A 15/16-7
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 25 November 2015 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
| Subsidiary Legislation / Instruments | L.N. No. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 6) Order 2015 | 227/2015 |
| 2. | Securities and Futures (Contracts Limits and Reportable Positions) (Amendment) Rules 2015 | 228/2015 |
| 3. | Declaration of Change of Titles (Communications and Technology Branch and Secretaries of Communications and Technology Branch) Notice 2015 | 230/2015 |
Other Papers
II. Questions
1. Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask: (Translation)
Some flat owners of private residential buildings have relayed to me that the problem of bid-rigging in relation to building maintenance works has become serious in recent years. They have pointed out that as most flat owners lack the professional knowledge in maintenance works, it is difficult for them to judge whether the tender prices of various maintenance works are reasonable. Moreover, there are loopholes in the process for implementing building maintenance works pursuant to statutory orders, which have been exploited by bid-rigging syndicates. For instance, flat owners are required to hire authorized persons as project consultants to co-ordinate and supervise maintenance works, and yet the independence of the authorized persons is in doubt as they may have intricate connections with the works companies submitting bids. Furthermore, members of owners' corporations ("OCs") are subject to individual flat owners' queries from time to time as to whether they have handled the tendering exercises for maintenance works in an impartial manner, and consequently neighbourhood relationship is strained. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of reports and complaints received by the Government in each of the past five years about suspected bid-rigging in relation to residential building maintenance works (with a breakdown by District Council district); the number of substantiated cases and the names of the housing estates involved, and whether the authorities have instituted prosecutions in respect of such cases; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) given that some members of the public have criticized that the Government has failed to take the initiative to combat bid-rigging and its combating efforts are ineffective, whether the Government will consider taking measures, which are more effective, to combat bid-rigging; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) given that a political party has recommended the Government to improve the process for implementing building maintenance works pursuant to statutory orders, establish an independent supervising institution which will appoint authorized persons as advance works consultants to take charge of tendering matters in collaboration with independent accountants, and then let OCs appoint at the same time the works companies and authorized persons responsible for monitoring the works, with a view to combating bid-rigging activities, whether the authorities will take on board such recommendations; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
| Public Officers to reply | : | Secretary for Development
Secretary for Home Affairs |
2. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)
The Secretary for the Environment ("the Secretary") will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21 ("the Climate Conference") to be held in Paris at the end of this month, and the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit will also be held in Paris at the same time. So far, the Secretary has not announced any new emission reduction commitments for Hong Kong and he has merely indicated that he will co-ordinate the efforts within the Government and communicate with the industries concerned after the Climate Conference. There are comments that this stance is not conducive to promoting international and inter-city discussions on addressing climate change. Regarding the Government's efforts in addressing climate change, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
(1) given that there are a number of issues on the agenda of the Climate Conference, of the issues the discussion of which will be participated by the Secretary, and the major issues of concern of the authorities; whether the Government will pledge to set more stringent carbon reduction targets; if it will, of the details and the implementation date; (2) given that electricity generation and transportation are the major sources of greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions in Hong Kong, and the Scheme of Control Agreement ("SCA") which regulates the power sector will expire in 2018, whether the Environment Bureau ("ENB") has any plans to require the two power companies to shoulder more responsibilities in reducing GHG emissions under the new SCA; if ENB has such plans, of the details; concerning the reduction of GHG emissions from transportation, apart from the emission reduction measures mentioned in the Hong Kong Climate Change Report 2015, whether the Government has made reference to the experience of other regions and conducted studies on introducing other emission reduction measures; if it has, of the details; and (3) given that the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group has organized the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Awards for three successive years since 2013 to commend cities for implementing effective policies relating to climate change (e.g. promoting low-carbon lifestyle and green buildings) and share the experience with other cities, and that Hong Kong, despite being a member of the C40 Steering Committee, was not granted any awards in those three years, whether ENB has reviewed what relevant policy areas improvements on which Hong Kong needs to make, in order to enhance its efforts in addressing climate change?
3. Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki to ask: (Translation)
Under the relevant legislation, the Chief Executive may, in his capacity as the Chancellor of the various publicly-funded tertiary institutions, appoint the chairmen and some of the members of the supreme governing bodies (i.e. "the Council") of these institutions. The term of office of the immediate past Chairman of the Council of the University of Hong Kong ("HKU Council") ended on the 6th of this month, but the authorities have not yet announced the successor as of the middle of this month. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the factors to be taken into account by the Chancellor under the existing system in appointing the Chairman and members of the HKU Council, and whether such factors include the candidate's stance on safeguarding university autonomy and academic freedom, his familiarity with the affairs of the university, the political stance he has taken and his relationship with the Central Authorities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) of the specific reasons for the Chancellor not announcing the successor before the departure from office of the immediate past Chairman of the HKU Council; whether such reasons include the opposition from the public and the teaching staff and students of the university to a particular candidate; whether the office of the Chairman of the HKU Council has previously been left vacant in the past because the Chancellor had yet to make any appointment; whether the authorities have assessed the impact on the operation of the university caused by such office being left vacant; if they have, of the details; and (3) whether the Chancellor, prior to appointing the chairmen and members of the supreme governing bodies of the various institutions, is required under the existing system to fully consult the teaching staff and students of the respective institutions as well as the public; if not, of the reasons for that; if so, the details, and when an appointment is being extensively questioned, whether the Chancellor is required to withdraw his decision to make such an appointment and conduct afresh another consultation on the appointment; if not, of the reasons for that?
4. Hon Starry LEE to ask: (Translation)
The study report published by the University of Hong Kong in August this year showed that among the members of the public aged 12 or above who responded to a survey, 62% claimed that they could speak English. However, upon assessment by researchers, only about 27% and 24% of the respondents had actually attained a certain level of proficiency in oral English and written English respectively (i.e. their proficiency was assessed as "Quite well, Well or Very well"), and only about 2% and 5% of respondents had been assessed as "Very well" in proficiency of oral English and written English respectively. Moreover, according to a report released by an education organization this month on English proficiency ranking of adults, Hong Kong ranked 33rd among 70 countries and territories and ninth in the Asian region (trailing behind Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam), and its ranking is also lower than those of Shanghai and Beijing among Chinese cities. At the same time, the Examination Report and Question Papers for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination published by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority this month also pointed out that some candidates sitting the English Language examination had used "Chinglish" in their composition, while candidates sitting Paper 4 on speaking skills were found to have a limited vocabulary and could only use simple words repeatedly in conversation. Regarding the English proficiency of Hong Kong people, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has examined if the aforesaid reports have objectively reflected the English proficiency of Hong Kong people; of the authorities' scientific methods to assess the English proficiency of Hong Kong people; (2) whether it knows the number of schools in Hong Kong currently using English as the medium of daily communication on campus; of the measures in place to encourage schools to foster a good English-learning environment, such as organizing more activities like drama, recitation and singing to be conducted in English, so as to develop students' interest in learning English; and (3) whether it has reviewed the effectiveness of the Native-speaking English Teacher ("NET") Scheme which is currently implemented, including whether NETs only play a peripheral role to the English curriculums, and whether there are adequate opportunities for students to interact and exchange with NETs on campus; if it has reviewed, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
5. Hon Steven HO to ask: (Translation)
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ("HZMB") is an important infrastructure project to link up the three places of Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macao. However, the HZMB project has been delayed repeatedly, and its completion date is not yet confirmed. Some fishermen have relayed to me that this project and other marine works not only have affected their fishing activities, but also posed hazards to the safety of vessels navigating at night as some works materials such as silt curtains have been left in the sea and become floating objects. Furthermore, the Government currently will not increase the ex-gratia allowances ("EGA") for fishermen in respect of project delays. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) how the relevant government departments currently monitor the works progress of the contractors of the HZMB project; whether the authorities will provide compensations to the fishermen affected by the delays of that project; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) as some fishermen have pointed out that the Government has failed to closely monitor the impacts of marine works on the fisheries industry and marine ecology, whether the Government has collected, before and after such works, data on the marine ecology and fisheries resources in the waters where marine works will be/have been carried out, so as to assess the impacts of such works more accurately; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will collect such data; whether it will strengthen the monitoring of marine works contractors to ascertain if they have securely fastened works materials such as silt curtains, so as to ensure the safe navigation of vessels; and (3) given that delays in marine works will prolong the duration for which fishermen cannot carry out fishing activities in the waters concerned, whether the authorities will review the current system of EGA for fishermen, so as to grant additional EGA to fishermen affected by project delays?
