A 2022-26
Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 26 October 2022 at 11:00 am
I.
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council
10 items of subsidiary legislation and 14 other papers to be laid on the Table of the Council set out in
Appendix 1Public officer to address the Council
Paper
Chief Secretary for Administration
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 Culture, Sports and Tourism
Under Secretary for Education
2.
3.
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
4.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
5.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
6.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs
Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Contents of 22 questions, Members to ask such questions and public officers to reply set out in
Appendix 2Government Bills
First Reading and Second Reading (debate to be adjourned)
1.
:
Secretary for Transport and Logistics
Second Reading (debate to resume), consideration by committee of the whole Council and Third Reading
Amendment mover
:
Secretary for Justice
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No.
CB(3) 699/2022(01) issued on 20 October 2022)
(Debate and voting arrangements set out in LC Paper No.
CB(3) 717/2022(01) issued on 24 October 2022)
Government Motions
Proposed resolution under the Money Lenders Ordinance
Mover
:
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Wording of the motion
:
Proposed resolution under the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance
Mover
:
Wording of the motion
:
Members' Motions
Proposed resolution under Rule 77(1) and (2) of the Rules of Procedure
Mover
:
Hon Starry LEE
Wording of the motion
:
Motion on "Shortening the waiting time for specialist outpatient services at public hospitals"
Mover
:
Hon Edward LEUNG
Wording of the motion
:
3 amendment movers
:
Dr Hon David LAM, Ir Hon LEE Chun-keung and Dr Hon Stephen WONG
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No.
CB(3) 700/2022 issued on 20 October 2022)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Health
Under Secretary for Health
Motion on "Legislating on digital economy and e-Government services"
Mover
:
Hon Carmen KAN
Wording of the motion
:
2 amendment movers
:
Dr Hon Kennedy WONG and Hon LUK Chung-hung
(Amendments set out in LC Paper No.
CB(3) 701/2022 issued on 20 October 2022)
Public officers to attend
:
Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Clerk to the Legislative Council
Appendix 1
Council meeting of 26 October 2022
Laying of Papers on the Table of the Council
Subsidiary legislation
Legal Notice No.
1.
194 of 2022
2.
195 of 2022
3.
196 of 2022
4.
197 of 2022
5.
198 of 2022
6.
199 of 2022
7.
200 of 2022
8.
201 of 2022
9.
202 of 2022
10.
207 of 2022
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
22 questions to be asked at the Council meeting of 26 October 2022
Subject matters
Public officers to reply
Questions for oral replies
1
Hon Kenneth FOK
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism
Under Secretary for Education
2
Hon Starry LEE
3
Hon Robert LEE
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
4
Hon CHAN Yung
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
5
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
6
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs
Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Questions for written replies
7
Hon Stanley LI
Secretary for Transport and Logistics
8
Hon Kingsley WONG
9
Dr Hon Stephen WONG
10
Hon LEUNG Man-kwong
Secretary for Environment and Ecology
11
Hon Dennis LEUNG
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism
12
Hon Martin LIAO
13
Dr Hon Wendy HONG
Secretary for Development
14
Hon Stanley NG
15
Hon YIU Pak-leung
16
Dr Hon Kennedy WONG
17
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan
18
Hon Michael TIEN
Chief Secretary for Administration
19
Hon Kenneth LAU
Secretary for Environment and Ecology
20
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG
21
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok
Secretary for Development
22
Hon Jeffrey LAM
Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Developing into an East-meets-West centre
for international cultural exchange
Hon Kenneth FOK to ask:
The National 14th Five-Year Plan has expressed clear support for Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. To tie in with the Plan, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will formulate a long-term development blueprint on arts and culture and consider, upon drawing reference from the practice of the Korea Creative Content Agency, setting up a statutory body dedicated to the management and coordination of arts and cultural policies, so as to actively take forward the development of the industries and integrate the industries with highly efficient markets, thereby promoting Chinese culture overseas;
(2)
as there are views that there is a shortage of talents in Hong Kong's arts industry, and the Government should adopt a twin-track measure for nurturing local talents on the one hand, and reviewing the schemes for importing relevant talents from outside Hong Kong on the other, of the Government's short, medium and long-term measures in place to attract outstanding Mainland and overseas talents in the arts industry to come to Hong Kong; and
(3)
as there are views that the popularization of culture is the foundation for establishing a cultural hub, whether the Government will consider increasing the number of courses on experiencing and appreciating arts and culture in primary and secondary schools, and setting standard learning hours and enhancing teachers' qualifications for such courses; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Combating online and telephone frauds
Hon Starry LEE to ask:
Earlier on, online employment frauds involving "selling people down the river" were uncovered in a number of countries in Southeast Asia, and have aroused concerns among various sectors about online and telephone frauds. According to the Police's information, online frauds are one of the fastest growing types of crimes in recent years, and the number of telephone frauds reported to the Police from January to July this year rose by more than 60% compared to the same period last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following total numbers and relevant information, in each of the past five years, regarding online and telephone frauds (including frauds involving "selling people down the river"): the number of reports and requests for assistance received, the nature of the cases, the amount of money involved, the number of persons arrested, the age distribution of the persons arrested, the number of persons prosecuted, and the penalties imposed on those convicted;
