A 16/17-18
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 11:00 am
I. Tabling of Papers
Other Papers
II. Questions
1. Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask: (Translation)
According to a survey on labour shortage in the construction industry conducted by the Hong Kong Construction Association in November last year, the shortage rate of construction workers stood at about 7.5%, which was lower than the corresponding rates of 18.6% and 12.8% in the same period of the preceding two years. While the manpower shortage problem has been slightly alleviated, the industry is still plagued by the problem of an ageing labour force. At present, over 40% of construction workers (i.e. about 170 000 people) are 50 years old or above. Some members of the construction industry have pointed out that various infrastructure projects should commence in an orderly manner in accordance with the future manpower supply and demand situation of the construction industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the first batch of railway projects (including the Northern Link and Kwu Tung Station, the Tuen Mun South Extension and the East Kowloon Line) under the Railway Development Strategy 2014 is expected to commence in 2018 and 2019 the soonest, whether the Government has explored ways to ensure that such new railway projects commence as scheduled or even ahead of schedule, with a view to making good use of the construction industry manpower to be released following the completion of the works projects of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao-Bridge and the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link within the next one to two years, thereby avoiding the recurrence of the situation where, owing to the concurrent commencement of a number of works projects, the projects concerned have to compete with each other for manpower; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) whether it will work out a list of infrastructure and public works projects prioritized according to their degree of urgency, for the purpose of improving the projection on the manpower supply and demand situation of the construction industry and the distribution of work, so as to ensure the sustainable development of the construction industry and avoid the situation where workers suffer from the plight of "dying of overwork at one time and of starvation at another"; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) whether it has, in the light of the lessons learnt from past experience, assessed the required numbers of workers and professionals when planning various public works projects, so as to facilitate the early planning of suitable complementary measures, including the formulation, after strengthening the communication with the relevant stakeholders, of project-based plans for importation of foreign labour; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
2. Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask: (Translation)
A survey has revealed that 74% and 99% respectively of the food product companies and chain convenience stores surveyed discarded foods that could not be sold because they had expired, would soon expire or had unappealing appearance, but were still suitable for human consumption, causing wastage and giving rise to food waste. Among the operators of these two types of organizations, 29% and 82% of them respectively indicated that they had not donated such foods to non-profit making organizations for consumption by the needy because they were worried that legal risks might be incurred for donating foods. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the Government conducted surveys in the past three years on restaurants, market stalls, chain supermarkets and retail shops discarding foods which were still suitable for human consumption; if so, of the quantity of foods discarded each year; if not, whether it will conduct such surveys; (2) given that quite a number of countries or regions have, by making reference to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act in the United States, enacted similar legislation under which food donors will be discharged from the associated legal liabilities, whether the Government will consider afresh enacting such kind of legislation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the food donation projects funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund in the past three years; if so, of the outcome, including the total quantity of foods collected under such projects (with a breakdown by food source); whether the Government will further offer incentives (e.g. tax concessions) to encourage food sellers to donate foods that cannot be sold but are still suitable for human consumption to non-profit making organizations; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
3. Hon Tommy CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)
At present, the succession and transfer of various categories of hawker licences are subject to stringent restrictions. It has been reported that a noodle shop, which had been in operation for 31 years in the cooked food stalls (commonly known as "cooked food kiosks") in Kwong Fuk Estate, had to close down temporarily last month because, inter alia, the hawker licence concerned could not be immediately succeeded by the son of the deceased licensee. This case has aroused public concern over the prospect of cooked food hawkers and the gradual disappearance of such category of stalls with special characteristics, which mainly serve residents in the neighbourhood. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the current number of cooked food or light refreshment hawker licences issued; whether the authorities will relax the relevant requirements to grant, apart from the spouse of a licensee, other immediate family members and the business partner(s) of a licensee the right to succeed and to be transferred such category of licences so that such stalls can continue to operate in-situ; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) of the respective current numbers of vacant stalls in various cooked food hawker bazaars and cooked food kiosks; whether the authorities will consider renovating and consolidating the long-standing vacant stalls among these stalls, as well as identifying other sites for setting up new stalls, for bidding by people who start up small businesses, and providing them with support; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) whether the authorities will (i) formulate a long-term development policy for cooked food hawker bazaars, cooked food kiosks and on street hawker stalls by making reference to overseas experience and adopting the perspective of a facilitator and not a regulator, (ii) revamp such stalls by allocating resources, employing new technology and adopting the design principles which aim at making such stalls aesthetic, safe, hygienic, environment-friendly and functional, and (iii) launch overseas publicity and promotional campaigns to attract tourists to patronize such stalls; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
4. Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)
