A 11/12-4

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 26 October at 11:00 am,
Thursday 27 October and Friday 28 October 2011 at 9:00 am on each day

I. Tabling of Papers

Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Banking (Capital) (Amendment) Rules 2011137/2011
2.Banking (Disclosure) (Amendment) Rules 2011138/2011
3.Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Amendment) Order 2011139/2011
4.Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Amendment of Schedule 16) Order 2011140/2011
5.Dangerous Goods (Consignment by Air) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulation 2011141/2011
6.Declaration of Geographical Constituencies (Legislative Council) Order 2011142/2011
7.Companies Ordianance (Exemption of Companies and Prospectuses from Compliance with Provisions) (Amendment) Notice 2011143/2011

Other Papers

1.No. 16-Construction Workers Registration Authority Annual Report 2010-2011
(to be presented by the Secretary for Development)

2.No. 17-Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund Annual Report 2010/11
(to be presented by the Secretary for Development)

3.No. 18-Office of the Telecommunications Authority Trading Fund Report 2010-11
(to be presented by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

4.No. 19-Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund Annual Report for the year from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011
(to be presented by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

5.No. 20-The Legislative Council Commission Annual Report 2010-2011
(to be presented by the President of the Legislative Council)

6.No. 21-Hongkong Post Annual Report 2010/11
(to be presented by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

II. Questions for Written Replies

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

It has been reported that the plaintiff in the judicial review ("JR") case regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment reports of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ("HKZMB") told the media that she originally did not intend to take any legal proceedings against the Government, but "someone had asked her to file the lawsuit". It has also been reported that the plaintiff's solicitor had admitted that the plaintiff was a volunteer of the Civic Party and was initially assisted by a Civic Party member in applying for legal aid, and that the plaintiff had then nominated him as her solicitor to represent her in the case. The solicitor and counsel representing the plaintiff were both members of the Executive Committee ("ExCo") of the Civic Party. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that in reply to my question on 8 June this year, the Government indicated that it was not appropriate for it to comment on issues relating to the case at that time as the Environmental Protection Department had lodged an appeal against the High Court's judgment, whether the Government will provide the public with a detailed account after the case is closed; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether the law enforcement agencies will initiate investigation into the aforesaid case to ascertain if anyone is suspected of "maintenance", manipulating the litigation behind the scene, perverting the course of justice or other acts of abusing judicial proceedings in this case; if they will, what actions will be taken; if not, of the reasons for that;

    (c)whether the authorities will request the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association to investigate the aforesaid case to ascertain if any of their members has contravened the professional codes of conduct; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)of the respective amounts of legal and litigation costs incurred by the Government and the plaintiff in respect of the aforesaid case, and the percentage of the costs the Legal Aid Department ("LAD") needs to bear in the total legal and litigation costs incurred by the plaintiff;

    (e)whether LAD had vetted and approved beforehand the plaintiff's request of specifying the solicitor of her own choice to represent her; if it had, of the reasons for approving her request; if not, the reasons for that;

    (f)of the channels through which the aforesaid ExCo member of the Civic Party had become the counsel representing the plaintiff, and whether LAD had considered and approved the appointment of that counsel beforehand; if it had, of the reasons for granting the approval; if not, the reasons for that;

    (g)given that under the existing legal aid system, the aided persons are allowed to specify solicitors and counsel to represent them, whether it is obligatory for the solicitors and counsels concerned to accept such appointments;

    (h)whether the authorities will initiate a comprehensive investigation to ascertain if, in the aforesaid incident, any person or political party has exploited the loopholes in the legal aid system to achieve certain political aims; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (i)whether the authorities will study how to prevent people from abusing the legal aid system and initiating JR proceedings against the Government for the purpose of obstructing the Government from launching major infrastructure projects; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (j)whether it has assessed the losses caused by the aforesaid case, including the losses suffered by the overall economy of Hong Kong, the delay in time and the additional costs involved in respect of the HKZMB project and the other 70-odd projects affected by the case, as well as the impact on construction workers and the relevant professionals (including the number of workers who became unemployed and the number of jobs lost as a result of the case); if it has, of the details and a breakdown of such losses by project; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

2. Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask: (Translation)

With regard to relieving the capital flow problems of small and medium enterprises ("SMEs"), will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it will consider relaunching the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme for SMEs at present to assist SMEs in securing loans from lending institutions with the Government acting as the guarantor of the approved loans; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (b)whether it will encourage the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation to step up its credit information enquiry service to facilitate SMEs to grasp more market information; if it will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)whether the authorities will set up funds or loan schemes to assist SMEs in Hong Kong in tapping the domestic market on the Mainland; if they will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether the authorities will consider waiving the business registration fee of SMEs as soon as possible to reduce their operating expenditure; if they will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

3. Hon WONG Kwok-kin to ask: (Translation)

According to the information of the Hospital Authority ("HA"), in 2009, the Kowloon East Cluster ("KE Cluster") with its catchment area covering Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O, served a population of 954 000, which was the fourth highest catchment population among the seven hospital clusters; and 13.4% of its catchment population were aged 65 or above (i.e. 127 836 persons in total), which was the third highest among all clusters. However, the funding allocated to the KE Cluster in 2010-2011 was only $3.2 billion (accounting for 10.1% of HA's total allocation), which was the smallest amount of allocation among all clusters. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council, whether it knows:
    (a)given that the population size of Kwun Tong District accounts for more than half of the catchment population in the KE Cluster, and the population in the district comprises mainly the grassroots and the elderly, who have a strong demand for public healthcare services, yet the allocation to the KE cluster was obviously smaller, the reasons for that;

    (b)among the population in the KE Cluster's catchment area, the number of people who sought medical consultations in other clusters over the past five years; whether HA will, in the light of the population profile in the catchment area, re-deploy more resources to cater for the growing demand for public healthcare services from the grassroots and the elderly in that cluster; if it will, the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)the current progress of the plan to reserve land at Kai Tak for the construction of the Kai Tak Hospital; the expected time of completion and commissioning of the hospital; the specific details of the facilities and services to be provided by the hospital, as well as the expected number of persons to be served annually?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

4. Hon Paul TSE to ask: (Translation)

Recently, the web site of the Cable News Network of the United States has selected 12 tourist attractions around the world as "tourist traps" that are misrepresentations and cause disappointment to tourists, and the "Avenue of Stars" of Hong Kong ranks second among them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the policy currently in place to improve the aforesaid tourist attraction;

    (b)given the aforesaid criticism on the "Avenue of Stars", whether the Government will review its policy on the development and operation of tourist attractions, so as to avoid causing similar disappointment to tourists as the places turn out to be misrepresentations; and

    (c)whether it will reconsider the development of the Fisherman's Wharf under the Aberdeen Tourism Project, especially reducing the commercial elements, and preserving as far as possible the original features of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter area, so that the place will not become another tourist attraction which turns out to be a misrepresentation; if it will, of the plan; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

Regarding the details of the funds allocated by the University Grants Committee ("UGC") to the social work programmes operated by various universities, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
    (a)the amount of UGC funds received by the social work programmes operated by various universities and the number of enrollees in those programmes in each of the past three academic years (set out in the table below);

    Academic year:                         


    		Sub-degree programmes
    (amount of funds/number of enrollees)     		Bachelor's degree programmes
    (amount of funds/number of enrollees)     		Master's degree programmes
    (amount of funds/number of enrollees)     		PhD programmes
    (amount of funds/number of enrollees)
    The University of Hong Kong     
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong     
    The Hong Kong Baptist University     
    The City University of Hong Kong     
    The Hong Kong Polytechnic University     

    (b)of the criteria based on which UGC allocates funds to the social work programmes operated by various universities; and

