Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Council Meeting (Agenda) 16 December 2020

With a new wave of outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic coming inexorably last month, the numbers of confirmed patients and cases with unknown sources of infection have both surged sharply to record highs. Regarding the anti-epidemic measures, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as there are views that mandatory universal testing helps identify most of the asymptomatic infected persons and cut the transmission chain, thereby ameliorating the epidemic, under what circumstances that the Government will consider implementing mandatory universal testing;

(2)

given that at present, quite a number of members of the public have been infected allegedly due to attending private meal gatherings or parties, whether the Government will enact legislation to extend to private premises the stipulations concerning the prohibition on group gathering and the infection control measures for the catering industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether it will follow the health code system implemented in Mainland cities by restricting those who are unable to produce a digital health code for verifying their health conditions from entering certain types of premises or taking public transport; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 2
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Proposal to split the Transport and Housing Bureau

Hon Frankie YICK to ask:

The Transport and Housing Bureau oversees two major policy areas concerning the dwellings for and movements of the public, which means that the Bureau needs to formulate housing policies and implement measures for resolving housing issues, and formulate transport policies in relation to air services, land and maritime transport, as well as logistics development, with a view to reinforcing the status of Hong Kong as a premier transportation and logistics hub in Asia as well as an international maritime centre. In view of the heavy workload of the Bureau, there have been voices in society suggesting that the Bureau should be split into two policy bureaux. Besides, as the Chief Executive stated in the 2018 Policy Address, she agreed that there was such a need, and the Government would conduct a study on how to implement the suggestion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the scope of the study, the proposals under consideration, the progress made so far, and the timetable for implementing the proposal concerned?

Question 3
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Administration of the estate of the late Mrs Nina WANG

Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:

The Court of Final Appeal handed down a judgment on 18 May 2015, which held that the Chinachem Charitable Foundation ("the Foundation") was to hold the estate of the late Mrs Nina WANG ("the estate") as a trustee, rather than receiving the estate as an unconditional absolute gift; moreover, the Secretary for Justice ("SJ") and the Foundation's Board of Governors were required to formulate an administration scheme for the estate, including the establishment of a supervisory managing organization, to ensure that the estate would be used for charitable purposes in accordance with the testamentary intention of Mrs WANG. Nevertheless, it has been over five years since the judgment was handed down, but the supervisory managing organization has yet to be established and the estate is still under the administration of the interim administrators of the estate appointed by the Court ("the administrators"). It has been reported that the administrators collect from the estate a fee as high as $60 million per annum. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether it knows the total current value of the estate, the total amount of fees charged by the administrators and relevant parties since 2012, as well as the amount appropriated from the estate for charitable purposes in each of the past three years;

(2)

how SJ, as the protector of charities, monitors if the expenses for the estate are reasonable and necessary, so as to ensure that the estate will not be gnawed by the exorbitant management fees, thus causing a significant reduction in its resources that may be used for charitable purposes; and

(3)

whether SJ will request the Foundation to expedite its handling of the matters relating to the establishment of the supervisory managing organization, so that the estate may expeditiously be used for charitable purposes, including helping members of the public affected by the epidemic?

Question 4
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Freezing the bank accounts of members of the public

Dr Hon Cheng Chung-tai to ask:

It has been reported that a Hong Kong resident who had been admitted to bail pending trial discovered, after announcing outside Hong Kong that he had gone on exile, that the deposits of several million dollars in several bank accounts belonging to himself and his family members had all been frozen, but some of such bank accounts were unfrozen one day later. The Police subsequently acknowledged that they had frozen a deposit of $850,000 of an absconding Hong Kong resident. Some members of the public have queried that the aforesaid practice of the Police may have violated the provision of the Basic Law regarding protection of private properties, and dealt a blow to the public's confidence in Hong Kong's financial system, thereby undermining Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether the law enforcement agencies may, without any restraint order issued by the court, direct banks to freeze the deposits in the accounts of any person who has allegedly broken the law; if so, of the legal basis;

(2)

under what circumstances the law enforcement agencies will unfreeze frozen deposits within a short period of time; and

(3)

whether it is a standing practice of the Police to freeze the assets of absconders and their families; if so, how the Government ensures that such practice will not undermine the confidence of the international community in Hong Kong's financial system?

Question 5
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Government public transport fare concession scheme

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:

The Government announced in January this year that the eligible age of the "Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities" ("the Concession Scheme") would be lowered from 65 to 60. The Chief Executive indicated in November that the Government had largely completed the assessment, and on the premise of combating and preventing abuse effectively, it would include the funding required for the measure in the Budget for the next financial year with a view to implementing the measure progressively. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the latest progress of the implementation of the measure; the estimated recurrent expenditure to be incurred in each of the first three years of implementing the measure, and the percentages of administrative cost in such expenditures;

(2)

whether it has estimated the public expenditure incurred since January this year as a result of the Concession Scheme being abused; of the number of Elder Octopus Cards currently in active use, and whether this number matches the number of elderly people who travel frequently; and

(3)

of the number of suspected cases of abuse of the Concession Scheme uncovered since January this year as a result of the site monitoring surveys conducted by the Transport Department ("TD"); given that TD uncovered only 11 such cases last year, whether it has reviewed if law enforcement by TD was perfunctory, and what new measures it will take to prevent the Concession Scheme from being abused?

Question 6
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Problem of illegal parking

Hon CHUNG Kwok-pan to ask:

Some members of the public have pointed out that the problem of illegal parking in various districts throughout Hong Kong has become serious since the eruption of the disturbances arising from the opposition to the proposed legislative amendments in June last year. Illegal parking not only causes traffic obstruction but also jeopardizes the safety of pedestrians. Even though the Police have recently stepped up efforts in combating illegal parking, the situation has not been improved significantly. Such members of the public consider that this situation is related to the weakening of the law-abiding awareness of Hong Kong people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the Police in each month between June and November this year in respect of illegally parked vehicles, with a breakdown by police region; how such figures compare with the relevant figures of the same periods in the past three years;

(2)

of the respective numbers of complaints about illegal parking received from members of the public by the Police and the Transport Department in each month of the past three years and, among them, the numbers of those not handled immediately by the Police; whether there is a significant difference between the relevant figures of last year and the respective figures of the two years before last year; and

(3)

of the new measures to be taken by the authorities to combat illegal parking and enhance the awareness of motorists of complying with traffic regulations?

Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Hillside escalators and elevators

Hon Michael TIEN to ask:

In 2009, the Government established a mechanism for assessing proposals on hillside escalator links and elevator systems ("HEL") ("the assessment mechanism"). Upon completion of initial screening and scoring for the proposals received then, the Government decided to take forward 18 of such proposals ("first-batch projects"). In 2017, the Government announced that a consultancy study would be conducted to review and improve the assessment mechanism, and by then the Government received a total of 114 HEL proposals. The Government indicated at the end of 2019 that it planned, by 2020, to complete the scoring for those 114 proposals and determine the projects for priority implementation. However, most of the first-batch projects have yet to be implemented. Quite a number of members of the public look forward to an early implementation of such projects and proposals, to spare them the toil of climbing up long steep roads or stairs of more than a hundred steps every day. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the latest state of implementation of the first-batch projects;

(2)

whether it has completed the work of initial screening and scoring for the aforesaid 114 proposals and determining the projects for priority implementation; if so, of the details; if not, the expected completion date;

(3)

whether it has plans to take on more HEL proposals within the coming three years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4)

given that among the scoring criteria, the maximum score for the item of "number of beneficiaries and target" is 60, and the maximum scores for the two criteria under it, i.e. "expected daily pedestrian flow of the proposed HEL" and "proportion of 65 year-old or above population and whether there is any hospital/rehabilitation centre/nursing home in the beneficial catchment", are 40 and 20 respectively, but there are views that these two criteria should be given equal weighting (i.e. each to have a maximum score of 30), so as to adequately address the needs of the elderly and mobility impaired persons, whether the Government will adopt this suggestion; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

The "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application

Hon WONG Kwok-kin to ask:

To help the epidemiological tracing work in respect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, the Government launched, on the 16th of last month, a mobile application named "LeaveHomeSafe" ("the app") for voluntary download and use by members of the public. Later on, the Government required all catering businesses and scheduled premises under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) opening for business to apply for a LeaveHomeSafe venue QR code ("QR code") from the Government before the 3rd of this month, and to display the QR code at a conspicuous position at the entrance of the premises within two working days upon receipt of the QR code. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the current number of premises issued with a QR code, as well as the number of downloads of the app; whether it has estimated the number of people who have used the app;

(2)

whether it will enhance the functions of the app, including sending automatic push notifications to users when they enter premises where a QR code has been displayed, so as to remind them to scan the QR code to record their whereabouts;

(3)

whether it will develop other tracing tools for free use by those people who do not use smartphones (e.g. the elderly and the poverty stricken); and

(4)

whether it will make download and use of the app mandatory for members of the public and introduce relevant penalties, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the anti-epidemic efforts?

Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Closed roads in south Lantau

Hon Wilson OR to ask:

The Government has designated the roads in south Lantau as closed roads. Any person must possess a valid Lantau Closed Road Permit ("LCRP") before he/she may drive a vehicle onto those roads. Some residents in south Lantau have pointed out that the Transport Department ("TD") currently issues a maximum of only one LCRP for each residential or commercial unit in south Lantau, which has caused inconvenience to them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the justifications for designating the roads in south Lantau as closed roads; when the Government made such a decision, and since when the roads in south Lantau have been designated as closed roads;

(2)

of the current number of LCRPs issued by TD, with a breakdown by vehicle class;

(3)

as some residents in south Lantau have pointed out that the leases for some pieces of land in south Lantau sold by the Government stipulate that a newly built residential unit in south Lantau with a total area of over 2 200 square feet must be provided with at least two car parking spaces, of the justifications for TD issuing a maximum of only one LCRP for each residential unit; whether TD will consider issuing more than one LCRP for each residential unit; and

(4)

whether it will open up the roads in south Lantau progressively to cater for the development needs of south Lantau?

Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Developing local tourism products

Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:

In the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry published by the Government in 2017, one of the four development strategies is to nurture and develop tourism products and initiatives with local and international characteristics. The five-year implementation goals under this strategy include developing green tourism and facilitating the development of local historical and heritage, cultural and creative tourism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the latest progress and the effectiveness of the various short and medium term measures implemented for achieving the aforesaid goals;

(2)

as inbound visitors to Hong Kong have virtually disappeared due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, whether the authorities will step up efforts to develop local tourism products targeting at Hong Kong people, in order to support the tourism industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether the authorities have plans to develop leisure farms as a tourism product and provide the following support: (i) streamlining the application procedure for the relevant licences and the construction of farm structures to be used for receiving visitors, and facilitating such applications, as well as (ii) assisting such farms in promoting their signature local agricultural produce among members of the public; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Reduction of waste

Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:

Under the impacts of the epidemic, most members of the public have in recent months dined out less frequently and made takeaway orders instead, resulting in a surge in the use of disposable paper and plastic tableware. Such tableware, which is difficult to degrade naturally, has been discarded as household waste, putting a heavy burden on the ecological environment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether it has studied imposing regulation on disposable tableware in respect of the materials used, its use etc., for instance, requiring restaurants to use tableware made of naturally degradable materials only;

(2)

whether any policy is currently in place to properly deal with discarded disposable tableware; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

whether it has studied the difficulties that may be encountered in implementing a disposable tableware recycling scheme; and

(4)

whether it has evaluated the effectiveness of the measures, which are currently implemented by the Government in support of the recycling industry, on creating jobs; whether it will further promote the development of the recycling industry (such as launching a disposable tableware recycling scheme) in order to reduce the quantity of discarded waste and create more employment opportunities?

Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Assistance for the sectors of
sports, performing arts, culture and publication

Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask:

On the assistance for the sectors of sports, performing arts, culture and publication by the Government amid the epidemic, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the latest implementation situation of the following support measures introduced under the Anti-epidemic Fund, including (a) the number of applications received, (b) the number of applications approved, (c) the main reasons for rejecting some applications, (d) the total amount of subsidy disbursed, and (e) the current balance of the commitment (set out in tables of the same format as the table below):

(A)

the Arts and Culture Sector Subsidy Scheme under the first round of support measures,

(B)

the following measures under the second round of support measures:

(i)

the relief subsidy disbursed to providers of interest classes at schools,

(ii)

the one-off Grant disbursed to registered sports coaches,

(iii)

the Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme,

(iv)

the Fitness Centre Subsidy Scheme,

(v)

the Places of Amusement Licence Holders Subsidy Scheme,

(vi)

the Place of Public Entertainment Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme,

(vii)

the Sports and Recreational Sites Subsidy Scheme,

(viii)

the relief grants provided to the freelance workers hired by subvented non-governmental welfare organizations to provide training and coaching for service users,

(ix)

the relief provided to creative industries, and

(x)

the subsidy provided to operators of Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme, PMQ and Fly the Flyover Operation, and

(C)

the following measures under the third round of support measures (including the measures in (i) to (vii) above):

(viii)

the Sports Premises Subsidy Scheme,

(ix)

the Scheme on Relief Grants for Interest Class Instructors Hired by Subvented Non-governmental Welfare Organizations,

(x)

the Arts and Culture Sector Subsidy Scheme - Subsidy to individual arts practitioners and freelancers,

(xi)

the Cinemas Subsidy Scheme,

(xii)

the subsidy provided to the companies in the performing industry which organize pop concerts, and

(xiii)

the Arts and Culture Sector Subsidy Scheme - Rental Support for Tenants of Arts Spaces and Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre;

The round of support measures:

Measure	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)

(2)

whether it will consider making use of the balance of the commitment for the various measures to further enhance the support for the sectors; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

given that the Government has, upon considering a suggestion made by me, introduced the "Pyrotechnics and Special Effects Operators Subsidy Scheme", under which a one-off subsidy is granted to eligible special effects operators and assistants, of the commitment of the scheme and the expected number of beneficiaries;

(4)

as the statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department in respect of the unemployment population for July to September this year have shown that the unemployment rate for the sectors of arts, entertainment and recreation was 11.4%, whether the figure included the unemployed freelancers of the sectors; if not, whether the Government grasps the unemployment situation of such persons, and of the measures in place to further support the practitioners of the sectors, in particular the freelancers;

(5)

whether it has reviewed and updated the strategies on assisting the sectors in recovering in the light of the development of the epidemic; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(6)

whether it will consider drawing reference from the practice of the Government on, after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in 2003, organizing a series of cultural and sports activities to help revive the vigour of society; if so, of the details, and whether it will consider according priority to cooperating with local arts and sports organizations in organizing the relevant activities?

Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Earn and Learn Pilot Scheme for Retail Industry

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:

A total of four runs of the Foundation Diploma ("FD") programme under the Earn and Learn Pilot Scheme for Retail Industry ("the Earn and Learn Scheme") were organized from 2014 to 2017. Regarding the implementation of the Earn and Learn Scheme since 2018, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(1)

how many runs of the FD programme have been organized since 2018; in respect of each of such runs, (i) the number of enrollees, (ii) the number of dropouts (with a breakdown by reason for dropping out), (iii) the number of graduates, (iv) the date of graduation, and (v) the number of graduates who are still employed by the same employers during their training period;