Quite a number of tenants residing in sub-divided units ("SDUs") of flats not installed with individual electricity meters have relayed to me that the unit rates of electricity they are charged by their landlords are higher than the tariff rates set by power companies, which has increased their burdens of living. The reason given by the landlords is that the power companies have adopted progressive tariff structures for calculating the electricity charges payable by residential users; if they charge the tenants for use of electricity on the basis of the tariff rates applicable to their actual electricity consumption, the total amount collected will be insufficient to meet the electricity charge payable to the power companies which is based on the higher tariff rates applicable to the electricity consumption of the whole flat. Some concern groups have requested various government departments to address the aforesaid issue, but to no avail. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective powers and responsibilities of various government departments in tackling the issue of landlords of SDUs overcharging their tenants for use of electricity, as well as the progress in following up this issue; (2) of the laws that the Government may invoke to impose penalties on those landlords of SDUs who have overcharged their tenants for use of electricity; whether it will consider increasing the relevant penalties to enhance the deterrent effect; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) whether the Government will require the power companies to adopt a flat rate for calculating electricity charges for flats with SDUs not installed with individual electricity meters, so as to eliminate the excuse of landlords of SDUs for overcharging their tenants for use of electricity?
5. Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask: (Translation)
Last month, in response to the question on enacting legislation to prohibit acts of insulting police officers on duty, the Commissioner of Police indicated that he welcomed another piece of legislation to protect police officers in the enforcement of the law. In addition, quite a number of members of the public have pointed out that in recent years, incidents of protesters and offending drivers insulting and provoking police officers with abusive language have occurred from time to time. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the legal provisions that the authorities may invoke currently to institute prosecutions against persons who have insulted police officers on duty; the respective numbers of prosecutions and convictions as well as the penalties imposed on the convicted persons in the past three years; whether the convicted persons include protesters who participated in the occupation movement in 2014 or the riot in Mong Kok in February last year; (2) whether it has studied overseas legislation on the offence of insulting public officers and the enforcement of such legislation in recent years; if so, of the details, and whether the study outcome will be made public, so as to enhance public understanding of the relevant issues and form the basis for the discussions on the enactment of such legislation in the future; and (3) given that the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance and the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance contain provisions prohibiting any person from using abusive language to the relevant public officers, whether the authorities will make reference to those provisions and enact dedicated legislation to prohibit acts of insulting police officers and other public officers; if not, how the authorities prevent such acts from becoming increasingly rampant?
6. Dr Hon LAU Siu-lai to ask: (Translation)
On the night of the 5th of this month, a fire broke out under a flyover at Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, which resulted in quite a number of street sleepers who had been staying there losing all their property and having nowhere to stay. These street sleepers called the emergency relief services hotline of the Home Affairs Department to seek assistance on that night, but no temporary accommodation was provided to them. Some concern groups have pointed out that since only a total of 630 places are currently provided by hostels which have accommodation for street sleepers, coupled with the fact that these hostels concurrently receive other needy people, hostel places are always in short supply. In addition, the lodgers of such hostels are generally required to move out upon the expiry of a six-month residence time limit even if they have not secured long-term accommodation. This, together with the grossly inadequate drug addiction treatment services and mental health services, have made it difficult for street sleepers to extricate themselves from street sleeping. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of fire outbreaks in the past five years at places where street sleepers congregated; the emergency relief services provided by the authorities to the street sleepers concerned; whether the authorities have any plan to step up such services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) whether it has any plan to substantially increase the number of hostels and hostel places designated for street sleepers and, at the same time, extend the residence time limit to two years or longer, so as to ensure that street sleepers have sufficient time to secure long-term accommodation and solve their personal problems before moving out of the hostels, thereby truly helping street sleepers to extricate themselves from street sleeping; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) of the manpower deployed by the Government and subvented organizations for providing street sleepers with drug addiction treatment services and outreach mental health services in each of the past five years, and the respective person-times of street sleepers receiving such services; whether the authorities have any plan to step up such services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*7. Hon Charles Peter MOK to ask: (Translation)
Currently, services provided by the Government through trading funds for search of (a) the Company Register and (b) the Land Register, as well as those provided by government departments for search of (c) the Business Register, (d) register of vehicles, (e) bankruptcy and compulsory winding-up records, (f) birth/death records and (g) marriage records, are subject to a charge. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following details of each of the aforesaid services in each of the financial years from 2011-2012 to 2015-2016: (i) number of person-times using the services, (ii) income (I), (iii) percentage of income in the annual income of the respective government departments/trading funds, (iv) expenditure, (v) net income/profit (P)* after deduction of expenditure, (vi) net income ratio/profit ratio (P/I) *, and (vii) profits tax payable * and the relevant computation methods; and * applicable to trading funds (2) whether the Government will consider abolishing the aforesaid service charges to facilitate information flow and enhance the transparency of the business environment; if so, of the details (including the timetable); if not, the reasons for that?
