Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Measures to promote the use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
Hon YIM Kong to ask:
In November last year, the State Council introduced the Quota-free Scheme for Hong Kong Private Cars Travelling to Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ("the Scheme") under which eligible Hong Kong private cars would be allowed to travel to and from Guangdong Province via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ("HZMB") without any need to obtain regular quotas, so as to facilitate Hong Kong people to travel to and from Guangdong Province by self-drive mode for business, visiting relatives or travelling on a short-term basis. The Hong Kong SAR Government also announced at the end of last year that it would work out the specific implementation details of the Scheme jointly with the Guangdong Provincial Government. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
to further facilitate business dealings within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, whether the Hong Kong SAR Government will discuss with the Guangdong Provincial Government the relaxation of the restrictions on the eligibility of vehicles and applicants under the Scheme, so as to benefit more people who have close business dealings with Guangdong Province, vehicles held in the names of companies, as well as people eligible to travel to and from the Mainland who possess the status of Hong Kong residents but are not holding the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (commonly known as "Home Return Permits") for the time being (e.g. staff sent out by China-capital enterprises);
(2)
as it is learnt that there is still much room for growth in the traffic flow of HZMB, whether the Hong Kong SAR Government will coordinate with the Guangdong Provincial Government the introduction of a monthly pass for HZMB to enable users to use HZMB at concessionary fares, with a view to enhancing the traffic efficiency of HZMB and encouraging more people to use HZMB to travel to and from Guangdong Province; and
(3)
to further facilitate Hong Kong private cars to travel to and from Guangdong Province, whether the Government will actively promote the introduction of an innovative insurance product by the insurance sector with protection covering traffic accidents which occur in both Hong Kong and Guangdong Province?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Demand-side management measures for the property market
Hon Louis LOONG to ask:
There are views pointing out that while the incumbent Chief Executive has stated clearly in his first Policy Address that solving the housing problem tops the agenda of the current‑term Government, the various demand-side management measures for the property market, which are commonly known as "harsh measures", are not mentioned at all in that Policy Address. In addition, the Government of the past several terms had all indicated that the policy objective of introducing these measures was to curb external, investment and speculative demands under the "exceptional circumstances" of low interest rate, abundant liquidity and serious demand-supply imbalance, so as to ensure the healthy and stable development of the property market and accord priority to meeting the home ownership needs of Hong Kong permanent residents ("HKPRs"). However, the recent global and local economic conditions are entirely different from those in previous years when such measures were introduced, and the supply of land and housing has also been increasing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the authorities have, in the light of the global and local economic conditions in the most recent year, reviewed the policy objective, the effectiveness, and the need for continuation of such measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that some members of the public who plan to purchase homes have pointed out that such measures have not become a stepping stone to assist HKPRs in purchasing their homes, but have instead become a stumbling block to home ownership amid the current economic environment, whether the authorities will relax or even remove such measures, so as to effectively assist HKPRs in purchasing their homes; and
(3)
as it is learnt that the Buyer's Stamp Duty ("BSD") has substantially increased the cost of acquisition of flats in old buildings by developers and a large amount of capital can only be recovered upon demolition of the buildings, whether the authorities will adjust the arrangement of "refund after collection of duty" or even abolish BSD in this respect, so as to expedite urban renewal and increase housing supply?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Importation of workers by the agriculture and fisheries industry
Hon Steven HO to ask:
The Government has resumed the collection of levy under the Supplementary Labour Scheme ("the levy") since 2013 whereby employers who are granted approval for importing workers are required to pay a levy of $400 each month in respect of each imported worker, and the levy is for the Employees Retraining Board to augment the provision of training and retraining for local workers. However, quite a number of employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry (including chicken farms, fish rafts, fish ponds and pig farms) who have imported workers have relayed that although the collection of the levy has been resumed for nearly 10 years, the authorities have not yet been able to train up suitable local manpower for them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the amount of the levy collected by the Government from employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry and the percentage of such amount in the total amount of levy collected, as well as the number of imported workers in the agriculture and fisheries industry and the percentage of such number in the total number of imported workers, in each of the past five years; how the authorities use the levy collected to train up local agriculture and fisheries workers, and the number of such workers successfully trained up;