6. Hon WONG Kwok-hing to ask: (Translation)
The Government introduced a total of four rounds of time-limited electricity charges subsidy scheme ("the scheme") in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively to provide electricity charges subsidy to each residential electricity account. The first three rounds of the scheme ended on 30 June this year, and the last round will end on 30 June next year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the balance of approved commitment, the number of the households which did not use up the electricity charges subsidy and the average amount of unused subsidy of such households, in each of the first three rounds of the scheme; whether it has projected if there will be any remaining approved commitment when the fourth round of the scheme ends; if it has projected, of the details; whether it will consider distributing the balance of the approved commitment of the various rounds of the scheme to the households concerned in the form of cash; if it will consider, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) as some low-income families have relayed to me that the scheme helps reduce their financial burden, whether the authorities will consider extending the implementation period of the various rounds of the scheme to 10 years or until the approved commitment is used up (whichever is earlier); if they will consider, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) as there are views that some members of the public may not pay heed to reducing electricity consumption as there is still unused subsidy remaining in their electricity accounts, whether the authorities will consider expanding the coverage of the scheme by, for example, allowing members of the public to use the subsidy to purchase energy-efficient electrical appliances so as to encourage them to save energy; if they will consider, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*7. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
In January this year, the Securities and Futures Commission ("SFC") served a Restriction Notice against Goodcape Securities Limited ("GSL"), prohibiting the company from carrying out all of the regulated activities for which it had been licensed under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(1) the number of complaints received by SFC to date from GSL's clients against the company and the total amount of money involved, with a breakdown by the content of the complaints (e.g. securities trading, deposits, etc.); (2) the number of GSL's clients who submitted claims to the Investor Compensation Fund to date and, among them, the respective numbers of claims for which compensation has been paid and which are being handled; the number of claims for which compensation will not be paid and whether the claimants have been notified of the decision that compensation will not be paid to them; and (3) the total amount of GSL's assets frozen at present; when SFC will commence the liquidation proceedings against GSL?
*8. Hon Abraham SHEK to ask: (Translation)
Regarding the handling of complaints about water seepage, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Joint Office ("JO") set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Buildings Department is responsible for handling complaints about water seepage in buildings, of the number of complaints about water seepage in residential premises received by JO in each of the past three years; among these complaints, of the respective numbers of cases in which investigation staff entered the premises concerned to conduct tests and those in which they failed to do so; (2) whether the staff of the outsourced consultants or those of JO are currently responsible for entering the premises concerned to investigate water seepage complaints; (3) of (i) the criteria adopted by JO for appointing the consultants, (ii) the average amount of fees currently paid to the consultants by JO for each case, and (iii) the total amount of fees paid last year to the consultants by JO; and (4) in respect of cases in which the sources of water seepage have not been identified despite that staff have entered the premises concerned to conduct tests, whether JO will continue to follow them up, such as by arranging staff to enter the premises concerned to conduct other tests until the sources of seepage have been identified; if JO will, of the details, as well as the average amount of fees currently charged by the consultants on each occasion for arranging staff to enter the premises concerned for the second time to conduct other tests in respect of such type of cases; if not, the reasons for that?
*9. Hon CHUNG Kwok-pan to ask: (Translation)
Some owners of enterprises have pointed out that the Government should advocate that while pursuing profits, enterprises should conduct their business in a sustainable manner, including avoiding damage to the environment and fulfilling corporate social responsibilities. It is learnt that the international fashion industry is taking strides towards this major trend, and leaders of the local fashion industry have also spearheaded the sustainable development of the industry, making achievements that surpass those of other Asian cities. Regarding the sustainable development of traditional industries (in particular the fashion industry) and emerging industries, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the specific measures implemented by the Government in the past three years to promote the sustainable development of various industries; whether it has studied the effectiveness of such measures; if it has, of the details; (2) given that the Government plans to develop a number of emerging industries, such as the innovation and technology industry, of the specific measures the Government has in place to foster the sustainable development of the various emerging industries; (3) given that some members of the fashion industry have proposed the setting up of the first fashion centre in Hong Kong with the theme of sustainable development, with a view to helping Hong Kong become a knowledge hub for the sustainable development of the international fashion industry on one hand, and propelling Hong Kong's economic development on the other, whether the Government will support such proposal; if it will, of the implementation details of the proposal; if not, the reasons for that; and (4) given that the Advisory Group on Implementation of Fashion Initiatives established by the Government will launch a series of measures on a pilot basis in the next three years to promote the development of the fashion industry, whether the Group will study issues relating to the sustainable development of the fashion industry, and how the various government departments concerned will dovetail with the work of the Group?
