Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Since September 2014, not only has the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") been unable to meet the target of providing the first public rental housing ("PRH") unit offer to general applicants at around three years on average, but it has also moved increasingly further away from the target. Some political parties have suggested that the Government should expedite the redevelopment of 26 aged public housing estates ("PHEs") to give full play to the development potential of the lands concerned and boost the supply of PRH units. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether, in the past six years, HA speeded up the implementation of the second cycle of the Comprehensive Structural Investigation Programme and reviewed afresh the four basic principles under the "Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates", in order to expedite the redevelopment of aged PHEs;

(2)

as HA has indicated that redevelopment of housing estates may reduce the supply of PRH units in the short term because PRH units which would otherwise be available for allocation need to be used for rehousing the PRH residents affected by the redevelopment, whether HA has considered adopting the following approach to redevelop a PHE: firstly a building is to be built on a site within the PHE, such as the site of a ball court or vacant school premises, for rehousing the residents affected by the redevelopment, and then the existing buildings of the PHE, taking turn one by one, are to be vacated, demolished, redeveloped and used for rehousing the remaining affected residents; and

(3)

as the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said last month that he hoped that by the time the Country's second centennial goal was achieved, Hong Kong had bid farewell to subdivided units and caged homes, whether the Government has adjusted its land and housing policies, including expediting the redevelopment of PHEs, in order to eradicate all inadequate housing no later than 2049; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 2
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Waste lead-acid storage batteries

Hon Frankie YICK to ask:

If waste lead-acid storage batteries ("waste batteries") are not disposed of properly, the hazardous substances therein may threaten human health and contaminate the environment. As such, the collection, transportation, disposal as well as import and export of waste batteries are regulated by the law. It has been reported that in 2018, the quantities of waste batteries generated in and exported from Hong Kong were 38 000 and 2 100 tonnes respectively. On the other hand, the only waste battery recycling centre in Hong Kong, which commenced operation in September 2019, recovered less than 1 000 tonnes of waste batteries each year. Such figures have aroused the concern that the majority of waste batteries might have been disposed of illegally. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the quantity of waste batteries generated in Hong Kong in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by their disposal methods;

(2)

of the respective numbers of persons prosecuted in each of the past three years for illegal collection, disposal and export of waste batteries, as well as the penalties imposed on those convicted; the measures in place to step up efforts in combating such offences; and

(3)

given that the reuse rate of waste batteries may exceed 80%, of the Government's new measures to encourage the relevant trades to send waste batteries to the recycling centre for reuse?

Question 3
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Vaccination against Coronavirus Disease 2019

Dr Hon CHENG Chung-tai to ask:

Recently, the Government has tightened the anti-epidemic requirements. With effect from 1 September, all employees of the Government, the Hospital Authority ("HA"), residential care homes for the elderly and for persons with disabilities as well as kindergartens, primary and secondary schools are required to take virus tests outside working hours at their own expenses regularly if they have not been administered the Coronavirus Disease 2019 vaccines ("the vaccines"); all personnel who may come into contact with inbound travellers are subject to compulsory vaccination; and face-to-face classes may resume fully only if the vaccination rate among schoolchildren has reached 70%. Some members of the public have criticized that such requirements are de facto forcing the relevant personnel to get vaccinated, that the vaccines' efficacy in preventing the infection of mutant strains is doubtful, and that it is difficult to obtain compensation in the event of post-vaccination adverse reactions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as the Patients' Charter of HA provides that patients have the right to accept or refuse any medication, investigation or treatment, whether it has assessed if the aforesaid anti-epidemic requirements have violated the medical ethics that people's right to make their own decisions about their health should be respected;

(2)

as some affected employees have indicated that they would rather quit their jobs than take the risk of getting vaccinated, and some parents are worried that their children's growth and health will be affected by vaccination, whether the Government had considered beforehand if such anti-epidemic requirements would aggravate the manpower shortage faced by the healthcare and elderly service sectors, as well as the impacts of such requirements on schoolchildren's development; and

(3)

given that the relevant expert committee has so far not confirmed a single case where there is a causal relationship between vaccination and death and that, as at the 23rd of last month, the authorities granted compensation under the indemnity fund for vaccines for only six applications, whether the Government has assessed the impacts of such situations on public willingness to get vaccinated?