(2)
given that the authorities have, for years, failed to assist employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry in training up suitable local workers, of the Government’s justifications for continuing to collect the levy from employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry; whether it will consider adjusting the policy, including lowering the levy or adjusting the levy on the basis of a percentage of a worker’s salary, so as to avoid aggravating the already heavy financial burden on the businesses of employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry; and
(3)
as some employers in the agriculture and fisheries industry and in other industries have relayed that the Government took a long time in the past to process applications for importation of workers, and that it has taken even as long as one year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic for such applications to be approved, making the employers easily become vulnerable to a worker vacuum period, of the longest and the shortest time required in the past three years from employers submitting applications for importation of workers to employers being granted approvals; whether the Government will improve the relevant application process?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Participation by Hong Kong electors on the Mainland in voting in Hong Kong's elections
Hon Benson LUK to ask:
It is learnt that there are nearly 400 000 Hong Kong residents on the Mainland who are concentrated mainly in places such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("the Greater Bay Area"), Beijing and Shanghai, but it had all along been difficult for them to participate in voting in Hong Kong’s elections. It was until the 2021 Legislative Council General Election that the Government had, for the first time, made an arrangement to enable Hong Kong electors who were on the Mainland to go to the polling stations set up at Heung Yuen Wai, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line boundary control points and cast their votes there. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has collected data on the aforesaid arrangement (including the number of people who voted, polling station preferences, peak voting periods, and reasons for some electors not being able to go and cast their votes), as well as conducted analyses and studies; if so, of the details and the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has plans to regularize the aforesaid voting arrangement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has studied if setting up polling stations at more control points and in Mainland cities will be subject to the restrictions under the Basic Law or relevant ordinances as well as the relevant technical considerations, and whether it has discussed with the Mainland authorities the setting up of polling stations in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area and other Mainland cities to facilitate Hong Kong electors to cast their votes; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
"LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
In the light of the development of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government has announced, with effect from 14 December 2022, the lifting of the requirement for members of the public to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe” ("LHS") venue QR code when entering premises, and that premises operators are no longer required to display LHS venue QR codes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Government has reiterated for many times that the main functions of the LHS mobile application are to help members of the public identify high-risk activities and facilitate contact tracing, whether the Government will provide relevant data, including the number of downloads by members of the public, the number of times for which high-risk activities were identified, and the number of cases in which contact tracing was facilitated, etc., so as to demonstrate the actual benefits of the mobile application from its launch in November 2020 to 13 December 2022, and whether the Government has comprehensively reviewed if the mobile application can achieve the target benefits originally expected by the Government;
(2)
of the amount of information and data accessed and used through the LHS mobile application so far, and the mechanism for subsequent processing of such information and data; and
(3)
of the future arrangements for the LHS mobile application, including whether it will be permanently removed or merged with other government applications (e.g. "iAM Smart"), and the details of the relevant arrangements, such as the estimated manpower to be involved in operation and system maintenance, the handling of information and data already used, the estimated operating expenditure, function changes, and the implementation timetable?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Planning and management of recreational facilities
Hon Dominic LEE to ask:
Regarding the planning and management of the recreational facilities under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as many members of the public have relayed that LCSD's outdoor play equipment is insufficient and has monotonous design, whether LCSD will consider introducing more types of play equipment, and incorporating various themes (e.g. integrating the concept of environmental protection into the equipment) for users to acquire different knowledge while playing; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as it is learnt that smart electronic payment means, such as payment by Octopus, are still not yet available at quite a number of sports venues under LCSD, but there are already smart parks and 5G parks on the Mainland, and a competition on smart park creation was also held in Hong Kong in 2021, whether LCSD will, by drawing reference from the practices on the Mainland and the said competition, introduce smart parks to enhance the functions of its play equipment, and implement electronic payment at its fee-charging recreational facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as it has been reported that when an inter-school football match held earlier at a pitch under LCSD had not yet come to the end, the automatic sprinkler system at the pitch was suddenly activated, and this incident has called into question LCSD's facility management level, whether LCSD has formulated working guidelines in the light of the incident to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Drugs for treating Coronavirus Disease 2019
Hon YANG Wing-kit to ask:
It is learnt that, regarding the drugs for treating Coronavirus Disease 2019, the Hospital Authority ("HA") at present uses only two oral drugs from pharmaceutical companies in the United States ("US"), namely Molnupiravir and Paxlovid. However, HA has not introduced the combination therapy drugs of Amubarvimab and Romlusevimab injection fluids as well as Azvudine oral drug which are from the Mainland and are new drugs approved for commercial launch by the National Medical Products Administration and approved by the National Health Commission for inclusion in the "Diagnosis and Treatment Protocols for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it has been reported that Amubarvimab and Romlusevimab were approved for clinical trials in Hong Kong at the end of 2021, whether it knows such drugs' clinical trial results in Hong Kong and clinical data from Mainland hospitals, as well as the progress of application for their commercial launch in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will obtain such data from the pharmaceutical company concerned and the Mainland authorities;
(2)
as it has been reported that the price of Azvudine is much lower than the prices of the aforesaid two drugs from US pharmaceutical companies and that this drug has been extensively used on the Mainland, whether it knows the drug's clinical trial results and clinical data from Mainland hospitals; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will obtain such data from the pharmaceutical company concerned and the Mainland authorities, as well as introduce Azvudine;
(3)
as it has been reported that Paxlovid outperforms Molnupiravir in terms of reducing risks of hospitalization and death as well as viral load, whether it knows if HA has procured a larger quantity of the former than that of the latter; if HA has, of the difference in the quantities of these two drugs procured; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether it knows, in respect of the aforesaid two drugs from US pharmaceutical companies, their respective (i) quantities prescribed and numbers of patients prescribed with the drugs, (ii) expiry dates and quantities of the three batches due to expire, (iii) quantities of expired batches and means of disposal, and (iv) numbers of confirmed patients who experienced greater side effects after taking the drugs and the symptoms concerned; whether it has compiled statistics on the number of confirmed patients who were reluctant to take the two drugs and their reasons for that;
(5)
as a study has found that the two drugs from US pharmaceutical companies are effective in preventing severe cases and reducing risks of death, whether it knows if HA will further relax its clinical guidelines on prescriptions of the two drugs, including lowering the relevant age restrictions and covering more high-risk patients; if HA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
as it has been reported that some Mainland residents recently purchased Paxlovid through purchase agency channels in Hong Kong, and it is suspected that the process involved making profits by reselling this drug which is from the Government for free prescriptions, whether the Government has investigated if illegal acts were involved in the incident; if it has investigated and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the penalties which may be imposed on the offenders, and the measures in place to combat such acts; if it has not investigated, the reasons for that?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting organ donation and cross-boundary matching
Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
It has been reported that Hong Kong is one of the places in the world with lowest deceased organ donation rates. On the other hand, since 1999, there have only been three successful cases of cross-boundary organ donation, including a recent case of a four-month-old baby girl who received a heart donation from the Mainland for transplant. There are quite a number of views that as organ donation can give people a second life and is an embodiment of selfless love, the Government should establish with the Mainland a regular cross-boundary organ donation and matching mechanism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it is learnt that the Mainland has the well-developed China Organ Transplant Response System which, by means of big data, analyses the information of voluntary organ donors across the country who are on its records, as well as ranks and matches patients in accordance with internationally recognized medical principles such as urgency of patients' conditions and donor-recipient organ compatibility, whether the Government will expeditiously work with the Mainland to commence (i) exploration on the technical and procedural matters relating to organ donation, matching, transportation, certification, etc., and (ii) discussion on the legal framework for cooperation in organ donation and matching; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that currently Hong Kong and the Mainland have not yet established a regular cross-boundary organ donation and matching mechanism, resulting in the Hospital Authority having to liaise with the authorities on the Mainland to search for a suitable organ for each case, whether the authorities will consider coordinating with the Mainland to regularize the cooperation between the two places in organ donation and matching; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that at present there are nearly 3 000 people awaiting organ transplants in Hong Kong every day, of the new measures put in place by the Government to promote organ donation and dispel related myths, so as to encourage members of the public to sign up for organ donation?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Lift safety
Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
In recent months, a rope breakage lift incident happened in an industrial building which has once again aroused wide public concern about lift safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of lift inspections conducted by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department ("EMSD") and the number of cases with safety problems identified through such inspections together with the causes of such problems, in each of the past five years, and whether EMSD made updates and adjustments to the relevant inspection mechanism, workflow and criteria for selecting inspection targets in the past five year;
(2)
in respect of stepping up the monitoring of registered lift contractors and registered lift engineers, whether EMSD conducted any review and what enhancement measures it took in the past five years;
(3)
of the current total number of lifts in the territory and their age distribution;
(4)
of the current staffing establishment of EMSD's dedicated team responsible for lift safety, and its manpower increase/decrease in the past three years; whether EMSD has assessed if the existing staffing establishment is adequate for dovetailing with the implementation of various lift safety measures;
(5)
in respect of (i) registered lift engineers and (ii) registered lift workers, of their respective annual numbers and rates of increase, as well as their respective annual average numbers of graduates who had completed the relevant training courses and annual numbers of persons joining the industry, in the past three years; whether the Government has assessed if the existing manpower of these two categories of qualified practitioners is adequate, and whether new measures are in place to attract new blood to join the industry;
(6)
given that registered lift workers are required to renew their registration every five years and to complete within the said period at least 30 hours of relevant training (covering areas including (i) environmental protection in the profession, (ii) safety for work on lifts, (iii) lifts related practical skills and codes of practice, (iv) related innovation and technologies, as well as (v) customer service and works management), whether it knows the enrolment and hours enrolled of the courses of each area, as well as the relevant ratio, in each of the past five years; whether it will consider requiring such workers to increase their training hours in respect of area (ii) and (iii), so as to enhance work standard; and
(7)
of the number of applications approved and the number of modernization works completed under the Lift Modernization Subsidy Scheme since the launch of the Scheme in 2019, as well as the expected number of applications to be completed in handling in this financial year?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for Rural Committees and village representatives
Hon Kenneth LAU to ask:
There are views that Rural Committees ("RCs") and village representatives ("VRs") have been representing the residents of villages to reflect their views on the affairs of villages over the years and are important bridges of communication between the Government and villagers. Moreover, in recent years, the Government has been actively promoting the development of the Northern Metropolis, in which RCs and VRs have been playing a key role, and their workload and expenses have been increasing. Some RCs and VRs have relayed to me that the financial support provided by the Government at present is insufficient to support their work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective amounts of (i) RC subvention provided to the various RCs and (ii) VR honorarium granted to the various VRs by the Government in each year and each quarter, as well as the rate of each adjustment of such subvention/VR honorarium, in the past 10 years (set out in a table); the criteria for determining the levels of RC subvention/VR honorarium and the details of their adjustment mechanisms;
(2)
whether it will review afresh the VR honorarium system and adjust the relevant mechanism, e.g. considering using the remuneration of District Council members as an indicator to encourage villagers to take part in village management work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will, by drawing reference from the practices of the Legislative Council and District Councils, devise for VRs a "reimbursement mechanism for expenses on village affairs" to be operated on an accountable basis; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
given that RCs are important advisory bodies for coordinating New Territories affairs, whether the Government will formulate a regular review mechanism for RC subvention, so as to ensure that RCs have sufficient funds to meet their daily operating expenses; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