*8. Hon LAU Kwok-fan to ask: (Translation)
It has been reported recently by the media that telecommunications service operators have installed a large number of radio base stations for mobile communications ("base stations") on the rooftops of quite a number of residential buildings in Hong Kong, which has aroused concerns among quite a number of members of the public that the radiation emitted from base stations affects human health and even causes cancer. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the experimental environment of a number of large-scale studies conducted overseas on whether or not the radiation emitted from base stations affects human health is different from the actual environment of Hong Kong, whether the authorities have reviewed if the conclusions of these studies are entirely applicable to Hong Kong; (2) whether the authorities or local academic institutions conducted large-scale tracking studies in the past five years on the subject mentioned in (1); if so, of the details; if not, whether the authorities will conduct the relevant studies; (3) whether the authorities will consider selecting certain housing courts, in which the rooftops of buildings are installed with a large number of base stations, as the pilot sites with the Department of Health arranging for residents on the top floors of such buildings to receive physical check-ups, with a view to understanding, through the collection of local data, whether the radiation from base stations affects human health; (4) as it has been reported that the radiation safety standards for base stations adopted on the Mainland are more stringent than those adopted in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will consider adopting the relevant standards; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (5) whether it has plans to make public the data on the radioactivity levels in the vicinity of all the base stations in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (6) of the number of complaints about radiation safety of base stations received by the Office of the Communications Authority between January 2012 and February 2017, and the follow-up actions taken?
*9. Hon YIU Si-wing to ask: (Translation)
I have recently received complaints from members of the public that the facilities of the public toilets at some tourist hotspots are dilapidated and the toilets are in poor hygiene conditions. They consider that such situation will not only cause inconvenience to users but also give tourists a bad impression of Hong Kong, thereby tarnishing Hong Kong's image as an international tourist destination. Regarding the public toilets at tourist hotspots with high usage, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the criteria adopted by the authorities for determining whether a public toilet is located at a tourist hotspot with high usage, together with the location and number of such toilets; if the information is not available, of the reasons for that; (2) whether the authorities have set higher standards for the hygiene conditions and level of services of such public toilets, including increasing the frequency of cleansing work, stepping up inspections, expeditiously repairing damaged facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) whether the authorities have reviewed and improved the aesthetic appeal and facilities of such public toilets in the past three years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*10. Hon James TO to ask: (Translation)
The Government has advised in this year's Policy Address that it has decided to significantly increase the provision of sports facilities and will additionally build or rebuild 26 sports and recreational facilities ("SRF projects") in the coming five years. Among such projects, I have found that the consent of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council ("DC") was obtained in 2009 for the project on the open space site at Hoi Fan Road, Tai Kok Tsui (including one 7-a-side football pitch and two outdoor basketball courts), and the consent of the Community Building Committee under the said DC was obtained in 2010 for the project on the open space site at Hoi Fai Road, Tai Kok Tsui. However, the authorities have not yet submitted funding applications to the Finance Council ("FC") of this Council with regard to these two Tai Kok Tsui projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the reasons why the authorities have not yet submitted funding applications to FC with regard to the two aforesaid Tai Kok Tsui projects; (2) apart from the two Tai Kok Tsui projects, of the projects among the remaining 24 SRF projects in respect of which the authorities have submitted papers to the relevant DCs for discussion (set out by project name the name of the DC and the relevant meeting dates); whether the authorities have drawn up a priority list for funding applications for such projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (3) apart from the aforesaid 26 SRF projects, of the current number of proposed SRF projects for which consent of the relevant DCs has been obtained (set out by project name the name of the DC, the relevant meeting dates and the reasons for not yet submitting the funding applications to FC); the measures that the authorities have in place to accelerate the planning progress of such projects; (4) given that, according to the relevant standards under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, the Kwai Ching District with a current population of about 520 000 should be provided with district open space of a total area of 52.4 hectares, but the total area of the district open space in the district is only 19 hectares at present, whether the authorities have plans to expeditiously open up, within the current term of the Government, the Kwai Chung Park, which has an area of 27 hectares and has been left derelict for 16 years, for use by residents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (5) of the current open space sites in Hong Kong that have been left derelict for a long time (set out the locations and areas of such sites by DC district)?