Question 4
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Mediation mechanism for neighbourhood disputes

Hon Wilson OR to ask:

As Hong Kong is densely populated, disputes often arise between neighbours over problems such as noise, light pollution, hygiene, odour of cigarette smoke and water-dripping of air-conditioners, some of which even escalated into violent confrontations. On the other hand, the Home Affairs Department, in collaboration with two professional mediation institutions, provides free professional mediation services on building management, but the scope of such services does not cover neighbourhood disputes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the number of complaints relating to neighbourhood disputes received by the Government in the past five years, with a breakdown by government department and nature of complaints;

(2)

of the institutions or mechanisms currently in place to help members of the public resolve neighbourhood disputes by way of mediation; and

(3)

whether it will, by following the practice of the Singapore Government, establish a community mediation centre and tribunal for neighbourhood disputes, and require that such disputes must be dealt with in the manner of "mediation first, arbitration next"?

Question 5
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Electronic consumption vouchers

Hon Paul TSE to ask:

It has been reported that since the 1st of this month, members of the public have received one after another the first batch of electronic consumption vouchers disbursed by the Government. They have gone out to spend money everywhere and are highly delighted. Various shopping malls have been flooded with people, and both the number of customers and their spending have been driven up. Some members of the public have pointed out that the disbursement of consumption vouchers is a benevolent policy rarely implemented by the Government in recent years, which has not only boosted the economy but also relieved people's burden slightly. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the substantive economic benefits brought to Hong Kong by the consumption vouchers since the 1st of this month; as the Financial Secretary ("FS") visited shops in various districts, of the views expressed to him by members of the public on the Government's disbursement of the consumption vouchers; whether members of the public have requested FS to disburse additional consumption vouchers; if so, of the rate of increase in consumption vouchers requested;

(2)

as the economy of Hong Kong has yet to recover from the haze of the epidemic, whether the Government will, in the light of the positive result brought about by the consumption vouchers, make good use of the e-payment platforms set up by the relevant enterprises with huge amount of money to disburse additional consumption vouchers, with a view to further boosting the economy; and

(3)

of the number of complaints about consumption vouchers received by the Government since the 1st of this month; the measures in place to address the problems encountered by members of the public in using consumption vouchers such as technical difficulties, goods failing to match the descriptions as well as merchants hiding charges and raising prices instantly?

Question 6
(For oral reply)

(Translation)

Gay Games

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:

Hong Kong athletes performed brilliantly at the Olympic Games which ended recently, and the whole city was jubilant. Subsequently, the Chief Executive indicated that the Government would endeavour to achieve the targets of maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, supporting elite sports, promoting sports in the community, and fostering the development of the sports industry. On the other hand, the 11th Gay Games have been scheduled to be held in Hong Kong in November next year. The organizers plan to hold 36 sports competitions, 13 arts and cultural activities, as well as opening and closing ceremonies. By then, athletes from 100 countries and regions will gather in Hong Kong and take part in this major sports event. However, under the prevailing policy on booking recreational facilities under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), the organizers are not among the organizations belonging to the top priority category, and they have to compete with the other organizations which also belong to the second priority category. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether, on the premise of achieving the targets of maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events and fostering the development of the sports industry, the Government will accord priority to the aforesaid organizers for booking the recreational facilities under LCSD, so that this major sports event can be held smoothly, thereby bringing economic benefits to a number of industries; and

(2)

given that the Gay Games aim at promoting the values of equality and inclusion through sports competitions as well as arts and cultural activities, whether the Government will take the opportunity of the Games being hosted in Hong Kong to showcase to the world the facet of Hong Kong as a pluralistic and inclusive society?

Question 7
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Subject of Citizenship and Social Development

Hon CHEUNG Kwok-kwan to ask:

Starting from Secondary Four in the coming school year, the subject of Liberal Studies ("LS subject") in the senior secondary curriculum will be replaced by the subject of Citizenship and Social Development ("CSD subject"). It has been reported that the Education Bureau ("EDB") has envisaged that the first batch of textbooks for CSD subject will be submitted for review in November this year and included in the Recommended Textbook List in April next year, and hence such textbooks cannot be published in time for schools to select and use at the beginning of the coming school year. When teaching CSD subject, schools need to use for the time being bridging teaching materials which have been adapted from textbooks for LS subject by publishers or use school-based teaching materials. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether prior submission of the aforesaid bridging and school-based teaching materials to EDB for review is required; if not, of the measures in place to ensure that such teaching materials are in line with the objectives of CSD subject;

(2)

as EDB indicated in June this year that it was developing learning and teaching resources for taking forward the curriculum of CSD subject, and that it would gradually upload teaching materials onto the web-based platform for use by schools, of the timetable and progress of the relevant work; and

(3)

of the measures in place to expedite the review of the textbooks for CSD subject and further enrich the resources on the web-based platform before the textbooks are available for use, so as to assist teachers in teaching the subject in an accurate manner?

