A 12/13-29
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 22 May 2013 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instrument | L.N. No. |
|---|---|
| Tate's Cairn Tunnel Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Notice 2013 | 70/2013 |
Other Papers
| 1. | No. 94 | - | The Government Minute in response to the Report of the Public Accounts Committee No. 59 of February 2013 |
| (to be presented by the Chief Secretary for Administration, who will address the Council) | |||
| 2. | No. 95 | - | Securities and Futures Commission Approved budget of income and expenditure for the financial year 2013/2014 |
| (to be presented by Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury) | |||
| 3. | Report No. 17/12-13 of the House Committee on Consideration of Subsidiary Legislation and Other Instruments | ||
| (to be presented by Hon Andrew LEUNG, Chairman of the House Committee) | |||
II. Questions
1. Hon Tony TSE to ask: (Translation)
The Hong Kong Housing Authority pointed out in its Report on the Review of Home Ownership Scheme published in 1996 that one of the objectives of implementing the Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") was "to encourage better off public rental housing tenants to upgrade to home ownership so that public rental flats released by them could be allocated to other families in need of assisted housing". With regard to expediting the turnover of public rental housing ("PRH") flats, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of PRH flats surrendered by PRH tenants in each of the past five years, broken down by the reason for surrendering the flats; among these cases, of the respective numbers of PRH tenants who purchased homes under HOS and the HOS Secondary Market Scheme; (b) whether it is one of the policy objectives of the Government of the current term "to encourage PRH tenants to upgrade to home ownership and surrender their PRH flats"; if so, of the various specific indicators set by the Government for this objective, and how such indicators compare with those in the past; if not, the reasons for that; and (c) of the specific measures implemented by the Government in the past five years for encouraging PRH tenants to surrender their PRH flats; whether it has conducted any comprehensive review of the effectiveness of these measures; if it has, of the review results; whether it will introduce new measures in 2013-2014 to further encourage PRH tenants to surrender their PRH flats in order to expedite the turnover of PRH flats; if it will, of the specific details and implementation schedule of the various new measures; if not, the reasons for that?
2. Hon Andrew LEUNG to ask: (Translation)
The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress remarked in April this year that with the emergence of some deep-rooted conflicts in the economy of Hong Kong, coupled with the impact brought about by the global financial crisis, the competitive edges of Hong Kong were weakening, and the primary task at the moment was to focus on our economic development. He also pointed out that the coming three years would be crucial for us to get out of the shadow of economic crisis, and Hong Kong should raise her alertness to crises, seize opportunities pragmatically, strive to create new competitive edges and take forward new developments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the new policies to consolidate the sustainable development of "the industries where Hong Kong enjoys clear advantages"; and (b) how it will assist Hong Kong's industrial, commercial and professional services sectors in creating new competitive edges in the coming one or two years?
3. Hon POON Siu-ping to ask: (Translation)
On 1 May this year, the Statutory Minimum Wage rate ("SMW") which had been in force for two years was adjusted upwards for the first time from $28 per hour to $30 per hour, representing an increase of 7.1%. Nevertheless, the rate of adjustment of SMW is lower than the cumulative inflation rate in the same period, resulting in a drop, instead of a rise, in the living standard of those employees earning SMW. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the Government has considered providing living allowances to employees earning SMW, so as to ensure that their living standard will not drop as a result of the inflation rate being higher than the rate of adjustment in SMW; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) whether it will consider requiring that the rate of adjustment in SMW recommended by the Minimum Wage Commission must not be lower than the inflation rate in the same period; if so, of the details, if not, the reasons for that; and (c) whether the Government will make reference to the existing practice of adjusting the civil service pay on an annual basis and reconsider shortening the review cycle of SMW from two years at present to one year; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
4. Hon WU Chi-wai to ask: (Translation)
In reply to a question of a Member of this Council in March this year, the Home Affairs Bureau ("HAB") indicated that more than 50 private recreational leases ("PRLs") that had expired in 2011 and 2012 were being renewed. The PRLs were granted by the Government at nil or nominal rents to sports clubs of social welfare organizations and private sports clubs ("sports clubs") many years ago. It has been reported that the PRLs will be renewed for 15 years. On the other hand, the Office of The Ombudsman ("The Ombudsman") published in 2012 a direct investigation report, in which it: (i) criticized HAB for its clear inadequacy of monitoring efforts in the enforcement of the lease conditions of the PRLs, (ii) criticized various sports clubs for serious scarcity of opening hours of their facilities for use by outside bodies, (iii) suggested that HAB should maximize the number of opening hours of facilities as far as the sports clubs' respective scale of operation permitted, and (iv) suggested that HAB should develop a proper mechanism for handling complaints concerning the opening of the sports facilities of the sports clubs and stipulate clearly who has the authority to make the final decision in case of disputes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) as the facilities of most sports clubs are dedicated for use by their members and only limited access is granted to group applicants at present, whether the authorities know the conditions for membership application set by the relevant sports clubs of the lessees of PRLs; if they do, of the relevant information, broken down by the name of the relevant sports clubs; whether HAB has reviewed if those conditions can tie in with the Government's policy objectives for sports development (including the promotion of elite sports development), and can convince the public that the sports clubs' repayment to society matches the subsidies in land resources they receive; of the reasons for the authorities deciding to renew the PRLs with the various lessees for 15 years; whether they have considered shortening the terms of leases or requesting the lessees who occupy larger land areas to surrender part of the land for housing development; (b) whether the Government has policies and measures to follow up the aforesaid criticisms and suggestions raised by The Ombudsman; if it has, of the details; and (c) as the Government informed this Council in 2011 that in renewing the PRLs, it would add new provisions requiring the sports clubs concerned to further open up their facilities to outside bodies, of the number of hours for which each sports club is required to open up its facilities to outside bodies under the new provisions, as well as a list setting out the name of each lessee, the address of the facilities concerned, and the number of opening hours of each of those facilities (e.g. swimming pools and gyms, etc.)?
