A 14/15-3

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 29 October 2014 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers



Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentsL.N. No.
1.Mines (Safety) (Amendment) Regulation 2014123/2014
2.Dangerous Goods (General) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2014124/2014
3.Dangerous Goods (Government Explosives Depots) (Amendment) Regulation 2014125/2014
4.Waterworks (Amendment) Regulation 2014126/2014
5.Banking (Amendment) Ordinance 2012 (Commencement) Notice 2014127/2014
6.Banking (Capital) (Amendment) Rules 2014128/2014
7.Banking (Liquidity) Rules129/2014
8.Antiquities and Monuments (Declaration of Historical Buildings) Notice 2014130/2014

Other Papers

1.No. 16-Environment and Conservation Fund
Trustee Report 2013-2014
(to be presented by Secretary for the Environment)

2.No. 17-Occupational Safety and Health Council
Annual Report 2013-2014
(to be presented by Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

3.No. 18-Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund
Annual Report for the year from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014
(to be presented by Secretary for Labour and Welfare)

4.No. 19-Customs and Excise Service Children's Education Trust Fund
Report by the Trustee for the year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014
(to be presented by Secretary for Security)

5.No. 20-Office of the Communications Authority
Trading Fund Report 2013/14
(to be presented by Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

6.No. 21-Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund
Report 2013/14
(to be presented by Secretary for Development)

7.No. 22-Hongkong Post
Annual Report 2013/14
(to be presented by Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development)

II. Questions



1. Hon Albert HO to ask: (Translation)


The incumbent Chief Executive ("CE") announced his resignation from DTZ on 24 November 2011 to stand in the CE election. It has recently been reported by some Australian media that a few days before his resignation took effect in December of the same year, CE signed an agreement with UGL Limited ("UGL"), which was then planning to acquire DTZ, undertaking not to poach employees from or compete with DTZ as well as to act as referee and adviser to UGL, within two years after the acquisition was completed. Under the said agreement, CE received a remuneration of £4 million in two tranches in December 2012 and December 2013 (i.e. after he had taken office as CE on 1 July 2012). In addition, it has been reported that CE currently still holds shares in DTZ Japan (the Japanese branch of DTZ), and that the major shareholder of an important client of that company is also the major shareholder of a television company in Hong Kong. As such, some members of the public have queried whether there has been a conflict of interests in the vetting and approval of the applications for domestic free television programme service licences ("free TV licences") on the part of CE. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1) whether, under the existing mechanism for declaration of interests for CE pursuant to Article 47 of the Basic Law, CE is required to declare, upon assumption of office, to the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal such remuneration which is receivable but has not yet been received by him under private agreements; if he is required to do so, of the relevant dates and contents of such declarations made in the past two years; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)whether, under the existing mechanism for declaration of interests for Members of the Executive Council ("ExCo"), CE as the President of ExCo is required to declare at the beginning of his term of office and annually thereafter such remuneration received by him under private agreements; if he is required to do so, of the relevant dates and contents of such declarations made in the past two years; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether any declaration made by ExCo Members (including the President of ExCo) in the course of vetting the three applications for free TV licences in the past two years involved personal interests in that item under consideration; if so, of the details, and whether the Members concerned had withdrawn from the discussion for this reason?
Public Officer to reply : The Chief Secretary for Administration

2. Hon Steven HO to ask: (Translation)


A few food safety incidents have occurred in Hong Kong recently, including one in which a chain eatery used expired meat products supplied by Shanghai Husi Food Company Limited, and another one in which many eateries and food manufacturers used substandard lard imported from Taiwan. Some members of the public have pointed out that the aforesaid chain eatery disseminated confusing information after the incident had been uncovered, and the food tracing mechanism currently in place also failed to trace the sources and distribution of the substandard lard expeditiously, thereby undermining their confidence in food safety. Such members of the public have also pointed out that while it is stipulated in the existing legislation that the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene may demand food importers and distributors to submit transaction records which they are required to keep, no time limit for compliance is prescribed in the legislation and the penalty for contravention also lacks deterrent effect. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1) whether it will amend the existing legislation to require food importers and distributors to submit upon the authorities' request their transaction records within a specified time limit, and to increase the penalty for contravention; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)whether it will conduct a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the food tracing mechanism, in particular the arrangements for information dissemination and the announcement of the list of eateries involved, so as to ensure that the mechanism can effectively help the authorities in handling food safety incidents; and

    (3)given that the authorities have proposed to legislate to require importers and exporters of edible oils to provide official certificates issued by the place of origin of edible oils for random inspection by them, how the authorities will verify the authenticity of such certificates?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

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


The assemblies triggered by the Occupy Central movement have been going on for more than a month now. Certain major trunk roads have been blocked by assembly participants, causing impacts of varied degrees on Hong Kong's society, economy and people's livelihood, etc. For instance, classes of all kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools in the Central and Western district and Wan Chai were once suspended; the public transport services passing the assembly venues en route have been seriously affected; quite a number of shop operators in the vicinity of Mong Kok and Causeway Bay have complained about a drastic decline in business; some overseas authorities have reminded their citizens visiting Hong Kong to stay away from the areas affected by the protests, which has not only dampened tourists' desire to visit Hong Kong but also tarnished the international image of Hong Kong; and there have been scuffles between protesters and police officers from time to time causing injuries. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of schools whose classes were once suspended and the number of students involved, with a breakdown of such numbers by school zone and school type (i.e. kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and special school); whether the Education Bureau had approached the principals or the school sponsoring bodies of such schools prior to making the decisions to suspend classes; if it had, of the details and the respective numbers of schools which supported, opposed and had no comment on the arrangements of class suspension and resumption; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)of the number of franchised bus routes and tram routes which have been diverted or suspended so far due to the aforesaid assemblies; whether it has looked into the magnitude of the increase in the highest daily patronages and frequencies of MTR trains since the occurrence of the assemblies as compared with the figures in the past, and whether MTR is able to cope with the additional patronages looked into the matters; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether it has assessed the specific impacts of the aforesaid assemblies on the overall economy of Hong Kong, in particular the tourism, catering, retail, transportation and exhibition industries; whether it has so far received any requests for assistance from the affected shop operators and employees in such industries; if it has, of the details and the Government's new measures to provide support to them?
Public Officers to reply:Secretary for Education
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