*10. Hon WONG Kwok-kin to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that at present, quite a number of Hong Kong elderly people are residing on the Mainland ("Hong Kong elderly people on the Mainland"). Last month, the Government launched a pilot scheme under which eligible Hong Kong elderly people may use the Elderly Health Care Voucher ("HCV") to pay for designated outpatient services in the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital ("HKU-SZ Hospital"), which is jointly operated by the University of Hong Kong and the Shenzhen Municipal Government. However, some Hong Kong elderly people on the Mainland have remarked that as the majority of them reside in various areas outside Shenzhen in the Guangdong Province, they can hardly use HCV unless they travel a long distance to seek medical consultation at the HKU-SZ Hospital. The pilot scheme is therefore of very limited help to them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the anticipated annual number of attendances of elderly people seeking medical consultation at the HKU-SZ Hospital and using HCV; the means and channels through which the authorities inform the Hong Kong elderly people on the Mainland of the details of the pilot scheme; (2) when it will conduct a review of the pilot scheme and of the criteria based on which it will conduct the review; (3) whether it will consider extending the pilot scheme to other areas in the Guangdong Province; if it will, of the targeted areas and implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that; (4) whether the authorities anticipate that difficulties (e.g. the service quality and regulatory control of medical institutions), other than exchange rate issues, will be encountered when extending the pilot scheme to other areas or other medical institutions on the Mainland; if they do, of the details, and how the authorities will resolve such difficulties; (5) whether it knows the respective numbers of Hong Kong medical institutions currently operating medical business on the Mainland in the form of joint venture and wholly-owned enterprise under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement; whether the authorities have discussed with those medical institutions the provision of medical services collaboratively for Hong Kong elderly people on the Mainland; if they have, of the details; if not, whether they will consider conducting such discussions; if they will, of the criteria to be adopted by the authorities for deciding whether they will co-operate with such medical institutions; and (6) of the schemes that the authorities will launch in the long run, in addition to expanding the Elderly HCV Scheme, to meet the medical needs of the Hong Kong elderly people on the Mainland?
*11. Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask: (Translation)
It is learnt that despite substantial wage rises in the construction industry for eight consecutive years to attract and retain manpower, and the authorities' efforts to strengthen vocational training for the industry, the construction industry is still facing the problem of manpower shortage. Besides, as there are insufficient training venues and facilities, the number of training places offered by some training courses (e.g. operation of heavy plant and equipment) cannot be increased to cope with the demand. There are views that as a number of major infrastructure projects will soon commence in Hong Kong, the authorities should seriously explore the feasibility of further importation of foreign labour. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows, regarding the training courses offered by the Construction Industry Council and the Vocational Training Council for each of the trades (including heavy plant and equipment operator, formwork carpenter, bar bender and fixer, bamboo scaffolder, metal scaffolder, leveller and concretor) in each of the past three years, (i) the student intake, (ii) the percentage of the student intake in the number of training places offered, and (iii) the number of persons waiting for admission; (2) whether the authorities have conducted studies on the supply of and demand for places of training courses of the construction industry in the past three years; if they have conducted such studies and the outcome shows that such places were in short supply, of the authorities' solutions and the relevant details; if they have not conducted such studies, the reasons for that; (3) of the number of applications for importation of labour received by the authorities since the implementation of further enhancement measures under the Supplementary Labour Scheme in May this year and, among them, the numbers of approved cases and workers involved, with a breakdown of such information by trade; and (4) as it takes time to train up construction workers and a number of major infrastructure projects (including the Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System project) will soon commence, which will surely aggravate the manpower shortage problem, whether the authorities will review the policy on importation of foreign labour, including setting a certain number of foreign workers to be imported and further enhancing the relevant measures, so as to resolve the problem of manpower shortage in the construction industry; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*12. Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to ask: (Translation)
In recent years, credit cards that need no card readers or card-swiping for data transmission and only Near Field Communication technology is needed to complete transactions through short-range wireless (i.e. "contactless") data transmission (commonly known as "touch-and-pay") have become increasingly popular. Recently, it was discovered that one could easily read the electronic information stored in contactless credit cards just by placing smart phones with certain mobile applications in the proximity of those cards, which has aroused concerns about the security of those credit cards. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") also announced the names of the seven card-issuing banks involved and required them to recall and replace those problematic credit cards expeditiously. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of reports of crimes involving contactless credit cards in each of the past three years; (2) whether HKMA has issued clear guidelines to card-issuing banks in respect of the security of contactless credit cards; if HKMA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (3) whether HKMA has investigated into the reasons why the information stored in the credit cards concerned can be read easily; if HKMA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (4) how HKMA regulates and enhances the security of contactless credit cards to protect credit card users; and (5) whether HKMA has considered ways to step up publicity and education on the use of contactless credit cards safely, so as to enable users to understand the potential risks involved in using those credit cards and the ways to prevent personal data stored in credit cards from being stolen; if HKMA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*13. Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
The Census and Statistics Department ("C&SD") released, in September 2013 and October this year respectively, two feature articles on Hong Kong labour force projections for 2013 to 2041 and those for 2015 to 2064. Some members of the public have queried why there are significant discrepancies between the projection figures in the two articles. For example, while the former projected the size of the labour force in 2041 at about 3 520 000, the latter projected it at about 3 410 000 in the same year, with a difference of about 110 000 between them. Regarding labour force projections, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the reasons for the significant change in the size of 2041 labour force projected in the aforesaid two articles within a short period of two years; whether C&SD will make public the relevant projection methodology; (2) of the constraints on, and assumptions in, the making of the labour force projections by C&SD at present; how C&SD ensures that the existing methodology for labour force projections is in line with the relevant international standards; and (3) in the course of compiling the aforesaid labour force projections by C&SD, whether government officials other than those in C&SD have given views or data to C&SD; if so, of the details, and whether C&SD has changed its projection methodology in the light of the views and data involving political factors which it has received?