5. Dr Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)
Quite a number of elderly people have relayed to me that their demand for dental services is extremely great. However, as there are only 11 government dental clinics with general public sessions ("government dental clinics") in the territory, the service capacity is obviously inadequate. Also, the services provided are limited to pain relief and tooth extraction, and do not cover denture-fixing or tooth-filling services. As such, most elderly people can only seek treatment from dental clinics in the private sector, but they generally cannot afford the high fees charged by such clinics and the healthcare vouchers provided by the Government are also of little help. As a result, quite a number of them have put off treatment for their dental problems, thus causing long-term impacts on their physical and psychological health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of service hours of various government dental clinics at present; whether it will consider afresh extending the service hours of such clinics, expanding their service capacity and increasing the number of such clinics; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (b) among the elderly people receiving the services of government dental clinics at present, of the respective percentages of those involving pain relief and tooth extraction services; whether the authorities have considered providing additional quotas of dental services specifically for the elderly people; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (c) given the great demand among the elderly people for dental services and their low financial affordability in general, whether the authorities have considered implementing new measures to provide subsidized dental services for the elderly people by means of, for instances, adopting a co-payment approach or providing comprehensive dental services for the elderly people at low charges; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
6. Hon Dennis KWOK to ask: (Translation)
At present, 70% to 80% of the water consumption in Hong Kong is met by Dongjiang water imported to Hong Kong. It has been reported that, with rapid economic growth and urbanization on the Mainland, the demand for water resources in various provinces and cities is on the rise, and the water sources have been extensively and severely polluted, resulting in a gradual decrease in usable water sources. It has also been reported that the uncertainty in the supply of potable water on the Mainland may affect the supply of Dongjiang water, and it is therefore necessary for the Government to examine the development of new water sources early. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that the Government has reserved a site in Area 137 of Tseung Kwan O for the construction of a desalination plant, and it is anticipated that the annual output capacity of the desalination plant, upon its coming into operation in 2020, will be about 50 million cubic metres ("m3") with the possibility of further increasing to 90 million m3, whether, according to the Government's estimation, it will adjust the ratio of various sources of water supply by then; if it will, of the details, if not, the reasons for that; and (b) as there are a certain number of water catchment facilities and stormwater storage tanks in Hong Kong (e.g. the water catchment facility in Happy Valley which is under construction and the Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel which was completed last year) for alleviating the flooding problem in the urban areas, whether the authorities will consider utilizing the rainwater collected by these water catchment facilities; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*7. Hon Starry LEE to ask: (Translation)
In 2010, the Government published a consultation paper on combating unfair trade practices, in which the proposal of providing for mandatory cooling-off periods was included. However, the Government ultimately did not incorporate the proposal into the Trade Descriptions (Unfair Trade Practices) (Amendment) Bill 2012 ("the Bill") due to the worries expressed by the business sector. During the Second Reading debate on the Bill, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development ("the Secretary") indicated that he would explore and study the arrangement of a cooling-off period with various stakeholders in greater detail and focus. The Bill was passed by this Council in July last year. On the other hand, the Consumer Council ("CC") proposed in April last year that the relevant industries should adopt a consumer contract of a standard format ("standard contract") containing a cooling-off period clause to protect the rights and interests of consumers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the number of complaints involving the pre-payment mode of consumption received by CC in the past three years, the total amount of money involved and follow-up results, together with a breakdown by industry (including beauty and fitness industries); (b) whether the Government has re-opened discussions on the cooling-off period with the relevant industries; if it has, of the details; if not, the plan and timetable; (c) whether there are specific measures in place to encourage operators of slimming, beauty and yoga centres to adopt the standard contract proposed by CC; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it knows how many business operators have adopted the standard contract containing a cooling-off period clause; and (d) whether it will consider promoting the adoption of the standard contract containing a cooling-off period clause among some industries first, so as to enhance protection for consumers; whether the Secretary has any plan to legislate on the provision of mandatory cooling-off periods within his term of office; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*8. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
Since 30 June last year, the authorities have fully implemented the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme (which are applicable to buildings aged 30 years or above and buildings aged 10 years or above respectively), and have been providing subsidies and technical support to the owners of dilapidated buildings through "Operation Building Bright" launched by the Urban Renewal Authority ("URA") and Hong Kong Housing Society ("HKHS"). Yet, quite a number of members of the local communities have relayed to me recently that the enormous commercial interests arising from mandatory building inspection, window inspection and the associated maintenance and renovation works ("the relevant works") have resulted in some people profiteering through manipulation of the election and operation of owners' corporations ("OCs"), but the Home Affairs Department ("HAD"), which is responsible for assisting the operation of OCs, takes no heed of the situation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of cases involving disputes in the operation and election of OCs received by HAD since 30 June last year, as well as the types of such disputes; whether HAD has initiated any mediation; if it has, of the number of mediated cases; if not, the reasons for that; (b) of the respective numbers of complaints or reports involving tender exercises for the relevant works received by the Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption ("ICAC") since June 30 last year, as well as the respective numbers of cases in which prosecutions have been instituted against the relevant persons; and (c) whether HAD, ICAC as well as URA and HKHS, responsible for implementing "Operation Building Bright", have put in place comprehensive monitoring systems to prevent law-breakers from profiteering in the relevant works through manipulating the elections of OCs; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*9. Hon IP Kin-yuen to ask: (Translation)