4. Hon LEUNG Che-cheung to ask: (Translation)


According to the Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations, the owner of any fire service installation or equipment ("FSI/E") shall have such installation or equipment inspected by a registered fire service installation contractor ("contractor") at least once in every 12 months, and the contractor shall within 14 days after completion of the inspection forward a copy of the inspection certificate to the Fire Services Department, which will conduct random checks on the certificates. It has been reported that in a fire which broke out at a building in Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai, the firemen found the water pressure in the fire-fighting system of that building to be inadequate, and they therefore had to lay and connect hoses up to the building from a street hydrant 700 metres away before they could battle the blaze. However, the Housing Department stated that the fire-fighting system concerned had passed an inspection just a few months ago. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it has compiled statistics on the number of cases in the past three years in which FSI/E malfunctioned during a fire; whether the authorities conducted an investigation into each of these cases and made public the investigation outcome, and whether they have penalized or prosecuted any non-compliant contractor or property owner; whether they will review if the relevant legislation still suits the present circumstances, if the existing regulatory regime is effective and if the methodology for inspecting FSI/E needs to be improved;

    (2)of the methodology currently adopted by the authorities for conducting random checks on FSI/E inspection certificates and the percentage of such certificates checked; how the authorities will follow up the problems revealed by the random checks; whether they will consider increasing manpower to step up the random checks, and tightening up the demerit point system currently applied to contractors, with a view to strengthening regulatory efforts; and

    (3)as it has been reported that in an attempt to boost the chance of success in their bids for FSI/E maintenance contracts, some contractors have submitted bids with an extremely low price of one dollar for inspection work, and this situation has led to worries that they will carry out the inspection work in a sloppy manner, whether the authorities will review the existing regime of FSI/E being inspected by contractors, and devise improvement methods; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

5. Hon Gary FAN to ask: (Translation)


On 17 December 2013, the Court of Final Appeal ("CFA") ruled that the requirement for seven-year residence in Hong Kong ("residence requirement") stipulated by the Government for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") Scheme is unconstitutional, and the residence requirement was therefore restored from seven years to one year, which was the requirement before 1 January 2004. It has been reported that during the period from CFA's handing down of its judgment to late June this year, the Government received over 5 000 CSSA applications made by persons with less than seven years' residence in Hong Kong. As such, some members of the public are worried that the CSSA cases concerned will increase the financial pressure on the Government. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the respective numbers of CSSA applications received and approved by the Government since CFA's handing down of the aforesaid judgment which were made by persons with less than seven years' residence in Hong Kong, the current number of CSSA recipients with less than seven years' residence in Hong Kong, the percentage of that number in the total number of CSSA cases and a breakdown of that number by type of cases, as well as the age distribution and employment status of such recipients;

    (2)of the total expenditure of the CSSA payments made by the authorities to persons with less than seven years' residence in Hong Kong since CFA's handing down of the aforesaid judgment; and

    (3)as the authorities have indicated that the application, approval and issuance of Permits for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as One-way Permits ("OWPs")) fall within the remit of the mainland authorities, whether the Government has put in place any mechanism or policies to ensure that persons who come to settle in Hong Kong on OWPs are financially self-sufficient; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

6. Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask: (Translation)


In the early morning of the 15th of this month when the Police were dispersing protesters who were occupying Lung Wo Road in Admiralty, a reporter recorded a video footage about a subdued man being allegedly kicked and punched by police officers for four minutes in a dark corner of the Tamar Park. In the same morning, the Police said that the Complaints Against Police Office ("CAPO") had received a relevant complaint and would handle it in accordance with the established procedures, and the police officers involved would be removed from their current duties. In the afternoon of the following day, the Police said that it had been confirmed that seven police officers were involved in the incident and they had been interdicted from duty. Also, CAPO had set up a designated special investigation team to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and was proceeding with the investigation as a criminal matter. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether reports received by the Police about police officers having allegedly committed criminal offences must be referred to CAPO for handling in the first place; under what circumstances will the Police directly commence criminal investigation into such reports in place of referral to CAPO, as well as the number and details of those cases of this category in the past 10 years; of the number of complaints in each of the past five years for which criminal investigation was commenced by CAPO (regardless of whether prosecutions were eventually instituted), as well as the shortest and the longest time it took from receipt of such complaints to commencement of criminal investigation;

    (2)given that the police officers involved in the aforesaid incident were alleged to have committed a criminal offence of assault and the incident was video-recorded by the media, why the Police did not interdict the relevant police officers from duty on the day of the incident; of the respective ranks of the police officers who made the decisions to remove and interdict the police officers from duty; whether the police officers involved in the incident had in their possession equipment such as pepper spray, batons and firearms during the period when they were removed from their current duties; and

    (3)of the number of occasions on which CAPO set up designated special investigation teams in each of the past five years, the types of complaints handled by such teams, and the lowest rank of the police officers who may decide to set up such teams?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*7. Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask: (Translation)


Regarding the various types of programmes implemented under the Earn-and-Learn Pilot Schemes ("Pilot Schemes") by the Vocational Training Council, i.e. (i) Diploma of Vocational Education ("DVE") programmes for people with education level of Secondary 3 or above, (ii) DVE programmes for people with education level of Secondary 6 or above, (iii) Higher Diploma programmes for people with education level of Secondary 6 or above, and (iv) Foundation Diploma (Level 3) programmes for people with education level of Secondary 6 or above, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the following statistics:
  • (1)the intakes of students under the Pilot Schemes in the 2014-2015 school year (set out in Table 1);

