to keep animals of new species; if it will, of the consultation procedure; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (f)how the authorities assess the impact on the environment when the Ocean Park develops new attractions and introduces new animal species, including the impact during transportation, implementation of works and various stages of operation; whether it knows if the Ocean Park has implemented mitigation measures; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

The Government drew up a set of new practice notes (including a 10% cap on the granting of gross floor area ("GFA") concessions) earlier this year for controlling "inflated buildings", and has requested the West Rail Property Development Limited to redesign six property developments above the railway stations along the West Rail to comply with such new requirements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the Government, as the largest shareholder of the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL"), has requested the MTRCL to redesign other property development projects above the railway stations along the rail lines if their construction has yet to commence, so as to comply with such new requirements; if it has, of the results; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)of the respective numbers of residential blocks, numbers of floors and residential flats as well as flat sizes in each block, and levels of the podiums and numbers of parking spaces to be built under the original designs of the development projects above the Tin Wing Light Rail Transit station in Tin Shui Wai and the Tai Wai Station in Shatin; whether it knows, in terms of GFA concessions to be granted, the number of floors and residential flats as well as flat sizes in each block, as well as the level of podiums and number of car parking spaces, how the original designs of such projects compare with the designs amended according to such new requirements; and

    (c)whether the Government has any measure to make the MTRCL reconsider amending the designs and flat mixes of its property development projects which will be put to tender within this year to comply with such new requirements, so that the Government's policy for controlling "inflated buildings" can be consistently implemented and the supply of small-to-medium-sized flats can be increased?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

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

In recent years, there has been increasing public concern about heritage conservation and the Government has taken forward its heritage conservation work through various measures, including organizing visits to historic buildings and implementing the Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme ("the Revitalizing Scheme"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of activities of opening historic buildings for public visit organized by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office under the Development Bureau in each of the past three years, of the respective anticipated number of visitors and actual turnout for each of the visits; and whether members of the public have reflected that they were not able to participate in such activities because the admission quotas for the visits were too small;

    (b)of the average cost for organizing each of the aforesaid visits for the public and details of the manpower required;

    (c)given that there has been increasing public concern about antiquities, monuments and historic buildings, whether the authorities will consider increasing the admission quotas for visits organized for the public under various historic buildings revitalizing projects; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)given that under the existing Revitalizing Scheme, the authorities will invite non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") to operate the facilities in the historic buildings which are to be revitalized, of the respective roles of the Government and NGOs in the Revitalizing Scheme; and

    (e)upon implementation of Batch III of the Revitalizing Scheme, what factors the authorities will consider when deciding which historic buildings are to be included in the Revitalizing Scheme?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

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

I have received complaints from quite a number of members of the public and groups about the problems they encountered when they arranged for the cremation and burial of their deceased family members according to the various applications and waiting arrangements prescribed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD"), including application for cremation permits, requesting to use eco-coffins, scattering cremated human ashes in Gardens of Remembrance ("GoRs") and waiting for niches. In addition, they pointed out that they were unable to secure mourning halls in funeral parlours to pay respect to the deceased as all the mourning halls had been fully booked. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)as such members of the public pointed out that there are "queuing gangs" queuing up almost 24 hours a day on behalf of undertakers to book the cremation services of crematoria under FEHD, making it impossible for the underprivileged people to book those services, whether FEHD will immediately provide telephone or on-line registration for booking cremation sessions of its crematoria to replace the current practice of alloting a maximum of five chips to each person on a first-come-first-served basis, so as to eliminate and combat "queuing gangs"; if it will, of the implementation timeframe; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)as the information from FEHD reveals that there are at present 10 non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") or charities in Hong Kong providing burial support services specifically for poor people relying on the burial grant from the Social Welfare Department and even the elders who do not have any relative, whether the Government will consider afresh allowing such NGOs or charities to directly use the cremation services of the Government without having to arrange such services via licensed undertakers, as well as issuing undertaker's licences to such NGOs or charities; if it will, of the implementation timeframe; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)of the respective numbers of cases using eco-coffins, applications for cremation services and scattering cremated human ashes in GoRs, and registrations on the waitlist for public niches in each of the past five years (to be listed in the following table);