The Language Fund ("the Fund") has all along been providing financial support for projects and activities aimed at promoting "bi-literacy and tri-lingualism" (bi-literacy referring to written Chinese and English, and tri-lingualism referring to spoken Chinese (Cantonese), English and Putonghua) among Hong Kong people, including the English Enhancement Scheme and the Refined English Enhancement Scheme ("the two Schemes") aiming at building up the capacity of schools for raising students' English proficiency. In addition, the Financial Secretary has proposed in this year's Budget that $5 billion be injected into the Fund. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the Fund's balance at present; (b) of the specific uses of and the plans to use the $5 billion proposed to be injected into the Fund; (c) whether it knows among the schools which were approved each year to participate in the two Schemes since they were launched, the respective numbers of those schools which, up to the present, (i) have not yet launched, (ii) are still implementing, and (iii) have already completed the relevant projects; (d) whether it knows the total number of schools participating in the two Schemes which had used the relevant funding to employ English language teachers or English language teaching assistants in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, and the respective numbers of those being employed; and (e) whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the two Schemes in supporting school-based teaching of the English language in schools; if it has, of the assessment results; whether the authorities will consider extending the implementation of the two Schemes; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether the authorities have formulated other policies whereby the English language teachers and teaching assistants employed under the two Schemes may continue to raise the English proficiency of students through other means after completion of the two Schemes?
*10. Hon SIN Chung-kai to ask: (Translation)
I have learnt that as the related technology has become increasingly mature in recent years, quite a number of neighbouring countries and regions have introduced liquefied natural gas ("LNG") vehicles (e.g. LNG buses) to their public transport systems one after another. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it has studied the energy efficiency of LNG vehicles and liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG") vehicles in different countries and regions at present, and whether it has compared these two types of vehicles in terms of their levels of emissions, fuel efficiencies and prices, etc.; if it has, of the details of the study and results of the comparison; if not, the reasons for that; and (b) given that the Introducing Natural Gas/Liquefied Petroleum Gas Buses and Heavy Duty Vehicles in Hong Kong – Feasibility Study, which was conducted by the Government in 2007, had concluded that "the introduction of natural gas/LPG buses and heavy duty vehicles is not practical" because the difficulties associated with developing the infrastructure for an entirely new fuel outweighed the very small additional environmental benefits in reducing vehicle emissions and improving air quality to be brought about by the introduction of such vehicles, whether the Government will, in the light of the technological developments in recent years, consider afresh introducing LNG vehicles (e.g. LNG taxis, public light buses and single-decked buses, etc.) to the public transport system in Hong Kong; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*11. Hon Tony TSE to ask: (Translation)
The Urban Renewal Authority ("URA") is rolling out a project themed "Central Oasis" to revitalize the former Central Market. URA had already awarded the comprehensive design consultancy contract for the project, but the project was subsequently frozen due to a judicial review case involving the Draft Central District Outline Zoning Plan ("draft OZP"). Upon conclusion of the case early this year, the Chief Executive in Council approved the draft OZP on 9 April and the project can thus be resumed. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) the latest implementation timetable of the project and the time delayed when compared with the original timetable; (b) whether URA has assessed the impacts of the delay mentioned in (a) on the project (including its cost-effectiveness); if it has, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct such an assessment; (c) the counter-measures put in place by URA with regard to the various impacts mentioned in (b), the specific contents of the various measures and the costs involved respectively; and (d) whether URA has any plans to make good use of the former Central Market before the revitalization works commence; if it has, of the details and the expected benefits; if not, the reasons for that?
*12. Dr Hon Kenneth CHAN to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that on 8 May 2013, the Police arrested a woman who participated in a public meeting on 1 July 2011 (i.e. 22 months ago) and prosecuted her for the offences of "assisting in organizing and taking part in an unauthorized assembly" under the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245). As all the other prosecution cases relating to the same meeting had been concluded earlier, and that woman is currently a volunteer of the secretariat of the "Occupy Central" movement, some members of the public suspect that the Police's arresting and prosecuting the woman was aimed at suppressing the movement. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of prosecutions instituted by the Police under the Public Order Ordinance in the past five years, broken down by the duration between the arrest and the prosecution (set out in the table below);
Duration Number of cases (i) less than three months (ii) three months to less than six months (iii) six months to less than 12 months (iv) 12 months or more (b) of the reasons and justifications for the Police to prosecute the aforesaid woman after an elapsed time of 22 months; (c) whether the aforesaid woman's identity as a volunteer of the secretariat of the "Occupy Central" movement has affected the Police's decision and timing for arresting and prosecuting the woman; if not, of the justifications; and (d) whether the authorities will consider conducting a comprehensive review of the Public Order Ordinance, including the law enforcement process, to ensure that the Ordinance will not be used as a tool for suppressing political activities; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*13. Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that last year, the Police received 197 reported cases of indecent assaults which occurred within MTR premises ("indecent assaults in MTR"), i.e. an average of 16 cases per month. Among these cases, the youngest victim was only four years old. It has been learnt that these indecent assault cases mostly happened in overcrowded train compartments. Some pathological sex offenders even looked for their "preys" on the train platforms and then followed their targets into train compartments to exploit opportunities for sexually assaulting these targets. So, there are opinions requesting the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") to examine conducting a trial run for the provision of train compartments for women and children, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, so as to protect the safety of female passengers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the trend of the reported cases of indecent assaults in MTR received by the Police in the past three years, broken down by the gender of the victims; (b) whether it knows if MTRCL will consider conducting a trial run for the provision of train compartments for women and children; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (c) whether it knows what measures MTRCL has taken to further combat crimes of indecent assaults in MTR, and whether the company will consider enhancing the closed-circuit television systems currently installed in train compartments if it will not consider, of the reasons for that; and (d) if it knows MTRCL's current passenger/staff ratio during peak hours, and whether the company has assessed if such ratio can effectively combat crimes of indecent assaults?