    (c)if UGC has a monitoring mechanism in place to ensure that after receiving the funds, the universities allocate sufficient funds to the social work programmes according to their student number targets?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

6. Hon CHAN Kin-por to ask: (Translation)

Mr LI Keqiang, Vice-Premier of the State Council, announced during his visit to Hong Kong in August this year 36 measures of the Central Government to support Hong Kong's social and economic development, which covered various areas including finance, the economy and trade, as well as people's livelihood, etc. and among such measures, two are of particular concern to the insurance sector, namely allowing investments in the mainland equity market by means of the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor ("RQFII") scheme and supporting Hong Kong's insurance companies to enter the mainland market by means of setting up offices or taking up stakes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the relevant government departments and various regulatory bodies in Hong Kong (including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance) have proceeded with the corresponding preparatory work (including putting in place regulations, procedures and human resources arrangements, etc.) for the two aforesaid measures; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; of the current progress of discussions between the relevant government departments/regulatory bodies and mainland authorities (including the items of cooperation on which discussions with mainland authorities have already been held so far, the outcome of such discussions, as well as the outstanding discussion items and the expected timeframe for discussions, etc.);

    (b)whether it knows the specific timetable for implementing RQFII by the Central Government (e.g. whether it will be implemented within this year), and when approval of the preset "quota" for RQFII with an initial size of RMB20 billion will be given respectively for Hong Kong's qualified institutional investors ("QIIs"); whether the Government has discussed with mainland regulatory bodies the criteria (such as the companies' net asset size, licences, duration of operation in Hong Kong, and profit position, etc.) for vetting and approving the eligibility of QIIs; if it has, of the details; if not, whether at present it has any plan to commence communication in this regard in the future;

    (c)given that it has been reported that while some China-affiliated securities companies and fund houses in Hong Kong have embarked on a lot of studies on RQFII products, they are worried that complex and lengthy vetting and approving procedures will result in their products no longer being able to meet market needs when they are launched in the market, whether it knows the criteria to be adopted by Hong Kong's regulatory bodies in vetting and approving RQFII products, and based on the existing policies and manpower positions of such bodies, the procedures and expected time required for vetting and approving RQFII products by such bodies after the announcement of the policy details and approval of the quota by the Central Government; whether the authorities will allocate additional resources to expedite the vetting and approving procedures; if they will, of the specific arrangements;

    (d)whether it knows if, apart from retail funds, the first batch of RQFII products will include insurance products; if they will, of the details; if not, whether it will consider introducing more products (including insurance products) under RQFII in the future to provide investors with more choices; and

    (e)regarding the Central Government's measure to support Hong Kong's insurance companies to enter the mainland market by means of setting up offices or taking up stakes, of the difficulties and barriers expected to be encountered in implementing the measure; of the specific plan and work schedule for implementing this measure?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

7. Hon Tanya CHAN to ask: (Translation)

The Hong Kong International Jazz Festival 2011 ("the Festival") funded by the Mega Events Fund ("MEF") was earlier held at the West Kowloon Cultural District. It has been reported that the obvious difference between the performance arrangements for local and overseas performers made by the event organizer has attracted criticisms from the community. Regarding the assessment of funding applications and monitoring of the implementation of the events funded by MEF, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
    (a)the amounts of MEF funding applied and approved for the Festival, as well as the estimated total revenue and expenditure of the Festival;

    (b)the justifications based on which MEF approved the Festival's funding application; whether MEF will review the criteria for assessing funding applications for arts and cultural events in the future in the light of the above incident; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)if MEF has given any specific cost-benefit indicator and requirement to the organizer of the Festival in the process of assessing its funding application; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; if MEF will follow up the criticisms from the community on the Festival; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (d)if MEF will pro-actively gauge the views of various stakeholders (including the audience, performers and staff concerned, etc.) when assessing the cost-benefit of the event; if it will, of the details and outcome of such view-gauging exercises; if not, the criteria based on which MEF assesses the cost-benefit of the event; and