(2)
in respect of stepping up efforts to combat the aforesaid unbridled crimes, whether it has taken effective measures at the legislative and law enforcement levels, and whether it will expeditiously set up a task force to study the punitive measures for curbing the aforesaid frauds; and
(3)
whether it has actively cooperated with or sought the international community's actions to combat and crack down on such type of cunning transnational deception syndicates, and whether it will step up evidence collection through technology to grasp information on the deception gangs, explore with the Communications Authority and local telecommunications operators the strengthening of regulation of telephone calls from overseas, as well as study ways to make it easier for members of the public to identify telephone calls from overseas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Assisting small and medium enterprises in financing
Hon Robert LEE to ask:
According to the information of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited ("HKEX"), the average daily turnover of the stock market in Hong Kong fell from about $141.2 billion in August last year to about $83.3 billion in August this year. Moreover, the statistics from an accounting firm have shown that in the first three quarters this year, the number of initial public offerings and the amount of funds raised in Hong Kong decreased by 36% and 81% respectively when compared with the same period last year. There are views that the above data has reflected that the current market downturn is unfavourable for small and medium enterprises ("SMEs") to seek listing for financing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has plans to provide more flexible, balanced and sustainable solutions to broaden the avenues for SMEs to seek listing for financing; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as some members of the financial sector have relayed that since quite a number of listed companies have been affected by the epidemic in recent years, resulting in a sharp drop in revenue, persistent business loss or disruption to expansion plans, they have failed to meet the requirement of "carry[ing] out a business with a sufficient level of operations" under Rule 13.24 of the Listing Rules and their listings may be suspended or cancelled by HKEX, whether the Government will urge HKEX to be more flexible in enforcing the requirement under that Rule, thereby assisting such SMEs in maintaining their avenues for financing; and
(3)
as there are views pointing out that the stock trading of quite a number of SMEs has been sluggish after their listing, failing to attract investors' attention and financial institutions to analyze and promote them, and the situation is unfavourable for the development of such enterprises and their future financing, whether the Government will study the establishment of a more vibrant secondary market trading system with higher liquidity, thereby attracting more enterprises to list in Hong Kong for financing?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Proactive integration into the development of
the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Hon CHAN Yung to ask:
On 1 July this year, the State President remarked that the Central Government fully supports Hong Kong in its effort to seize historic opportunities offered by the national development and actively dovetail itself with the national strategies such as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("Greater Bay Area"). The Chief Executive pointed out on the same day that the Government would leverage and combine the respective strengths of Hong Kong and the Mainland, and facilitate the integration of Hong Kong's basic research results with the industry chains, talents, market forces, etc. on the Mainland, especially in the Greater Bay Area. In respect of facilitating Hong Kong's more proactive integration into the development of the Greater Bay Area for pursuing greater development, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will set up official organizations in the nine Mainland municipalities of the Greater Bay Area to provide one-stop services for Hong Kong people and Hong Kong enterprises; if so, of the timetable or roadmap;
(2)
how it will improve the functions of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, so as to strengthen Hong Kong's communication and cooperation with Mainland authorities at all levels, thereby grasping more comprehensively the national, provincial and municipal conditions; and
(3)
whether it will recruit persons who are more familiar with Mainland affairs to serve as officials in charge of its official organizations in the Mainland municipalities of the Greater Bay Area, so as to further strengthen the communication and cooperation with local authorities, better grasp the latest local information, as well as provide more timely and better services for the Hong Kong people and Hong Kong enterprises there?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Hong Kong's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng to ask:
The State President, in his speech on 1 July this year, mentioned that Hong Kong's distinctive status and advantages must be maintained, and remarked that the Central Government fully supports Hong Kong in its effort to expand and facilitate its exchanges with the world, as well as actively dovetail itself with the national strategies such as high-quality Belt and Road development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of Hong Kong's contribution in its participation in the investment and financing for the infrastructure projects in the Belt and Road countries and regions since it became a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in 2017 (including whether the expected contribution has been achieved), and what plans are put in place to enhance the degree of its contribution;
(2)