whether it will set up a "rural affairs fund" to comprehensively enhance rural management and development and, at the same time, support RCs and VRs in managing rural affairs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Monitoring of services of private hospitals
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
It has been reported that during the period when the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic in Hong Kong was extremely severe, a number of private hospitals were alleged to have refused to admit patients with fever symptoms, which has aroused great controversy in society. Regarding the monitoring of services of private hospitals, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that it was specified in the land grant conditions of private hospitals in the past that private hospitals were required to reserve no less than 20% of their total beds as low-charge beds, and the Executive Council decided in January 2011 that such requirement would no longer be retained upon renewal of the land leases with various private hospitals in future, but the Direct Investigation Report published by the Office of the Ombudsman in July 2020 revealed that the utilization rates of low-charge beds in two private hospitals had reached a maximum of about 60% to 80%, reflecting that there was still a demand for low-charge beds, whether the authorities will consider reintroducing and enhancing such requirement when renewing the land leases and licences of all private hospitals in future, so as to alleviate the pressure on the public healthcare system; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as it has been reported that at present, most private hospitals in Hong Kong operate as non-profit-making charitable bodies and, apart from enjoying tax exemption, are granted land by the Government at nil or nominal premium for their operation, whether the authorities will consider, by way of amendment to the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633), clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of all private hospitals in facing major public health incidents and regularly assessing the response of all private hospitals in facing such incidents, and using the assessment results as a factor for consideration in the renewal of licences and land leases or provision of tax exemption in future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as it has been reported that at least four private hospitals have recorded sizeable surpluses in recent years and some private hospitals have not made public their accounts for a long time, whether the authorities know the annual expenditure of such hospitals on healthcare development, and what measures are in place to ensure that relevant resources will not be misallocated for non-healthcare development purposes; whether it will require all private hospitals to make public their accounts, so as to facilitate public monitoring; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Proposed Tiu Keng Leng Park
Hon LAM So-wai to ask:
Under the planning of the Tseung Kwan O Outline Zoning Plan, there is a district open space in Tseung Kwan O Area 72 ("the site") for the proposed provision of the Tiu Keng Leng Park. On 17 April 2012, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") consulted the District Facilities Management Committee under the Sai Kung District Council on the development scope of the site and the facilities proposed to be built thereon and obtained its support. However, LCSD has not yet released the design plan and the works schedule for the site. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the detailed design and the works schedule of the works project to construct the Tiu Keng Leng Park on the site; and
(2)
given that the site is divided into two parts by a slip road leading to the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel, of the details and the latest progress of the feasibility study conducted by the authorities on connecting the two parts of the open space?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme
Dr Hon Wendy HONG to ask:
The Government launched the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme ("the Scheme") in January 2021 to encourage enterprises with business both in Hong Kong and in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA") to employ Hong Kong graduates who have been awarded a bachelor's degree or above by institutions in Hong Kong or institutions outside Hong Kong to work in the GBA Mainland cities, so as to enable such graduates to gain an understanding of and explore the career development opportunities in the GBA Mainland cities. However, while some 3 500 job vacancies have been offered under the Scheme, only 1 091 graduates have reported for duty so far. On the other hand, the Government will regularize the Scheme in the first half of this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details of the aforesaid graduates who have reported for duty, including their places of habitual residence before reporting for duty, the regions where the institutions from which they graduated are located, and their length of living on the Mainland before reporting for duty;
(2)
as it is learnt that quite a big proportion of the graduates participating in the Scheme were Hong Kong students having lived on the Mainland for a long period of time or graduated from Mainland institutions and with knowledge about the Mainland, whether the Government has assessed if such situation is conducive to achieving the objectives of the Scheme; if it has assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the details; if the assessment outcome is in the negative, whether it will make adjustments to the Scheme before regularizing it, including imposing restrictions on the places of habitual residence of participants and on the regions where the institutions from which they graduated are located, so as to genuinely benefit Hong Kong graduates who lack knowledge of the Mainland and the GBA Mainland cities; and