    (e)if MEF will consider reviewing its assessment criteria with a view to encouraging more events to be held in Hong Kong in a sustainable and regular manner to promote local arts, culture and traditions to overseas visitors; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

8. Hon WONG Ting-kwong to ask: (Translation)

A survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department between October and December 2010 revealed that the prevalence of daily cigarette smokers aged 15 or above was 11.1% in 2010, which is slightly lower than the 12% in 2009, yet, the number of young smokers among these people increased significantly by 40% while the number of smokers over 60 years old also increased by 5% instead of decreasing. The Financial Secretary has raised the tobacco duty in the 2011-2012 financial year by 41.5%. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)how the smoking population in this financial year up to the present compares with that of the same period last year, and list the relevant data by age group distribution;

    (b)whether the authorities have assessed the reasons for the substantial increase in the number of young smokers by 40% in last year; whether they have followed up the problem; if they have, of the specific measures; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)whether it knows how the number of requests for assistance received by TWGHs Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation in this year up to the present compares with that of the same period last year; of the current operation of the Centre, and whether additional resources will be allocated to the Centre in anticipation of an increase in the number of cases requiring cessation support; if so, of the details; and

    (d)given that according to the relevant data, in the past two years, one-third of smokers had attempted to give up smoking but failed, whether the authorities have compiled statistics on the number of those among these smokers who had repeatedly tried to give up smoking but failed, and of the percentage of such number in the relevant total number; whether the authorities have looked into the reasons and offered assistance to these smokers; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

9. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)

According to a paper submitted by the Government to the Subcommittee on Harbourfront Planning of this Council in July this year, the Government will examine the establishment of a dedicated "harbourfront authority" for harbourfront development. Moreover, the Government also proposed that "the open space at ex-Tai Kok Tsui bus terminus site will be developed into a waterfront open space by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department" ("Tai Kok Tsui bus terminus development project"), and "possible development of a new waterfront promenade for public use upon successful re-zoning of a vacant site of about 200-metre long to the north of Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter to 'Open Space' use" ("Yau Ma Tei waterfront development project"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the current progress of the Tai Kok Tsui bus terminus development project; whether the final design is expected to be different from the design previously submitted to the Harbourfront Commission; of the expected time when the Government will proceed to seek funding from this Council;

    (b)regarding the aforesaid development projects in the waterfront areas of Tai Kok Tsui and Yau Ma Tei, whether the Government will in the near future conduct traffic assessment or study the improvement of transport supporting facilities in order to mitigate the possible impact of the projects on the traffic in such districts; in addition, as I have learnt that at present provision has been made for an exit to be connected to a footbridge leading from the southern concourse of the Olympic Station of the MTR Tung Chung Line to the nearby waterfront, whether the Government will consider constructing access links to enhance the accessibility of the nearby waterfront areas;

    (c)of the expected time when the vacant site located to the north of Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter and reserved for "Open Space" use will be developed into a waterfront promenade; given that the Government has planned to construct marine facilities at the existing "Government, Institution or Community Facilities" site which is adjacent to that vacant site, and the waterfront access next to the marine facilities will be developed into a waterfront promenade, whether the Government will develop that waterfront access into a waterfront promenade together with the "Open Space" site at the same time; in addition, whether at present there is any new progress of exploring how to improve the pedestrian facilities running from the West Kowloon Cultural District located to the south of Yau Ma Tei towards the Tai Kok Tsui waterfront located to the north; and

    (d)given that the Secretary for Development earlier said that a framework on the various aspects of the establishment of the "harbourfront authority" was expected to be worked out within one year, of the current progress, and according to the Government's estimate, whether it can complete drafting the framework as scheduled?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Developement