*14. Hon Claudia MO to ask: (Translation)
The Government plans to build a desalination plant in Tseung Kwan O and the anticipated unit cost is $12/cubic metre ("m3"), which is three times of that of Singapore. On this, the Government has explained that direct comparison of such costs should not be made as different countries have used different calculation methods for energy charges. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the formula with which the authorities have projected the cost for seawater desalination ("desalination cost") in Hong Kong; of the respective percentages of various expenditure items (e.g. construction, management, repair and maintenance, equipment replacement, chemicals, electricity, osmosis membranes and operation, etc.) in the total costs; (b) given that the desalination cost estimated during the one-year trial operation of the pilot desalination plant in Tuen Mun by the Water Supplies Department in 2005 was $7.8 to $8.4/m3, of the reasons why such cost will rise to $12/m3; (c) of the specific differences between the calculation method adopted by Hong Kong for energy charges and those adopted by countries applying desalination technology, e.g. the United States, Australia and Singapore, etc.; of any other factors that have resulted in the desalination cost in Hong Kong being substantially higher than those in other countries; (d) whether, according to the Government's assessment, the desalination cost can eventually drop, with the continuous improvement in desalination technology, to a level below the cost for Dongjiang water supply; if the assessment outcome is in the affirmative, of the specific plan and timeframe for achieving that situation; if the assessment outcome is in the negative, the reasons for that; and (e) given the Government's anticipation that the annual water production of the desalination plant is expandable to 90 million m3, which amounts to approximately 9% of the total fresh water supply in Hong Kong, whether the Government will consider afresh further expanding the scale of the desalination plant so as to reduce the reliance of Hong Kong on other water sources; if it will, of the specific plan and timeframe; if not, the reasons for that?
*15. Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung to ask: (Translation)
I have received complaints from quite a number of property owners expressing their dissatisfaction with the Buildings Department ("BD")/Housing Department ("HD") issuing "statutory notices" under the Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme ("the Scheme") to them/the owners' corporations ("OCs") of their housing estates. Some owners of Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") flats have pointed out that HD is turning a blind eye to the problem of window safety of older HOS courts by selecting some HOS courts aged 10 to 15 years only for carrying out mandatory inspection of windows, but not those HOS courts aged 25 years or above in the same district. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the private buildings/housing estates and HOS courts to whom the owners/OCs of which (i) BD and (ii) HD had respectively issued the "pre-notification letters" under the Scheme in the past six months, and of the ages of and numbers of households in the buildings concerned (set out in the table below); (i) Issuance of pre-notification letters by BD
Name of
private building/housing estateAge of the building(s) Number of
households involved(ii) Issuance of pre-notification letters by HD
Name of HOS court Age of building(s) Number of
households involved(b) of the private buildings/housing estates and HOS courts to whom the owners/OCs of which (i) BD and (ii) HD had respectively issued the "statutory notices" under the Scheme in the past six months, and of the ages of and numbers of households in the buildings concerned (set out in the table below); (i) Issuance of statutory notices by BD
Name of
private building/housing estateAge of building(s) Number of
households involved(ii) Issuance of statutory notices by HD
Name of HOS court Age of building(s) Number of
households involved(c) whether HD had issued (i) pre-notification letters and (ii) statutory notices under the Scheme to owners/OCs of housing estates under the Tenants Purchase Scheme in the past six months; if it had, of the names, ages and numbers of households of the housing estates concerned (set out in the table below); (i) Issuance of pre-notification letters
Name of housing estate Age of building(s) Number of
households involved(ii) Issuance of statutory notices
Name of housing estate Age of building(s) Number of
households involved(d) as the Government has indicated that in the selection of target buildings under the Scheme, "[v]arious relevant factors will be taken into account… including building age, state of repair and maintenance, records of inspection and repair, and location", whether the authorities will review such criteria and accord the highest priority to buildings of older ages in the selection of target buildings; (e) whether HD had issued, in the past six months, pre-notification letters under the Scheme to the owners/OC of Kam Tai Court in Ma On Shan, which is only 11 years old; if it had, of the justifications; whether it had, during the same period, issued pre-notification letters to the owners/OCs of other HOS courts aged over 20 years in the district (including HOS courts such as Kam Ying Court, Chevalier Garden, Saddle Ridge Garden, Kam Lung Court, etc.); if it had, when the letters were issued; if HD had issued the letter to Kam Tai Court but not the other HOS courts mentioned above, of the reasons for that; (f) whether BD and HD have deployed staff to convene or attend residents' meetings at the housing estates of target buildings to explain the relevant arrangements to the owners (especially the elderly owners); if they have, of the housing estates the residents' meetings of which such staff members had convened or attended in the past six months; if not, whether these two departments have ignored the needs of the owners (especially the elderly owners); (g) of the channel through which the owners/OCs of the buildings selected as target buildings under the Scheme may put forth their requests for removing the names of their buildings from the list of target buildings; (h) whether the Government has collaborated with non-governmental organization(s) for deploying social workers to assist the elderly owners concerned in complying with the Scheme; if it has, of the details (including the name(s) of its partner organization(s)); if not, whether the Government has ignored the needs of the elderly owners; and (i) whether the Government has set up a dedicated financial assistance programme for the Scheme; if it has, whether the leaflets and application forms of such a financial assistance programme have been attached to the pre-notification letters sent to the owners/OCs concerned so as to facilitate the owners/OCs to make applications; if no dedicated financial assistance programme has been set up, whether it has assessed if the Scheme will cause hardship to the owners (especially the elderly owners) of the target buildings?