    Table 1

    Programme typePrinting industryWatch and clock industryElectrical and mechanical services industryElectrical and mechanical services industry and construction industryRetail industry
    (i)     
    (ii)      
    (iii)     
    (iv)     

    (2)the names and numbers of institutions providing on-the-job training for the student-workers of the Pilot Schemes in the 2014-2015 school year (set out in Table 2); and

    Table 2

    IndustryPrinting industryWatch and clock industryElectrical and mechanical services industryElectrical and mechanical services industry and construction industryElectrical and mechanical services industry and construction industryRetail industry
    Programme type(i)(i)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)
    Name of Institution      
          
          
          
          
    Number of institutions      

    (3)the numbers of on-the-job training places for the industries covered by the various programmes under the Pilot Schemes in the 2014-2015 school year (set out in Tables 3 to 8)?

    Table 3: Printing industry - Programme type (i)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Production planning/control 
    Digital printing 
    Desktop publishing 
    Offset printing  
    Operation of computerized prepress and output system  
    Cylinder printing  
    CTP production  
    Operation of finishing system and equipment  
    Others  

    Table 4: Watch and clock industry - Programme type (i)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Watch calibration and testing 
    Disassembling, assembling and maintenance of exterior parts of watches 
    Disassembling, assembling and maintenance of movements of clocks and watches  
    After-sale maintenance services for clocks and watches 
    Others 

    Table 5: Electrical and mechanical services industry - Programme type (i)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Building services engineering 
    Lift and escalator engineering 
    Electrical engineering 
    Mechanical engineering 
    Air-conditioning and refrigeration engineering 
    Fire services engineering  
    Welding technology and inspection  
    Gas engineering  
    Others  

    Table 6: Electrical and mechanical services industry and construction industry - Programme type (ii)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Building services engineering 
    Construction 
    Electrical engineering 
    Mechanical engineering 
    Others  

    Table 7: Electrical and mechanical services industry and construction industry - Programme type (iii)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Building services engineering 
    Construction 
    Electrical engineering 
    Mechanical engineering 
    Others 

    Table 8: Retail industry - Programme type (iv)

    Area of industryNumber of places
    Cosmetics 
    Clocks and watches and jewellery 
    Fashion and accessories 
    General merchandise 
    Electronic and electrical appliances/telecommunications products 
    Furniture and household wares  
    Food 
    Fitness and beauty chain stores  
    Supermarkets 
    Convenience shops 
    Others  
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

*8. Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask: (Translation)


It has been reported that the outbreak of Ebola virus disease ("EVD") has not yet been brought under control since it erupted in West African countries in March this year, and there is a crisis of the outbreak spreading to other regions. The World Health Organization declared on 8 August this year the EVD outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, being an international aviation hub, is frequented by travellers from all around the world. In addition, contacts between the nationals of China and those of African countries are increasingly frequent in recent years as a result of the robust trade development between the two places, while quite a number of people of African descent are residing in the nearby Guangdong province. Thus, the risk of EVD being imported into Hong Kong should not be overlooked. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
  • (1)it has assessed the current risk of EVD being imported into Hong Kong; if it has assessed, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)it has taken appropriate measures to prevent EVD from being imported into Hong Kong in light of the latest development of the outbreak abroad; if it has, of the details, including the contingency measures to be taken by the authorities when the first confirmed case of EVD is found in Hong Kong; if not, the reasons for that;

    (3)the Government has currently put in place a reciprocal notification mechanism with Guangdong authorities on the developments of EVD; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (4)it has assessed if Hong Kong's healthcare system is capable of coping with a local outbreak of EVD; if it has assessed, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (5)it has conducted any inter-departmental drill to counter a local outbreak of EVD; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*9. Dr Hon Kenneth CHAN to ask: (Translation)


According to the 1994 Exchange of Notes between the Chinese Government and the British Government on the arrangements for the future use of the military sites in Hong Kong, there are at present 19 military sites set aside in Hong Kong for use by the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison ("HK Garrison") for defence purposes after the reunification. Earlier on, some media discovered that a new radar station and related facilities ("the radar station facilities") had been established at the hilltop of Tai Mo Shan for use by the HK Garrison, but the land on which such facilities are located ("the radar station site") is not included in the aforesaid military sites. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the details of the entire process through which the radar station site was granted by the government departments concerned, including the procedures for granting the site, the date on and the justifications for which the HK Garrison made the request, the studies and consultation exercises conducted by such departments during the vetting and approval process, as well as the date on and the justifications for which they decided to grant the site;

    (2)whether the government departments concerned had sought legal advice from the Department of Justice on the related legal issues before granting the radar station site; if they had, of the details of the legal advice obtained; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether it knows the specific uses of the radar station facilities and whether such facilities include certain equipment capable of monitoring the situation and people's activities in Hong Kong; if it knows, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*10. Hon Charles Peter MOK to ask: (Translation)


Since the 28th of last month, the assemblies triggered by the Occupy Central movement have blocked certain major trunk roads and other roads, causing the suspension of services or diversion of a number of bus and green minibus routes. Some members of the public noticed that the contingency arrangements for some bus routes had been changed for a number of times. As a number of bus routes shared the same temporary terminal stations, quite a number of buses waiting to pick up passengers were illegally parked by the roadsides near the terminal stations, resulting in traffic congestion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)as the authorities indicated, in reply to a question of a Member of this Council a few months ago, that the Police would formulate contingency measures in response to the Occupy Central movement, so as to minimize the impact on road users, of the details of such measures, and whether the authorities have taken such measures after the occurrence of the aforesaid assemblies; if they have, when they started to take such measures;