(3)
as there are views that the response to the Scheme has been lukewarm, what improvement measures the Government will introduce before regularizing the Scheme, so as to enhance the attractiveness and actual effectiveness of the Scheme?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Assistance for single-parent families
Hon Tony TSE to ask:
Some concern groups have pointed out that the Government has not conducted any research study and policy review on single-parent families in Hong Kong for many years, resulting in the failure of the relevant authorities to formulate targeted and more effective policy initiatives to support parents, children and other family members of the single-parent families (in particular the initiatives to help and encourage single parents to seek employment), which has made it difficult for those parents to become self-reliant and better contribute to society. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Census and Statistics Department conducted a thematic study on single parents in Hong Kong in the 2016 Population By-census, including the number of single parents, the occupation and employment rate of single parents, as well as the employment situation of their children, whether the authorities have, on the basis of the relevant data and findings of the study, reviewed the relevant policy initiatives or formulated new measures, in particular enhancing the provision of employment support for the single parents and their family members; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will conduct a more comprehensive research study and policy review on the latest situation of single-parent families in Hong Kong; if so, of the specific plan; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that the problem of labour force shortage in Hong Kong is serious, whether the authorities will formulate targeted policy initiatives, including encouraging enterprises to make good use of innovative technology, provide a family-friendly working environment, and introduce working hours and models of greater flexibility, so as to assist single parents in securing employment, in particular encouraging those single parents whose children have come of age to re-enter the labour market?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Ensuring the provision of correct official information in Internet search results
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
It is learnt that at present, when using the Internet search engine of Google to search "national anthem Hong Kong", what is at the top of the search results is not the correct national anthem of China, but a song related to the "black-clad violence". Since the uncovering of this issue, Google has not yet deleted search results containing that song and other related incorrect information. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the new plans under the existing mechanism put in place by the Government to propel showing of the correct national anthem in the search results of the Google search engine; whether it has checked if the search results are correct when using the Google search engine to search other official emblems of Hong Kong (e.g. the national flag, regional emblem and regional flag);
(2)
whether it has studied if the Hong Kong National Security Law is applicable in respect of regulating such search results, and whether it has plans to pursue the aforesaid issue of search results through legal means, so as to ensure that the public can get correct information in their searches;
(3)
whether it will invite Google to explain its search engine's algorithms and request Google to update its algorithms, and what measures are in place to ensure the provision of correct information for the public in the search results of the Google search engine; and
(4)
of the plans in place to step up the publicity efforts for the national anthem, national flag, regional flag and foot drill protocols, such as whether it will look into making good use of the platforms of the Radio Television Hong Kong ("RTHK") to step up its publicity efforts as well as adding relevant information to RTHK's website and social media, so as to increase public awareness and search volumes with a view to ensuring that correct official information can be shown in the search results of search engines?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Utilization situation of government car parks
Hon CHAN Hok-fung to ask:
At present, the Transport Department ("TD") and the Government Property Agency ("GPA") are responsible for the management of more than 20 government car parks and multi-storey public car parks, with the latter responsible for the management of car parks in joint-user government buildings (e.g. Government Offices). However, most of the car parking spaces in the car parks managed by GPA are restricted to the Government's internal use during daytime on weekdays (i.e. Monday to Friday), and are only opened up for public use during non-office hours (i.e. weekday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the average utilization rates of government car parks or car parking spaces managed by government departments (i.e. TD and GPA) during daytime (i.e. from 7 am to 7 pm) and night-time (i.e. from 7 pm to 7 am the following day) over the past year, with a breakdown by District Council district; the charges for such car parks or car parking spaces over the past year;
(2)
given that individual car parks managed by GPA (e.g. Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices Building and Chai Wan Municipal Services Building) are opened up for public use during daytime on weekdays, of the criteria based on which the Government determines whether a government car park is opened up for public use during daytime on weekdays;