whether it has considered conducting a review on the Government's achievements in respect of its efforts in the past three years to dovetail with the Belt and Road development, and formulating an upgraded version of its implementation plans for dovetailing with the Belt and Road Initiative; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has considered helping the Belt and Road countries to establish different types of economic development zones by copying the successful experience of the Mainland in establishing economic development zones, as well as initiating some distinctive "Mainland-Hong Kong-Belt and Road countries" projects on economic cooperation and development zones, so as to facilitate Hong Kong's industrial restructuring; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Support for community organizations and groups
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
It is learnt that the Government intends to strengthen its communications with district grassroots organizations and groups in order to unite different sectors of the community to work together to solve problems. Regarding the support for community organizations and groups, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the Government put in place dedicated funds or subsidy schemes in the past five years to provide the following categories of organizations or groups with subsidies to launch district and grassroots services: (i) district grassroots organizations, (ii) agriculture and fisheries organizations, (iii) clansmen associations, (iv) youth groups, (v) women's groups, (vi) associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland, (vii) social welfare organizations established before Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and (viii) international organizations; if so, of the details, as well as the amounts of funding granted annually to each category of organizations or groups and their percentages in the total amount of funding;
(2)
whether it will consider establishing a regular liaison mechanism, formulating support policies and launching new and dedicated subsidy schemes for district grassroots organizations, agriculture and fisheries organizations, clansmen associations, youth groups, women's groups and associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland, as well as increasing subsidies for such organizations or groups, with a view to more effectively implementing the targets of "strengthening communications with district grassroots organizations and groups" and "setting up a systematic network of volunteers" as proposed by the Chief Executive in his election manifesto; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as there are views pointing out that quite a number of the six categories of organizations or groups mentioned in (2) as well as emerging organizations or groups are unable to obtain the necessary resources for launching services, whether the Government will ensure that such organizations or groups (particularly those which are in line with the Government's governance philosophy) can obtain the necessary resources; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Electric mobility devices
Hon Stanley LI to ask:
There are views that electric mobility devices (including electric skateboards, electric scooters, electric unicycles, electric bicycles, pedelecs and electric hoverboards) ("EMDs") are apt to give rise to road safety issues. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the annual volumes of retained imports and sales of various types of EMDs in the past three years;
(2)
of the current measures for regulating the sale and purchase of EMDs;
(3)
as it is learnt that the quality of batteries used in EMDs varies, and liquid leakage or fire caused by overheating may occur, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the number of related accidents happened in the past three years, and whether it has formulated measures to regulate the safety of such batteries; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the Government has, since January 2019, collected data on traffic accidents involving EMDs (including location of the accident, age of the driver and cause of the accident) and conducted analyses; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
of the number of law enforcement actions taken by the Government in the past three years against unlawful acts involving the use of EMDs, and the penalties imposed (set out the information by type of unlawful acts);
(6)
in respect of those people who were involved in the casualties or suffered from property losses in the traffic or other accidents which were caused by other people's illegal use of EMDs, how the Government protects such people's rights and interests; and
(7)
given that the Government is considering a regulatory framework for EMDs, and launched in May this year a six-month pilot trial on a cycle track section, whether the Government will, upon completion of the trial, (i) formulate a timetable for regulating EMDs, and (ii) formulate measures to ensure that drivers of EMDs have the necessary knowledge and awareness of road safety; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting cross-border linkage of medical services
between Guangdong and Hong Kong
Hon Kingsley WONG to ask:
Currently, eligible elderly people of Hong Kong may use elderly health care vouchers ("HCVs") to pay for the fees of outpatient medical care services provided by designated clinics/departments of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital ("HKU-SZH"), and chronic disease patients of the Hospital Authority in Guangdong Province may also receive subsidized medical consultation at HKU-SZH through the Special Support Scheme. Regarding the promotion of cross-border linkage of medical services between Guangdong and Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has reviewed the operational workflow and effectiveness of the aforesaid two measures; if so, of the outcome; if not, whether it will conduct such a review; and
(2)
given that the Overall Plan for Promoting Comprehensive Cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao by Further Deepening Opening-up in Nansha District of Guangzhou issued by the State Council in June this year proposes the establishment of a "white list" system for Mainland medical institutions in order to extend the scope of application of HCVs and allow medical institutions in Nansha under the white list to be included in Hong Kong's settlement unit for cross-border medical expenses, of the timetable of the study work, and whether it will consider extending the scope of the white list to cover medical institutions in the Shenzhen Municipality?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Public housing projects with deferred completion
Dr Hon Stephen WONG to ask:
According to the five-year public housing production forecast ("housing production forecast") announced by the Housing Bureau in the latest quarter, the completion dates of about 7 600 Public Rental Housing/Green Form Subsidized Home Ownership Scheme ("PRH/GSH") flats have been revised from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024, and about 8 500 PRH/GSH flats and 1 300 other Subsidized Sale Flats from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025. The authorities have pointed out that the outbreak of the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 has led to a shortage of labour and problems in the delivery of construction materials from the Mainland, resulting in the delay in the progress of these public housing projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has assessed (i) if these project delays are occurrences under special circumstances or are persistent ones, (ii) if these delays have constituted a continually worsening trend, and (iii) the impacts brought about by these delays (including those on people's livelihood and their confidence in the Government's efforts to increase housing and land supply);
(2)
whether specific measures are in place to improve these project completion deferral situations, with a view to catching up with the housing supply targets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether the aforesaid about 7 600 PRH/GSH flats originally scheduled to be completed in 2022-2023 involve the Tai Po Area 9 project (i.e. Fu Tip Estate); if so, of the details; whether it has assessed if the deferred completion of these about 7 600 flats will affect the implementation of the "Public Rental Housing Advance Allocation Scheme"; and
(4)
given that the Housing Bureau currently does not provide information of deferred projects and the number of flats involved in its quarterly announcement of the housing production forecast, whether the authorities will provide more information (including the latest completion date of each public housing project) when announcing housing production forecast in future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Rodent prevention and control work at government venues
Hon LEUNG Man-kwong to ask:
There are views pointing out that the hygiene conditions of government venues not managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") (e.g. parks and cultural and recreational facilities managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and public rental housing estates managed by the Housing Department) vary at present, with some of the venues infested with rodents. Regarding the rodent prevention and control work at government venues, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of complaints received by the Government about rodent infestation at government venues not managed by FEHD, as well as the average time taken to handle each complaint, in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by District Council ("DC") district;
(2)
whether it has compared the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work at government venues managed by FEHD and those not managed by FEHD in various DC districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
as there are views pointing out that the Rodent Infestation Rates compiled by FEHD fail to reflect the actual situation of rodent infestation, whether the Government has other ways to assess the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work at government venues not managed by FEHD; if not, of the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the parties responsible for the management of various types of government venues not managed by FEHD are required to adopt rodent prevention and control measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
whether it has included in cleansing service contractors' contracts awarded for government venues a provision stipulating that the contractors are required to allocate a specified amount of money for adopting rodent prevention and control measures; if so, of the details (including the percentage of such an amount in the total value of the contract); if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Sham Shui Po Design and Fashion Project
Hon Dennis LEUNG to ask:
The Government indicated on 9 January 2018 that it planned to launch a design and fashion project ("the project") in a five-storey commercial podium at an Urban Renewal Authority redevelopment project in Sham Shui Po. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the division of work between the government department(s) and organization(s) which are responsible for the implementation of the project, and the latest progress of the construction works;
(2)
of the organization to be tasked to operate the project, as well as the details of the operation and development directions of the project; and
(3)
of the plans put in place by the Government to make use of the project to nurture talents for the fashion industry, including the estimated resources to be allocated and the target for talent development, and whether it has formulated key performance indicators for such work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Provision of mental health services
for children and adolescents
Hon Martin LIAO to ask:
A study has pointed out that nearly half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14, and most cases are not detected and intervened in a timely manner. There are views that as mental health services are currently provided for children and adolescents in need through a stepped care model, if access to primary mental health care under the model can be enhanced, early intervention can be facilitated and patients' demand for psychiatric specialist services can be reduced. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the number of new case bookings for child and adolescent psychiatric specialist out-patient ("SOP") service under the Hospital Authority ("HA"), and the average waiting time for such service, in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the type of mental illness and degree of urgency of the patients;
(2)
whether it has studied how the waiting time for the child and adolescent psychiatric SOP service can be shortened; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it knows the number of patients admitted to the child and adolescent psychiatric wards under HA, and the number of hospital beds provided in various hospitals, in each of the past five years; whether it has assessed the demand for and supply of the services concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
of the plans in place to enhance the access to primary mental health care to facilitate early detection of children and adolescents with higher mental health risks, with a view to allowing them to receive intervention treatment; and
(5)
whether it will consider setting up a matching fund to subsidize children and adolescents in families with financial difficulties in receiving psychiatric treatment services provided by private healthcare institutions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Land use planning
Dr Hon Wendy HONG to ask:
The operator of an industrial enterprise in Tuen Mun West ("TMW") has relayed to me that he intends to expand his business on the existing site. However, as the land use planning for TMW is not yet finalized even after more than a decade's discussion, he has been unable to make such investment decision. Regarding land use planning, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest progress of the work related to Lung Kwu Tan reclamation and the re-planning of TMW Area, and the expected time when the land use planning for TMW will be finalized;
(2)
whether it will, in conducting the land use planning for TMW, take into consideration the development needs of the existing enterprises in the area, as well as rationalize and consolidate (from the perspective of upstream and downstream relationships in the supply chain) the upstream and downstream enterprises scattered in various brownfield sites in the New Territories, and group them together in TMW, so as to help reduce logistic and transportation costs for enterprises and enhance their operational efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as there are comments that the situation of making no decision after discussions is common in Hong Kong's land use planning, and this has added uncertainty to land use and greatly hindered enterprises' long-term investment decisions and development, whether the Government will, from the perspective of the development needs of Hong Kong at different stages, formulate clear land use plans for the long, medium and short term, so that enterprises can make corresponding long, medium and short-term investment decisions with concrete timetables and clear expectations in mind; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Regulation of tenancies of subdivided units
Hon Stanley NG to ask:
Some concern groups have pointed out that even though the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 ("the Ordinance") which regulates tenancies of subdivided units ("SDUs") has already taken effect since January this year, quite a number of tenants of SDUs still do not understand their own rights and interests, and some landlords also fail to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of enquiries and complaints involving tenancies of SDUs received by the authorities and the number of such cases followed up (including whether on-site inspections have been conducted) since the Ordinance came into operation; whether the authorities have regularly conducted random on-site inspections; if so, of the number of such inspections and whether they will step up such random inspections;
(2)
of the total number of Notice of Tenancy (i.e. Form AR2) concerning SDUs received by the Rating and Valuation Department ("RVD") since the Ordinance came into operation; whether the Government has compiled statistics on the number of Notices involving tenancies which have (i) adopted the template for tenancy agreement provided by the Government and (ii) used tenancy agreement made by the parties on their own;
(3)
of the total number of complaints and enquiries relating to landlords of SDUs overcharging their tenants for bills on water, electricity or miscellaneous fees that the relevant government departments (including RVD and the Water Supplies Department) have received since the Ordinance came into operation, together with the number of such cases investigated;
(4)
given that the Government has engaged non-governmental organizations to set up six District Service Teams ("the Service Teams") to assist in promoting the Ordinance and rendering support to the landlords and tenants of SDUs, whether it has evaluated the effectiveness of the work of the Service Teams; whether it will strengthen the work of the Service Teams in providing support to tenants of SDUs, with a view to helping them lodge complaints against landlords who have contravened the Ordinance; and
(5)
as some of the tenants of SDUs are worried that they would be evicted if their complaints against law-breaking landlords are in vain, whether the authorities will help tenants whose complaint cases are preliminarily substantiated to live in transitional housing for a period of time, so as to ease their worries?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Supply of talents for the hotel industry
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
Regarding the supply of talents for the hotel industry, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the following information in respect of the bachelor's degree programmes in hotel management and hospitality offered by the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee as well as the 11 degree-awarding self-financing post-secondary institutions registered under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) in each of the past three years: the number of places, the number of local and non-local students, as well as the percentage of graduates who have joined the hotel industry;
(2)
whether it knows the following information in respect of the non-bachelor's degree and vocational training programmes in hotel management and hospitality offered by the Vocational Training Council ("VTC") as well as the post-secondary institutions registered under the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279) in each of the past three years: the number of places, the number of local and non-local students, as well as the percentage of graduates who have joined the hotel industry;
(3)
whether it knows if internship programmes with credits are included in the current hotel management and hospitality programmes offered by VTC and various types of post-secondary institutions; if there are, of the practicum hours; whether it will consider requiring VTC and such institutions to increase the number of internship positions and practicum hours, as well as providing internship allowance for such students, thereby increasing the incentives for students to enrol in hotel-industry-related programmes or join the hotel industry; and
(4)
whether it will consider allowing non-local students pursuing programmes below bachelor's degree level to stay in Hong Kong upon graduation to continue receiving training or join the hotel industry, so as to increase the supply of talents for the industry?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Preventing young people from committing crimes
Dr Hon Kennedy WONG to ask:
It is learnt that in the movement of opposition to the proposed legislative amendments which broke out in 2019, quite a number of young people were arrested and prosecuted for participating in unlawful activities. On preventing young people from committing crimes, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of cases involving the movement of opposition to the proposed legislative amendments, and the number of such cases which have been concluded; the number of convicted persons involved in the concluded cases and, among them, the number of those who are young people; the lowest and the highest penalties imposed on such young criminals;
(2)
given that the Correctional Services Department has introduced a programme called "Understanding History is the Beginning of Knowledge" and a counselling service called "Youth Lab" to young people in custody to foster their sense of national identity and strengthen their law-abiding awareness, how the Government assesses young people in custody's assimilation of the programme contents and the improvement in their psychological state after receiving the counselling service;
(3)
whether it will provide training in Chinese-style foot drill and flag raising for young people in custody so that they can learn to practice self-discipline and self-reflection, and to abide by the law; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
given that local terrorism sprouted amid the social turmoil that emerged in 2019, how the Government prevents persons in custody who have committed rioting offences but demonstrated no remorse from waiting for opportunities to incite young people to break the law and stir up trouble after they are released from imprisonment?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Prevention of diseases caused by amoebae
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
It is learnt that amoebae will appear in warm freshwater rivers and streams or swimming pool water with an insufficient chlorine content, and may cause serious illness and death if they invade the human body. Regarding the prevention of diseases caused by amoebae, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of cases of patients seeking consultation which involved diseases caused by amoebae (including amoebic dysentery, Acanthamoeba keratitis and amoebic meningoencephalitis) in the past decade and, among them, the number of death cases;
(2)
whether it has regularly taken water samples from public and private swimming pools or leisure pools for testing, so as to check for the presence of lethal pathogens such as amoebae; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
of the number of cases of an insufficient chlorine content in swimming pools or leisure pools in Hong Kong in each of the past decade, and how the authorities followed up such cases;
(4)
as it is learnt that in recent years, more and more members of the public went to the countryside for river tracing, and they even drank mountain water directly on the way, whether it knows the number of cases of invasion of the human body by amoebae in the past five years as a result of coming into contact with stream water or drinking mountain water; and
(5)
whether it will step up publicity efforts or formulate action plans for the prevention of diseases caused by amoebae; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Office of Former Chief Executives
Hon Michael TIEN to ask:
Currently, the Government has established the Office of Former Chief Executives ("FCEO") at 28 Kennedy Road, Central and in Pacific Place, Admiralty to provide administrative support to Former Chief Executives to perform promotional, protocol-related, or any other activities in relation to their former official role. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the work of FCEO in the past five years; whether it has set performance indicators for the relevant work and reviewed if such indicators have been met;
(2)
of the size, rent, and rental per square foot of the FCEO located in Admiralty;
(3)
of the size, estimated market rent and rental per square foot of the FCEO located in Central;
(4)
of the criteria adopted by the Government for determining the grading, location and size of the office to be leased;
(5)
as there are views that the epidemic, which has broken out for almost three years and still persists, casts uncertainties over the economic outlook and leads to the worry about the Government's financial position, and members of the public also expect the Government to allocate additional resources to improve people's livelihood and the economy, whether the Government has assessed if the spending of substantial amounts of public money on renting Grade A offices for use as FCEO is value-for-money; and
(6)
as it has been reported that the FCEO located in Central can only accommodate three Former Chief Executives and is already fully occupied, whether the Government will review the relevant mechanism, such as only setting up FCEO for the last three Former Chief Executives, so as to ensure the sustainability of the mechanism and the proper use of public money?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Levying sewage charges
Hon Kenneth LAU to ask:
According to the Sewage Services Ordinance (Cap. 463), a water consumer whose premises are connected to a public sewer should pay a sewage charge ("SC") at a prescribed rate based on the volume of water supplied to the premises. Some villagers of Shan Ha Wai Village (i.e. Tsang Tai Uk), Sha Tin have relayed that the premises of the households in the village have not been connected to a public sewer, and over the years the households did not receive any demand notes for SCs. However, recently SCs for the previous six years have been levied on such households by the Drainage Services Department ("DSD") under the Limitation Ordinance (Cap. 347). The hefty charges have posed a heavy financial burden on the villagers, and some of them even cannot afford such charges. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the households of that village have indicated that their premises are not connected to a public sewer, of DSD's justifications for levying SCs on them;
(2)
whether it has reviewed if the aforesaid incident has involved DSD's errors or omissions in levying SCs; if it has reviewed and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the details, and how it prevents the recurrence of such incident; if the review outcome is in the negative, the reasons for that;
(3)
of the number of cases involving DSD's errors or omissions in the past five years in respect of levying SCs (with a breakdown by the causes (including but not limited to human errors and maladministration)), and the amounts involved;
(4)
of the number of complaints relating to DSD's errors or omissions in levying SCs received by the Government in the past five years, and the following information on each of such cases: the amount levied, the cause of the mistake, and whether the complaint was substantiated; and
(5)
of the mechanism for handling and investigating errors or omissions in levying SCs; in respect of those cases which have been found to have involved maladministration, whether DSD will refund SCs to those villagers with financial difficulties, or waive/exercise discretion in handling the SCs imposed on such villagers, and take disciplinary actions against the officers concerned?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificates
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:
Recently, seven private doctors have been arrested by the Police for suspected abuse in the issuance of COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificates ("Exemption Certificates"). It has been reported that these doctors issued a total of over 25 000 Exemption Certificates, which accounted for more than half of all the valid Exemption Certificates. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Police have referred the cases to the Medical Council of Hong Kong ("MCHK") for follow-up, whether it knows if MCHK will consider striking off the register the names of the doctors concerned;
(2)
as it has been reported that the Police are investigating those persons who were issued with an Exemption Certificate by the doctors concerned, whether the Police have examined such persons' medical records to ascertain if they deliberately provided false information in order to be issued with an Exemption Certificate; and
(3)
given that the "Electronic Health Record Sharing System" (known as "eHealth") has recorded the seven doctors concerned having issued a large number of Exemption Certificates within half a year, whether the relevant government officers noticed such irregularities through the eHealth and reported such irregularities at an early stage; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Strengthening tree management
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
In the middle of last month, a tree beside the carriageway of Perth Street, Ho Man Tin suddenly collapsed, hitting four vehicles. On strengthening tree management, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the authorities stepped up inspection on trees located in areas with high pedestrian and vehicular traffic flows over the past three years; if so, set out the following information by year: the number of inspections conducted, the number of problematic trees identified and the percentage of trees followed up or removed;
(2)
whether it will step up the application of smart technology, including making wider use of tilt sensors, so as to enhance the efficiency of tree inspection and strengthen tree risk management; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will expeditiously review and revise the Guidelines for Tree Risk Assessment and Management Arrangement and the Street Tree Selection Guide to improve the policy on tree planting and strengthen the coordination work for territory-wide tree management; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Alleviating the wastage of teachers
Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:
The Secretary for Education indicated in his reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 11 May this year that the wastage rates of teachers in Direct Subsidy Scheme ("DSS") and public sector schools for the 2021-2022 school year were as high as 8.4% and 7.5% respectively, and the overall number of drop-out teachers increased by about 70% year-on-year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has formulated policies and measures to retain teaching talents, so as to prevent the teacher wastage rates from continuing to rise; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as some members of the education sector have suggested that an advancement ladder be provided to allow in-service teaching assistants to fill vacant teacher posts, thereby ensuring that schools have sufficient teachers, and ensuring teacher qualifications and teaching quality, whether the Government has studied such suggestion; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it has assessed if the current teacher-student ratios of schools are unbalanced; if it has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether it will draw reference from the deployment mechanism adopted by government departments and let the Education Bureau centrally administer the deployment of teachers to schools, so as to improve teacher-student ratios; and
(4)
of the ratio of teachers who are non-Hong Kong permanent residents to those who are Hong Kong permanent residents in DSS and public sector schools for the current school year, as well as the overall number of teacher vacancies; whether it has considered recruiting overseas talents to fill such vacancies?