    (2)during the three weeks after the occurrence of the aforesaid assemblies, of the number of bus routes the services of which were suspended or which were diverted as well as their geographical distribution, the number of bus routes in respect of which the contingency routes were changed more than once, and the justifications for making such changes;

    (3)during the three weeks after the occurrence of the aforesaid assemblies, of the traffic flows of the various major trunk roads and tunnels/road harbour crossings on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon during peak hours, how such figures compare with those in the same period last year, and the names of the five major trunk roads with the highest numbers of bus/green minibus routes passing en route;

    (4)of the factors based on which the authorities determined the daily routing arrangements for the affected bus and green minibus routes during the period when the aforesaid assemblies were being held; and

    (5)as some members of the public have pointed out that, during the period when the aforesaid assemblies were being held, the flows of traffic on some roads at peak hours were smoother than before while some other roads were unusually congested, whether the authorities took into account the capacities of individual roads when formulating bus routes diversion arrangements; of the justifications for deciding to bunch a number of bus routes en route certain major trunk roads?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

*11. Hon WU Chi-wai to ask: (Translation)


According to section 40B of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344), where it appears to the Secretary for Home Affairs ("SHA") that there is a danger or risk of danger to the occupiers or owners of a building, SHA may order the management committee ("MC") of the building to appoint a building management agent. It has been reported that a property developer has acquired around 30% of the flats in a building but has long been defaulting payment of management fees payable for the flats concerned, causing operational difficulties to the owners' corporation of the building. The developer has also been trying to acquire other flats by means of harassment. However, SHA has not invoked the aforesaid provision to order the MC of that building to appoint a building management agent. It has also been reported that the MC of a building has refused to appoint a new MC chairman after the resignation of the incumbent chairman, resulting in the owners of the building being unable to convene general meetings. The Lands Tribunal subsequently ruled that the owners had the right to convene general meetings, and ordered that the MC be dissolved and a general meeting be held for electing new MC members. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1) whether the authorities received in the past three years any request for an order to be made under the aforesaid provision for the appointment of a building management agent; if they did, of the number of such cases and details of each case;

    (2)whether it has reviewed, in the light of the aforesaid ruling of the Lands Tribunal, the relevant internal guidelines and the procedures for instituting prosecutions against those who have contravened Cap. 344; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (3)whether it knows the number of cases currently handled by the Lands Tribunal in which dissolution of an MC was requested on account of the office of the MC chairman being vacant; of the number of requests for assistance received by the Home Affairs Department ("HAD") in the past five years involving dissolution of MCs, the number of MCs involved in such cases and the assistance provided by HAD;

    (4)as SHA stated in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 2 July this year that the authorities would, in the process of reviewing Cap. 344, study in detail the problem that no general meeting could be convened as a result of the office of the MC chairman being vacant, of the progress of the study;

    (5)as the Government has set up a committee a few months ago to review Cap. 344, of the work progress of the committee, including the time for conducting consultations with stakeholders and the public, the time for proposing legislative amendments, as well as the legislative timetable; and

    (6)whether, before Cap. 344 is amended, the authorities will revise the Code of Practice on Building Management and Maintenance issued by HAD, in order to help property owners solve the problem that no general meeting can be convened as a result of the office of the MC chairman being vacant; if they will not, of other means available for the authorities to help property owners solve the aforesaid problem?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*12. Hon CHAN Yuen-han to ask: (Translation)


The Chief Executive indicated in the 2014 Policy Address that the Government would review its agricultural policy to enhance productivity and promote sustainable development, and would carry out consultation within this year. Regarding the development of the agriculture industry in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the progress and details of the aforesaid review; when the authorities will commence the consultation exercise and of the details of the exercise;

    (2)of (i) the total area of agricultural land, (ii) the area of active agricultural land, (iii) the area of agricultural land left derelict, and (iv) the respective areas of agricultural land used for producing vegetables, flowers, field crops and orchards in Hong Kong each year from 2010 to the end of September this year (set out in the table below);

    Year(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)
    VegetablesFlowersField cropsOrchards
    2010       
    2011       
    2012       
    2013       
    2014
    (as at the end of September)    		       

    (3)whether many pieces of agricultural land are left derelict at present; if so, whether it has studied if the situation is attributable to the hoarding of agricultural land by developers for future development, and whether there are measures in place to address the problem of agricultural land being left derelict;

    (4)of (i) the output and (ii) the total value (thousand dollars) of crops produced each year from 2010 to the end of September this year, together with a breakdown by kind of crops (flower, fruit, vegetable and field crop) set out in the table below;

    Crop20102011201220132014
    (as at the end of September)
    (i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)(i)(ii)
    Flower          
    Fruit          
    Vegetable          
    Field crop          
    Total          

    (5)of (i) the number of farms engaged in farming activities, (ii) the number of organic farms among them, and (iii) the number of farmers involved each year from 2012 to the end of September this year (set out in the table below);

    Year(i)(ii)(iii)
    2012   
    2013   
    2014 (as at the end of September)   

    (6)of the respective market shares of locally produced vegetables and fruits each year from 2012 to the end of September this year (set out in the table below); whether the authorities have put in place measures to increase the production of local vegetables and fruits and to set self-sufficiency targets for such crops; if there are such measures, of the details, and whether they have assessed the effectiveness of such measures; if there are no such measures, the reasons for that; and

    YearVegetablesFruits
    2012  
    2013  
    2014 (as at the end of September)  

    (7)of the respective numbers of applications for leasing agricultural land under the Agricultural Land Rehabilitation Scheme ("the Scheme") received and approved by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department from January to September this year, the area of agricultural land leased out through the Scheme and the average waiting time for such applicants, as well as the current number of applications for leasing agricultural land on the waiting list; whether the authorities will implement any measures to shorten the average waiting time; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*13. Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask: (Translation)