*14. Hon Christopher CHUNG to ask: (Translation)
At present, quite a number of non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") in Hong Kong provide various types of social welfare services by applying for grants from the Government or various funds or schemes administered by it. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following detailed information of each NGO (set out in a table): (i) name, (ii) the amount of grants received in the current financial year to date and their uses, the source of such grants (e.g. from the Government, a fund or a scheme), and (iii) the year in which the NGO received grant for the first time; and (2) of the current number of funds/schemes from which NGOs may apply for grants; regarding each of such funds/schemes, of its name, the number of grant applications received and the amount of grants allocated in the current financial year to date, as well as its current balance (set out in a table)?
*15. Hon CHEUNG Kwok-che to ask: (Translation)
The Government has indicated in the 2015 Policy Address that it will increase the manpower of social workers in all Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness ("ICCMWs") so as to enhance the support for mental patients. Many social workers have relayed to me that currently ICCMWs have unclear positioning of their services and their manpower is inadequate. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that each ICCMW is currently serving a population of about 330 000 while the number of people in need of mental health services is rising, whether the Government will conduct a detailed study on the demand for ICCMW's services in various districts and increase resources for and manpower of ICCMWs in light of the results of such a study; if it will, of the details; (2) whether the Government will set up additional ICCMWs in the coming three years to cope with the service demand; if it will, of the details; (3) given that at present the authorities has only stipulated that the target users of ICCMWs are people aged 15 or above, whether the Government will set an upper age limit for people using ICCMWs, so that ICCMWs can provide services which are more suitable for users, and have a clearer division of labour and collaboration with other types of social services; (4) whether the Government will, on a regular basis, provide systematic on-the-job training on mental health services to the social workers newly recruited by ICCMWs, so as to enhance service quality and retain talents; if it will, of the details; (5) as some survey findings have indicated that there is currently a brain drain problem among welfare workers and activity assistants in ICCMWs due to unsatisfactory career prospect, whether the Government will enhance the qualifications recognition and promotion prospects for staff of these grades (e.g. by creating posts/grades such as occupational therapy assistant, rehabilitation training assistant, etc. and providing recognized training to assist them in obtaining professional qualifications); if it will, of the details; and (6) in respect of the 24 ICCMWs across the territory, of the following information on each ICCMW in each year from 2011-2012 to 2014-2015: (i) team size (i.e. 1 stands for full team and 0.5 stands for half a team, etc.), (ii) number of serious cases handled, (iii) number of general cases handled, (iv) number of members, (v) number of family members served, and (vi) number of social worker posts (set out such information for each year in the table of the same format as the table below)?
Year: __________
Centre (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) Centre 1 Centre 2 Centre 3 Centre 4 .
.