Question 8
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Lung Mei Beach

Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:

The artificial Tai Po Lung Mei Beach opened for use on 23 June this year. It has been reported that on the first five days after the Beach's opening, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") recorded respectively 63 and 27 cases of members of the public claiming to have been pricked/stung by sea urchins and jellyfish at the Beach. Such kind of cases still occur from time to time at present. Some lifeguards have criticized the Government for not having conducted relevant risk assessment prior to opening the Beach. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the following information on those cases in which members of the public claimed to have been pricked/stung respectively by sea urchins and jellyfish at Lung Mei Beach as recorded by LCSD since 23 June this year: (i) the number of cases (with a breakdown by the severity of the injury sustained by those members of the public), (ii) the number of members of the public sent to hospital for treatment, (iii) whether those members of the public got pricked/stung mainly in the water or on the beach, and (iv) the major species of the sea urchins and jellyfish involved as well as whether they were venomous;

(2)

of the corresponding measures put in place by LCSD in respect of the aforesaid cases, including: (i) whether it has increased the number of lifeguards on duty, (ii) whether it has arranged for its staff members to regularly conduct patrol and inspection as well as remove the sea urchins and jellyfish (especially during low tide), and (iii) what additional support it has provided to lifeguards;

(3)

(i) whether LCSD has issued instructions to its staff members on how to handle sea urchins and jellyfish, (ii) of the respective quantities of sea urchins and jellyfish removed by LCSD from Lung Mei Beach since 23 June this year, and (iii) what mechanism LCSD has put in place to handle the sea urchins and jellyfish found in the swimming zone of Lung Mei Beach and whether LCSD has comprehensively reviewed such mechanism; if LCSD has reviewed, of the outcome and improvement measures; if LCSD has not reviewed, the reasons for that and whether LCSD will forthwith conduct such a review; and

(4)

whether LCSD has assessed if Lung Mei Beach is still suitable to be open for public use at present; if LCSD has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the measures that LCSD has put or will put in place to reduce the risks of members of the public being pricked/stung by sea urchins and jellyfish there?

Question 9
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Data security

Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:

On 10 June this year, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China ("DSL"), which will come into force on 1 September. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as Article 21 of DSL provides that the State is to establish a categorized and hierarchical system for data protection, and the relevant departments are to draw up catalogues of important data and conduct priority protection for those data listed in such catalogues, whether the Government has considered establishing a similar data protection system in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2)

as Article 22 of DSL provides that the State is to establish centralized, uniform, highly effective and authoritative mechanisms on risk assessment, reporting, information sharing, monitoring and early warnings in respect of data security, and the relevant departments are to strengthen the work on acquisition, analyses, assessment and early warnings in respect of information on data security risks, whether the Government has considered establishing similar mechanisms for monitoring data security in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

as Article 23 of DSL provides that the State is to establish a data security emergency response system, and when data security incidents have occurred, the departments responsible shall take corresponding emergency response measures, whether the Government has considered establishing a similar emergency response system in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 10
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Granting the elderly free admission to exhibitions of museums

Hon Starry LEE to ask:

At present, the permanent exhibitions in five designated museums (i.e. the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence and the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department are free for admission, while admission fees are payable for the thematic exhibitions therein. Admission fees are also payable for the exhibitions of the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Space Museum. Persons aged 60 or above ("the elderly") are offered a concessionary rate at 50% of the admission fees. On the other hand, designated museums and tourist attractions in Beijing, Taipei and Macao currently grant free admission to persons aged 60/65 or above. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

in respect of the various museums in each of the past five years, of (i) the total amount of income from the admission fees paid by the elderly as well as (ii) the respective attendances and, among them, the respective percentages of the attendances of the elderly;

(2)

whether it has forecast the respective rates of increase in the attendances for exhibitions each year to be brought about by an across-the-board free admission for the elderly to all exhibitions of various museums; and