*11. Dr Hon YIU Chung-yim to ask: (Translation)
The Environmental Protection Department ("EPD") has indicated earlier that days with high-level air pollution (i.e. the days on which the Air Quality Health Index reaching 8 or above) were seen in 11 months of 2016. Also, over 80% of such days of high-level air pollution were caused by pollutants brought by tropical cyclones and from the Pearl River Delta Region. Some environmentalists have pointed out that such a remark indicates that the authorities have overlooked the responsibility to reduce the local sources of air pollution. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) in respect of the concentrations of sulphur dioxide ("SO2") and ozone ("O3") in the air as recorded by the 16 air quality monitoring stations (both roadside and general ones) ("AQMSs") across the territory in 2015 and 2016, of (i) the respective annual numbers of days on which such figures exceeded the relevant target limits under the Air Quality Guidelines ("AQG") of the World Health Organization ("numbers of days of exceedance"), and (ii) the extent by which such figures exceeded the annual average concentration target limits (i.e. SO2 being 5.1 μg/m3 and O3 being 23.5 μg/m3) as estimated by some academics on the basis of AQG's targets; if such data are unavailable, of the reasons for that; (2) of the respective numbers of days of exceedance in each month of 2016 in respect of the following pollutants as recorded by various AQMSs: (i) SO2, (ii) nitrogen dioxide ("NO2"), (iii) fine suspended particulates (i.e. PM 2.5), (iv) respirable suspended particulates (i.e. PM 10) and (v) O3, and set out such figures in tables of the same format as Table 1; if such data are unavailable, of the reasons for that;
Table 1 Air pollutant:
AQMS January February March April May June July August September October November December days Total no of General Yuen Long Tuen Mun … Roadside Mongkok … (3) as a study has pointed out that the use of a "time-based apportionment method" to analyze each day in a year can identify the most likely pollution source or region that influences the air quality of Hong Kong on that day, whether the Government knows, based on that method of analysis, the following information on the air pollutants mentioned in (2), as recorded by various AQMSs in each month of 2016: (a) the respective numbers of days of exceedance in respect of which the main source of air pollutants was "local" (i.e. "Local Vehicle/Power Plant" and "Local Vehicle/Marine") ("L") and Regional All ("R"), and set out such figures in tables of the same format as Table 2; if such data are unavailable, of the reasons for that; Table 2 Air pollutant:
AQMS Source January February March April May June July August September October November December days Total no of General Yuen Long L R Tuen Mun L R … Roadside Mongkok L R … (b) the respective numbers of days of exceedance in respect of which the main source of air pollutants was "Regional East" ("E") and "Regional West" ("W"), and set out such figures in tables of the same format as Table 3; if such data are unavailable, of the reasons for that; Table 3 Air pollutant:
AQMS Source January February March April May June July August September October November December days Total no of General Yuen Long E W Tuen Mun E W … Roadside Mongkok E W … (c) the respective numbers of days of exceedance in respect of which the main source of air pollutants was "Local Vehicle/Power Plant" ("P") and "Local Vehicle/Marine" ("M"), and set out such figures in tables of the same format as Table 4; if such data are unavailable, of the reasons for that; and Table 4 Air pollutant:
AQMS Source January February March April May June July August September October November December days Total no of General Yuen Long P M Tuen Mun P M … Roadside Mongkok P M … (4) how EPD currently integrates air pollutant concentration data with meteorological data (e.g. wind directions and wind speed) to identify the sources of air pollutants?
*12. Hon Dennis KWOK to ask: (Translation)
Under the existing requirement, any person driving a vehicle across the boundary via various road-based land crossings must first obtain a Closed Road Permit ("Permit") issued in respect of that vehicle by the Transport Department. In addition, subsection (1)(a) of section 4 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) stipulates that an immigration officer or an immigration assistant ("IO/IA") may examine any person entering or departing from Hong Kong, and a person who is so examined may be required by an IO/IA to submit to further examination; subsection (2) stipulates that any person who satisfies an IO/IA that he is a serviceman (i.e. a serving member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army who is not being locally engaged under section 2(1)) shall not be examined further under subsection (1)(a) on his arrival in or prior to his departure from Hong Kong. Regarding the arrangements for the vehicles of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison ("the Garrison") crossing the boundary, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the aforesaid requirement for the Permit is applicable to vehicles of the Garrison crossing the boundary; and (2) whether IOs/IAs currently check the identity of the persons carried on board the vehicles of the Garrison when such vehicles cross the boundary; if not, of the reasons for that; if so, the relevant procedure, and whether IOs/IAs will take actions in respect of those persons on board such vehicles who are not servicemen; if so, of the legislation or rules based on which they will do so; if not, the reasons for that?
*13. Hon IP Kin-yuen to ask: (Translation)
The Research Grants Council ("RGC") under the University Grants Committee is charged with the functions, among others, of distributing grants to tertiary institutions to provide funds for academics to conduct academic researches. The Disciplinary Committee of RGC conducted earlier on an investigation into an allegation that a chair professor of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Hong Kong had misconducted herself in a research project. The investigation was concluded in December last year. However, RGC refused to disclose the investigation outcomes. Separately, RGC indicated in its reply to the Public Accounts Committee of this Council that alleged misconduct cases involving RGC grants received by RGC were handled on a confidential basis, and the relevant investigation reports would not be made public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of complaints received in the past five years about suspected misconduct in research projects and the number of such complaints into which investigation was conducted, by the Disciplinary Committee of RGC; among the cases investigated, the number of those which were found substantiated, as well as the nature of such cases and the penalties imposed on the persons who had misconducted themselves; (2) whether it knows the specific justifications of RGC for not making public the reports or outcomes of such investigations; and (3) given that the distribution of grants by RGC involves the issue of whether public funds are properly used, and that such investigations involve procedural justice and attract wide public concern, whether the authorities will request RGC to make public the relevant investigation reports and outcomes, so as to allay public concern and manifest its accountability to the public?
*14. Dr Hon Helena WONG to ask: (Translation)
Some concern groups on domestic violence have relayed to me that quite a number of women who had fallen victims to domestic violence reported their cases to the Police, but the police officers who arrived at the scene persuaded the victims to drop their cases against the perpetrators on various pretexts (including that instituting prosecution against the perpetrator might affect their children and the employment of both parties, that the incident could be resolved after both parties exercising forbearance or after the perpetrator had calmed down, and that it was unlikely that the perpetrator would be convicted). Moreover, some police officers classified domestic violence cases only as "noise nuisance" cases and did not provide, in accordance with the relevant guidelines, the victims with information on related support services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as the Police have classified domestic conflict cases into three categories, namely (i) Domestic Violence (Crime), (ii) Domestic Violence (Miscellaneous) and (iii) Domestic Incidents (including disputes), of the criteria currently adopted by the Police for classifying such cases; whether the Police have regularly reviewed such classification and criteria; if so, of the date of the last review; if not, the reasons for that; given the situation as relayed by the aforesaid concern groups, whether the Police will expeditiously conduct a review, and what measures are in place to ensure that police officers fully understand such criteria and classify cases accordingly; (2) in each of the past three years, of (i) the respective numbers of domestic violence cases under the three aforesaid categories which were handled by the Police, (ii) the respective numbers of cases in which the perpetrators were prosecuted and convicted, as well as (iii) the number of cases which were classified as family dispute cases; the heaviest penalty imposed on those convicted perpetrators, and the details of the follow-up actions taken by the Police and by relevant organizations on such family dispute cases; (3) given that the Social Welfare Department offers three educational programmes to support perpetrators of domestic violence, namely (i) the Anti-Violence Programme, (ii) the Batterer Intervention Programme and (iii) the Educational Programme on Stopping Domestic Violence, of the attendance for each programme in each of the past three years; as the aforesaid concern groups have pointed out that some perpetrators who had completed such programmes battered their spouses again, whether the authorities have reviewed and enhanced the contents of such programmes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (4) as cases of domestic violence in the forms of psychological abuse and sexual abuse (including marital rape) will not cause apparent injuries to the victims, which may be easily overlooked by police officers, how the Police identify and follow up on such types of cases at present; whether relevant training has been provided regularly for police officers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (5) in respect of those victims and their children who have been persistently stalked by the perpetrators even after they have reported their cases to the Police, of the current measures put in place by the Police to protect such victims and their children from being stalked, and the details of such measures?