.Centre 24
*16. Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)
Some members of the public have relayed to me that the waiting time for public rental housing ("PRH") is getting increasingly longer at present, and they have no way to know the method by which the Housing Department ("HD") calculates the waiting time of the PRH applicants. Furthermore, according to Report No. 61 of the Director of Audit, published in October 2013, the method by which HD calculates the PRH applicants' average waiting time lacks transparency, and the average waiting time claimed by HD is different from the actual waiting time perceived by the applicants. The Director of Audit also suggested that HD should make public the definition of average waiting time and the basis of its calculation. On the other hand, the Government attributes the prolonged waiting time of the PRH applicants to the opposition from members of the local communities and concern groups to some PRH projects as well as the increase in the applications for PRH from young people. Regarding the waiting time for and allocation of PRH, will the Government inform this Council of:
(1) the justifications for HD not making public the actual waiting time for PRH regularly and the basis of its calculation; (2) the actual waiting time of general PRH applicants in each of the past five financial years as well as the current financial year to date, and set out the relevant information in the table below:
Stage Average actual waiting time
(Year)Average actual waiting time
(from application to intake)
(Year)From application to registration From registration to first offer From first offer to second offer From second offer to third offer (3) the number of non-elderly singleton applicants on the PRH waiting list in each of the past 10 financial years as well as the current financial year to date, and set out a breakdown by education level (primary or below, secondary, tertiary or above) in a table; (4) the respective numbers of non-elderly singleton applicants allocated with PRH flats through (i) general application, (ii) compassionate rehousing and (iii) the Express Flat Allocation Scheme, in each of the past 10 financial years as well as the current financial year to date, and set out a breakdown by age group (18-30, 31-40, 41-50 and 51 or above) in a table; and (5) the total number of the projects opposed by members of the local communities or concern groups among those PRH projects proposed, commenced and completed in the past five financial years, as well as among those PRH projects planned to be built in the next five financial years, and set out the following information of the projects concerned: (i) the project names, (ii) the years in which the PRH projects were/scheduled to be completed, (iii) the number of flats built/planned to be built, (iv) the reasons for opposition, and (v) the modifications (e.g. reduction in the number of flats, abolition or deferral of the construction of the projects concerned) made in response to the objections?
*17. Hon Tony TSE to ask: (Translation)
In April this year, an explosion occurred in a workshop for repair and maintenance of vehicles ("vehicle workshop") in Tsz Wan Shan when a liquefied petroleum gas taxi was being repaired there, resulting in casualties and damage to property. Some members of the public have expressed concern about the adequacy of the regulation of vehicle workshops. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the authorities launched a Voluntary Registration Scheme for Vehicle Maintenance Workshops in July this year and vehicle workshops registered under the Scheme ("registered vehicle workshops") must comply with or pledge to abide by the Practice Guidelines for Vehicle Maintenance Workshops which specify the requirements on different aspects of vehicle workshops, of the respective current numbers of vehicle workshops and registered vehicle workshops, broken down by District Council district; whether the authorities will introduce a mandatory registration scheme for vehicle workshops; (2) whether the authorities will stipulate that vehicle workshops must comply with the terms of the relevant land leases and the requirements under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) or the Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131) before they are permitted to be registered; of the channels for members of the public to enquire whether individual vehicle workshops are operating in breach of the terms of relevant land leases ("non-compliant workshops"); (3) as it has been reported that the aforesaid vehicle workshop in which an explosion occurred is located within a residential area, and the permitted use of the unit concerned under the relevant land lease is "shop for non-domestic purpose", whether the authorities have investigated if the use of the relevant properties for operating that particular vehicle workshop and the other existing vehicle workshops in various districts is in breach of the relevant terms of the land leases; if they have investigated, of the outcome; (4) in the past three years, regarding those properties in which non-compliant workshops are located, of the numbers of cases in which the Lands Department (i) issued warning letters to the owners of the properties concerned, (ii) delivered the warning letters to the Land Registry for registration, and (iii) resumed the properties concerned; whether the authorities have any policy or plan to eradicate all non-compliant workshops; if they do, of the details; (5) given that under the Town Planning Ordinance, the Planning Department ("PlanD") is empowered to take law enforcement actions against unauthorized developments within development permission areas ("DPAs") only, and since the vehicle workshops in the urban areas are not located in DPAs, PlanD cannot take law enforcement actions against those vehicle workshops in the urban areas which are in breach of the permitted uses laid down in the relevant statutory plans, whether the authorities will consider amending the relevant ordinances to eradicate such vehicle workshops; and (6) whether it has assessed the public's demand for the vehicle repair and maintenance services provided by vehicle workshops, so that the relevant assessment outcome can serve as a reference when formulating enhanced regulatory plans for vehicle workshops; if it has, of the criteria adopted for conducting the assessment concerned?
*18. Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask: (Translation)
In February 2014, the Construction Industry Council formulated a labour-supply list for 26 trades. Regarding the training and supply of workers for those trades, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of training courses provided by the Vocational Training Council and the Construction Industry Council (including the training bodies under them) for each of the aforesaid trades from 2014 to October 2015, and the following information of each training course (set out in a table of the same format as the table below for each trade): (i) course name, (ii) training body, (iii) respective total numbers of training places offered last year and this year, (iv) entry requirements, (v) duration of training, and (vi) employment rate of graduated trainees; and
Trade: _______________
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) 2014 2015 (2) of the number of foreign workers imported from 2014 to October 2015 for each of the aforesaid trades?