(3)
as some members of the public have relayed to me that the car park of Queensway Government Offices is only for use by government vehicles during daytime on weekdays, but its daily average utilization rate has been below 25% for a long time, of the hourly utilization rate of the car park in the past three months; the reasons for the Government not opening up such car park for public use round the clock; and
(4)
whether the Government will, having regard to the utilization situations of some government car parks during daytime on weekdays, open up those car parks for public use round the clock, so as to alleviate the problem of shortage of car parking spaces in urban areas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel
Dr Hon NGAN Man-yu to ask:
The Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel ("TKO-LT Tunnel") was officially commissioned on 11 December 2022. Regarding the operation of the TKO-LT Tunnel and its diversion effect on the traffic originally using the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel ("TKO Tunnel"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following statistics (set out in a table):
(i)
how the hourly vehicular flows in each traffic direction each day of the TKO Tunnel compare with those of the TKO-LT Tunnel since its commissioning ("the period");
(ii)
how the hourly vehicular flows in each traffic direction each day of the TKO Tunnel in the period compare with those in the 30 days preceding the period; and
(iii)
how the hourly vehicular flows in each traffic direction each day of the TKO Tunnel in the period compare with those in the same period last year;
(2)
whether it has assessed the changes in the vehicular flows of the various roads connecting to the Tseung Kwan O district after the commissioning of the TKO-LT Tunnel, and made a scientific assessment of its diversion effect; and
(3)
of the number of complaints received by the authorities in relation to the TKO-LT Tunnel since its commissioning, as well as the nature of such complaints and the situation of the follow-up actions?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Provision of anti-epidemic drugs to the Mainland
Hon CHAN Pui-leung to ask:
During the period when the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic was severe, the Central People's Government ("CPG") donated a large amount of anti-epidemic drugs to the Hong Kong SAR Government to assist Hong Kong in fighting the epidemic. It has been reported that since the Mainland adjusted its epidemic prevention and control measures, situations such as a shortage and an interruption to the supply of drugs as well as a run on medical resources have arisen on the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the anti-epidemic drugs donated by CPG and various local governments to the Hong Kong SAR Government since the outbreak of the epidemic: names, efficacy, quantities, situation on the usage and remaining quantities;
(2)
as it has been reported that quite a number of members of the public have procured drugs from pharmacies in Hong Kong and sent them to the Mainland for use by relatives and friends, of the current stock situation of anti-epidemic drugs (including those procured by the Hong Kong SAR Government and donated by CPG) in Hong Kong; whether the Hong Kong SAR Government will consider, while ensuring that its medical supplies are sufficient, allocating some of the anti-epidemic drugs to the Mainland Government; and
(3)
whether the Hong Kong SAR Government will take the initiative to help and support the Mainland Government to procure anti-epidemic drugs through various channels, so as to alleviate the current situation of shortage of drugs on the Mainland, fight the epidemic together and demonstrate the commitment of the Hong Kong SAR; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Registered vehicle owners' obligation to give drivers' information
Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
In accordance with section 63(1) of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), the registered owner of a vehicle involved in an alleged offence or an accident shall on demand give to a police officer information about the driver of the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence or the accident. However, some members of the transport industry have pointed out that a registered vehicle owner who fails to give the driver's information is generally only sentenced by the court to a fine of several thousand dollars, and since the investigation work on the traffic accident concerned has been completed and the ultimate responsibility for the accident cannot be determined by the court, the victims of the accident are unable to lodge claims for their losses. Moreover, some members of the public have relayed that when they complained about persons using vehicles without valid "hire car permits" to provide the service of carriage of passengers for reward, the Police also ceased to follow up their complaints because of the registered vehicle owners' failure to give the drivers' information. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of cases in which the registered vehicle owners were on demand under section 63(1) of Cap. 374 to give the drivers' information and, among them, the number of cases in which the registered vehicle owners were convicted for failing to give the drivers' information, as well as the penalties imposed; the number of cases in which the investigation work on the alleged offences were discontinued because of the registered vehicle owners' failure to give the drivers' information, with a breakdown by the type of cases, in the past three years;
(2)