    YearNumber of
    cases using
    eco-coffins    		Number of
    applications
    for cremation
    services    		Number of
    applications
    for scattering
    cremated
    human ashes in
    GoRs    		Number of
    registrations on
    the waitlist for
    public niches
    2010



    2009



    2008



    2007



    2006




    (d)as FEHD indicated at the meeting of this Council's Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene on 15 October 2010 that about 100 000 new niches would be available in the next three years, of the number of additional niches to be supplied in each of these three years and their locations;

    (e)of the expiry dates of the licences/operation rights of the existing seven licensed funeral parlours in Hong Kong; as it has been reported that the Government holds the ownership of one of those funeral parlours and had granted its operation right through tendering, whether the Government will call an open tender again for the operation right by publishing on its web site or through advertisements upon the expiry of the existing operation right of that funeral parlour; and

    (f)whether it knows the respective numbers of large and small mourning halls in each licensed funeral parlour at present; as the mourning halls in funeral parlours are often fully booked due to the ageing population, whether it has any plan to increase the number of funeral parlours in the next three years to meet the service demand; if it has, of the details, including the districts in which lands will be allocated for constructing funeral parlours and the implementation timeframe; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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

Since 2005, the Social Welfare Department has been provided with an annual recurrent provision of $15 million for implementing the District Support Scheme for Children and Youth Development through the District Social Welfare Offices to address the developmental needs of disadvantaged children and youths aged 0 to 24. Some of the funding is used for implementing individual projects in various districts, while some is granted to children and youths in need in the form of direct cash assistance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:
    (a)the amount used to support district projects and cover related programme expenses in each of the past three years, broken down by district;

    (b)the amount of cash assistance granted directly to deprived children and youths as well as the number of beneficiaries in each of the past three years, broken down by district;

    (c)the number of projects approved as well as the amounts involved in each of the past three years under each of the following categories: (1) organizing small group activities to address the developmental needs of those children and youths who have keen interest and immense talent in sports and arts (e.g. music, painting and drama, etc.); (2) implementing mentorship, job skills training programmes, etc. on self-employment/job-hunting so as to enhance the self-reliance of unemployed youths; and (3) arranging volunteer services, leadership skills training and youth exchange programmes; and

    (d)in each of the past three years, the number of applications for direct cash assistance, as well as the number of cases not approved and the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

*14. Hon KAM Nai-wai to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the refuse collection vehicles ("RCVs") in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective numbers of private and government-operated RCVs in Hong Kong in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by the emission standards met by RCVs and by whether those vehicles are covered; whether the Government has any plan to replace its uncovered RCVs with covered ones; if it has such a plan, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)at present, whether and how private and government-operated RCVs are required to be kept clean and hygienic, and to reduce dripping of foul water and emission of odour; if it is so required, of the measures concerned and the penalties, and whether penalties had been imposed on organizations and people who breached the requirements in the past five years; if so, of the details; and

    (c)whether prosecutions had been instituted in the past five years against RCVs dripping foul water, emitting odour and causing adverse impact on the environment; if so, of the number of prosecutions instituted in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by grounds of prosecution?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*15. Hon Ronny TONG to ask: (Translation)

According to the figures provided by the Transport and Housing Bureau ("THB"), there were about 145 000 public rental housing ("PRH") applications on the Waiting List ("WL") as at the end of 2010. Among such applications, the number of general PRH applications had already reached 84 700 while the number of one-person applications under the Quota and Points System ("QPS") was 60 300. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that the target of average waiting time ("AWT") currently maintains at three years and the figures provided by THB show that the forecast production of PRH is only 42 200 flats for the next three years (i.e. from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014), whether it is necessary for the authorities to increase the annual PRH production so as to ensure that the WL applicants can be allocated a flat within three years; if it is necessary, of the planned increase in annual PRH production; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)of the number of cases in the past five years of the general PRH applicants actually accepting a flat offer (i.e. being successfully allocated a flat) within three years and the situation of flat allocation, as set out in the table below:

    YearNumber of
    general PRH
    applicants
    on WL in
    the year    		Number of successful
    flat allocations within
    three years of waiting time    		Number of unsuccessful
    flat allocations within
    three years of waiting time
    The first
    flat offer
    being
    accepted    		The second
    flat offer
    being
    accepted    		The third
    flat offer
    being
    accepted    		Flat offers
    not being
    made    		Flat offers being
    turned down/
    Applications
    being withdrawn
    2006-2007