At the meeting of the Panel on Education of this Council on 30 May 2013, an official from the Education Bureau said that about 85% of secondary schools taught Chinese History as an independent and compulsory subject at the junior secondary level. Moreover, among the day school first attempters in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination ("HKDSEE"), both the number and percentage of candidates taking the examination on the Chinese History subject have been declining continuously since 2012. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of secondary schools currently teaching Chinese History as an independent subject throughout the junior secondary level (i.e. Secondary One to Three), and the percentage of such number in the total number of secondary schools;

    (2)whether there is any requirement on secondary schools regarding the number of hours and sessions to be allocated for the Chinese History subject per week at junior secondary level; if there is, of the details; and

    (3)given that among the day school first attempters in the HKDSEE, the number and percentage of candidates taking the examination on the Chinese History subject have been declining continuously since 2012, whether the authorities will consider requiring secondary schools to teach Chinese History as an independent subject at the junior secondary level so as to foster students' knowledge and interest in Chinese history, thereby encouraging more students to elect the Chinese History subject at the senior secondary level?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

*14. Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask: (Translation)


Hong Kong Geopark was added to the Global Geoparks Network in 2011 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and was then named Hong Kong Global Geopark of China ("the Geopark"). It has been reported that the Geopark will undergo an interim assessment for the first time next year and the assessment criteria include the three aspects of conservation, publicity and education as well as tourism. Yet, relevant information indicates that the number of visitors to the Geopark has decreased from 1.5 million in 2011-2012 to 1.4 million in 2012-2013. There have been comments that if the situation does not improve, the Geopark may lose its "world-class" status. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)as it has been reported that the number of overseas tourists joining guided tours to the Geopark currently accounts for only 1% to 2% of the total number of tourists to Hong Kong, whether it knows if the Hong Kong Tourism Board ("HKTB") will consider enhancing its efforts in promoting the Geopark to overseas tourists, such as classifying the Geopark as a "highlight attraction" on the web site of HKTB, or strengthening publicity work at the Hong Kong International Airport and various immigration control points; if HKTB will consider doing so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)as it has been reported that some tourist guides aspiring to become Geopark guides have abandoned their plans to enrol in the relevant approved courses due to worries about underemployment, whether the authorities will provide funding to subsidize the training of Geopark guides so as to enhance their professional standard; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether the authorities will provide funding to improve the ancillary facilities in the vicinity of the Geopark (such as upgrading the pier near the Geopark and expediting the works to widen the Hiram's Highway, etc.), so as to attract more people to visit the Geopark; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

*15. Hon TANG Ka-piu to ask: (Translation)


It has been learnt that the assemblies triggered by the Occupy Central movement since the 28th of last month have caused traffic congestion on several major trunk roads and affected the operation of many bus routes, and quite a number of members of the public have therefore switched to travelling by the railway. On 7 October (i.e. the day when classes of secondary schools in Wan Chai as well as Central and Western Districts resumed after the occurrence of the Occupy Central movement), passengers in the MTR Admiralty Station had to wait for several trains before they could board a Chai Wan-bound train. Furthermore, in reply to an urgent question raised at the Legislative Council meeting of 15 October this year, the Secretary for Transport and Housing advised that the two minutes peak headway for various railway lines at present had already reached the limit of the existing signalling system, and that train services being provided in other hours of the day-time were quite close to that limit as well. The risk of service disruption would naturally increase if the situation persisted. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
  • (1)the statistics concerning each railway line except the Disneyland Resort Line (the same exception applies below) during the two periods from 1 to 27 September 2014 and from 28 September 2014 to the present in respect of: (i) the daily average patronage, (ii) the average patronage during morning peak hours, and (iii) the average patronage during afternoon peak hours (set out in Table 1);

    Table 1

     From 1 to 27 September 2014From 28 September 2014 to the present
    Railway Line(i)(ii)(iii)(i)(ii)(iii)
    Kwun Tong Line      
    Tsuen Wan Line      
    Island Line      
    Tseung Kwan O Line      
    East Rail Line      
    West Rail Line      
    Ma On Shan Line      
    Tung Chung Line      
    Airport Express      

    (2)the following information in respect of each of the railway lines set out in Table 2: (i) the design capacity (calculated on the basis of accommodating up to 6 persons (standing) per square metre ("ppsm")), and for the period from 1 to 27 September 2014, (ii) the respective patronage, loading at 6 ppsm and loading at 4 ppsm per hour per direction during morning peak hours for critical links, (iii) the respective patronage, loading at 6 ppsm and loading at 4 ppsm per hour per direction during afternoon peak hours for critical links, and (iv) the number of times when the capacity was reached during the said period; and for the period from 28 September 2014 to the present, (v) the respective patronage, loading at 6 ppsm and loading at 4 ppsm per hour per direction during morning peak hours for critical links, (vi) the respective patronage, loading at 6 ppsm and loading at 4 ppsm per hour per direction during afternoon peak hours for critical links, and (vii) the number of times when the capacity was reached during the said period;

    Table 2

    Railway Line (i) From 1 to 27 September 2014 From 28 September 2014 to the present
    (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii)
    Kwun Tong Line       
    Tsuen Wan Line       
    Island Line       
    Tseung Kwan O Line       
    East Rail Line       
    West Rail Line       
    Ma On Shan Line       
    Tung Chung Line       
    Airport Express       

    (3)if there were occasions when the MTR signalling system was unstable during the period from 28 September 2014 to the present; if there were such occasions, whether wear and tear of the mechanical parts caused by a drastic increase in patronage was one of the causes; and