(2)

the respective total numbers of positions offered by those employers participating in the Earn and Learn Scheme to the graduates of those runs subsequent to the fourth run of the FD programme; among such positions, the respective numbers of those with a monthly basic salary of (a) $11,000 or more and (b) less than $11,000, and among the latter, the respective numbers of positions with a monthly basic salary (i) of less than $5,000, (ii) between $5,000 and $7,000, (iii) between $7,001 and $9,000, and (iv) of over $9,000;

(3)

among the graduates of those runs subsequent to the fourth run of the FD programme, (i) the number of those who are still working in the retail industry (with a breakdown by the position they hold and the range to which their monthly salaries belong), and (ii) the number of those who have left the retail industry (with a breakdown by reason for leaving); and

(4)

the respective numbers of enrollees for and employers participating in the latest run of the FD programme; the results of a comparison between such numbers and the corresponding numbers of the first run?

Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

The development of and ancillary facilities for Tung Chung

Hon Holden CHOW to ask:

The Government is taking forward a number of public housing development projects in Tung Chung, so as to provide some 20 700 residential flats for accommodating 63 800 people. It is expected that such projects will be completed for intake one after another between 2024 and 2028. Besides, the Government is taking forward the Tung Chung New Town Extension project. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as it is expected that Tung Chung East Station and Tung Chung West Station of the MTR Tung Chung Line ("TCL") Extension will not be completed until 2029 at the earliest, whether the Government will implement short-term traffic improvement measures, such as enhancing bus services, improving road networks and providing additional car parking spaces; whether it will expedite the implementation of the TCL Extension project;

(2)

given that the MTR Corporation Limited is carrying out signalling system upgrading works for TCL so as to increase the train frequency and carrying capacity, whether the Government knows the latest progress of such works;

(3)

of the latest progress of the construction works for Lantau Road P1, and the respective expected dates of completion and commissioning;

(4)

given that the feasibility study on Route 11 commenced by the Highways Department in 2018 includes exploration of the need to plan for the Tsing Yi-Lantau Link, of the progress of the exploration of the said Link;

(5)

whether it has, in view of the population growth in Tung Chung, formulated plans to enhance the (i) community services, (ii) education services and (iii) other public services in the district;

(6)

whether it will enhance the environmental mitigation measures for the Tung Chung New Town Extension project, such as regularly monitoring the air pollution, noise and other environmental problems that may be caused by the related works, so as to reduce the impacts of such works on nearby residents; and

(7)

whether the Government will, when implementing the housing construction project at Tung Chung Area 23 Phase 1, reprovision the community service units in the Tung Chung Community Services Complex located at that site?

Question 15
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Distance Business Programme

Hon Jimmy NG to ask:

The Government has launched the "Distance Business Programme" under the Anti-epidemic Fund, with an aim to provide, through a fast-track processing approach, funding support for enterprises to adopt information technology solutions for developing distance business during the epidemic. Each enterprise can submit up to two applications and may receive funding of up to $300,000 in total. Application for the Programme closed on 31 October this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

among the 38 572 applications received under the Programme, of the respective up-to-date numbers of those approved, the vetting and approval of which is still in progress, and rejected; the total amount of funding granted, and the average amount of funding for each successful application; of the number of enterprises which have both of their two applications approved;

(2)

of the number of enterprises which withdrew from the Programme after their applications had been approved; whether the authorities have taken the initiative to look into the reasons for their withdrawal and provide them with other support; if so, of the details;

(3)

given the unstable epidemic situation, whether the authorities will consider re-opening the Programme for application and allowing those enterprises which have submitted two applications to submit new applications; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4)

whether the authorities will consider regularizing the Programme and increasing the total amount of funding that each enterprise may be granted; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5)

whether the Secretariat of the Programme has honoured the performance pledge that the applicants will be informed of the relevant outcome within about 10 working days; if not, of the average time taken for vetting and approving each application; and

(6)

as it has been reported that it is difficult for calls to the Programme's enquiry hotline to get through, whether the authorities have looked into this issue and make improvement accordingly; if so, of the details?

Question 16
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Development of innovation and technology

Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:

In October this year, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of CPC adopted the CPC Central Committee's Proposals for Formulating the Fourteenth Five-year Plan on National Economic and Social Development, which put forward "taking scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening as a strategic support for national development". Moreover, it has been reported that the Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Economic and Financial Affairs Commission has recently indicated that, the Central Authorities will further support Hong Kong in reinforcing and enhancing its competitive advantages, and building an international centre for innovation and technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether it has formulated indicators for measuring if Hong Kong has been developed into an international centre for innovation and technology; if so, of the details, and how far the current situation of Hong Kong is from such indicators;

(2)

whether it has drawn up a timetable for developing Hong Kong into an international centre for innovation and technology; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

as a market research institution has estimated that the global expenditure on digital transformation this year will rise to about $10 trillion, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.4%, which has reflected that enterprises have been actively struggling for survival amid the epidemic through undergoing digital transformation, whether the Government has detailed plans to assist enterprises in speeding up their digital transformation, and facilitate the industrialization of their research and development outcomes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 17
(For written reply)

(Translation)

The licensing regime for private columbaria

Hon Alice MAK to ask:

In September this year, the Private Columbaria Licensing Board ("PCLB") specified 31 December this year as the deadline for submission of documents/information by applicants whose applications for the temporary suspension of liability ("TSOL") were under vetting and approval. It has been reported that as a majority of such applications have not attached all of the documents/information required, the relevant private columbaria (among which some are large-scale columbaria with a long history) may have to close down because they have failed to submit by the deadline the documents/information required, and a substantial quantity of ashes have to be disinterred by then. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the total number of TSOL applications received by PCLB and, among such applications, the respective current numbers of those which (i) have been approved, (ii) have been rejected, (iii) have been withdrawn and (iv) are under vetting and approval;

(2)

whether it has assessed the number of private columbaria with TSOL applications submitted that have to close down eventually, and the respective numbers of niches in such premises that (i) have not been sold, (ii) have been sold but ashes are not yet interred, and (iii) have ashes interred; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

in the event of the private columbaria mentioned in (2) closing down, how the Government (i) ensures proper placement of the ashes interred therein, so as to protect the consumer rights and interests of the niche buyers, and (ii) renders assistance to such buyers to ensure that they will not have nowhere to turn to for assistance; and

(4)

whether it has drawn up any contingency plan to handle the situation that a substantial quantity of ashes have to be relocated to other places for interring temporarily upon the closing down of the private columbaria mentioned in (2); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 18
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Facilities in community halls and community centres

Dr Hon Pierre CHAN to ask:

Quite a number of members of the public hope that the facilities in the community halls and community centres ("CHs/CCs") under the management of the Home Affairs Department ("HAD") can be put to optimal use, so that more community activities and activities for promoting inter-generational harmony can be held in such venues to promote a sense of community belonging as well as social and family harmony. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the following information about the conference rooms and multi-purpose halls (including stages) of CHs/CCs in each of the past three years: (i) their respective average monthly utilization rates, (ii) the average time taken to process each hiring application, (iii) the average time waited by each successful applicant for using such facilities, and (iv) the number of organizations which incurred demerit points as they had breached the terms and conditions for hiring such facilities, and the terms and conditions mainly breached by them, and set out such information in a table by District Council district and name of CH/CC;

(2)

given that a small number of District Offices ("DOs") permit, on a discretionary basis, individuals and commercial organizations to hire the facilities in CHs/CCs for organizing community-building activities (regardless of whether such individuals/organizations will make any profit out of the activities), but most DOs do not allow such individuals/organizations to hire those facilities, whether HAD will standardize the criteria for hiring facilities in CHs/CCs in various districts to permit individuals and commercial organizations to hire such facilities, so as to increase the variety of community activities available for residents' participation and, at the same time, increase the utilization rates of the facilities in CHs/CCs;

(3)

whether HAD will, by following the practice of some shopping malls, relax the terms and conditions of hire of and the management rules for the facilities in CHs/CCs to permit the entry of guide dogs, with a view to facilitating the use of such facilities and participation in activities by the visually impaired; and

(4)

given that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has launched in six districts a trial scheme of Inclusive Park for Pets, in which the parks concerned are open for use by members of the public accompanied by their pets with a view to providing an inclusive environment for different users to use the park facilities, whether HAD will follow this practice and permit entry to CHs/CCs by members of the public accompanied by their pets, so as to respond to the needs of the community?

Question 19
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Welfare and employment for the elderly

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:

In January this year, the Government announced that it would expand the "Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities" ("the Concession Scheme") by lowering the eligible age from 65 to 60, and it would amend the Old Age Living Allowance ("OALA") Scheme. Quite a number of members of the public have relayed that the Government, apart from improving the welfare for the elderly, should also encourage the elderly (especially persons aged 60 to 64 who are commonly known as "silver-age persons") to seek employment and participate in community services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as the Government indicated last month that it would include the funding needed for expanding the Concession Scheme in the Budget for the next financial year with a view to implementing the measure progressively, of the specific date for implementing the expanded Concession Scheme;

(2)

as the Government indicated that it would study issuing to persons aged 60 or above a Personalized Octopus Card embodied with the functions of a Senior Citizen Card issued by the Social Welfare Department, of the progress of the study and the implementation date of the relevant initiative;

(3)

as the Government indicated that it would (i) combine the Normal OALA (currently at $2,770 per month) and the Higher OALA (currently at $3,715 per month), (ii) standardize the monthly allowance at the Higher OALA rate, and (iii) raise the asset limits for applying for the allowance (to $500,000 for a single elderly person and $750,000 for a married elderly couple), of the implementation date(s) of these initiatives;

(4)

whether the Government will consider reducing by half the salaries tax rate for working people aged 60 or above, so as to encourage the elderly to continue working; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5)

given that quite a number of persons who are required to retire from their current positions upon reaching the age of 60 wish to take up employment again, engage in part-time work or even start their own businesses, whether the Government will (i) enact legislation relating to re-employment after retirement and rationalize the relevant arrangements of the Mandatory Provident Fund system, and (ii) introduce measures to encourage employers to offer more positions suitable for the elderly; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(6)

of the new measures in place to encourage silver-age persons to actively participate in neighbourhood mutual help, volunteer services as well as social affairs in the community?

Question 20
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Assisting the vehicle repair trade in obtaining
repair information and techniques

Hon Frankie YICK to ask:

It is learnt that with the extensive use of electronic components in diesel vehicles of Euro IV and post-Euro IV emission standards, it is necessary for the vehicle repair trade to obtain the checkers and software of the On Board Diagnostic systems developed by vehicle manufacturers for these vehicles as well as the data collected from tests conducted by the original manufacturers ("the software and hardware required for repair"), so as to effectively repair the major parts of these vehicles. Some members of the local vehicle repair trade have indicated that as vehicle repair workshops in general can hardly afford to purchase and keep the software and hardware required for repair for various vehicle models, vehicle owners can only send their vehicles in need of repair back to the repair workshops designated by vehicle dealers for repair and, in the absence of competition, the repair services provided by the latter not only have failed to meet market needs, but also charged a fee on the high side. This situation has resulted in an increase in the operating costs of the transport trade and a gradual shrinkage of the room for survival of the vehicle repair trade. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether it knows the number and percentage of vehicle repair workshops which closed down in each of the past five years and, among them, the number of those which closed down because they could not afford the software and hardware required for repair;

(2)

as the European Union ("EU") has required vehicle manufacturers to ensure that independent repair operators have easy, restriction-free, and standardized access to information on the repair and maintenance of vehicles, and not to treat authorized dealers and repair workshops differently, whether the Government will require that local dealers of new vehicle models must, upon payment of a reasonable fee by members of the vehicle repair trade, provide the software and hardware required for repair; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

as the Government indicated in its reply to my question on 17 February 2016 that the Government would follow the practice of EU to include in the legislation the requirement for vehicle manufacturers to open up repair techniques, of the progress of the legislative amendment exercise; whether it has taken the initiative to gain an understanding from the vehicle repair trade of the opening up of repair techniques by vehicle manufacturers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4)

of the measures in place to assist the vehicle repair trade in keeping abreast of the latest vehicle repair information and techniques?

Question 21
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Flood prevention measures for villages

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:

With the continuous aggravation of global warming, extreme weather conditions have hit Hong Kong more frequently in recent years. During a number of severe rainstorms this year, serious flooding occurred in certain villages (including the following villages in New Territories East: Lo Wu Village, Ping Yeung Village and Lei Uk Village in Ta Kwu Ling; Cheung Uk Tei Village, Yue Kok Village, Shuen Wan Chim Uk Village, Shuen Wan Chan Uk Village, Wong Yue Tan Village and San Tau Kok Village in Tai Po; as well as Ha Tei Ha Village in Sha Tin), threatening the safety of villagers' lives and properties. Regarding flood prevention measures for villages, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the follow-up actions taken by the relevant government departments in respect of the flooding problems in the aforesaid villages; whether they will roll out improvement measures; if so, of the timetables;

(2)

of the number of reports on flooding incidents in villages received by the Government since January this year, with a breakdown by District Council district; among such incidents, of the respective numbers of those the causes of which involved problems of (i) blockage of outfalls and (ii) inadequate flood relieving capacities of drainage channels; the details and progress of the follow-up actions taken in respect of such flooding incidents; the number of locations where the flooding problems have yet to be resolved and the relevant details; and

(3)

as the Government has recently proposed carrying out a number of district minor works projects so as to resolve the flooding problems in certain villages, but quite a number of villagers have relayed that funding approval for some of the projects (e.g. the project in San Tau Kok Village in Tai Po) has not been granted by the District Councils concerned after a protracted period of time, resulting in indefinite delay in their implementation, how the Government will resolve such problem; whether it will strengthen the Government's role in taking forward district works; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 22
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Primary healthcare services

Hon Holden CHOW to ask:

To shift the emphasis of the present healthcare system and people's mindset from treatment-oriented to prevention-focused, the Government plans to set up full-fledged District Health Centres ("DHCs") or interim DHC Expresses of a smaller scale in all of the 18 districts across the territory, with a view to strengthening district-based primary healthcare services, as well as encouraging the public to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enhancing their capability in self-care and home care, thereby reducing the need for specialist services and hospitalization. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the respective numbers of members of Kwai Tsing DHC who have been provided with (i) basic health risk assessment and (ii) screening services for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, together with the number of patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension who have been covered by the Chronic Disease Management Programme, since the DHC commenced operation in September last year;

(2)

of the respective current numbers of persons suffering from post-acute myocardial infarction, stroke and hip fracture who are receiving community rehabilitation services provided by Kwai Tsing DHC;

(3)

given that the Government plans to set up, within its current term, DHCs in seven districts (namely Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Southern District) and DHC Expresses in 11 districts, of the progress and other details of the work of setting up these facilities (including site selection), as well as the specific dates on which these facilities will be set up; and

(4)

whether it will consider expanding the scope of the disease screening services of DHCs to cover cervical cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer?

Legislative Council

Agenda Wednesday 16 December 2020 at 11:00 am

I.Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

II.Questions

III.Government Bill

IV.Members' Motions on Subsidiary Legislation

Council meeting of 16 December 2020 Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

22 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 16 December 2020

Agenda

Wednesday 16 December 2020 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

II.
Questions

III.
Government Bill

IV.
Members' Motions on Subsidiary Legislation

Council meeting of 16 December 2020

Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council