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

A total of four cases of passers-by being chopped by an attacker occurred in Tseung Kwan O ("TKO") District between the evening of 2 October and the morning of 3 October this year, resulting in injuries to four men. Residents are concerned whether there are signs of deterioration in the law and order in the district, and they also question the approach taken by the Police of not immediately making public the details of the cases. In his reply in March this year to my question on issues of law and order in TKO District, the Secretary for Security said, "Tseung Kwan O meets the requirements for upgrading to a police district merely in terms of population". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the number of crimes, together with a breakdown, which occurred in TKO District from January to September this year; which areas in the district are black spots of crime;

    (b)according to the reply from the authorities in March this year, the establishment of front-line police officers in the TKO Division was 255, of the latest figure; whether they will consider increasing the establishment in the near future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)given that the current population in TKO District exceeds 400 000 and the police-to-population ratio in that district is approximately 1:1 570, whether such ratio is relatively low when compared with those in other divisions in the Kowloon East Region of the Police, and list the figures in various divisions for comparison; whether the Police will consider adjusting upwards the police-to-population ratio in TKO District; if it will, of the level to which the ratio will be upwardly adjusted;

    (d)of the latest progress of the arrangements for upgrading TKO District to an independent police district; when the TKO Police District can eventually be established;

    (e)why the Police made public the relevant details only days after the occurrence of the aforesaid cases; whether an assessment has been made on the impact of such delay on the prevention of such cases and provision of clues by the residents; and

    (f)given that the Police Public Relations Branch issued a press release on 10 October this year, stating that the Police would investigate "if there is any room for improvement in the process of disseminating information or any failure to follow procedures properly" in handling the aforesaid cases, of the criteria based on which the Police decide whether to disseminate information on crimes at present; the details of the aforesaid review; and the expected dates for completing the review and making the outcome public?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

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

The Innovation and Technology Commission recently announced that the Hong Kong Jockey Club Institute of Chinese Medicine ("HKJCICM") set up in 2001 will be disbanded, and it is preparing to set up a committee, which will be chaired by the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, to lead the research and development ("R&D") as well as promotion of Chinese medicines in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)given that at a special meeting held on 14 June this year, the Panel on Commerce and Industry of this Council unanimously passed the motion that the Panel considers that the Administration should not disband HKJCICM, and the Kowloon Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese medicine industry as well as a number of business associations have also written to the authorities earlier to query the relevant decision, but the authorities still insist on disbanding HKJCICM, of the reasons for that; before arriving at the final decision of disbanding HKJCICM, whether the authorities had gone through the relevant procedures required by the Government, fully consulted various major stakeholders including the Chinese medicine industry, and reflected truthfully the relevant views to the two major shareholders (i.e. the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (Charities) Limited);

    (b)how the aforesaid committee proposed to be set up will assist the local Chinese medicine industry in its research work; how the authorities assess whether the operation mode of replacing HKJCICM with the committee can more effectively support the local Chinese medicine industry in its research work;

    (c)given that HKJCICM's research on certain medicines is still in progress, and it has accumulated 10 years' research experience and skills, how the Government will preserve HKJCICM's achievements in academic research and professional support, so as not to waste the results of its work over the years;

    (d)whether the authorities will consider transferring HKJCICM's incumbent research staff to work in the organizations under the new committee, so as to ensure that this group of experienced researchers on Chinese medicines can continue to serve Hong Kong's Chinese medicine industry; and

    (e)given that the authorities indicated that they will continue to support the development of Chinese medicines through the Innovation and Technology Fund ("ITF"), which has a current balance of some $2.1 billion, of the amount of funding under ITF to be used for supporting R&D of Chinese medicines in the future; and the percentages of the funding to be used respectively to pay for administrative expenses as well as those actually used to conduct research and testing?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

It has been learnt that the Government granted land to franchised bus companies for their operational use. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the details of the land granted by the Government to franchised bus companies at present (set out in the table below);