*16. Hon Dennis KWOK to ask:
Under the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance (Cap. 313) and the Shipping and Port Control Regulations (Cap. 313 sub. Leg. A), no person shall lay a private mooring anywhere in Hong Kong waters except with the written permission of the Director of Marine and in the place specified in the permission. There are 46 designated areas within Hong Kong waters for the laying of private moorings. To apply for a private mooring, a vessel owner must make an application to the Marine Department and indicate in the application up to four preferred locations in order of priority. If there is no suitable or available space in the applied locations, the application is placed on a waiting list. The successful applicant is given a written approval, subject to various standard conditions, including that no vessel exceeding the designated length of the mooring shall be secured to the mooring. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of private mooring spaces in each of the designated areas, broken down by the designated length of the mooring (set out in the table below);
Name of the
designated areaDesignated length of the mooring
(metres)Number of private
mooring spacesless than 11 11–30 31–50 more than 50 Total: less than 11 11–30 31–50 more than 50 Total: (b) of the number of vessels in respect of which permission for the laying of private mooring had been granted in each of the designated areas in the past five years, broken down by the designated length of the mooring (set out in the table below);
Name of
designated areaDesignated length of the mooring
(metres)Number of vessels in
respect of which
permission was grantedless than 11 11–30 31–50 more than 50 Total: less than 11 11–30 31–50 more than 50 Total: (c) of the current number of applications for a private mooring on the waiting list and the average waiting time that an application stays on the waiting list before permission is granted, broken down by the name of designated area (set out in the table below); and
Name of
designated areaNumber of applications on the
waiting listAverage waiting time before
permission is granted(d) whether the Government has reviewed if private mooring spaces are sufficient to meet the demand; if so, of the outcome of the review; and whether it has plans to increase the number of private mooring spaces in the near future; if so, of the details; if it has no such plans, the reasons for that?
*17. Hon WU Chi-wai to ask: (Translation)
Statistics from the Transport Department show that the number of registered private cars rose from 421 062 in 2008 to 494 646 in 2012, representing an increase of 73 584 cars in four years' time which constituted 90% of the increase in the total number of registrations over the same period. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the design capacity of the roads/sections listed in the table below; the following in respect of these roads/sections on weekdays in the past three years: (i) the average hourly throughput during morning rush hours (i.e. from 7:30 am to 9:30 am), (ii) the average hourly throughput during evening rush hours (i.e. from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm), (iii) the volume/capacity ratio during morning rush hours, and (iv) the volume/capacity ratio during evening rush hours; whether measures had been put in place in the past three years to mitigate the problem of congestion on such roads/sections, and whether it had assessed the effectiveness of such measures (set out in the table below);
Road/section Design capacity
(vehicles/hour)2010 2011 2012 Improvement measures and their effectiveness Hong Kong Island Canal Road Flyover
(southbound)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)Canal Road Flyover
(northbound)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)Gloucester Road
(eastbound) between Harcourt Road and entrance of Cross Harbour TunnelGloucester Road
(westbound) between Harcourt Road and entrance of Cross Harbour TunnelConnaught Road West
(eastbound)Connaught Road Central
(westbound)Pedder Street Harcourt Road
(heading towards Central)Hennessy Road
(heading towards Central)Hennessy Road
(heading towards Victoria Park and Eastern District)Queen's Road Central Des Voeux Road Central
(eastbound)Des Voeux Road Central
(westbound)Wong Chuk Hang Road
(heading towards Aberdeen Tunnel) between Ap Lei Chau Bridge Road and the toll booths of Aberdeen TunnelKowloon Chatham Road North
(southbound)Chatham Road North
(northbound)Princess Margaret Road
(heading towards Tsim Sha Tsui and Cross Harbour Tunnel)Princess Margaret Road
(heading towards Ho Man Tin and Waterloo Road)Gascoigne Road
(eastbound)Gascoigne Road
(westbound)Kwun Tong Bypass
(near Lei Yue Mun) (eastbound)Kwun Tong Bypass
(near Lei Yue Mun) (westbound)Argyle Street
(westbound) between Tong Mi Road and Yim Po Fong StreetPrince Edward Road West
(westbound) between Nathan Road and Waterloo RoadBoundary Street Nathan Road
(southbound)Nathan Road
(northbound)Waterloo Road
(northbound)Waterloo Road
(southbound)Lung Cheung Road
(eastbound)Lung Cheung Road
(westbound)New Territories Lion Rock Tunnel Road
(heading towards Kowloon)Lion Rock Tunnel Road
(heading towards the New Territories)Tate's Cairn Highway
(heading towards East Kowloon)Tate's Cairn Highway
(heading towards various districts in the New Territories)Shing Mun Tunnel Road
(heading towards Sha Tin)Shing Mun Tunnel Road
(heading towards Tsuen Wan)Tolo Highway
(southbound)Tolo Highway
(northbound)Tsuen Wan Road Flyover
(southbound)Tsuen Wan Road Flyover
(northbound)Tuen Mun Road
(heading towards Tuen Mun) between Tsing Long Highway and Tai LamTuen Mun Road
(heading towards Tsuen Wan) between Tsing Long Highway and Tai LamCastle Peak Road-Yuen Long
(eastbound) between Long Tin Road and Pok Oi InterchangeCastle Peak Road-Yuen Long
(westbound) between Long Tin Road and Pok Oi InterchangeFanling Highway
(southbound)Fanling Highway
(northbound)(b) of the respective numbers of private cars registered under the names of Hong Kong permanent residents, non-Hong Kong permanent residents and companies among the newly registered private cars in each of the past five years; and (c) whether it has studied the implementation of any measures (e.g. implementing electronic road pricing on busy road sections, limiting the validity periods of vehicle licences, and introducing additional measures to make good use of the existing public transport network) in order to address the problems arising from the continuous rise in the number of private cars; if it has, of the details of each measure (including whether a consultancy study has been conducted, the findings of the study, the anticipated year of implementation of the specific measures and the expenditure involved, etc.)?