*19. Hon Frederick FUNG to ask: (Translation)
The Chief Executive mentioned in the 2015 Policy Address that the Government must actively explore ways to increase the supply of subsidized sale flats through a multi-pronged approach by engaging public or non-profit-making organizations including the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA"), the Hong Kong Housing Society ("HKHS"), the Urban Renewal Authority ("URA") and the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation Limited ("HKSHCL"), in order that, by so doing, more property choices and home ownership opportunities will be provided for low and middle-income families. However, so far there has been no progress in the redevelopment of Tai Hang Sai ("THS") Estate, the only private low-cost housing estate owned and managed by HKSHCL. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the latest progress of the authorities' work in exploring ways to increase the supply of subsidized sale flats through HKSHCL; the details of the discussions between the authorities and HKSHCL on the matter since the delivery of the aforesaid Policy Address; whether HKSHCL has put forward any concrete proposal for redeveloping THS Estate; if HKSHCL has, of the details; whether the authorities have offered any suggestions and assistance in respect of the relevant proposal and the rehousing of the residents of THS Estate; if they have not, of the reasons for that; (2) as there is still no noticeable progress in the redevelopment of THS Estate, whether the authorities have assessed if the statement mentioned in the Policy Address regarding increasing the supply of subsidized sale flats through HKSHCL is merely empty talk; if they have assessed and the outcome is in the negative, of the specific timetable for taking forward such work; and (3) whether the authorities will, on the basis of the consideration of making optimum use of the precious lands in the urban areas, step in proactively in the redevelopment of THS Estate, including (i) formulating different redevelopment approaches and plans, (ii) recovering the site of THS Estate by invoking the relevant land lease conditions, (iii) handing the site in question to HA, HKHS or URA for comprehensive redevelopment, and (iv) rehousing the residents of THS Estate by following the practices adopted by HA for rehousing residents affected by public housing redevelopment; if they will not, of the reasons for that?
*20. Hon Charles Peter MOK to ask: (Translation)
The Chief Executive in Council decided on 1 April 2015 (i) not to renew the domestic free television programme service licence of Asia Television Limited ("ATV") and, for the purpose of complying with the requirement under subsection (1)(a) of section 8 of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Ordinance (Cap. 562) (i.e. notice of non-renewal had to be served at least 12 months before the expiry of the validity of the licence), (ii) to extend, under subsection (2) of that section, the term of ATV's existing licence to 1 April 2016. In view of this, the Communications Authority has given notice to ATV on the withdrawal of the two sets of analogue television channels and 1.5 digital multiplexes assigned to it with effect from 2 April 2016. On the other hand, the Government has requested Radio Television Hong Kong ("RTHK") to utilize the two sets of analogue television channels to broadcast suitable programmes after 1 April 2016 until analogue switch-off by end of 2020. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the estimated additional manpower needed and extra annual operating expenditure to be incurred by RTHK to provide analogue television broadcasting services; (2) whether it has formulated a specific timetable for the spectrum handover between ATV and RTHK, and whether it has provided additional resources for RTHK to meet the extra expenditure thus incurred, so that preparation for the handover arrangements can be made as early as possible; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (3) of the number of principal and fill-in transmission stations currently operated by ATV; whether the inter-departmental task force set up by the authorities has discussed with ATV the operational and handover arrangements for these transmission stations before and after ATV discontinues its broadcasting services in order that RTHK can expeditiously take over from ATV and provide the analogue television broadcasting services upon the latter's discontinuation of broadcasting services to ensure a "seamless handover"; and (4) of the work progress of the re-planning of the proposed New Broadcasting House of RTHK to be built in Tseung Kwan O, the latest cost estimate, and the anticipated time for completing the planning and re-submitting a funding application to the Finance Committee of this Council; whether the authorities have assessed if the planning work for the project needs to be expedited to align with the provision of analogue television broadcasting services by RTHK?