    Name of franchised bus company Details of the relevant land grants
    Detailed location Area Usage Year of the grant Duration of the grant Terms and conditions Value Plot ratio
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

    (b)of the conditions which the Government will take into account in granting land to franchised bus companies, and the form in which the authorities will make the relevant land grants; and

    (c)up to the present, among the land granted in (a), of the number of pieces of land for which approval has been granted by the authorities for the franchised bus companies concerned to change their uses; the reasons for granting such approval; the respective amount paid by franchised bus companies to change the use of each piece of land, and how such amounts were calculated?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

13. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)

With the ever-increasing demand for medical services by residents in Hong Kong, many public hospitals require expeditious redevelopment or expansion as their space is no longer sufficient to cope with such demand, and their design also fails to meet the operational needs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
    (a)which public hospitals will be redeveloped/expanded in the coming five years, the order of priority and the factors to be considered by the authorities in determining such order of priority;

    (b)the progress of the redevelopment/expansion projects in (a), as well as a list of the respective dates of application for funding and the expected dates of commencement and completion of the various works projects;

    (c)the breakdown of the cost estimates of various redevelopment/expansion projects, the breakdown of the cost estimate for conducting redevelopment/expansion works in each of the public hospital concerned, and the total estimated costs for various works projects;

    (d)the anticipated numbers of additional hospital beds and increase in patient attendance after completion of the redevelopment/expansion projects of various public hospitals; and

    (e)whether the authorities will increase the manpower of nursing staff and allied health staff accordingly after the various public hospitals have been redeveloped/expanded; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

14. Hon Albert CHAN to ask: (Translation)

In recent years, as the land available for housing development in urban areas has decreased gradually, quite a number of members of the public have requested the Government to consider reducing the coverage of country parks by developing some of the land in the country parks which is of relatively low ecological value at present into residential sites, so as to increase housing supply. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)of the respective sizes and locations of areas within existing country parks which are regarded by the authorities as having conservation and ecological value, as well as those without obvious conservation and ecological values (list in table form); and

    (b)whether the authorities have considered reducing the coverage of country parks to develop more residential sites; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether the authorities will consider reducing the coverage to release more land, so as to increase the supply of residential sites; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

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

I have previously received complaints alleging that some salespersons of domestic subscription television ("TV") companies paid visits to the complainants' homes, entered their flats to repair TV sets or install TV set-top boxes using the excuse of facilitating members of the public to watch high-definition TV programmes, and then induced them to sign service contracts. The complainants indicated that some of the salespersons had not mentioned that payment would be required when they were selling the service, or said that no payment would be required, but after the service contracts were signed, they then told the complainants that they were required to sign contracts of a long duration and pay the contract fees; when the customers requested to terminate the service, the procedure is very complicated, or they even needed to lodge complaints in order to cancel the contract. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether it knows the number of complaints concerning subscription TV companies' sales practices of paying visits to residential units received or handled by the Consumer Council and relevant law enforcement departments in each of the past three years, as well as the details, amounts involved, and the outcome of such complaints;

    (b)given that section 7M of the existing Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106) has expressly prohibited telecommunications service providers from engaging in sales practices which are misleading or deceptive, yet the sales practices of subscription TV are not subject to similar regulation, whether the authorities will consider amending the relevant ordinance to similarly regulate the sales practices of subscription TV; if they will, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (c)whether the authorities will, upon vetting and approving applications for or the renewal of subscription TV broadcasting licences, introduce relevant licence terms to expressly require the relevant companies to monitor strictly the sales practices adopted by their staff, so as to protect consumers' rights; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (d)whether the authorities will carry out relevant publicity work to educate members of the public how to reject the aforesaid improper sales practices to avoid being deceived; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