    2007-2008





    2008-2009





    2009-2010





    2010-2011






    (c)given that the five-year Public Housing Construction Programme devised by THB provides information on PRH construction for the period up to 2014-2015 only, whether any site has been earmarked at present for the PRH construction plan after such period; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether the authorities have formulated any strategy at present to effectively deal with the PRH applications submitted by one-person applicants or QPS applicants; if they have, of the details and the estimated waiting time for such applicants; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

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

Regarding the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, which has successfully drawn tens of thousands of citizens and visitors from the Mainland and abroad every year, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)as it has been reported that earlier, the lack of policy coordination between the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") and the Home Affairs Department has resulted in inflexible law enforcement, affecting the traditional Cheung Chau Bun Festival which has all along been popular among local citizens and overseas visitors for many years, in that one of the bakeries selling lucky buns stamped with peace messages for the festival decided to close its business on the 10th of May during the Cheung Chau Bun Festival this year to protest against the inflexible law enforcement practices of FEHD, causing visitors who wished to seek "symbolic blessings" to wait for several hours in order to buy lucky buns and thus spoiling the mood of the tourists, whether the Government will look into ways to improve the problem of insufficient coordination among government departments and exercise discretion in law enforcement under special and viable circumstances so as to enable similar large-scale tourism events to come to full fruition;

    (b)given that in recent years, the number of citizens and tourists coming to the Cheung Chau Bun Festival has increased each year, coupled with the fact that the parade-in-the-air is usually performed under high temperature, and there were even suspected cases of visitors suffering from heat stroke this year while watching the parade, whether the Government has any plan to improve the transportation, medical and other ancillary facilities on the island, so as to further spice up this spectacular tourism event with local characteristics;

    (c)as some members of the public have pointed out that the success of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival demonstrates that as long as events have local characteristics, it is sufficient for them to be developed into "sustainable" iconic tourism events, and that the authorities need not spend huge amounts of public money to launch massive promotional campaigns to "boost" "spectacular events" which are large in scale but lack cultural characteristics, whether the Government will make reference to the success of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and thoroughly review the policy under which hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent every year on tourism promotion;

    (d)given that it has been reported that the Hong Kong Tourism Board ("HKTB"), used the Internet as the main platform to promote this year's Cheung Chau Bun Festival and the overall promotion expenditure was not large, thus achieving cost effectiveness with "maximum effect and minimum cost", whether it knows the amount of promotion expenditure made by HKTB for this year's Cheung Chau Bun Festival; whether HKTB will consider extending such mode of promotion to other events, such as the annual Chinese New Year Night Parade and Summer Concert, etc. so as to effectively utilize the annual funding for promotion which amounts to hundreds of millions; if so, of the details of the plans; if not, the reasons for that;

    (e)whether the Tourism Commission and HKTB had tried to join hands with registered travel agencies to promote the Cheung Chau Bun Festival as a spectacular tourism event in the past three years; if they had, of the details of the promotional policies; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (f)as in the floats of the parade-in-the-air which is the highlight of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival this year, some children imitated situations such as "the Financial Secretary and the Chief Executive handing out candies", "crabs being hard-pressed under a rock" and "on guard against radiation", and have struck a chord with the public, whether the Tourism Commission and HKTB will use the Cheung Chau Bun Festival's special characteristics of making iconic mockeries of the current affairs as a selling point to step up promotion of the Festival?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

Regarding the taxation problems faced by Hong Kong enterprises engaged in processing trade operations in the course of upgrading and restructuring, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of enterprises from which recovery of taxes had been demanded by the Inland Revenue Department ("IRD") in the past three years because of issues relating to section 39E of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) ("Section 39E") and the 50:50 basis of tax apportionment, the amounts of taxes involved and the amounts of fines imposed, as well as the number of relevant appeal or objection cases in which the Commissioner of Inland Revenue ("CIR") had demanded the enterprises concerned to purchase Tax Reserve Certificates; if such records or statistics are not available, whether the authorities will establish a record system for this purpose and provide the number of cases being vetted or reviewed in relation to such issues at present;