    (4)the concrete measures adopted by the MTR Corporation Limited at present to cope with the additional passenger throughput, including the number of extra trains running during the peak hours, the implementation criteria for and content of crowd control measures, as well as the detailed working arrangements for the newly added staff?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

*16. Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki to ask: (Translation)


The Government has completed a number of major infrastructure projects in recent years, and several public works projects are forthcoming or underway. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the following information on the completed projects listed in Table 1: (i) the initial cost estimate, (ii) the actual cost, (iii) the initial anticipated completion date, (iv) the actual completion date, (v) the initial anticipated usage in respect of the past five years, and (vi) the actual usage in the past five years;

    Table 1

    Name of Project(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)
    Hong Kong - Shenzhen Western Corridor      
    Stage One of Tsing Sha Highway (the section between Cheung Sha Wan and Sha Tin)      
    Stage Two of Tsing Sha Highway (the section between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan)      
    Kai Tak Cruise Terminal      

    (2)of the up-to-date information on the infrastructure projects under planning/underway listed in Table 2: (i) the cost estimate, (ii) the anticipated completion date, and (iii) the anticipated usage or economic benefits to be achieved in respect of the first five years;

    Table 2

    Name of Project(i)(ii)(iii)
    South Island Link of MTR   
    Shatin to Central Link of MTR   
    Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge   
    Tuen Mun-Chap Lap Kok Link and Tuen Mun Western Bypass   
    Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link   
    Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line   
    Lok Ma Chau Loop   
    West Kowloon Cultural District   
    Kai Tak Development   
    New Development Areas in the North East New Territories and Hung Shui Kiu   

    (3)of the up-to-date information on the land development projects under planning/underway listed in Table 3: (i) the cost estimate, (ii) the anticipated completion date, and (iii) the anticipated usage or economic benefits to be achieved in the first five years;

    Table 3

    Name of Project(i)(ii)(iii)
    Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point    
    Seven new railway proposals:

    Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station
    Tuen Mun South Extension
    East Kowloon Line
    Tung Chung West Extension
    Hung Shui Kiu Station
    South Island Line (West)
    North Island Line    		   
    Ex-Lamma Quarry Area at Sok Kwu Wan of Lamma Island   
    Artificial islands in the central waters   
    Three-Runway System Project at the Hong Kong International Airport    
    Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link   

    (4)given that a number of major infrastructure projects will be carried out in parallel in the next few years, whether the authorities have assessed if there will be a shortage of skilled personnel and engineers in the construction industry of Hong Kong; if they have, of the details; whether the authorities have taken into account the demand and supply of manpower when making estimations on the costs and completion dates for various projects; and

    (5)how the authorities will ensure the quality of various major infrastructure projects so as to guard against shoddy construction standard?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

*17. Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask: (Translation)


Since the 28th of last month, the Occupy Central movement has triggered a large number of people occupying roads in Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok for holding assemblies ("OC assemblies"). It was reported that some participants of the OC assemblies in Mong Kok said that they had been harassed and assaulted by people who opposed the OC assemblies but the police officers had failed to stop such people's acts effectively, thereby giving rise to an allegation that the police officers had enforced the law unfairly. Furthermore, some participants of the OC assemblies said that police officers had used excessive force in dispersing the participants of the assemblies and they had even allegedly assaulted a man who had already been subdued. The Police have openly called for the participants of the OC assemblies to lodge complaints with the Complaints Against Police Office ("CAPO") if they are dissatisfied with the way the Police have handled the matter. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of requests for assistance in relation to the OC assemblies received by the Police since the 28th of last month, with a breakdown by nature of the cases as well as by the date and location of such cases; and the number of persons arrested at the locations of the assemblies, with a breakdown by the offence allegedly committed by such persons;

    (2)of the number of complaints received by CAPO about the OC assemblies since the 28th of last month, with a breakdown by nature of the cases as well as by the date and location of such cases; and

    (3)in each of the past five years, of the number of civil actions in tort instituted by members of the public in respect of the acts of police officers and, among such cases, the respective numbers of those cases in which (i) judgements ruled in favour of the plaintiff and (ii) out-of-court settlements were reached by both parties to proceedings, as well as the respective amounts of compensations paid by the Government each year to the plaintiffs of these two types of cases?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*18. Hon NG Leung-sing to ask: (Translation)


It has been reported that the impact of the Occupy Central movement on commercial activities is gradually surfacing. For instance, the Westpac Banking Corporation of Australia has cancelled its Board meeting originally scheduled to be held in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1) whether it has assessed the medium and long term impact of the Occupy Central movement on the financial sector of Hong Kong; if it has, of the results; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (2)whether it has taken measures to mitigate the impact of the Occupy Central movement on the status of Hong Kong as an international financial centre?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

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


In reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in July this year, the Government said that the Department of Health had embarked on preparatory work for the colorectal cancer screening pilot programme ("pilot programme"), which was announced in this year's Policy Address. It has been reported that due to the concern about a drastic increase in the burden on medical services, the authorities have set the target group of the pilot programme to be persons between the age of 61 to 70. In addition, the authorities have plans to grant special allowances to doctors so as to attract doctors to work overtime during weekends to perform colorectal cancer screening, but they have received a lukewarm response from doctors. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1) of the current progress of the preparatory work for the pilot programme, and when the programme can be implemented; how the authorities will provide more incentives to attract doctors to perform colorectal cancer screening;

    (2)as it has recently been reported that several celebrities from the film and television industries who are aged around 50 have suffered from colorectal cancer, which has aroused public concern about the risk of people in that age group of developing colorectal cancer, and given that some gastroenterology specialists have pointed out that 50 is the age with the peak incidence rate of colorectal cancer, and that 50 is the starting age for their colorectal cancer screening programmes in the United States and some European countries, whether the authorities will consider afresh setting the age of 50 as the starting age of the target group for the pilot programme; and

    (3)given that it has been reported that consumption of substandard cooking oil will increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer, and that recently several hundreds of eateries have been found to have used substandard lard imported from Taiwan which was produced from raw materials from Hong Kong, whether the authorities have studied if the entry of substandard cooking oil into the food chain has increased the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in Hong Kong; if they have studied and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether they will expedite the implementation of the pilot programme; if they have not, whether they can forthwith conduct such studies?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

* For written reply

III. Motions



1.Proposed resolution under section 54A of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development to move the motion in Appendix I.

(The motion was also issued on 16 June 2014
under LC Paper No. CB(3)723/13-14)

Hon CHAN Chi-chuen and Hon Albert CHAN to move amendments
to the proposed resolution.

(The amendments were issued on 27 June 2014
under LC Paper No. CB(3)767/13-14)

(The voting arrangement for the proposed resolution was issued on 30 June and 30 September 2014 under LC Papers Nos. CB(3)770/13-14 and CB(3)13/14-15)

Other Public Officer to attend:Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

2.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 16 June 2014, be approved -

(a)the Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2014; and

(b)the Poisons List (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2014.

(The two Regulations are in Appendices II and III and were also issued
on 19 June 2014 under LC Paper No. CB(3)735/13-14)

IV. Members' Motions



1.Proposed resolution under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Hon TAM Yiu-chung to move the following motion:

Resolved that the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region be amended as set out in the Schedule.

Schedule

Amendment to Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

1.Rule 17 amended (quorum)

Rule 17(3)-
Repeal
"the President shall count the Council. If a quorum is then present the Council shall again resolve itself into committee but if a quorum is not present".

2.Motion under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance

Hon WONG Yuk-man to move the following motion:

That this Council appoints a select committee to inquire into the police's handling of the triad gangs' attacks on citizens rallying in Mong Kok on 3 October 2014; and that in the performance of its duties the committee be authorized under section 9(2) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) to exercise the powers conferred by section 9(1) of that Ordinance.

Public Officers to attend:Secretary for Security
Under Secretary for Security

3.Motion under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance

Hon Andrew LEUNG to move the following motion:

That this Council appoints a select committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident of the breaking out of large-scale unlawful occupation of roads in a number of districts since 28 September this year, including its organization and planning, funding sources, the public order and safety problems caused by the incident, the impacts on various aspects of Hong Kong, the Government's handling of the incident and all other related issues; and that in the performance of its duties the committee be authorized under section 9(2) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) to exercise the powers conferred by section 9(1) of that Ordinance.

Public Officers to attend:Secretary for Security
Under Secretary for Security

4.Returning a happy childhood to students

Hon Michael TIEN to move the following motion:(Translation)

That the majority view of society has all along held that 'pressure leads to progress'; nowadays, there are many books and discussions available at the market about 'tiger moms and dads', 'helicopter parents' and 'monster parents', etc. for boosting children's learning, but excessive boosting may likely increase pressure on children and dampen their learning interests; the results of a survey conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment show that some Hong Kong parents excessively intervene in children's learning and drill them by being over-anxious for results, rendering a decline of children's motivation to learn and a negative impact on their academic results; quite a number of media reports have also pointed out that some Hong Kong students have emotional problems because of heavy study pressure, and they become easily anxious and have symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite and irritability, etc.; all these problems are attributable to the education system which emphasizes solely on examination results; at the stage of kindergarten education, parents have already enrolled their children in many types of interest classes and request them to do dictation and spelling exercises, etc.; at the stage of primary education, students need to participate in the Territory-wide System Assessment, the Internal Assessments for Secondary School Places Allocation purpose that take place at the end of Primary Five and both in mid-year and at the end of Primary Six, and the Pre-Secondary One Hong Kong Attainment Test; at the stage of secondary education, students are faced with a shortage of university places and the 'die‍‍ or live' pressure from the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination; in contrast, the education systems and teaching modes in many advanced places are better able to provide students with room for exploring their interests to enhance their creativity development; in this connection, this Council urges the Administration to:

(1)assess afresh the pressure and psychological impact of the existing education system on students, and comprehensively review the examination system, the curriculum contents and the mechanism for progression in education;

(2)enhance parental education to avoid parents from excessively boosting children's learning; and

(3)enhance the support for school social workers and teachers to facilitate them to early identify whether or not students are under excessive pressure.

Amendments to the motion
(i)Dr Hon Helena WONG to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add "'joyful learning' is a learning guideline issued to schools by the Education Bureau, but" after "That"; to delete "and" after "excessively boosting children's learning;"; and to add "; and (4) review the assessment contents of the Territory-wide System Assessment to avoid the need for students to undergo mechanical drills on examination questions, and study whether the Territory-wide System Assessment should be abolished, so as to reduce students' study pressure" immediately before the full stop.

(ii)Hon Alice MAK to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", although" after "That"; to delete ";" after "'pressure leads to progress'" and substitute with ", and"; to delete "but" after "for boosting children's learning,"; to delete "and" after "excessively boosting children's learning;"; and to add "; (4) allocate additional resources to assist students with learning difficulties and those with special learning needs, including identifying such students as early as possible and providing them with training and support on all fronts, so as to reduce their study pressure; (5) streamline the existing curriculum contents of primary and secondary education, so that teachers and students will not come under pressure for catching up with the curricula, and students can use the spare lesson time to cultivate their personal learning interests; (6) encourage schools to invite experts from different industries to hold workshops and experience programmes, so as to broaden students' horizons and enable their understanding of potentials, thereby cultivating the relevant interests and developing their careers in the future; and (7) sort out the negative impacts of study pressure on students and give comprehensive care to students' physical and mental development, including increasing the support services provided by clinical psychologists and medical social workers in schools to offer emotional and psychological counselling to students, and expanding the school dental care service and the student health service to ensure that they have good physical health for learning" immediately before the full stop.