as there are views pointing out that the provision on the "defence" for registered vehicle owners' failure to give drivers' information in section 63(5) of Cap. 374 will result in law-breaking drivers getting away without being punished and difficulties for victims in accidents to lodge claims, what measures the authorities have put in place to ensure that the defence provision will not be abused; and
(3)
as there are views that registered vehicle owners should have grasped the information about the operation of their vehicles unless they have evidence to prove that their vehicles have been stolen, whether the Government will consider amending the relevant legislation to plug the relevant loopholes to ensure that drivers who have committed the alleged offences are brought to justice, lest they jeopardize other road users; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Preparatory work for the resumption of normal traveller clearance between the Mainland and Hong Kong
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng to ask:
Regarding the preparatory work for the resumption of normal traveller clearance between the Mainland and Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that quarantine-free travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong is being resumed gradually and the Lunar New Year is around the corner, whether the Government has redeployed the manpower at various boundary control points, evaluated the capacities of various boundary control points when normal traveller clearance is resumed, and formulated corresponding measures to cope with the surge in traveller flow at boundary control points in the short term, thereby ensuring orderly travel; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(2)
given that the Mainland requires arrivals to undergo nucleic acid tests within 48 hours before their departure, and only those with negative test results are allowed entry, whether the relevant government departments have assessed if the current testing capacity in Hong Kong can meet the anticipated increase in the demand for testing, and whether measures are in place to raise the nucleic acid testing efficiency of eligible medical testing institutions in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Telling China's stories well through Hong Kong films
Hon Joephy CHAN to ask:
The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ("the 20th National Congress") proposes to "better tell China's stories, make China's voice heard, and present a China that is credible, appealing, and respectable". There are views that it is incumbent upon the Hong Kong SAR Government to implement the essence of the 20th National Congress and to tell China's stories well to the public through Hong Kong films. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the Film Production Financing Scheme ("FPFS") under the Film Development Fund ("FDF") has approved films with elements of patriotism and modern Chinese history; if not, whether FDF will introduce the assessment criterion of "patriotism and national history education", so that films with relevant elements can have a greater chance of being approved for funding, thereby helping Hong Kong films tell China's stories well;
(2)
whether FDF will conduct national security checks on films approved for funding in future, so as to prevent such films from containing contents which uglify state power, the Hong Kong SAR regime and the national image, as well as advocate Hong Kong independence and separatism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether FDF will consider setting up a new financing scheme for application by filmmakers who intend to make films themed on patriotism and national history and culture, thereby providing an additional means to tell China's stories well to the public; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
of the amount of funding approved under FPFS in each month and each quarter in the past three years; whether it has reviewed if there is any periodic increase or decrease in the numbers of applications submitted and approved?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for the tourism industry
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
The Government announced in 2020-2021 the introduction of a Special 100% Loan Guarantee ("Special Loan") to relieve the financial pressure on enterprises affected by the epidemic. However, some members of the tourism industry have relayed that as banks have tightened credits to them, the Special Loan is of limited help to the tourism industry and cannot support enterprises which are in urgent need of capital to relaunch their businesses after the resumption of normal traveller clearance between the Mainland and Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of applications from travel agents and from cross-boundary transportation companies received, approved, rejected and being processed by the participating lending institutions of the Special Loan, as well as the total amount of loans granted to such enterprises so far, together with a breakdown by quarter; the reasons for those applications being rejected;
(2)
as some members of the industry have pointed out that the maximum facility amount of the Special Loan is determined on the basis of employee wages and rents payable by the enterprises, but the area of rented office accommodation and the scale of manpower of the industry have been substantially reduced amid the epidemic, resulting in a limited amount of loan which cannot meet their capital needs upon resumption of business, whether the Government has considered adjusting the criteria for calculating the maximum facility amount of the Special Loan in the light of the short-term capital needs of the tourism industry; and
(3)
whether it will launch a dedicated fund to support the tourism industry and provide low-interest loans, so as to assist the micro-, small- and medium-enterprises concerned in resuming normal business and assist the tourism industry in recovering; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?