*15. Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask: (Translation)
Earlier on, some staff union representatives have relayed to me that 33 staff members employed by the Buildings Department ("BD") on Non-Civil Service Contract ("NCSC") terms to fill the posts of Building Safety Officer and Building Safety Assistant had their contracts renewed in recent months only for a period of one year, and that they are required to leave office upon the expiry of their contracts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of NCSC staff of BD and the relevant total expenditure on salary in each of the past three years; (2) of the amount of backlog of work (including taking law enforcement actions against unauthorized building works, issuing building repair orders and handling water seepage complaints) of BD in each of the past three years as a result of insufficient manpower, as well as the target amount of the relevant work to be dealt with each year; (3) of the number of NCSC staff of BD applying for the civil service posts in BD each year since 2009 and, among them, the number of those who were offered appointment; (4) of the major scopes of work of the aforesaid two ranks, and their respective total expenditures on salary in each of the past three years; the reasons for the authorities to reduce the number of the aforesaid posts; and (5) whether the authorities will provide support for the aforesaid staff members, including (i) assisting them in being appointed as civil servants, and (ii) creating related civil service posts to absorb those staff members; if posts will be created, of the respective titles, numbers and responsibilities of such posts?
*16. Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to ask: (Translation)
In the evening of the 10th of last month, an incident of suspected arson occurred in the compartment of an MTR train travelling from Admiralty Station to Tsim Sha Tsui Station, resulting in more than 10 injuries. Some members of the public are worried about not knowing how to respond in the event of a similar incident or terrorist attack while travelling on public transport, and whether they, as passengers, are provided with adequate insurance protection. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will request the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") to expeditiously enhance the security of various railway stations and trains (including conducting security screening on passengers, deploying additional manpower for patrols and installing closed-circuit televisions in all train compartments), upgrade the fire-fighting equipment and first-aid apparatus in railway stations and step up passenger publicity on the locations of, and how to use, fire-fighting equipment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (2) whether it has assessed the risks of arsons and terrorist attacks in various modes of public transport and related facilities (particularly automated people movers or stations with fewer staff on duty) since the aforesaid incident; whether it will improve the relevant contingency plans, educate members of the public on how to respond in the event of such kind of incidents and enhance the dissemination of real-time information on emergencies to passengers through various types of channels, so that members of the public will not be caught unprepared in the event of such incidents; and (3) whether it knows if the various public transport operators have taken out insurance for their passengers to cover the expenses of long-term treatment and rehabilitation services incurred in the event of their sustaining injuries in an arson or terrorist attack on public transport; if the operators have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
*17. Dr Hon Pierre CHAN to ask: (Translation)
If any person has been awarded a medical degree by the University of Hong Kong ("HKU") or The Chinese University of Hong Kong ("CUHK") and has completed a year of internship at the Hospital Authority ("HA"), that person is qualified to be registered as a medical practitioner. Non-locally trained medical practitioners are required to pass the Licensing Examination administered by the Medical Council of Hong Kong ("MCHK") and to complete a period of internship at HA before they may be registered as medical practitioners. In addition, non-locally trained medical practitioners with acceptable qualifications and relevant experience, if employed by specified institutions (including the Department of Health, HA and the medical schools of HKU and CUHK) for the purposes of teaching, conducting research or performing clinical work, may apply to MCHK for limited registration with a time limit. Regarding matters relating to the registration and employment of non-locally trained medical practitioners in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(1) the