*21. Dr Hon Kenneth CHAN to ask: (Translation)
The international trade in ivory has been banned ("the ban") by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("CITES") since 1990, and the Government has enacted the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) to give effect to CITES. Ivory legally imported before the ban may not be re-exported for commercial purposes, but may be traded locally in Hong Kong if they have been registered with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ("AFCD") and are kept under a valid Licence to Possess ("Possession Licence") issued by AFCD. Regarding the protection of endangered species of animals and plants, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of ivory smuggling cases cracked down by the authorities since January this year, the details of the ivory (including quantity and market value), the destinations, the respective numbers of persons arrested, prosecuted and convicted, as well as the maximum and the minimum penalties imposed on those convicted; among the confiscated ivory, of the respective quantities of ivory which is still being stockpiled by the authorities at present and which has been disposed of; (2) regarding the biggest case among those mentioned in (1), of the quantity and the market value of the ivory involved, the respective numbers of persons arrested, prosecuted and convicted, as well as the penalties imposed on those convicted; (3) given that AFCD indicated in May last year that the confiscated ivory stockpile of about 28 tonnes would be disposed of by incineration in phases and the disposal was expected to be completed by the middle of this year, of the current progress of the work concerned; whether there is still some ivory yet to be disposed of; if so, of the quantity concerned and when the authorities expect the disposal of the remaining ivory to be completed; the expenditure and manpower involved in the disposal so far; (4) given that between 2011 and 2013, the number of holders of Possession Licences, the quantity of ivory covered by such licences and the quantity of ivory registered for commercial purposes were on the rise, whether the authorities have taken the initiative to look into the causes for such rises; (5) given that people in possession of ivory as personal effect or for non-commercial purposes before the ban are not required to apply for Possession Licences, and they are required to apply to AFCD if they intend to change the use of the ivory in their possession for commercial purposes after the ban, of the mechanism adopted by AFCD for vetting and approving such applications; the relevant vetting and approval criteria and the restrictions to which the power of AFCD in vetting and approving such applications is subject; the respective numbers of applications approved and rejected by AFCD each year since 2011, as well as the grounds for making the relevant decisions; how the authorities prevent people from using the vetting and approval mechanism to turn smuggled ivory into ivory that may be legally sold; (6) of the number of cases involving the smuggling of species listed in Cap. 586 cracked down by the authorities since January this year, the details of the smuggled items (including the species, quantities and market values), the destinations, the respective numbers of persons arrested, prosecuted and convicted, as well as the maximum and the minimum penalties imposed on those convicted; and (7) of the expenditure and manpower involved in the implementation of the provisions of CITES in each of the past three years; whether the authorities have plans to allocate more resources to combat the relevant smuggling activities; if they do, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*22. Dr Hon LEUNG Ka-lau to ask: (Translation)
According to statistics, the waiting time for patients to receive mammography at public hospitals is getting longer and longer, and the waiting time for patients in different hospital clusters ("clusters") vary. The authorities have indicated that those patients belonging to groups with a higher risk of developing breast cancer will be accorded priority for receiving such examination. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(1) in respect of the Hospital Authority ("HA") as a whole and individual clusters respectively and among the patients receiving mammography in each of the past five financial years, the numbers of unconfirmed patients (and the percentages of such numbers in the total number of patients receiving mammography), a breakdown of the numbers of confirmed patients by stage of breast cancer (and the respective percentages of such numbers in the total numbers of patients receiving mammography), and the respective numbers of patients who, prior to receiving mammography, had waited for (i) 60 days or less, (ii) 61 to 180 days, (iii) 181 to 360 days, (iv) 361 to 540 days and (v) 541 days or more (set out in tables of the same format as the table below);
Year: ________
Overallļ¼¸cluster: ________
Waiting time Number of
unconfirmed
patients
[%]Number of confirmed patients Total numbers
of patients
receiving
mammographyStage I
[%]Stage II
[%]Stage III
[%]Stage IV
[%]Unstaged
[%](i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (2) in respect of HA as a whole and individual clusters respectively, the numbers of patients receiving mammography in each of the past five financial years, broken down by age group ((i) 0-44, (ii) 45-54, (iii) 55-64, (iv) 65-74 and (v) 75 or above) (set out in tables of the same format as the table below);
Year: ________
Cluster Age group (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Hong Kong East Hong Kong West Kowloon Central Kowloon East Kowloon West New Territories East New Territories West Overall (3) the criteria adopted by HA's doctors for determining whether a patient belongs to the priority groups; whether the various clusters have adopted the same criteria; among the patients who were determined as belonging to the priority groups last year, the number and percentage of those who had been arranged to receive mammography within two months (with a tabulated breakdown by HA as a whole and individual clusters); (4) whether HA has set up a referral arrangement so that patients belonging to the same risk group are given the choice of being referred to hospitals in other clusters with shorter waiting time to receive mammography; if HA has, of the details; if HA has not, the reasons for that; (5) whether HA will consider including mammography in the Public-Private Partnership programmes; if HA will, of the details; if HA will not, the reasons for that; and (6) the age-standardized incidence rates of breast cancer in female in 2013 and 2014?
* For written reply
III. Bills
| First Reading | |||
| 1. | Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2015 | ||
| 2. | Deposit Protection Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2015 | ||
| Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned) | |||
| 1. | Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2015 | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury |
| 2. | Deposit Protection Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2015 | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury |