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A 20/21-34

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 23 June 2021 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

14 items of subsidiary legislation and 2 other papers to be laid on the Table of the Council set out in Appendix 1

II.
Questions

Members to ask 22 questions (6 for oral replies and 16 for written replies)
Questions for oral replies to be asked by
Public officers to reply
1.
Secretary for Education
2.
Secretary for Development
3.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Under Secretary for Security
4.
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Food and Health
5.
Secretary for Development
Secretary for the Environment
6.
Hon Wilson OR
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Contents of 22 questions, Members to ask such questions and public officers to reply set out in Appendix 2

III.
Government Bills

First Reading and Second Reading (debate to be adjourned)
1.
:
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
2.
:
Secretary for Education
Second Reading (debate to resume), consideration by committee of the whole Council and Third Reading
3.
:
Secretary for the Environment
4.
:
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Amendment mover
:
Secretary for Transport and Housing
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 656/20-21 issued on 9 June 2021)
(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 682/20-21 issued on 18 June 2021)

IV.
Government Motion

Proposed resolution under the Trading Funds Ordinance
Mover
:
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Wording of the motion
:

V.
Members' Motions

1.
Motion on "Reforming the accountability system for principal officials"
Mover
:
Hon Starry LEE
Wording of the motion
:
Amendment mover
:
Hon Alice MAK
(Amendment set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 680/20-21 issued on 17 June 2021)
Public officer to attend
:
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
2.
Motion on "Providing support for hard-hit industries affected by the epidemic"
Mover
:
Hon YIU Si-wing
Wording of the motion
:
Amendment mover
:
Hon Frankie YICK
(Amendment set out in LC Paper No. CB(3) 681/20-21 issued on 17 June 2021)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Secretary for Home Affairs
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Food and Health
Under Secretary for Transport and Housing



Clerk to the Legislative Council




Appendix 1

Council meeting of 23 June 2021

Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

Subsidiary legislation
Legal Notice No.
1.
90 of 2021
2.
91 of 2021
3.
92 of 2021
4.
93 of 2021
5.
94 of 2021
6.
95 of 2021
7.
96 of 2021
8.
97 of 2021
9.
98 of 2021
10.
99 of 2021
11.
100 of 2021
12.
101 of 2021
13.
102 of 2021
14.
103 of 2021
Other papers
15.
16.
Report of the Bills Committee on Free-Flow Tolling (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021
(to be presented by Hon Frankie YICK, Chairman of the Bills Committee)




Appendix 2

22 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 23 June 2021

Subject matters
Public officers to reply
Questions for oral replies
1
Hon Tommy CHEUNG
Secretary for Education
2
Hon LAU Kwok-fan
Secretary for Development
3
Hon Paul TSE
Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Under Secretary for Security
4
Hon Mrs Regina IP
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Food and Health
5
Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan
Secretary for Development
Secretary for the Environment
6
Hon Wilson OR
Secretary for Transport and Housing
Questions for written replies
7
Hon Steven HO
Secretary for Food and Health
8
Hon Michael TIEN
Secretary for Transport and Housing
9
Hon Kenneth LAU
Secretary for Development
10
Hon SHIU Ka-fai
Secretary for Development
11
Hon Martin LIAO
Secretary for Food and Health
12
Hon YIU Si-wing
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
13
Hon Starry LEE
Secretary for Food and Health
14
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok
Secretary for Innovation and Technology
15
Hon Frankie YICK
Secretary for Transport and Housing
16
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG
Secretary for the Environment
17
Hon CHAN Han-pan
Secretary for Transport and Housing
18
Hon Alice MAK
Secretary for Education
19
Hon Tony TSE
Secretary for Transport and Housing
20
Hon CHAN Hak-kan
Secretary for the Environment
21
Hon LUK Chung-hung
Secretary for Food and Health
22
Hon Elizabeth QUAT
Secretary for Food and Health




Question 1
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Training of school principals and teachers

Hon Tommy CHEUNG to ask:
It is learnt that the Education Bureau ("EDB"), after investigating complaints against teachers, found that some teachers had used teaching materials with biased contents to impart twisted concepts to students and arouse students' hostility towards the nation. EDB has indicated that it will strengthen, in the pre-service and in-service teacher training, the contents on values education, teachers' professional conduct, the Constitution, the Basic Law and national security education. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that teachers whose registration has been cancelled for a specified period may make fresh applications for registration upon expiry of that period, whether EDB will require them to complete the training provided by EDB on national affairs, the Basic Law and the National Security Law for Hong Kong (including receiving training on national affairs at normal universities on the Mainland) before their applications will be considered;
(2)
whether EDB has considered arranging in-service teachers and prospective teachers to receive training on national affairs at normal universities on the Mainland, so as to enhance their understanding of the nation's development; and
(3)
what new measures EDB has put in place to further enhance school principals' and teachers' knowledge in areas such as national affairs, "one country, two systems" and the National Security Law for Hong Kong?




Question 2
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Tendering arrangements for public works projects

Hon LAU Kwok-fan to ask:
Last month, the Development Bureau submitted a paper to give an account of the significant deviations between the accepted tender prices ("successful bid prices") of 22 capital works contracts awarded in the fourth quarter of last year and the sums allowed in the Approved Project Estimates for such contracts. The successful bid prices concerned accounted, on average, for only 70% of the sums allowed, and the relevant percentages for three of the contracts were even less than 60% of the sums allowed. On the other hand, some contractors have relayed that the social incidents and the epidemic have caused delays in works and rise in costs. This situation, coupled with the recent surge in the prices of construction materials, has left such contractors in misery. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the causes as set out in the aforesaid paper for the significant deviations include that "[t]his is due to keen competition under prevailing market conditions, which resulted in lower rates in the returned tenders", whether it has assessed if this situation will cause contractors to "deliver poorer-quality works at lower prices" or hire illegal workers in order to cut costs, or result in non-delivery of the projects due to the contractors' failure to make ends meet;
(2)
apart from adopting a "two-envelope two-stage" tender approach, whether the Government will consider setting standards for "reasonably low bid prices" and excluding the tender with the lowest bid price from the evaluation of price proposals, so as to avoid vicious competition due to extremely low prices; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
in the light of the impacts of the epidemic on works projects, whether the Government will, apart from allowing contractors a longer construction period, provide them with other assistance; whether it will, by making reference to the Mainland authorities' practice of reasonably sharing out with contractors the risks of price fluctuations in respect of the costs of municipal works projects, consider providing subsidies to the contractors to help them meet the extra expenses arising from the price escalation of construction materials?  




Question 3
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Importation of Mainland domestic helpers

Hon Paul TSE to ask:
The existing scheme for importation of domestic helpers does not cover Mainland domestic helpers ("MDHs"). However, the successive outbreaks of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic in a number of major source countries for foreign domestic helpers ("FDHs") in Southeast Asia have resulted in a drastic drop in the number of FDHs coming to Hong Kong. This situation, coupled with the frequent "job-hopping" by FDHs currently in Hong Kong, has rendered more and more families in Hong Kong unable to hire FDHs. On the other hand, quite a number of families (especially those with frail elderly who cannot speak English) wish to hire MDHs who speak the same language. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
under the circumstances that there have been outbreaks of the epidemic in various countries and the number of FDHs arriving in Hong Kong has dropped drastically as well as on the premise of guarding against job-hopping by FDHs, of the new measures in place to increase the supply of FDHs;
(2)
of the "immigration control and security considerations" in respect of the Government's refusal to import MDHs; and
(3)
as there are comments that currently, foreigners who have entered Hong Kong on employment visas may become Hong Kong permanent residents ("HKPRs") after working in Hong Kong for seven years, whereas FDHs do not enjoy the same treatment, arousing queries that this is discrimination and unfair treatment, whether the Government will consider standardizing the requirement to the effect that persons who have resided in Hong Kong for seven years after entering Hong Kong on employment visas (irrespective of whether they are Chinese, foreigners or FDHs) are all required to apply to, and obtain the approval of, the Director of Immigration before they may become HKPRs, in order to address the queries of discrimination and unfair treatment as well as create conditions for importing MDHs?




Question 4
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Exempting certain persons from
compulsory quarantine when entering Hong Kong

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
It is learnt that since the end of last month, the Chief Secretary for Administration has been exempting, under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, those persons who have completed a Coronavirus Disease 2019 vaccination course and belong to the following categories from compulsory quarantine when entering Hong Kong: senior personnel of institutions in the banking sector, insurance sector and securities and futures sector as well as locally listed companies. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest update on the implementation of the aforesaid quarantine exemption arrangement, including the respective up-to-date numbers of applications received and approved; and
(2)
whether it will extend the scope of the exemption arrangement to include senior personnel from other industries and major multinational enterprises; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 5
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Green features of new residential buildings

Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to ask:
In order to encourage developers to adopt green building concepts, the Government implemented a policy on green and innovative buildings in 2001 to allow green features such as balconies, communal podium gardens and sky gardens to be exempted from the calculation of the gross floor areas ("GFA") of residential development projects. The Government revised the relevant arrangements in 2011 by stipulating that the area of balconies that may be exempted be reduced from 100% to 50% at the most. It is learnt that developers have since then reduced the provision of balconies or only provided very small balconies known as "utility platforms" for new residential units. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that global warming is getting increasingly serious and various countries are striving to reduce carbon emissions, whether the Government will consider encouraging the provision of communal rooftop sky gardens in eligible new buildings for greening purposes; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that green balconies can make homes better ventilated and help absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, whether the Government will require that new residential units must be provided with green balconies, that such balconies may only be used for greening purposes, and that the area of balconies may be fully exempted from the calculation of GFA but may not be included in the calculation of the saleable areas stated in sales documents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it knows the respective cities in the world with level of development comparable to that of Hong Kong whose governments have currently required that new residential buildings must be provided with balconies or communal rooftop sky gardens, or implemented measures to encourage developers to provide such facilities, as well as the reasons for implementing the relevant policies?




Question 6
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Child safety in cars

Hon Wilson OR to ask:
The existing legislation requires that a child passenger of two years of age or less must be securely fastened to the seat by means of an approved child restraint device ("CRD") when travelling in the front seat of a private car ("the CRD requirement"). Regarding child safety in cars, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of passengers under the age of 12 who died and who sustained serious injuries in traffic accidents in each of the past three years;
(2)
whether the Government has, since 2010, amended any legislation relating to child safety in cars; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that the transport sector and the Consumer Council have, since 2010, been calling on the Government to extend the CRD requirement to the rear seats of private cars, and that the Government consulted the Panel on Transport of this Council on this proposal in 2013 and indicated in May 2018 that a specific legal framework was being formulated, of the latest progress of the legislative exercise; if a legislative timetable is not yet availabe, of the measures in place to ensure the safety of rear-seat child passengers in cars?




Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Animal release activities

Hon Steven HO to ask:
It is learnt that quite a number of members of the public have released animals casually without knowing the habitats necessary for their survival, which contrarily shorten the lives of the animals concerned. Furthermore, releasing animals at unsuitable locations or releasing animals which are not suitable for release may damage the ecological environment, and even trigger public health crisis. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the legislation currently in place to regulate animal release activities; the number of relevant reported cases received by the Government, and the respective numbers of persons arrested, prosecuted and convicted, in each of the past three years;
(2)
of the details of the publicity and education work conducted in each of the past three years on preventing the improper release of animals;
(3)
as the Government plans to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) to specify that abandonment of an animal which causes it to suffer unnecessarily (e.g. some acts of releasing animals into unsuitable environment) is an act of cruelty to animals, of the relevant details; and
(4)
whether it will commence a study with animal welfare concern groups on the subject of animal release, e.g. identification of animal species that are suitable for release as well as suitable locations and seasons for the release, as well as collaborate with agricultural and fisheries bodies to provide scientific animal release services for those who practice animal release, including conducting animal release activities under suitable conditions and following up the condition of the animals after release (e.g. whether they are able to adapt to the new environment and whether they have caused negative impacts on the ecological environment)?




Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Car-hailing feature

Hon Michael TIEN to ask:
The Government plans to introduce, by way of enacting legislation, a new regulatory framework next year to allow wider trial and use of autonomous vehicles by the industry. On the other hand, some electric private cars are equipped with an autonomous driving technology known as "car-hailing feature", which enables drivers to remotely control, without the need to get onto the driving seats, their vehicles to edge into and out of car parking spaces by using a mobile phone application within a short distance from their vehicles. However, section 44 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap. 374G) prohibits a driver from vacating a vehicle without having stopped the engine and set the brake, and it is therefore an offence to use that feature in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it is aware of the convenience that the above feature can bring to drivers in a number of ways when they use narrow car parking spaces, such as enabling drivers to easily get in and out of their vehicles or open the vehicle doors to get things; and
(2)
whether it will consider, prior to formulating the above regulatory framework, expeditiously amending the legislation to allow drivers to lawfully use that feature in Hong Kong; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Pest problem of Phauda flammans

Hon Kenneth LAU to ask:
It has been reported that Ficus spp. trees account for one fourth of the trees planted for greening in Hong Kong, and since 2018, such trees in Northwest New Territories have been suffering severely from attacks by Phauda flammans. Such insects chew up lots of leaves of Chinese banyan and strip the trees bare, as well as cause damages to the trees' structure and health. When the trees or branches wither and fall, the lives of members of the public may be endangered. It is learnt that such pest problem has spread to areas around Tai Po, causing serious damages to the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen as well as the trees in some villages and private residences. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of trees attacked by Phauda flammans in the past five years, according to the records of the Tree Management Office, together with a breakdown by District Council district; whether it has regularly deployed staff to check the conditions of the trees across the territory (in particular the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen);
(2)
whether it has studied the causes for the Phauda flammans pest problem spreading rapidly in Hong Kong in the past few years and if such insects have become a major tree pest in Hong Kong; if it has studied, of the details; and
(3)
whether it has formulated guidelines on the ways of handling when members of the public discover that the trees in their villages and residences are under attacks by Phauda flammans; of the prevention and control methods targeting at such insects to curb the continuous spread of the pest problem?




Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Expediting the implementation of public housing projects

Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
Regarding the reply by the Secretary for Development ("SDEV") to my question raised on 2 June this year, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that SDEV has cited the rezoning of a single land parcel for the development of public housing as an example to illustrate the procedures involved in transforming a piece of "primitive land" into a "spade-ready site", of the details of the specific work involved in each of the following procedures:
(i)
conducting a technical feasibility study to assess the impact on transport, environment, etc. (taking around two years),
(ii)
rezoning under the Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131) ("the Ordinance") (normally taking 11 months in accordance with the Ordinance),
(iii)
carrying out detailed engineering and architectural designs (normally taking 18 to 24 months),
(iv)
(in the event that any private lot is involved) arranging the gazettal of land resumption and works area under the Lands Resumption Ordinance (Cap. 124) and other ordinances as well as handling objections,
(v)
(in the event that any private lot is involved) resuming the land,
(vi)
(in the event that any private lot is involved) providing rehousing compensation for the affected tenants or operators,
(vii)
clearing the land, and
(viii)
carrying out site formation and infrastructural works (taking around two to three years depending on site conditions);
(2)
of the respective time normally taken for each of the procedures mentioned in (1)(iv) to (vii);
(3)
which of the procedures mentioned in (1) can be proceeded with in parallel; whether it has, from time to time, explored means to enable more procedures to be proceeded with in parallel;
(4)
as SDEV has indicated that the building of public housing flats takes at least around four to five years, of the details of the specific work involved in the construction works; and
(5)
as SDEV has indicated that, as estimated in the light of the procedures mentioned in (1), it normally takes more than 10 years from the initial conduct of a technical feasibility study to the completion of public housing flats, whether it has assessed if such a housing construction speed is desirable and acceptable; if it has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the justifications; if the assessment outcome is in the negative, the improvement plans in place?




Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Paediatric palliative care

Hon Martin LIAO to ask:
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, palliative care aims to provide assessment and treatment services to patients with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions to prevent and relieve suffering of patients, thereby improving the quality of life for them and their family members. Some patient groups have pointed out that paediatric palliative care services are currently provided by the paediatric departments in various public hospitals instead of allied health teams, which is not conducive to the enhancement of service quality and the accumulation and passing on of the relevant experience by healthcare personnel. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the number of children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions who received palliative care at public hospitals in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the type of diseases they suffered from (e.g. cancers, neurological disorders and respiratory diseases) and by the type of services provided to them;
(2)
as the Hospital Authority ("HA") indicated in 2018 that the Hong Kong Children's Hospital, upon commissioning, would set up a centrally coordinated paediatric palliative care team comprising multidisciplinary professionals responsible for coordinating territory-wide paediatric palliative care services, whether it knows the progress of the relevant work, and if HA has formulated key performance indicators for the work of the team; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
in respect of the training on paediatric palliative care services provided by HA to healthcare personnel, whether it knows if HA (i) reviewed the effectiveness of such training and (ii) enriched the training contents, in the past two years, with a view to enhancing service quality; if HA did, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it has considered strengthening, at the community level through District Health Centres and primary care providers, the support provided to children who are receiving palliative care; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?  




Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Food Truck Pilot Scheme

Hon YIU Si-wing to ask:
In February 2017, the Government launched a two-year Food Truck Pilot Scheme ("Pilot Scheme") and in October last year it extended the Scheme, for the second time, to 2 February 2022. It is learnt that due to the impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic and the closure of tourism facilities, etc., the flow of people in the operating venues of food trucks has been decreasing, and the business of food trucks is on its last legs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current number of licensed food trucks; whether it knows the number of operation days and the turnover of each food truck, in each month since January last year;
(2)
of the designated operating venues for food trucks which, since January last year, have ever been closed under the impact of the epidemic and the respective dates of closure; whether the Government has provided alternatives to assist operators of food trucks in continuing their operation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will consider extending the Pilot Scheme again; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it has, in the light of the current difficult operating environment, modified the mechanism for withdrawal and replacement of food trucks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Facilitating measures for Hong Kong people
vaccinated outside Hong Kong

Hon Starry LEE to ask:
Recently, the Government has provided different forms of travel convenience for members of the public who have completed a Coronavirus Disease 2019 vaccination course ("vaccination"), and the business sector has also actively introduced various forms of incentives to encourage members of the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible. However, quite a number of Hong Kong people who have returned to Hong Kong from the Mainland have relayed that as their records of having completed vaccination on the Mainland have yet to be recognized by the Hong Kong Government, they are treated differently from those Hong Kong people who have completed vaccination locally. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the up-to-date number of Hong Kong people who have returned to Hong Kong from the Mainland under the "Return2hk - Travel Scheme for Hong Kong Residents Returning from the Mainland or Macao without being subject to quarantine under the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C)" (and the respective percentages of the people among them who returned from various provinces), as well as the percentage of such number in the total number of Hong Kong people who returned from the Mainland in the same period; whether it knows, among such returnees, the number of those who have completed vaccination on the Mainland;
(2)
as the Government indicated early this month that it was studying ways to further facilitate Hong Kong people to make use of their non-local vaccination records, of the progress of such a study; whether it will introduce measures so that Hong Kong people who have completed vaccination respectively on the Mainland and in Hong Kong are treated equally, including eligibility for participating in the reward programmes launched by the business sector to encourage Hong Kong people to get vaccinated; if so, of the details (including whether such measures can be rolled out before the deadlines for signing up for the various reward programmes); if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will add a new function to the mobile app "LeaveHomeSafe" of storing certified non-local vaccination records; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Promoting the development of innovation and technology
as well as re-industrialization

Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
The development of an international innovation and technology ("I&T") hub is one of the work focuses of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Government has indicated that it will continue to strengthen the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong. Apart from developing the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the Government has reserved a total of over 100 hectares of lands near San Tin/Lok Ma Chau and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point for I&T-related development. On promoting the development of innovation and technology as well as re-industrialization, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details of the aforesaid lands, including locations, areas, expected uses, as well as the progress of the relevant planning work (set out in a table);
(2)
of the measures put in place to expedite the planning work of such lands, so as to seize the opportunities brought by the development of the international I&T hub; and
(3)
whether it will commence long-term land planning in respect of I&T and re-industrialization, so as to better support the long-term development of the relevant industries; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 15
(For written reply)

(Translation)

International competitiveness
of the Pearl River Delta port cluster

Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area puts forth the following vision for enhancing the international competitiveness of the Pearl River Delta port cluster: to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international maritime centre, as well as to increase the overall capacity of international shipping services of Guangzhou and Shenzhen and form a complementary and mutually beneficial system of port, shipping, logistics and ancillary services with Hong Kong, thereby strengthening the port cluster's overall international competitiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Guangdong Provincial Government is currently expediting the development of port infrastructure, of the Government's strategies to develop new port infrastructure in order to maintain Hong Kong's long-term competitiveness, thereby consolidating and enhancing its status as an international maritime centre;
(2)
given that at present, a number of Mainland ports are located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, whether the Government has plans to enter into an agreement with the Guangdong Provincial Government on the cooperation between the ports of both places, so as to ensure that such ports mutually benefit rather than viciously compete with each other; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as it has been reported that the Chief Executive indicated last month that the Government would sign agreements with some of the municipal governments in Guangdong Province to allow civil servants to take up temporary positions on the Mainland for exchanges, whether the Government will arrange officials responsible for port planning and management to take up temporary positions in such municipalities for exchanges; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?




Question 16
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Contingency response mechanism

Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:
On the evening of the 2nd of this month, a No. 3 alarm fire broke out on a cargo vessel loaded with waste metals and located in the waters south of Tsing Yi. The fire was not extinguished until around 8:00 am on the following day. The Fire Services Department published a posting on a social media platform five hours after the fire had broken out, reminding "coastal residents in the nearby districts that they may be affected by the smoke and odour carried away by the wind; such residents may close the doors and windows for the time being and stay calm". It has been reported that during the fire, hundreds of thousands of residents were affected by the smoke and odour, and quite a number of them were panic-stricken and had nowhere to turn to for assistance. On the other hand, the emergencies as defined under the Government's Emergency Response System do not include a fire that causes widespread impacts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
apart from the aforesaid posting, of the details of the relevant information disseminated by the Government to the public during the said fire, including the policy bureaux/government departments ("B/Ds") disseminating such information, the time when and the channel through which such information was disseminated, as well as whether such information included methods provided for the affected members of the public to cope with the smoke and odour;
(2)
whether, during the said fire, it sent staff to the affected districts to explain to the members of the public the origin of the smoke and odour, advise them on the methods for coping with the smoke and odour, and call on them to stay calm; if so, of the respective numbers of departments and staff members involved; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether an inter-departmental contingency response mechanism has been put in place to handle incidents which cause widespread impacts but are not classified as emergencies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it has reviewed the performance of the various B/Ds in responding to the said fire (including their vigilance and initiative), and formulated measures to ensure that when similar incidents happen in the future, they will disseminate relevant information to the public in a timely manner?  




Question 17
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Public housing projects

Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:
On public housing projects, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of housing projects completed in the past five financial years and, in respect of each project, set out in a table by project name (i) the number of residential units, (ii) the initial expected completion date, (iii) the actual completion date, and (iv) the causes for delay (if applicable);
(2)
of the number of housing projects expected to be completed in the coming five financial years and, in respect of each project, set out in a table by project name (i) the number of residential units, (ii) the initial expected completion date, (iii) the latest expected completion date, and (iv) the duration, causes and solutions for the delay (if applicable);
(3)
of the total number of procedures currently involved in the conversion of a public housing site from a "primitive land" to a "spade-ready site", and forthwith in the works of a public housing project on the spade-ready site from commencement to completion, and in respect of each procedure, set out in a table in chronological order (i) the government department/organization responsible, (ii) the time generally needed, and (iii) whether the procedure can be proceeded with in parallel with other procedures (if so, of such other procedures involved; if not, the reasons for that); the new measures in place to improve the workflow with a view to shortening the time needed for completing the various procedures; and
(4)
as the Chief Executive indicated, when delivering the 2020 Policy Address last year, that she had authorized the Secretary for Development to expand the composition and remit of the "Steering Group on Streamlining Development Control" to, among others, include vetting departments other than those under the Development Bureau, with a view to reviewing more comprehensively the vetting and approval processes of development projects, and rationalizing the development-related requirements imposed by different bureaux, of the progress on and the effectiveness of such work?  




Question 18
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Cross-boundary students

Hon Alice MAK to ask:
As the authorities of Hong Kong and the Mainland have both implemented immigration quarantine measures, cross-boundary students ("CBS") have been unable to cross the boundary daily from the Mainland to attend schools in Hong Kong as they used to do. Some of the students are temporarily living at their relatives' or friends' homes in Hong Kong, while some others are staying on the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of CBS and schools attended by them in this school year, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(2)
whether it knows, since the whole-school resumption of half-day face-to-face classes on the 24th of last month, the respective numbers of cross-boundary (i) primary and (ii) secondary school students who are currently living in Hong Kong and have attended face-to-face classes, and the respective percentages of such numbers in the relevant totals;
(3)
whether it knows the learning support currently provided by schools to those CBS who have been unable to return to Hong Kong to attend face-to-face classes, and the number of schools providing real-time online classes for such students;
(4)
of the new measures put in place by the Education Bureau ("EDB") amid the epidemic to provide CBS with appropriate support for their learning and personal growth, as well as to render assistance to those CBS with special educational needs; the expected time when the arrangements for crossing the boundary to attend schools may resume;
(5)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of CBS who intend to continue to attend schools in Hong Kong in the next school year; in respect of those CBS who are unable to come to Hong Kong to complete in person the application and registration procedures for Primary One ("P1") and Secondary One ("S1") admission, whether EDB will make arrangements for their online application and registration; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
given that the number of CBS in the next school year may decrease due to the epidemic, whether EDB will roll out mitigation measures (e.g. temporarily reducing the allocation class sizes for P1 and S1), so that there will not be surplus teachers arising from class reduction in the schools concerned?




Question 19
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Traffic safety of crane lorries

Hon Tony TSE to ask:
It has been reported that a total of three traffic accidents occurred in March and May this year in which the not-properly-folded cranes of crane lorries in motion struck the undersides of flyovers, causing damages to the latter. Regarding traffic safety of crane lorries, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of traffic accidents caused by the cranes of crane lorries not having been folded properly and the resultant casualties, in each of the past three years;
(2)
given that the Transport Department ("TD") currently maintains records of only those traffic accidents involving casualties, but traffic accidents involving cranes of crane lorries (irrespective of whether or not casualties are involved) often seriously affect traffic and jeopardize road safety as well as cause damages to flyovers/footbridges, whether TD will separately collect the statistics on all traffic accidents involving cranes of crane lorries, so as to grasp the trend of such accidents; if not, of the reasons for that;
(3)
of the number of persons prosecuted in the past three years for operating the cranes of crane lorries improperly, and what penalties were imposed on those convicted; whether it has reviewed if the current regulation and training requirements for drivers of crane lorries and for crane operators need to be tightened, and if the penalties for irregularities in operating such cranes have sufficient deterrent effect; and
(4)
as TD's Code of Practice for the Loading of Vehicles recommends that warning systems be installed on crane lorries to alert drivers in case the cranes are out of their stowed positions when the vehicles are in motion, whether it knows the current number and percentage of crane lorries that have been installed with those systems; whether it will consider amending the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374A) to stipulate such systems to be standard devices for newly registered crane lorries, so as to reduce the aforesaid traffic accidents; if not, of the reasons for that?  




Question 20
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Reverse Vending Machine Pilot Scheme

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
The Environmental Protection Department ("EPD") rolled out a one-year Reverse Vending Machine Pilot Scheme ("the Pilot Scheme") in the first quarter of this year. Under the Pilot Scheme, EPD has installed 60 reverse vending machines ("RVMs") at locations such as public places or government facilities with suitable foot traffic, and provides an instant rebate ($0.1 per plastic beverage container ("container")) via e-payment platforms to encourage the public to return used containers. Members of the public may return a daily maximum of 30 containers and redeem the rebate for each Octopus card or Alipay (Hong Kong) account held. They may also choose to donate the rebate to designated charities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of (i) the quantity of containers recovered each month, and (ii) the average number of containers recovered from each RVM user, by each RVM since the implementation of the Pilot Scheme, with a breakdown by volume of containers;
(2)
of the usual frequency, or the percentage of the containers recovered in the design capacity of a RVM having been reached, at which the contractor collects the containers recovered by RVMs; whether there were instances of RVMs suspending the recovery of containers because they were full of containers; if so, of the details;
(3)
whether EPD has considered relocating RVMs from locations with low utilization rates to locations with high utilization rates, in order to recover more containers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
of the number of user-times of RVMs since the implementation of the Pilot Scheme, with a breakdown by the way in which the rebate was handled (i.e. (i) redemption of the rebate through Octopus cards, (ii) redemption of the rebate through Alipay (Hong Kong) accounts, and (iii) donation of the rebate to designated charities);
(5)
as some members of the public have relayed that when they feed in more than one container at one time, the RVM concerned only counts them as one, of the number of requests for assistance and reports about this problem received by EPD; whether EPD has considered improving the container counting function of RVMs to facilitate members of the public to feed in several containers at one time; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether EPD will display, on conspicuous positions of RVMs and on the relevant webpage, instructions on the proper way of feeding in containers; and
(6)
of the number of complaints or requests for assistance involving the Pilot Scheme received by EPD in each month since the implementation of the Scheme, with a breakdown by type of issues involved?