number of local medical graduates registered as medical practitioners in each of the past five years; among them, the respective numbers of those who were and were not offered appointment by HA after registration; the general reasons why HA did not offer appointment to some of them (if any); (2) the number of non-locally trained medical practitioners who passed the Licensing Examination in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the country/region where they received medical training; among them, the respective numbers of those who were and were not offered appointment by HA after registration; the general reasons why HA did not offer appointment to some of them (if any); (3) in each of the past five years, (i) the number of job applications received by HA from non-locally trained medical practitioners and (ii) the number of such medical practitioners employed by HA; among the medical practitioners employed, (iii) the number of those whose applications for limited registration were approved by MCHK, with a breakdown by the country/region where they received medical training; (4) in each of the past five years, (i) the respective numbers of job applications received by HKU, CUHK and the Department of Health from non-locally trained medical practitioners and (ii) the respective numbers of such medical practitioners employed by those institutions; among the medical practitioners employed, (iii) the number of those whose applications for limited registration were approved by MCHK, with a breakdown by their grades and ranks as well as by the country/region where they received medical training; (5) the respective numbers of non-locally trained medical practitioners whose applications for renewal of limited registration were approved and rejected by MCHK in each of the past five years; the general reasons why MCHK rejected some of the applications (if any); and (6) regarding the 136 non-locally trained medical practitioners with limited registration in Hong Kong as at the end of last year, of a breakdown of that number by the number of years of working in Hong Kong (set out in the table below)?
Number of years of working in Hong Kong Number of people Over 20 years Over 15 to 20 years Over 10 to 15 years Over 5 to 10 years 5 years or less
*18. Hon Kenneth LAU to ask: (Translation)
Some residents in Mui Wo and Sha Tau Kok have relayed to me that they have all along been troubled by the nuisance caused by stray cattle. Although the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ("AFCD") set up a Cattle Management Team ("CMT") in 2011 and implemented a "Capture-Sterilize-Relocate" programme to control the number of stray cattle, incidents of stray cattle polluting the environment, obstructing traffic, damaging crops as well as attacking residents and picnickers have still occurred from time to time. Some Mui Wo residents have suggested relocating the stray cattle in Mui Wo to Tai A Chau. In August 2016, AFCD sent its staff to conduct site inspections in Tai A Chau and, after conducting a preliminary assessment, considered Tai A Chau a suitable habitat for cattle. However, I have learnt that the relocation plan has yet to be implemented due to insufficient resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of stray cattle across the territory in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by District Council district and species of the cattle; whether there is an upward trend in the number of stray cattle in Mui Wo; if so, whether the increase is caused by the natural breeding of cattle, the migration of cattle from other places on Lantau Island to Mui Wo, or other factors; whether it has assessed if stray cattle will pose any threat to the personal safety of residents; if it has assessed, of the outcome; (2) since the setting up of CMT, of the respective numbers of stray cattle on Lantau Island which have been (i) captured, (ii) sterilized and (iii) relocated by CMT officers, and those (iv) found to have returned to their pre-relocation sites, together with a breakdown of the numbers by whether these stray cattle were found in Mui Wo or other places; (3) of the number of stray cattle on Lantau Island which were crushed to death by vehicles in the past five years; (4) of the outcome of the study conducted by AFCD on the installation of cattle grids to limit the movements of stray cattle; (5) whether the authorities will take forward the plan of relocating the stray cattle in Mui Wo to Tai A Chau; if so, of the latest progress and how the authorities will resolve the problem of having insufficient resources; if not, the authorities' plan to resolve the problem of stray cattle causing nuisance; and (6) of the current staffing establishment of CMT; whether AFCD will increase the manpower of CMT to expedite the handling of the stray cattle problem?