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

On 10 June this year, the Finance Committee of this Council approved a one-off commitment of $1,726.8 million to offer assistance to trawler vessel owners and local deckhands affected by the trawl ban. The assistance package comprises making ex-gratia allowance payments, buying out affected inshore trawler vessels, providing assistance, and launching a special training programme. When local deckhands apply for the one-off grant, they have to provide evidence proving that he/she was employed to work as at 13 October 2010 on an affected inshore trawler vessel. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
    (a)it has started processing applications for ex-gratia payment and the vessel buy-out scheme submitted by inshore trawler vessel owners; if it has, of the number of inshore trawler vessel owners who have so far submitted the required particulars to the authorities to facilitate the processing of their applications; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (b)the authorities have made known to all members of the trade that they need to keep the employment records of the affected local deckhands; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

17. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)

To promote the development of the local retail bond market, and to provide the public with an investment option for coping with inflation, the Government launched the inflation-linked retail bonds ("iBond") which was officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ("HKSE") on 29 July 2011. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the Government has reviewed the criteria and process regarding the pricing, issuance, subscription and trading, etc. of the iBond, as well as its issuance size; if it has, of the outcome; based on a preliminary assessment of the subscription and trading conditions, whether the iBond has achieved the purposes of promoting the development of the local retail bond market and helping the public to cope with inflation;

    (b)given that it has been reported that members of the public who subscribe iBond through banks have to trade it "over-the-counter" through banks, and the trading prices in such "over-the-counter" transactions are less transparent, while the trading prices in direct transactions through HKSE are more transparent, thereby creating a situation of "one bond, two markets", whether the authorities have looked into such a situation; whether they have conducted analysis on the price differences in trading iBond through these two different channels, and looked into how much profit the banks have made from the price differences; whether this situation is what the authorities designed and anticipated when they formulated the iBond programme; whether they have assessed if such a situation will impede the flow of bonds and the development of the bond market; and

    (c)whether the authorities will, in view of the inflation situation and the development of the bond market, issue iBond again, and initiate a comprehensive review of as well as improvements on the bond issuance programme (including enhancing promotion to the public, and rectifying the unfair situation of "one bond, two markets", etc.); if they will, of the timetable and the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

18. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

Before the reunification of Hong Kong, councillors of the former Urban Council had placed a time capsule underneath the ground in the vicinity of the Hong Kong City Hall and expected to unearth it 10 years later. However, as the Urban Council had already been dissolved, it is no longer possible for it to unearth the time capsule now. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will unearth the aforesaid time capsule; if so, when the capsule will be unearthed, and whether a function will be held for unearthing it; if a function will be held, of the details; if the time capsule will not be unearthed, of the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

19. Hon Paul TSE to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the Kai Tak cruise terminal project, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)from the perspective of tourism development, what transport networks and infrastructures will be provided by the SAR Government to connect the Kai Tak cruise terminal with its neighbouring areas (e.g. the Wong Tai Sin Temple, the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill, the harbourfront promenade in Kwun Tong, as well as restaurants in Lei Yue Mun and Kowloon City, etc.), so as to maximize the economic benefits brought to the neighbouring areas by the development of the cruise terminal;

    (b)whether it will draw reference from the history of development of Tsim Sha Tsui with the Ocean Terminal complementing various transport networks and tourist attractions such as the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Terminus, the Star Ferry, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Peninsula Hotel and the harbourfront promenade, etc. so as to make use of the cruise terminal project to develop East Kowloon into a new major tourism area and a transit point for tourists; if it will, of the details of the plans; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)what policies and measures are in place to make use of the cruise terminal project to tie in with the proposal in the 2011-2012 Policy Address to enhancing connectivity within East Kowloon by an elevated rail-based link and "kick-starting the development of East Kowloon", so as to foster the renewal and development of the entire East Kowloon on the one hand to greatly improve the district's economic conditions and employment situation, and strengthen the tourism industry of Hong Kong on the other hand?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

20. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)