    (b)given that it is stipulated in the Code on Access to Information that members of the public are entitled to access government documents, yet the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury ("SFST") has repeatedly ignored my requests for the provision of the contents of the views of the sector on Section 39E as reflected by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, of the reasons for that;

    (c)given that in reply to my question on 11 May this year, SFST indicated that the State Administration of Taxation ("SAT") had confirmed that if a Hong Kong enterprise provided some machinery and plants (including moulds) to its associated enterprise on the Mainland rent-free for production of finished products which would be sold to the Hong Kong enterprise at a price below normal price, such arrangement might constitute an "offsetting transaction" under the "Implementation Measures of Special Tax Adjustments (Provisional)" (Guoshuifa [2009] No.2) of the Mainland, and in the course of conducting transfer pricing investigations, the mainland tax authorities will make transfer pricing adjustments to restore the offsetting transactions, but members of the sector have pointed out that it has been a long-standing practice for Hong Kong enterprises to provide machinery/plants and moulds, etc. for mainland processors, and all along, mainland taxation authorities have not questioned that there is any issue of transfer pricing, whether the authorities can put forth facts and examples to illustrate the problems of transfer pricing which have emerged as a result of Hong Kong enterprises providing machinery and plants to mainland processors rent-free;

    (d)given that some Hong Kong enterprises have pointed out that since the provision of machinery and plants to mainland processors by Hong Kong enterprises rent-free has made it possible for mainland enterprises to reduce their costs, the prices of the finished products may of course be adjusted downward correspondingly, and that these are reasonable and normal transactions, why the authorities consider the price of such products as "below normal price" and believe that the arrangement may give rise to the issue of transfer pricing, as well as whether the authorities can make public the confirmation documents issued by SAT;

    (e)given that in reply to my question on 11 May this year, SFST did not directly explain why taxpayers whose objections or appeals have been determined in their favour cannot be compensated with interest calculated at "judgment debt rate", as in the case of the Government, in order to uphold the principle of fairness, whether the authorities can provide a direct response to this question;

    (f)given that SFST has not provided direct responses to my questions raised on 13 April and 11 May this year on whether an "import processing" enterprise which gives up its efforts of upgrading and restructuring itself and then engages itself again in "contract processing" will again be eligible for the depreciation allowances for machinery and plants, and whether the 50:50 basis of tax apportionment will again be applicable to it, whether the authorities can give a clear reply; if not, of the reasons for that;

    (g)given that although I have asked SFST, at least on seven occasions in the past two years, why the authorities had not considered the independent legal advice of the legal sector or the Department of Justice on the issue of Section 39E, SFST still did not provide a direct response, whether the authorities can explain the reasons why SFST is not willing to give a reply;

    (h)given that SFST indicated on 11 May this year that IRD was not aware of any Hong Kong enterprises which were nominally "import processing" enterprises but actually still engaged in "contract processing" mode of operation on the Mainland, whether the authorities can explain why such scenarios had been mentioned in the cases of CIR v Datatronic Ltd (CACV 275/2008) and C G Lighting Ltd. v. CIR (CACV 119/2010), and whether the authorities will approach members of the industrial and commercial sector, the accounting sector, tax experts as well as the legal sector to learn about the facts; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (i)given that SFST indicated on 11 May this year that it would be necessary to approach SAT rather than the local tax authorities for discussions for entering into "advance pricing arrangements", when the authorities plan to initiate such discussions with SAT and of the contents of the relevant discussions; and

    (j)whether, when the Board of Review ("the Board") heard the case numbered D61/08, the CIR's representative in the hearing was a practising barrister; whether the authorities have assessed if that representative's failure to truthfully and wholly inform the Board of the relevant law interpretation principles and the relevant case law (including the "purposive approach" recognized by the courts, the requirement of establishing the legislative intent in interpreting law under section 19 of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap. 1), the Court of Final Appeal's comments on interpreting law made in its judgment on the case of Medical Council of Hong Kong v Chow Siu Shek David (2000), and the views on interpreting law held by the authorities in the case of CIR v Sawhney (HCIA1/2006), etc.) constitutes a breach of duty, deliberate concealment for the purpose of misleading the Board or violation of paragraph 136 of the Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

*18. Hon WONG Sing-chi to ask: (Translation)

When the Hong Kong Jockey Club ("HKJC") proposed to the authorities in 2009 to introduce five additional race days per racing season, it estimated that the proposal would create 1 500 new jobs, and help sustain the 2 500 jobs planned for its Telebet cum Volunteers and Training Centre already established in Tin Shui Wai. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)whether they know the total number of new jobs created by HKJC in the past six months to tie in with the introduction of the additional race days, and the number of additional staff employed; among these staff members, the respective numbers of those who were offered posts at the telebet centre in Tin Shui Wai, and those who were offered off-course betting, catering and other posts;

    (b)given that quite a number of front-line staff working at telebet centres have relayed to me that they have suffered from different levels of hearing impairment because they are engaged in jobs which require them to listen to telephone instructions for a prolonged period of time, which has even affected their daily lives, and that they are worried that it will be difficult for them to return to the labour market once they lose their jobs, whether the authorities know the number of working hours per day for staff working at the telebet centre in Tin Shui Wai in the past six months, as well as the number of bets placed in the calls received by them per hour, and list in a table the average, maximum and minimum figures; if such figures are not available, of the reasons for that; and

    (c)whether the authorities have any targeted measure to help the staff of telebet centres in (b); if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*19. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask:

It has been reported that Friends of the Earth had analyzed the Air Pollution Indexes ("API") at 11 general stations set up by the Environmental Protection Department over the 13-month period from January 2010 and found that Sham Shui Po had the worst air quality, with an average API of 44.58, followed by Kwai Chung (43.28) and Kwun Tong (43.08); and that the poor air quality in these areas could be due to a higher number of old diesel vehicles running on the roads, compared to other areas. However, the yearly average API readings of these general stations were within the medium range of air pollution level by the Government's standard, meaning that air quality was acceptable. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that roadside stations are set up in Causeway Bay, Central and Mong Kok, whether it will consider setting up roadside stations also in Sham Shui Po, Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong; if it will, of the details with regard to the increase in the estimated expenditure; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether it has assessed if the current API standard in Hong Kong meets the World Health Organization ("WHO")'s air quality guideline standard; if the API does not meet the WHO standard, whether it has considered tightening the API system to keep it up to par accordingly; if not, of the reasons for that;

    (c)as it was reported that there were months during the aforesaid 13-month period in which APIs of Sham Shui Po, Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong exceeded 50, and that it is harmful for people to breathe the air with that API level for long, whether it had implemented any measure in the past three years to improve the air quality in the aforesaid areas; if it had, of the details; and

    (d)given that three pilot low-emission zones ("LEZs") will be designated in Causeway Bay, Central and Mong Kok;

    (i)whether it has considered extending the pilot LEZs to Sham Shui Po, Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong; if it has, whether it will conduct public consultation; if it will, of the timetable; if it has not considered extending the pilot LEZs, the reasons for that;

    (ii)whether it will consider issuing a guideline on the suggested ratio of low-emission franchised buses running in these areas; if it will, of the details; and

    (iii)of the current progress of the retirement of Euro II and III franchised buses operating in these areas; and whether it has considered providing any financial incentive to the franchised bus companies for the related increase in operation expenses; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

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

The Race Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 602) ("the Ordinance"), which came into full effect in 2009, provides protection for all ethnic groups in various fields such as employment, education and the provision of goods, facilities and services. Regarding the implementation of the Ordinance since its commencement, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
    (a)whether they know the respective numbers of enquiries and complaints received by the Equal Opportunities Commission ("EOC") relating to the various fields protected under the Ordinance since its commencement;

    (b)given that ethnic minorities have relayed to this Council many times that the authorities have not provided sufficient and effective educational support to non-Chinese speaking ("NCS") students and have affected the further study opportunities of such students, and most school sponsoring bodies ("SSB"), principals and teachers do not have sufficient understanding of the details of the Ordinance, whether the authorities know if EOC will follow up by:

    (i)carrying out a study and a formal survey on whether there is institutional racial discrimination against ethnic minority students under the education system of Hong Kong; if it will, of the details concerned; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (ii)formulating a code of practice on education in accordance with the Ordinance by drawing reference to that of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 487), so as to explain the legislation and provide a practical guidance for SSB on how to comply with the Ordinance; if it will, of the details concerned; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)given that 11 direct investigations were carried out by EOC in respect of the Ordinance in 2010, and among them, the greatest number of cases (with a total of six cases) involved the provision of goods, facilities and services, whether the authorities know if EOC will consider formulating a code of practice on this field; if it will, of the details concerned; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)given that the attainment of a pass in the subject of Chinese Language in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination as one of the entry requirements for most ranks in disciplined services departments such as the Police Force and the Correctional Services Department render many NCS people ineligible to apply for a post in the disciplined services, and it is learnt that the Police Force has made adjustments to such requirement recently, whether the authorities will revise comprehensively such entry requirement regarding the subject of Chinese Language in all disciplined services departments, so that ethnic minorities will have an equal opportunity to join the disciplined services; and whether the authorities know if EOC will take the initiative to carry out an investigation on whether the language proficiency requirement set by government departments in recruiting staff is in contravention of the Ordinance?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

* For written reply

III. Bills

First Reading

1. Enduring Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Bill 2011

2. Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2011

Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned)

1.Enduring Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Bill 2011:The Secretary for Justice

2.Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2011:Secretary for Transport and Housing

IV. Members' Motions
  1. Safeguarding freedom of the press and the right to expression

    Hon Cyd HO to move the following motion: (Translation)

    That this Council urges the authorities to safeguard freedom of the press and the right to expression.

    Amendments to the motion
    (i)Hon Emily LAU to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To delete "this Council urges the authorities to" after "That" and substitute with "in April this year, the advertising agency of the MTR Corporation Limited ('MTRCL') issued a letter to various press media in an attempt to resort to the means of cancelling advertisements so as to reduce negative news reports on MTRCL; this Council considers that MTRCL, in so doing, blatantly intervenes in editorial independence and seriously undermines freedom of the press, and should be strongly condemned; as the major shareholder of MTRCL, the SAR Government should bear the responsibility and thoroughly investigate the aforesaid incident, so as to".

    (ii)Hon LEE Cheuk-yan to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To delete "this Council" after "That" and substitute with ", given that the Government treats the various mass media differently on the basis of close and distant relationships, frequently releasing exclusive information on a selective basis to 'friendly' media in an attempt to influence their editorial stance, and that recently, the Government repeatedly uses contravention of the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance as an excuse for suppressing people's freedom of expression, this Council expresses deep disappointment and".

    (iii)Dr Hon Philip WONG to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To delete "authorities" after "Council urges the" and substitute with "SAR Government to continue"; and to add "in accordance with the Basic Law and the principle of 'one country, two systems' " immediately before the full stop.

    Amendment to Dr Hon Philip WONG's amendment
    Hon CHEUNG Kwok-che to move the following amendment:     (Translation)

    To add "formulate an index of freedom of the press and an index of the right to expression and publish reports annually in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights mentioned in Article 39 of the Basic Law, and" after "SAR Government to" and to delete "the Basic Law and" before "the principle of".

    (iv)Hon Alan LEONG to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To delete "the" after "the press and" and substitute with "abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, so as to protect people's"; and to add "in the form of processions and assemblies, etc." immediately before the full stop.

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

  2. Hong Kong as a sustainable regional cultural hub

    Hon LAU Kong-wah to move the following motion: (Translation)

    That the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority ('WKCDA') has designated a conceptual plan as the master plan for developing the West Kowloon Cultural District ('WKCD'), and the authorities will launch the Stage 3 Public Engagement Exercise in summer this year to consult the public on the development plan of the WKCD; whether the WKCD can develop into a first-class arts and cultural facility in the world will largely depend on Hong Kong's overall cultural development, and whether we can seize the opportunity presented by the WKCD to upgrade people's cultural qualities as well as artistic tastes, so as to establish Hong Kong's cultural edge and status; in order to build Hong Kong into a sustainable regional cultural hub, this Council urges the Government to:

    Perfection of framework and policies－

    (a)explore the establishment of a cultural and education bureau to co-ordinate the policies and resources presently scattered among other government departments, and explore and formulate territory-wide and regional policies as well as development strategies for culture and the arts;

    (b)enhance the professional composition of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development and its function as a think tank;

    (c)formulate a checklist with culture and arts as the core to assist various government departments in giving more attention and consideration to the needs of local culture and arts in the process of policy evaluation and project implementation;