Question 21
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Provision of sick leave or allowance for
persons undergoing compulsory quarantine

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:
Under the current quarantine arrangements, persons who were close contacts of persons confirmed to have contracted the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") are required to undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 or 21 days. Earlier on, the compulsory quarantine requirements were once extended to cover those who were not close contacts of, but residing in the same building as, those persons confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 with mutant strain. It is learnt that as "absence from work on account of being placed under compulsory quarantine" is not the reason provided for taking sick leave under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), quite a number of members of the grass roots were asked by their employers to take no pay leave for undergoing compulsory quarantine, and their livelihood was thus gravely affected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of persons, since February last year, to whom the Department of Health issued documentary proof of having undergone compulsory quarantine, together with a breakdown by whether they were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19;
(2)
among the persons confirmed while undergoing compulsory quarantine to have contracted COVID-19, of the number of those to whom the authorities issued sick leave certificates, since February last year; and
(3)
whether it will, by drawing reference from the practice adopted by the Government for dealing with the employment issues arising from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, issue sick leave certificates through the Director of Health to all those employees who have undergone compulsory quarantine, thereby enabling them to take paid sick leave, or consider afresh the provision of a daily quarantine allowance for them?




Question 22
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Prevention and control of asthma

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
The Global Initiative for Asthma released this year an updated Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, in which it stated that it no longer recommended the use of Short-Acting β2-adrenergic Agonist ("SABA") alone by asthma patients aged 12 or above to relieve the symptoms of asthma, and recommended the use of inhaled corticosteroid and formoterol ("ICS-formoterol") at the same time. Regarding the prevention and control of asthma, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the following information on asthma patients receiving diagnosis and treatment in the public healthcare system in each of the past five years:
(i)
the number of new asthma patients in general outpatient clinics ("GOPCs");
(ii)
the respective numbers and attendances of asthma patients diagnosed and treated in GOPCs and specialist outpatient clinics ("SOPCs"), together with a tabulated breakdown by medical conditions of the patients;
(iii)
the number of persons sent to accident and emergency departments due to asthma attacks and subsequently died;
(iv)
the respective dosages of the various types of medications prescribed by GOPCs and SOPCs for the patients; and
(v)
the number of patients prescribed with SABA, with a breakdown by GOPCs and SOPCs;
(2)
whether it knows if GOPCs and SOPCs currently:
(i)
prescribe medications for asthma patients in accordance with the aforesaid prescription guidelines; and
(ii)
prescribe SABA and ICS-formoterol for asthma patients at the same time; if they do not, of the reasons for that; if they do, the details and, as some overseas studies have found that asthma patients generally use only the former, whether similar situation happens to asthma patients in Hong Kong;
(3)
given that SABA contains salbutamol, a Part I poison on the Poisons List under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A) and hence may be sold only at a pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist, but it is learnt that at present, members of the public can easily buy SABA at a pharmacy without the supervision of a registered pharmacist, whether the Government will step up law enforcement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
as some studies have pointed out that about 5% of the global adult population are suffering from asthma, whether the relevant percentage in Hong Kong is far lower than that level; if so, whether the Government has surveyed the number of asymptomatic patients who have not been discovered;
(5)
whether it will, by adopting the same practices for coping with cancers and diabetes mellitus, formulate prevention and control strategies as well as action plans for asthma; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether it knows if asthma patients receiving diagnosis and treatment in SOPCs will be referred to GOPCs for diagnosis and treatment after their medical conditions have become stable; if they will be, whether the Government will allocate additional resources to the Hospital Authority for enhancing the support provided by GOPCs to asthma patients?