Quite a number of members of the health sector have relayed that with the development in local health services, the demand for allied health staff by public hospitals, private hospitals and non-governmental organizations has been increasing, and the sector faces problems such as manpower shortage and recruitment difficulties, etc. at present. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
    (a)whether the authorities have assessed the respective demand for and supply of allied health staff in the next five years; if they have, of the details, (with a breakdown as set out in the tables below); and whether the supply of allied health staff in the next five years can sufficiently meet the demand; if it cannot, how the authorities will solve the manpower shortage problem;

    The year of                         

    Allied health staff Manpower demand
    Hospital Authority Department of Health Private hospitals Non-governmental organizations
    (including subsidized, subvented and private residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities)     		Other organizations Total
    Chiropractor       
    Medical Technologist       
    Radiographer       
    Physiotherapist       
    Occupational Therapist       
    Optometrist       
    Ancillary       
    Dental Worker       
    Audiologist       
    Podiatrist       
    Dietitian       
    Orthopist       
    Clinical Psychologist       
    Prosthetist-orthotist       
    Speech Therapist       
    Dispenser       

    The year of                         

    Allied health staff Manpower supply
    Hospital Authority Department of Health Private hospitals Non-governmental organizations
    (including subsidized, subvented and private residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities)     		Other organizations Total
    Chiropractor       
    Medical Technologist       
    Radiographer       
    Physiotherapist       
    Occupational Therapist       
    Optometrist       
    Ancillary       
    Dental Worker       
    Audiologist       
    Podiatrist       
    Dietitian       
    Orthopist       
    Clinical Psychologist       
    Prosthetist-orthotist       
    Speech Therapist       
    Dispenser       

    (b)whether the authorities have set aside sufficient resources for the training and recruitment of allied health staff in the next five years; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (c)whether the authorities have considered collaborating with relevant organizations on improving the remuneration packages for allied health staff so as to retain talents; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

III. Members' Motions

Motion of Thanks

Hon Miriam LAU to move the following motion: (Translation)

That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address.

Amendments to the motion
(i)Hon Frederick FUNG to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", but expresses deep regret that the Policy Address fails to put forward measures to effectively resolve the disparity between the rich and the poor, and even rationalizes such disparity, does not make thorough reflection on past errors in governance and adamantly refuses to change the existing imbalance in governance philosophy" immediately before the full stop.

(ii)Hon LEE Wing-tat to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", and urges the Government to provide more housing land for building additional public rental housing units to assist the grassroots, including those living in cage homes, cubicle apartments and sub-divided units, in securing public rental housing allocation more expeditiously, construct more Home Ownership Scheme ('HOS') flats, re-launch the Tenants Purchase Scheme, and relax the purchase restrictions in the secondary market of HOS flats to allow eligible white form HOS applicants to make purchase applications, with a view to helping people to live and work in contentment" immediately before the full stop.

(iii)Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", but expresses regret at his lack of commitment to education and failure to make earnest efforts to take forward major education policies, such as 15 years of free education, small-class teaching in secondary schools and increasing the number of university places" immediately before the full stop.

(iv)Hon WONG Sing-chi to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", but expresses regret at his rejection of universal retirement protection, as well as his failure to face up to the disparity between the rich and the poor and make earnest efforts to alleviate poverty, and to help the socially disadvantaged" immediately before the full stop.

(v)Hon Emily LAU to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", but as the political appointment system (also known as the 'accountability system for principal officials') turns out to be a complete failure after all these years of implementation, the officials under the accountability system do not have to bear any political responsibility for making so many blunders in implementing policies, the Under Secretaries and Political Assistants appointed by the Administration are unable to help improve the Government's governance, and the public knows nothing about the relevant government officials, this Council expresses anger and regret at the Administration's intention of continuing with the implementation of the political appointment system, and urges the Administration to comprehensively review the system's effectiveness and not to expand it before completing the review" immediately before the full stop.

Public Officers to attend are listed in the Appendix

Clerk to the Legislative Council