*18. Hon Ronny TONG to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported that the price of penthouse flats with rooftops of a residential development, which has been completed for intake recently, is almost $30 million each, but the occupiers need to pull down the folding maintenance ladders installed at the ceilings inside their flats, climb up to the top of the ladders and push open the skylight windows in order to reach the rooftops which are completely fenceless, making it difficult for the occupiers to use the rooftops. It has also been reported that "inaccessible flat roof, access for maintenance only" was specified in the building plans submitted by the developer concerned to the Buildings Department ("BD") for vetting and approval. However, the Agreements for Sale and Purchase of such flats not only had no mention of such restriction but specified that owners were entitled to use the rooftops. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it is mandatory for the developer concerned to apply to BD for amending the building plans and obtain BD's approval before it may sell to prospective buyers the aforesaid rooftops, which are accessible for maintenance purpose only; if it is not, of the reasons for that; if it is, the criteria adopted by BD for vetting and approving such applications, and whether the Lands Department will request the developers to pay premiums; (b) whether it knows the number of developers in the last decade which had adopted the same or similar practices to increase the saleable area of residential flats; whether the Government had exercised control over such practices; if it had, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (c) whether it is a criminal offence for a developer to withhold information on the actual use of certain areas of a residential development in the building plans submitted to BD; how the Government follows up such cases; of the number of such cases uncovered by the authorities in the last decade, and the details of such cases; and (d) whether the authorities will prohibit developers from selling fenceless rooftops to prospective buyers in order to avoid accidents; if so, of the regulations and justifications based on which such sale may be prohibited; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities had uncovered similar cases in the last decade; if so, of the number of such cases and their details?
*19. Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask: (Translation)
According to Article 18 of and Annex III to the Basic Law, the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China ("CNL") shall be applied in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") from 1 July 1997. The Explanations of Some Questions by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Concerning the Implementation of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("Explanations") have been endorsed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the Government of HKSAR is authorized to designate its Immigration Department ("ImmD") to handle applications related to Chinese nationality in HKSAR in accordance with CNL and the Explanations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that in handling applications for naturalization as Chinese nationals, ImmD will consider factors including "whether the applicant has sufficient knowledge of the Chinese language", how the authorities conduct assessments in this regard, and whether the assessments include appraising the applicants' proficiency in four aspects, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing; (b) given that in handling applications for naturalization, certain countries require the applicants to be familiar with the situation of the countries to which they apply for naturalization and even assess the applicants' knowledge of the history, background and origin, etc. of these countries by way of examination, whether the authorities have plans to implement similar measures to ensure that people who are granted approval for naturalization as Chinese nationals have certain understanding of China; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (c) whether the authorities have any policy to encourage people who wish to be or who have been naturalized as Chinese nationals to learn about the situation of the country, so as to facilitate their early integration into society?