(iii)Hon IP Kin-yuen to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", under Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is the right of the child to rest and leisure, and the state parties to the convention should encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity to children; the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF also calls on parents to provide children with at least one hour of free play a day; yet," after "That"; to add ", and even self-destruction behaviour" after "irritability, etc."; to add "(2) firmly uphold the policy of small-class education in primary schools, and expeditiously implement small-class teaching in secondary schools, so as to improve students' learning environment, enhance students' concentration and increase teacher-student interaction; (3) examine the impacts of the morbid and substantive change in education brought about by the Territory-wide System Assessment on schools and students, and expeditiously rectify the pitfalls; if rectification is not viable, the Administration should abolish the Territory-wide System Assessment, so as to bring school education back to the normal track and reduce students' study pressure; (4) provide more support to students with special education needs and non-Chinese speaking students, so as to eliminate the barriers in their learning and social life; (5) conduct studies on the impacts of the curricula of playgroups and interest classes available at the market on children's intellectual and psychological development, and introduce appropriate regulation, so as to avoid such curricula and activities having negative impacts on children's growth;" after "progression in education;"; to delete the original "(2)" and substitute with "(6)"; and to delete the original "(3)" and substitute with "(7)".

(iv)Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add ", as competition is keen in society," after "That"; to delete "society" after "majority view of" and substitute with "Hong Kong"; to delete "there are many books and discussions available at the market about 'tiger moms and dads', 'helicopter parents' and 'monster parents', etc." after "nowadays," and substitute with "many books are available at the market"; to delete "do dictation and spelling exercises, etc." after "request them to" and substitute with "learn 'by rote', thus greatly stifling their creativity"; to add "set true ideals for education," after "(1)"; to add "whether" after "and comprehensively review"; to add "can truly achieve the objectives of education" after "progression in education"; to add "and encourage parents to attach more importance to children's learning process, growth and interests, so as" after "parental education"; to add ", thus enabling children to grow up more happily; (3) enhance the education on building students' self-confidence and the promotion of diversified career pathways, so as to avoid taking examination results as the sole objective of learning by students" after "excessively boosting children's learning"; and to delete the original "(3)" and substitute with "(4)".

(v)Hon Charles Peter MOK to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "the majority view of society has all along held" after "That" and substitute with "some parents in Hong Kong hold"; to delete "and" after "excessively boosting children's learning;"; and to add "; (4) develop a diversified education system, including strengthening vocational education, arts education and physical education, so as to reduce the pressure of public examinations on students, and assist those students who are unable to adapt to conventional education in choosing study pathways according to their abilities and interests; and (5) increase the number of tertiary education places, especially the degree programme places offered by institutions funded by the University Grants Committee, so as to alleviate students' pressure arising from the need to compete for such places" immediately before the full stop.

Public Officers to attend:Secretary for Education
Under Secretary for Education

5.Reorganising the Government's structure to improve its policy implementation

Hon Kenneth LEUNG to move the following motion: (Translation)

That the current-term Government has repeatedly committed blunders in its policy implementation, and the policies as implemented are not in place and unable to respond to people's demands, coupled with the situations where a number of officials successively committed scandals and serious dereliction of duty, resulting in serious doubts about the Government's ability to govern and implement policies; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to examine afresh its operating structure, and after consulting the Legislative Council and the public, to effect improvement, adjustment and division of labour in respect of the functions, objectives and policy portfolios of various policy bureaux, and to conduct structural reorganisation on a need basis for enhancing the quality and competence of various policy bureaux and the departments under their purview in policy formulation and execution, making the Government's policy implementation more open, closely follow public opinions, integrated and consistent.

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

To add ", as" after "That"; to add "the Chief Executive, Members of the Executive Council and" after "the situations where"; to add "had conflicts of interest and" after "successively"; to delete "; in this connection" after "implement policies"; and to add "to review and improve the system of declaration of interests by Members of the Executive Council and the Code for Officials under the Political Appointment System, to implement the various recommendations in the Report of the Independent Review Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Potential Conflicts of Interest," after "urges the Government".

(ii)Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "the current-term Government has repeatedly committed blunders in its policy implementation, and the policies as implemented are not in place and unable to respond to people's demands, coupled with the situations where a number of officials successively committed scandals and serious dereliction of duty, resulting in serious doubts about" after "That" and substitute with ", in the face of the complicated and volatile external environment and Hong Kong's development needs, the Government's governance structure should keep pace with the times for enhancing" and to add ", including expeditiously establishing an innovation and technology bureau," after "basis".

(iii)Hon Charles Peter MOK to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "," after "demands" and substitute with "; no thorough consideration is given to policies before they are launched, and an effective review mechanism is also lacking; in coping with the structural problems in Hong Kong's economic and social development, the Government often adopts short-term or interim measures, and delays the implementation of long-term planning;"; to add "also do not have the experience that corresponds to their functions and even" after "officials"; to add ", the functions of accountability officials and the relevant entry requirements, to appoint people whose experience corresponds to the relevant functions as principal officials of the Government, to clearly set out the criteria for holding principal officials accountable for their faults" after "structure"; to add ", to review the effectiveness of the accountability system for principal officials" after "portfolios of various policy bureaux"; to delete "for enhancing" after "basis" and substitute with "; the Government should also improve the policy review mechanism, so as to enhance"; and to add ", efficiency" after "quality".

Public Officer to attend : The Chief Secretary for Administration

6.Motion for the adjournment of the Council under Rule 16(4) of the Rules of Procedure

Hon WONG Yuk-man to move the following motion: (Translation)

That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of debating the following issue: the security arrangements adopted by the Legislative Council in respect of large-scale public events.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Security

Clerk to the Legislative Council