    Resources allocation and market development－

    (d)increase participation and investment in culture and arts by requiring the Government and major public bodies to spend 1% of the construction expenses of their public works projects on public arts;

    (e)provide major performing arts groups with venues that suit their needs and financial support, so as to foster their sustainable and healthy development and drive the upgrading of Hong Kong's overall cultural level;

    (f)assist in building a vibrant cultural and arts market, and allocate resources to train talents of the relevant industries, and attract more people to participate in the relevant intermediary industries and professional services;

    (g)enhance support for young art workers, so as to encourage more young people to join cultural and artistic industries;

    (h)promote arts popularization, with a view to enlarging Hong Kong's arts appreciation population;

    Facility and space enhancement－

    (i)establish regional cultural and arts resources centres in various districts, so as to more effectively foster the promotion and education on traditional folklores, festivals and customs in the districts, encourage the development of budding arts talents and provide room for community activities;

    (j)through various policies, encourage private developers to provide cultural and arts facilities, and flexibly utilize the existing district resources for increasing the number of cultural and arts venues, so as to progressively form a cultural ambience in society;

    (k)open more public space to street performers, so as to enable performing arts to enrich streets in Hong Kong, and relax the existing legislation on street performances, so as to encourage public arts to enter the communities;

    Promotion of public arts education－

    (l)promote public arts education, and intensify public education and promotion, so as to reacquaint people with arts and culture as well as their professional nature and status;

    (m)station in each secondary school and primary school a sufficient number of professionally trained teachers, and provide ample teaching facilities and room, so as to facilitate the full-scale, universal and professional conduct of arts education;

    (n)establish a close partnership among the WKCDA, arts organizations and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, so as to bring in professional perspectives to assist in the development of the WKCD and promote culture and arts education, and to strengthen the professional development of local arts and culture in the WKCD;

    (o)develop the WKCD into an international cultural district with Asian, Chinese and Western cultural features;

    Provision of an information and exchanges platform－

    (p)establish a systematic and free public cultural channel, including a public television channel and an arts web, so as to enable the arts sector to conduct publicity and exchanges; and

    (q)through the Broadcasting Authority, encourage free television channels to provide daily newscasts on cultural affairs.

    Amendments to the motion
    (i)Hon LEE Wing-tat to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To add ", given that" after "That"; to delete "and" after "('WKCD'),"; to add "(d) reform the Hong Kong Arts Development Council's method for selecting members from the community, and step up the studies on and implementation of local arts and community development strategies, so as to improve the operation of existing cultural hardware and its ancillary facilities;" after "project implementation;"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(g)"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(h)"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(i)"; to add "(j) train local talents engaging in culture and arts administration, and set up scholarships for people aspiring to develop in the areas of culture and arts to pursue overseas studies on arts administration and venue management, etc., so as to nurture talents for Hong Kong in this regard and meet the demand for arts administration talents after the completion of WKCD;" after "population;"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(l)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(m)"; to add "(n) strengthen inter-departmental co-operation, and use existing premises or resources for providing more exhibition space, including public space not designated as formal exhibition venues, so as to enable arts workers to have more opportunities to display their works to the public;" after "communities;"; to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(o)"; to delete the original "(m)" and substitute with "(p)"; to delete the original "(n)" and substitute with "(q)"; to delete the original "(o)" and substitute with "(r)"; to delete the original "(p)" and substitute with "(s)"; to delete "and" after "exchanges;"; to delete the original "(q)" and substitute with "(t)"; and to add "; and Relationship with arts organizations－ (u) regard various arts organizations as partners, maintain close co-operation with them, and request the WKCDA to face up and proactively respond to the views put forward by arts organizations on the WKCD, so as to allay their concern about the present 'black hole in WKCD consultation' " immediately before the full stop.

    (ii)Dr Hon PAN Pey-chyou to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To add ", in order to promote cultural and arts development in Hong Kong, the SAR Government proposed in the 2007-08 Policy Address the inclusion of the West Kowloon Cultural District ('WKCD') as one of the 10 major infrastructure projects; earlier," after "That"; to delete "West Kowloon Cultural District ('WKCD')" after "developing the" and substitute with "WKCD"; to add "and make ticket prices affordable to the ordinary people" after "promote arts popularization"; to add "(l) promote a new occupational culture campaign and advocate work-life balance, with a view to reversing the unreasonable situation of long working hours, heavy pressure as well as an overly fast tempo of life, etc., currently faced by Hong Kong people, so that people can free their minds and spare more time to participate in cultural and arts activities to upgrade their cultural qualities as well as artistic tastes;" after "public arts education－"; to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(m)"; to delete the original "(m)" and substitute with "(n)"; to delete the original "(n)" and substitute with "(o)"; to delete the original "(o)" and substitute with "(p)"; to add "promote the joint participation of Hong Kong's arts sector in the formulation of a five-year plan, and" before "develop the WKCD"; to delete the original "(p)" and substitute with "(q)"; to delete "a" before "systematic" and substitute with "an additional"; to delete "and" after "publicity and exchanges;"; to delete the original "(q)" and substitute with "(r)"; and to add "; and (s) further strengthen cultural and arts exchanges with the Mainland and the international community" immediately before the full stop.

    (iii)Hon Tanya CHAN to move the following amendment: (Translation)

    To add ", in the process of the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District ('WKCD'), the pace of developing cultural hardware facilities and that of developing cultural software are unco-ordinated;" after "That"; to delete "West Kowloon Cultural District ('WKCD')" after "developing the" and substitute with "WKCD"; to add "however," after "of the WKCD;"; to delete "cultural qualities as well as artistic tastes, so as to" after "to upgrade people's" and substitute with "basic cultural knowledge as well as diversified artistic tastes, so as to comprehensively improve Hong Kong's cultural environment and ecology, and"; to add "and prevent the WKCD from losing its meaning due to the imbalance of software and hardware development," after "regional cultural hub,"; to delete "other" after "scattered among" and substitute with "various policy bureaux and"; to add ", and formulate and promote cultural and arts education policies at different levels" after "and the arts"; to delete "enhance the professional" after "(b)" and substitute with "review the role, functions and"; to delete "and its function as a think tank" after "on Arts Development" and substitute with ", and introduce the participation of more people with professional cultural and arts backgrounds"; to add "(d) review the functions and composition of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council as a territory-wide statutory public cultural organization, improve its structure and composition, bring in more members with professional cultural and arts background, and review the system for selecting representatives from the arts interest;" after "and project implementation;"; to delete the original "(d)" and substitute with "(e)"; to delete the original "(e)" and substitute with "(f)"; to delete the original "(f)" and substitute with "(g)"; to delete "market" after "vibrant cultural and arts" and substitute with "development environment"; to add "arts education," after "in the relevant"; to delete the original "(g)" and substitute with "(h)"; to add "small and medium arts organizations and" after "enhance support for"; to delete the original "(h)" and substitute with "(i)"; to delete the original "(i)" and substitute with "(j)"; to delete "foster the promotion and education on" after "more effectively" and substitute with "conduct cultural and arts promotion and education, including efforts to promote"; to delete "in the districts" after "festivals and customs"; to delete the original "(j)" and substitute with "(k)"; to delete the original "(k)" and substitute with "(l)"; to delete "open more public space to" before "street performers" and substitute with "ensure the free use of public space by"; to delete the original "(l)" and substitute with "(m)"; to delete the original "(m)" and substitute with "(n)"; to add "(o) conduct studies on offering cultural and arts education programmes at more universities and tertiary institutions;" after "of arts education;"; to delete the original "(n)" and substitute with "(p)"; to add "Hong Kong Arts Development Council," after "close partnership among"; to delete "and" after "WKCDA, arts organizations" and substitute with ","; to add "as well as other cultural, academic and educational institutions" after "for Performing Arts"; to delete the original "(o)" and substitute with "(q)"; to add "integrate Hong Kong's rich and diversified arts expertise with its cultural resources, so as to" before "develop the WKCD"; to add "(r) conduct studies on establishing an artwork resources platform for collecting local artists' works, and arrange for the identification of appropriate artworks by organizations interested in borrowing or renting artworks for exhibition purposes, so as to enable local artists to display their works in more places;" after "exchanges platform－"; to delete the original "(p)" and substitute with "(s)"; to add ", a public radio channel" after "public television channel"; to delete the original "(q)" and substitute with "(t)"; and to add "and radio" after "free television".

    Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Home Affairs
Clerk to the Legislative Council