*20. Hon TANG Ka-piu to ask: (Translation)
It has been learnt that the roadside air pollution problem has aggravated in recent years. The Government launched the voluntary incentive schemes ("VIS") in 2007 and 2010 to encourage vehicle owners to replace their pre-Euro and Euro I as well as Euro II diesel commercial vehicles ("DCVs") respectively. In view of the low participation rates of the two schemes, this year's Policy Address has proposed to set aside $10 billion to appropriately increase the financial incentives for phasing out DCVs which comply with emission standards below Euro IV ("pre-Euro IV") in order to alleviate the roadside air pollution problem. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it has assessed the causes for the aggravation of the roadside air pollution problem in recent years; if it has, of the details, and whether such causes include the increase in the number of DCVs; if it has not, of the reasons for that; the anticipated effectiveness of the plan proposed by the authorities to set aside $10 billion as subsidies for phasing out pre-Euro IV DCVs; (b) of the respective numbers of vehicles participating in VIS in 2007 and 2010 and the percentages of such vehicles in the total number of DCVs, broken down by the use of the vehicles (e.g. nanny vans), the emission standard with which they complied and whether they were registered in the name of individuals or companies; (c) whether it has compiled statistics on the average prices of various types of DCVs from 2007 to 2013 and their year-on-year rates of increase; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has regularly (e.g. on a quarterly basis) compiled statistics on the number of various types of DCVs; (d) of the number of registered DCVs from 2007 to 2013, broken down by year, the emission standard with which they complied and whether they were registered in the names of individuals or companies (set out in the table below);
Type of vehicles/emission standard with which they complied Number of registrations in the names of individuals in the names of companies Total who owned only one DCV who owned two DCVs of the same type who owned three DCVs of the same type who owned four DCVs of the same type ... which owned three or less DCVs of the same type which owned more than three DCVs of the same type Light goods vehicles pre-Euro/Euro I Euro II Euro III Euro IV or above Total Medium goods vehicles ... ... ... ... ... (e) based on the current natural phase-out rate and on the premise that replacement subsidies will not be provided, of the respective numbers of pre-Euro, Euro I and Euro II DCVs in 2016 as estimated by the authorities; the levels of emissions from such vehicles by that time, and the number of levels by which the pollutants concerned will cause the Air Quality Health Index (to be launched in 2014) to rise; (f) whether it has regularly compiled statistics on the emissions from various types of vehicles (including franchised buses, taxis, light buses and DCVs, etc.) in Central, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, and the proportion of such emissions in the total vehicular emissions; if it has, of the current situation; if not, the reasons for that; (g) in respect of the emission reduction measures targeting at other sources of emissions (including power plants, vessels, franchised buses, liquefied petroleum gas taxis and light buses), of the estimated expenditure for each measure and the respective percentages of the quantities of roadside air pollutants expected to be reduced in the total quantities of the pollutants concerned (set out in the below table); and Source of emissions Details of the measures Estimated expenditure Percentage of the quantity of air pollutants expected to be
reduced in the total quantity of the pollutants concernedSulphur dioxide Nitrogen dioxide Respirable suspended particulates Others (h) whether the authorities' plan of subsidizing franchised bus companies to retrofit Euro II and Euro III buses with selective catalytic reduction devices to alleviate roadside air pollution will extend the service life and the depreciation period of the buses concerned; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has assessed the benefits to be obtained from the devices by franchised bus companies and the costs that the companies will need to share out; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*21. Hon Christopher CHUNG to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the provision of escalators and lifts at footbridges for public use, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of footbridges in Hong Kong which were constructed by the Government and developers, with a breakdown of those which are provided with escalators and lifts (set out in the table below); Number of footbridges Total number Escalators With lifts Nil One only Two or more Constructed by the Government Constructed by developers (b) of the respective criteria based on which the Government decides, when planning to construct footbridges, (i) whether or not to install escalator(s), and (ii) whether one or two escalators (i.e. two-way) will be installed; (c) whether the authorities have short and long term plans to retrofit escalators at those footbridges currently provided with no or only one escalator, for the convenience of footbridge users; if they have such plans, of the details and the number of escalators to be retrofitted; (d) whether, at present when incorporating the clauses in the land leases of private developments for requiring the developers to build footbridges, the Government has specified that such footbridges must be provided with escalators; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (e) given that some members of the public have relayed to me that certain pairs of escalators installed at the same locations of the footbridges operate in the same direction, causing inconvenience to users travelling in the opposite direction and wastage of electricity, which government departments are currently responsible for managing the escalators installed at footbridges, and whether the duties of the officers concerned include ensuring that the aforesaid situation will not occur; and (f) whether the authorities have drawn up a timetable for retrofitting lifts at those footbridges in Hong Kong which have not yet been provided with lifts for the convenience of the elderly, persons with disabilities and other people in need when using footbridges; if they have, of the details and the timetable; if not, whether such a timetable will be drawn up?
*22. Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask: (Translation)
A survey conducted by a political party has found that the waiting time for consultation in the Accident and Emergency ("A&E") Department of the Prince of Wales Hospital ("PWH") in the New Territories East ("NTE") Cluster is much longer than the average waiting time in the A&E Departments of other public hospitals (101 minutes) and it is the longest in Hong Kong. Over half of the respondents have indicated that there were occasions on which they had waited for over five hours for consultation, while 20% of the respondents had the experience of waiting for up to eight to 12 hours. According to information of the Hospital Authority ("HA"), the average daily attendance of the A&E Department of PWH exceeds 410, and its attendance last year was 160 000, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.1% which was higher than the average rate of increase of 4.4% across HA. Meanwhile, the residents have been continuously complaining about the prolonged waiting time for consultation at various specialist outpatient clinics in PWH and the shortage of hospital beds. It has been reported that as the bed occupancy rate of the medical wards in PWH in January this year was as high as 130%, temporary beds accounting for 30% of the total number of beds had to be placed in the corridors. Faced with the ageing population in Shatin and the pressure of rapid population growth brought about by the completion of a number of new housing estates in Ma On Shan, the demand for PWH's healthcare services has far exceeded its capacity for a long period of time. As a result, members of the public are concerned that PWH's epidemic prevention and infection control capabilities have been hampered. On the other hand, the Sha Tin District Council endorsed the Phase Two expansion project for PWH ("the expansion project") in 2006 and PWH finalized the proposal for the expansion project in June 2010. However, up to now, funds have not yet been allocated for the implementation of the project and there is no timetable for its completion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) the progress as well as the expected commencement and completion dates of the expansion project; if there is no timetable, of the reasons for that; (b) whether the authorities have formulated any short, medium and long term measures to tackle the problem of prolonged waiting time for consultation for various specialties of PWH; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (c) the details of the expansion project; how the expansion project will strengthen the services provided by various specialties of PWH, especially those specialties with longer waiting time for consultation (e.g. mental health services for young people, medicine and A&E services), including by how long the waiting time for consultation for various specialties may be shortened; (d) the respective bed-to-population ratios for the various specialties in each cluster at present, and the relevant ratios in the NTE Cluster upon completion of the expansion project; and (e) given that the population of Shatin and Ma On Shan will continue to grow in the coming few years, whether the authorities have assessed if the NTE Cluster will, upon completion of the expansion project, meet the proposed standards in relation to healthcare services as set out in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, and the results of comparison of the NTE Cluster with other clusters regarding the relevant standards of services?
* For written reply
III. Bills
| Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading
(Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting) | |||
| 1. | Pilotage (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Secretary for Transport and Housing |
| 2. | District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs |
IV. Motions
| (Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting) | |||||||
| 1. | Proposed resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance
Secretary for Food and Health to move the following motion: Resolved that the following Regulations, made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on 28 March 2013, be approved -
| ||||||
| 2. | Proposed resolution under the Loans Ordinance
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury to move the following motion: Resolved that -
| ||||||
| (Scheduled to be dealt with at this Council meeting) | |||||||
| 3. | Proposed resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance
Secretary for Food and Health to move the following motion: Resolved that the following Regulations, made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on 22 April 2013, be approved
| ||||||
V. Member's Bill
| (Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting)
First Reading | |||
| Professional Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2013 | |||
| Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned) | |||
| Professional Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2013 | : | Hon Kenneth LEUNG | |
| Public Officer to attend | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury | |
VI. Members' Motions
| (Originally scheduled to be dealt with at the last Council meeting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. | Drug Formulary and drugs subsidy system
Hon Alice MAK to move the following motion: (Translation) That the Hospital Authority ('HA') has implemented the Drug Formulary ('the Formulary') system since July 2005 to standardize its policies on procurement and use of drugs; at present, HA's annual drugs expenditure only accounts for around 10% of its overall expenditure, and the responsibilities of including new drugs in the Formulary and reviewing the Formulary rest with HA's Drug Advisory Committee and Drug Utilization Review Committee respectively; yet, the lack of transparency in the relevant work and low participation of other stakeholders have led people to question that the Formulary does not put patients' rights and interests first, resulting in patients having to purchase at their own expense drugs which are of significant efficacy but expensive; although the Government has put in place safety net systems such as the Samaritan Fund, etc., situations of patients suffering delays in treatment due to their inability to afford better but expensive drugs, having to sell their properties in order to purchase drugs, or relying on lower-quality drugs to extend their lives still arise, etc., reflecting the existence of many loopholes and inadequacies in the existing system; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to review the existing drugs policies and perfect the relevant mechanism, so as to provide assistance for more people in need; the relevant measures should include:
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Food and Health | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. | Maintaining a business-friendly environment in Hong Kong
Hon Jeffrey LAM to move the following motion:(Translation) That, given the slow recovery of the global economy, this Council urges the Government to adopt proactive policy measures to maintain a business-friendly environment in Hong Kong and devote more resources to assist small and medium enterprises.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (The following four motions will be dealt with at the Council meeting of 29 May 2013 (please refer to LC Paper No. CB(3) 615/12-13 issued on 22 May 2013)) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. | The 4 June incident
Hon Albert HO to move the following motion: (Translation) That this Council urges that: the 4 June incident be not forgotten and the 1989 pro-democracy movement be vindicated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. | Democratic procedures for the election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017
Hon Alan LEONG to move the following motion: (Translation) That QIAO Xiaoyang, Chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, made a speech on 24 March this year, indicating that regarding the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR by universal suffrage, 'the issue that requires a consensus is essentially about the democratic procedures for nomination'; in this connection, this Council urges the SAR Government to ensure that, irrespective of how various sectors interpret the so-called 'democratic procedures for nomination', when formulating the proposals on the election of the Chief Executive in 2017, the rights to make nomination, to stand for election and to vote are universal and equal, without any 'screening' or 'pre-selection' through a nominating committee.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. | Actively promoting family-friendly policies
Hon Starry LEE to move the following motion: (Translation) That, given the occurrence of a number of family tragedies in Hong Kong in recent years, which have greatly shocked the society and reflected the existence of many unhealthy trends in today's society gradually breaking up, damaging and distorting the social and family relationships, this Council urges that the Government should make stronger efforts in promoting family-friendly policies, enhancing family cohesion and individual resilience against adversities, restoring mutual love among family members and building up positive family values, so as to create a harmonious society; the proposed measures include:
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| 6. | Enhancing the overall sustainable competitiveness of Hong Kong
Dr Hon LAM Tai-fai to move the following motion: (Translation) That the China Urban Competitiveness Reports issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in recent years point out that the gap between Hong Kong's competitiveness and that of other Mainland cities is continuously getting narrower, and Hong Kong's overall growth is relatively slow, with the scale of its economy expected to lag behind those of Mainland cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc., by 2015; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of areas such as economic development, improvement of people's livelihood, promotion of democracy, etc., and formulate feasible and timely policies which will be implemented, so as to enhance Hong Kong's overall sustainable competitiveness.
Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clerk to the Legislative Council