*19. Hon Holden CHOW to ask: (Translation)
According to the statistics for 2013, after the Government's recurrent cash policy intervention, the poor population with disabilities was 147 400 and the poverty rate of persons with disabilities ("PWDs") was 29.5% (which was more than double the overall poverty rate of 14.5%). In addition, a social welfare organization has pointed out that since the expenditures incurred by PWDs on areas such as healthcare, transport (including the need to be accompanied by carers when going out) are generally higher than able-bodied persons, the actual poverty situation of PWDs may be even worse than that shown by the poverty rate; and the Government should strengthen the employment support provided to PWDs to help them get out of poverty. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that in comparison with small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises are in a better position to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities by providing employment opportunities for PWDs, whether the Government will consider enacting legislation to make it mandatory for large enterprises to employ a certain percentage or number of PWDs; and (2) whether it has studied the introduction of new policies and measures (e.g. providing subsidies and allowances) to help or encourage PWDs to secure employment so as to improve their poverty situation?
*20. Hon CHU Hoi-dick to ask: (Translation)
Will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information on the lands which have been leased by the Government under private recreational leases ("PRLs") with premium waived or at nominal premium to lessees for development of sports and recreational facilities and relevant services: names of the lessees, lot numbers and locations, site areas and the gross floor areas of the buildings therein, expiry dates of the existing PRLs and specified land uses; and (2) of the locations and site areas of the military sites set aside for use by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison for defence purpose, the gross floor areas of the buildings therein, and whether it knows the current respective uses of such sites?
*21. Hon HUI Chi-fung to ask: (Translation)
Regarding issues relating to fixed-pitch hawker licences ("hawker licences"), will the Government inform this Council of:
(1) the annual changes in the number of hawker licences in the past five years, with a breakdown by District Council district; (2) the number of hawker licences surrendered in the past five years, with a breakdown by District Council district; (3) the respective numbers of new licences issued, in the past five years by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") in relation to the fixed hawker pitches left vacant upon surrender of hawker licences by the licensees, to their assistants and other persons; (4) the number of appeals lodged against the rejection of applications for succession or transfer of hawker licences, which were handled by the Licensing Appeals Board in the past five years; the number of successful cases among those appeals; and (5) the criteria adopted by FEHD for considering the issuance of new hawker licences?
*22. Hon Jimmy NG to ask: (Translation)
The Chief Executive indicated in the 2016 Policy Address that "re industrialization" would be a potential new area of economic growth for Hong Kong. The Government would introduce sustainable measures for the promotion of re-industrialization and development of suitable high-end technology industries. Besides, the Financial Secretary indicated in his Budget delivered last month that a new committee on innovation and technology ("I&T") development and re-industrialization would be set up to coordinate I&T development and re-industrialization of Hong Kong, and that a tax policy unit would be set up to explore proposals for enhancing tax deductions for I&T expenditure. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) since the implementation of the measure allowing the operation of calibration laboratories in industrial buildings in February last year, of (i) the respective numbers of applications for waivers received and approved by the authorities in respect of the operation of testing laboratories in industrial buildings, and (ii) the total amount of waiver fees exempted by the authorities; (2) since last year's revision of the policy on industrial estates ("IEs") to accommodate I&T industries, of the total area of unused factory sites within IEs which have been repossessed by the authorities; the total land area in the three IEs currently available for redevelopment, and the expected time when such lands will be made available for use; (3) of the authorities' expected completion date of the study on enhancing tax deductions for I&T expenditure, as well as the manpower and expenditure involved; whether they will consider offering tax concessions to manufacturers outside Hong Kong (including Mainland China as well as the countries and places along the "Belt and Road") in respect of expenditures on acquiring machinery and using copyright; whether they will consult the industrial sector on the relevant taxation measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (4) whether the authorities will consider establishing a dedicated department for the coordination of work among various government departments, and the formulation of policies and measures to mitigate the problems currently faced by the industrial sector, such as supply of raw materials, manpower resources, logistics, taxation, in order to promote re-industrialization and development of high-end technology industries; if so, of the details (including the organization and functions of that department); if not, the reasons for that?
* For written reply
III. Government Bills
| First Reading
| |||
| 1. | Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017
| ||
| 2. | Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2017
| ||
| 3. | Travel Industry Bill
| ||
| Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned
| |||
| 1. | Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017 | : | Secretary for Transport and Housing
|
| 2. | Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2017 | : | Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
|
| 3. | Travel Industry Bill | : | Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development |
IV. Government Motion
| Proposed resolution under the Public Finance Ordinance
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury to move the motion in the Appendix. |
| (The motion was also issued on 23 February 2017
under LC Paper No. CB(3) 365/16-17) |