(3)

whether it will consider granting the elderly free admission to the exhibitions of all museums; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 11
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Dental services and training for dental healthcare personnel

Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:

I have received complaints from some members of the public that the dental treatment services provided for members of the public by the 11 government dental clinics under the Department of Health (commonly known as "general public dental sessions" ("GP dental sessions")) are grossly inadequate, and as such services cover only pain relief and teeth extraction, they fail to meet the dental treatment needs of members of the public (especially the elderly). Regarding dental services and training for dental healthcare personnel, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether it will consider afresh increasing the consultation quota of GP dental sessions and expanding the service scope to cover services such as dental filling, fitting of dentures and root canal treatment; and

(2)

as the mobile dental clinic services provided by some community groups and under the Kwai Tsing Signature Project Scheme of the Kwai Tsing District Council are well received by the elderly, whether the Government will study the provision of such kind of services by the public healthcare system; if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

whether it has reviewed (i) private dentists' current participation in (a) the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme and (b) the Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme, and (ii) if the amounts of the subsidies concerned are sufficient to meet the dental expenses incurred by the elderly; if so, of the outcome; and

(4)

whether it will further increase the numbers of training places for dental healthcare personnel, so as to meet the future demand for dental services in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 12
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Driving property development projects
by infrastructure projects

Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:

Since the 1970s, the MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") (formerly known as "Mass Transit Railway Corporation") has taken forward a number of new railway lines and property development projects through the application of a "Rail-plus-Property development" model. On driving property development projects by infrastructure projects, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the following information on the property development projects taken forward by MTRCL under the aforesaid model: (i) number of projects, (ii) total site area, and (iii) total number of residential units provided, and among them, the number and percentage of those which are public housing units;

(2)

whether it will make reference to the data mentioned in (1) and require MTRCL to provide a certain percentage of public housing units in the property development projects taken forward in future under the aforesaid model; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether it will proactively adopt a model of "driving development by supply", including considering afresh the construction of a coastal railway between Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan, so as to spur district development through different types of infrastructure projects, and increase land and housing supply; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 13
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Fibre-based fixed broadband networks

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:

It has been reported that currently quite a number of old buildings (including tenement buildings) in Hong Kong are not covered by fibre-based fixed broadband networks ("fibre-based networks"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the number of residential units currently covered by fibre-based networks, and set out a breakdown of such number and the average network access speed by District Council district;

(2)

of the current number of staff members of the Office of the Communications Authority ("OFCA") who are responsible for the coordination work for the extension of fibre-based networks in Hong Kong;

(3)

as the Government indicated in 2017 that OFCA had not kept information on a breakdown, by age of buildings, of the number of buildings without fibre-based network coverage, whether OFCA has now kept such information; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether OFCA has plans to keep such information in the coming three years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4)

given that the Communications Authority may grant network services operators ("operators") authorization for gaining access, under section 14(1) of the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106), to the common parts of private buildings to install and maintain in-building telecommunications systems, of the number of times for which operators were granted such authorization for particular occasions, in each of the past three years and this year to date;

(5)

as currently one of the reasons for some old buildings in urban areas not having access to fibre-based network services is that the owners/owners' corporations/property management companies of such buildings have been unable to reach an agreement with any operator on matters of installation of a fibre-based network system inside the building, whether the Government has taken any measures to facilitate the various parties concerned to reach such an agreement; if so, of the number of agreements that it facilitated to reach and the establishment of the staff members responsible for such work, in each of the past three years and this year to date; if not, the reasons for that; and

(6)

as the Government has indicated that residents in urban areas may opt for high speed mobile broadband services as an alternative for fibre-based network services, but the former normally charge higher fees with restrictions on data usage, whether the Government has studied the provision of better alternatives for residents of buildings currently not covered by fibre-based networks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 14
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Redevelopment of factory estates

Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask:

The Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") announced in May this year its decision to demolish four of its factory estates in order to rezone the sites concerned for residential use, which will affect a total of 2 088 tenants/licensees (collectively referred to as "tenants"). Quite a number of the affected tenants have relayed that as the allowance/cash sum and other assistance provided to them by HA through its clearance package are insufficient to support their continued operation, their companies/factories are doomed to close down, and their staff are also facing unemployment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

whether, among the affected tenants, there are tenants engaged in the only remaining traditional manufacturing industries in Hong Kong (such as the production of steamers); of a breakdown of the number of affected tenants by (i) name of factory estate, (ii) type of industry in which they are engaged, (iii) staff headcount, and (iv) the original expiry date of the existing tenancy agreement;

(2)

given that HA will arrange restricted tenders for the affected tenants to bid for the vacant units in its Chun Shing Factory Estate and Hoi Tai Factory Estate, of the number of such units, with a breakdown by area and the factory estate in which they are located;

(3)

whether, since the launch of the study on the redevelopment of the aforesaid factory estates for public housing use, the staff of HA have met with the representatives of the affected tenants to consult them on the clearance package; if so, set out the matters discussed and the outcome by date of meeting;

(4)

whether HA will gauge the affected tenants' intention to continue operation and additionally provide relocation allowance and related support for those tenants who intend to continue operation, so that they can relocate their businesses to suitable units in private factory estates to continue operation; and

(5)

as some affected tenants have pointed out that HA's demolition of the aforesaid factory estates will make it impossible for those tenants who are engaged in traditional manufacturing industries to continue operation, dealing a blow to the declining manufacturing industries in Hong Kong, whether the Government has assessed if HA's decision is in conflict with the Government's policy of promoting re-industrialization; if it has assessed, of the outcome?

Question 15
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Impacts of the measure of popularization of electric vehicles

Hon Tony TSE to ask:

The Environment Bureau ("ENB") has proposed the following measure in the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularization of Electric Vehicles published in March this year: new registration of fuel-propelled private cars (including hybrid vehicles) is to be terminated in 2035 or earlier. ENB anticipates that the demand for auto-fuels will decrease gradually. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the respective current numbers of petrol filling stations ("PFSs") and liquefied petroleum gas ("LPG") filling stations in Hong Kong; among them, the number of those set up on sites granted by the Government for such purposes, and set out, by their location, the lease terms and remaining lease terms of such sites;

(2)

whether it has assessed the impacts of the aforesaid measure on operators of PFSs and LPG filling stations; if so, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

whether it has assessed if the aforesaid measure will result in a rise of the retail prices of auto-fuels ("pump prices"); if it has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether it will consider introducing measures to stabilize pump prices; and

(4)

as ENB has indicated that (i) it will study the feasibility of providing electric vehicle charging stations at PFSs and LPG filling stations, and (ii) it has requested the Lands Department to temporarily postpone the re-tendering of the PFS sites with soon-to-expire leases, and it is formulating a long-term strategy in respect of the sites concerned, of the details of the relevant work (including whether ENB will adopt the "single site, multiple use" model for developing those sites)?

Question 16
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Supporting the development of biotechnology enterprises

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:

It is learnt that quite a number of biotechnology start-ups are often faced with funding gaps during the stages of prototyping and product enhancement. On the other hand, the Financial Secretary announced in the 2020-2021 Budget that part of the Future Fund would be set aside to establish a new investment portfolio, named "Hong Kong Growth Portfolio" ("HKGP"), to make strategic investments in projects "with a Hong Kong nexus". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the number of biotechnology enterprises funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund in each of the past three years for conducting midstream research activities (covering pre-clinical research and pre-clinical trials), and the total amount of funding involved;

(2)

given that a think tank has proposed using the funds of HKGP to invest in (i) Deep Tech from local universities, and (ii) the biotechnology enterprises in the Hetao Shenzhen/Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Co-operation Zone, thereby establishing anchor institutions in Hetao to expedite the development of a biotechnology industrial cluster, whether the Government will consider the proposal; if so, of the details; and

(3)

whether, in addition to establishing HKGP under the Future Fund, the Government will collaborate with the industry in establishing more funds to promote the development of local biotechnology enterprises, thereby creating a leverage effect on resource utilization; if so, of the details?

Question 17
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Work of the SAR Government offices on the Mainland

Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:

Currently, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("SAR") Government has established offices in five Mainland cities (i.e. Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan) ("the Mainland Offices") to assist Hong Kong businessmen in handling the problems they encounter and provide support to those Hong Kong residents who are on the Mainland. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") epidemic, the authorities of the Mainland and SAR have implemented immigration control measures, which have restricted the flow of people between the two places and caused serious disruption to cross-boundary economic and trade activities. Regarding the work of the various Mainland Offices, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the following information on the requests for assistance received by the various Mainland Offices in each of the past three years:

(a)

the number of requests, with a breakdown by (i) name of the Mainland Office involved, (ii) whether the assistance seeker was an enterprise or an individual, and (iii) type of issues pertaining to the request for assistance,

(b)

the number of cases related to the COVID-19 epidemic, and

(c)

the number of cases resolved, and the reasons why the remaining cases have yet to be resolved;

(2)

of the special measures taken by the various Mainland Offices amid the epidemic to help Hong Kong businessmen deal with their business operation problems arising from the quarantine/testing measures of SAR or the Mainland (e.g. inability to fulfill contractual obligations on time due to lockdowns of certain areas, labour law issues arising from the work arrangements for local employees, and application for exemption from quarantine on return to Hong Kong); and

(3)

of the facilitation measures for business operation of Hong Kong businessmen that the local Mainland provincial/municipal governments have introduced, as a result of the efforts of the various Mainland Offices, since the outbreak of the epidemic (set out by name of Mainland Office)?

Question 18
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Care services for the elderly

Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:

Regarding care services for the elderly, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

in respect of home-based community care services ("CCS") for the elderly, of the respective (a) numbers of places, (b) numbers of people waiting and (c) average waiting time for the (i) Integrated Home Care Services ("IHCS") (Frail Cases), (ii) IHCS (Ordinary Cases) and (iii) Enhanced Home and Community Care Services, in each of the past five years (set out in a table);

(2)

in respect of centre-based CCS for the elderly, of the (i) number of places, (ii) number of people waiting and (iii) average waiting time for the day respite services provided by day care centres/units for the elderly in each of the past five years (set out in a table);

(3)

of the respective (a) numbers of places, (b) numbers of people waiting and (c) average waiting time for (i) day care service and (ii) home care service provided under the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly in each of the past five years;

(4)

how the Government currently gauges the cost effectiveness of the services mentioned in (1) to (3); of the respective percentages of the current numbers of places of such services in the elderly population in Hong Kong in need of such services;

(5)

of the latest progress, since the Finance Committee of this Council approved the relevant funding in June last year, of the Government's work on purchasing properties for operating day care centres for the elderly and neighbourhood elderly centres;

(6)

of the (i) number of places, (ii) number of applicants and (iii) shortfall of places of subsidized residential care services for the elderly in each of the past five years, with a tabulated breakdown by (a) type of homes (i.e. homes for the aged, care and attention homes for the elderly, as well as nursing homes) and (b) type of places (i.e. subsidized places and those under the Enhanced Bought Place Scheme);

(7)

of the annual numbers of voucher users under the Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly since its introduction in March 2017;

(8)

of the progress in the vetting and approval of the applications made, under the Special Scheme on Privately Owned Sites for Welfare Uses, by non-governmental organizations for providing additional services for the elderly on the lands owned by such organizations;

(9)

of the progress of implementing the recommendations put forward by the Elderly Commission in the Elderly Services Programme Plan published in mid-2017; and

(10)

given that the Government's policy objective is to promote "ageing in place as the core, institutional care as back-up", but the current expenditure on CCS for the elderly accounts for only 38% of the total public expenditure on elderly services, whether it will reform the current system, so as to put more emphasis on implementing CCS?

Question 19
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Management of public swimming pools and beaches

Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:

Regarding the management of the public swimming pools and beaches under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the respective numbers of courses and places on scuba diving rescue provided in each of the past five years by LCSD for civil service lifeguards; the measures in place to encourage more civil service lifeguards to take such courses;

(2)

given that trained and qualified lifeguards may, with the permission of the officers-in-charge of public beaches and under the supervision of senior lifeguards, carry out emergency underwater search for drowning victims using scuba diving equipment,

(i)

of the current number of lifeguards stationing at public beaches who may use such equipment (together with a tabulated breakdown by name of beach),

(ii)

of the measures in place to ensure that there are such lifeguards on duty at public beaches whenever they are open, and

(iii)

whether the officers-in-charge of public beaches are required to have been trained on using scuba diving equipment or possess relevant professional qualifications and experience; if not, how LCSD ensures that the officers-in-charge of the beaches possess the ability to make professional judgments when deciding whether or not to permit a lifeguard to use scuba diving equipment;

(3)

of the current number of public beaches at which lifeguard services are not provided, and the reasons for that;

(4)

whether the positions of civil service lifeguard and non-civil service contract lifeguard have the same entry requirements; if not, of the reasons for that, and how LCSD ensures consistency in the quality of services provided by these two types of staff;

(5)

of the number and percentage of seasonal lifeguards who departed in each of the past six months; and

(6)

given that LCSD has lowered the ceiling for the attendances at public swimming pools so as to reduce the risk of epidemic spreading, but currently it still leases out swimming lanes to swimming clubs for offering training courses on swimming, leading to a further reduction in the opportunity for members of the public to use swimming pools, whether LCSD will instead lease out to swimming clubs those swimming pools that have to be temporarily closed due to manpower shortage of lifeguards; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 20
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Monitoring of trade unions

Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:

Some members of the community are concerned that certain trade unions newly registered under the Trade Unions Ordinance (Cap. 332) were established allegedly for unlawful purposes, and the activities conducted by those trade unions may also contravene the law or the provisions in their constitutions. They have also queried that the assets and personal data held by certain trade unions had not been properly disposed of when the latter were dissolved. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

of the current number of registered trade unions and, among them, the number of those established in the past three years;

(2)

of the number of registered trade unions dissolved or the dissolution of which was announced in each of the past three years;

(3)

whether it has conducted an in-depth investigation into the reasons for quite a number of trade unions being established and dissolved respectively in recent years; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will conduct such an investigation;

(4)

how it monitors if trade unions are established for lawful purposes and the activities that they conduct are in compliance with the law and the provisions in their constitutions;

(5)

how it monitors if the trade unions have properly disposed of the assets and personal data held by them as well as complied with the relevant taxation requirements, in the course of their dissolution; and

(6)

whether the law enforcement agencies may, under the existing legislation, hold the relevant persons responsible where a trade union had conducted, before its dissolution, activities in contravention with the law or the provisions in its constitution; if so, how such persons may be held responsible?

Question 21
(For written reply)

(Translation)

Staff of catering businesses receiving vaccination

Hon Tommy CHEUNG to ask:

Some members of the catering businesses have relayed that while most of the table-service section staff in catering business premises who are responsible for receiving customers have received vaccination against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("vaccination"), the production-section staff (including kitchen staff) who are responsible for preparing and cooking food have relatively low vaccination rate. On the other hand, quite a number of production-section staff have pointed out that it is excruciating for them to wear surgical masks while working in high-temperature kitchens. In this connection, will the Government consider relaxing, based on the "vaccine bubble" principle, the relevant anti-epidemic stipulations to the effect that production-section staff who have received vaccination are only required to wear plastic transparent masks which are more breathable, so as to encourage such staff to receive vaccination; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Question 22
(For written reply)

(Translation)

A topside property development project at railway station

Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:

The MTR Corporation Limited ("MTRCL") and a real estate developer ("the developer") are jointly developing The Pavilia Farm, a topside property development project at MTR Tai Wai Station. On 18 June this year, the Buildings Department ("BD") received a notification from the registered structural engineer of the project that the strength of the concrete used for some of the reinforced concrete columns in Tower 8 of Phase III had been found to be lower than the specified strength, and the relevant superstructure works for that tower had been suspended. On 6 July, BD received another notification that a similar situation had been found in Tower 1, also of Phase III. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1)

as it has been reported that the developer still conducted sales activities for the residential units concerned on 20 June after discovering the aforesaid works quality problem, whether the Government, upon receipt of the aforesaid notification on 18 June, requested MTRCL and the developer to suspend such sales activities; if it did make such a request and receive a reply thereto, of the details of the reply; if it did not make such a request, the reasons for that;

(2)

whether it has requested MTRCL and the developer to conduct a review on the works quality of all buildings of the project and submit the relevant report; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

given that the developer has decided to demolish and rebuild the two towers, whether the Government has assessed if the expenditure involved in such arrangement will affect the profits that MTRCL can earn from the project, and in turn impact the company's dividend payment to the Government as its major shareholder?

Legislative Council

Agenda Wednesday 25 August 2021 at 11:00 am

I.Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

II.Questions

III.Government Bills

IV.Members' Motions

Council meeting of 25 August 2021 Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

22 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 25 August 2021

Agenda

Wednesday 25 August 2021 at 11:00 am

I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council

II.
Questions

III.
Government Bills

IV.
Members' Motions

Council meeting of 25 August 2021

Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council