Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Intangible cultural heritage
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng to ask (Hon CHAN Pui-leung to ask on his behalf):
It is learnt that Hong Kong is very rich in intangible cultural heritage ("ICH"), with the first ICH Inventory of Hong Kong covering 480 items and the first Representative List of ICH of Hong Kong covering a total of 20 items. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
regarding the safeguarding, promotion and transmission of ICH, of the work recently done by the Government, and the Government's subsequent planning for that;
(2)
as there are views that the transmission of ICH items is very important, whether the Government has carried out relevant work to nurture young ICH bearers; if so, whether it has assessed the effectiveness of such work; and
(3)
whether it has considered integrating the current frontier artificial intelligence technology, metaverse technology, etc. with the promotion and safeguarding of ICH?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Developing Hong Kong into a smart city
Hon Andrew LAM to ask:
The State Council Institutional Reform Plan, which was deliberated at the First Session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress, proposes the establishment of a National Data Bureau which shall be responsible for, among others, coordinating and advancing the construction of the basic system of data, coordinating the integration, sharing, development and utilization of data resources, and advancing the planning and construction of digital China, digital economy and digital society. In addition, the Chief Executive proposed in the 2022 Policy Address the development of Hong Kong into a smart city, and indicated that the Government would explore with the Mainland the arrangements for the flow of data from the Mainland to Hong Kong, with a view to jointly promoting the coordinated development of smart cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
in order to develop Hong Kong into a smart city, whether it will set up a "big data bureau" to be coordinated by the Government, or transform the Census and Statistics Department into a "big data bureau"; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
of the current situation of data interchange between the Government and the relevant Mainland authorities, as well as the anticipated future situation; and
(3)
given that the development of a smart city requires the collection, linkage, storage and analysis of data, some members of the public are worried that the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance cannot keep pace with the times, whether the Government will review the Ordinance, so as to tie in with the development of a smart city; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Animal release activities
Hon Steven HO to ask:
There are views that the situation of some members of the public releasing animals casually, including releasing animals into unsuitable habitats, as well as releasing aggressive, alien or cross-bred species, has not improved over the years, raising doubts that the existing legislation cannot achieve any deterrent effect. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has publicized through posters the impacts that may be bought about by animal release, and appealed to members of the public to consider taking other virtuous actions in lieu of animal release, such as tree-planting, making donations and participating in voluntary services, whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of the relevant publicity and education work, including the number of relevant reports received, the respective numbers of persons arrested, prosecuted and convicted, as well as the trend of such figures, in each of the past three years;
(2)
given that while the last-term Government proposed introducing offences in relation to "release or abandonment of animals leading to unnecessary suffering" under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, there are views that such proposal neither targets at the problem of casual animal release nor the impacts of the relevant activities on the ecology, whether the Government will amend the Ordinance by following the practice of "scientific animal release" as advocated by the country and drawing reference from the country's Provisions on the Propagation and Release of Aquatic Organisms; and
(3)
whether it will consider regulating animal release activities and promoting scientific animal release, such as requiring members of the public to conduct animal release activities through organizations which are permitted to undertake or host scientific animal release or restocking activities?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Enhancing knowledge of the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland
Hon Starry LEE to ask:
In the 2022 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced that the Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee would be renamed the Constitution and the Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee ("CBLPSC"), and put forward further strengthening publicity and education on the Constitution and the Basic Law. There are views that Hong Kong people generally have insufficient knowledge of, and even misconceptions about the National People's Congress which enacts, amends and oversees the enforcement of the Constitution and the Basic Law, as well as the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland. With more and more Hong Kong people going north for further studies, work, doing business and living, it is very important to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland, which is also an important foundation for promoting exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has assessed through surveys or other means the extent of Hong Kong people's knowledge of the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will consider, by way of making legal education more accessible, fostering in Hong Kong society a better knowledge of the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will formulate with CBLPSC practicable publicity programmes to foster in Hong Kong society a better knowledge of the legal regime, laws and regulations of the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Vetting and approval of the Special 100% Loan Guarantee
Hon Paul TSE to ask:
It is learnt that, regarding the Special 100% Loan Guarantee ("Special Loan") provided by the Government to assist small and medium enterprises ("SMEs"), some members of the public have queried cases involving suspected unreasonable rejection of applications by the lending banks and the HKMC Insurance Limited ("HKMCI"), which have left the applicants with no way of seeking redress of their grievances. Some applicants have pointed out that some lending banks have allegedly gone back on their words by first telling them that their applications have been successfully approved (and even claiming that based on their good records of loan repayment, the banks can increase the amounts of loan), thus spurring the applicants to recruit a large number of staff and make expansion arrangements. However, approvals for the applicants' loans are subsequently denied by the lending banks on the ground of HKMCI's rejection of their applications (in a situation where there is no explanation for the reasons for the rejection and no information on the corresponding parties or responsible officers), making the applicants feel that they have been seriously misled and even fooled. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the assistance that the Government can provide in respect of the aforesaid situation involving rejection of applications by lending banks or HKMCI (especially those applications initially approved but subsequently rejected where "the corresponding parties cannot be found"); whether it can assist the applicants in contacting the lending banks concerned and HKMCI to gain an understanding of the reasons for the rejection, and put in place a review or appeal mechanism by following relief measures such as the Consumption Voucher Scheme and the Employment Support Scheme;
(2)
of the number of cases expressing dissatisfaction with the vetting and approval situation and requesting for appeals or reviews which have been received by the authorities since the launch of the Special Loan, together with the follow-up actions taken; and
(3)
whether it has assessed if the aforesaid situation involving applications suspected of being initially approved but subsequently rejected will go against the good intention of local banks and the Government to assist SMEs in tiding over the difficulties, and create negative impacts on the Government's popularity?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Combating activities of selling duty-not-paid cigarettes
Dr Hon Kennedy WONG to ask:
It has been reported that following the proposal in this year's Budget that the tobacco duty be increased starting from 22 February this year, the price of each pack of mainstream cigarettes has risen to $74. On combating activities of selling duty-not-paid cigarettes ("illicit cigarettes"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it has been reported that the number of illicit cigarettes seized by the Customs and Excise Department ("C&ED") was on the rise in the past five years, and 732 million sticks of illicit cigarettes were seized last year, representing an increase of 12.7 times over the 53.4 million sticks seized in 2018, whether it has gained an understanding of the reasons for that, and set out the number of illicit cigarettes seized by major place of origin;
(2)
as it has been reported that recently, some lawbreakers first used a small quantity of "assorted brands cigarettes" from Southeast Asian countries for customs declaration and paid relevant taxes and excise duties to obtain the relevant import permit, and then took advantage of the loophole that no consignment of cigarettes was specified in the relevant permit to smuggle a large quantity of cheap cigarettes with duty not paid (commonly known as "Cheap Whites") into Hong Kong, whether C&ED has noticed if such operations involved organized crimes, and whether it has plans to plug the loophole concerned; if it has plans, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether C&ED will step up its anti-smuggling operations in response to the myriad tactics of smuggling illicit cigarettes and counterfeit cigarettes, and what effective measures are in place to prevent illicit cigarette syndicates from recruiting distribution intermediaries, commonly known as "agents", to peddle illicit cigarettes in the market?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
The 2022 Policy Address announced the establishment of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited ("HKIC"), which will incorporate the Hong Kong Growth Portfolio ("HKGP") established under the Future Fund into its management, with an aim to further optimize the use of fiscal reserves for promoting the development of Hong Kong's economy and industries, as well as to attract and support more enterprises to develop their business in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of institutions which have expressed interest and submitted investment proposals to HKIC since its establishment; the assessment mechanism for the investment proposals; and the expected earliest time for HKIC to formally make investments;
(2)
whether HKIC will directly manage some of the investments; if so, of the proportion and details of such investments (including whether HKIC will directly invest in projects, enterprises, funds, or make mixed investments, as well as the proportion of investment allocation involved);
(3)
of the following information on HKGP since its establishment: (i) the number of institutions appointed as general partners, (ii) the number of institutions which have signed general partnership contracts with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") and, (iii) among them, the respective numbers of institutions which have been disbursed with investment funds from HKMA and those which have not yet been disbursed with investment funds, (iv) the total amount of investment funds disbursed by HKMA, and (v) the respective time taken by various institutions appointed as general partners from the signing of the contract with HKMA to the disbursement of the investment funds; and
(4)
how it will ensure that HKIC can enhance speed and efficiency in various aspects, such as vetting and approving investment proposals, and disbursing investment funds, so as to achieve more effectively the purposes for which HKIC is established and maximize its effectiveness; whether the Government will, by drawing reference from the practice of formulating performance pledges for government departments, formulate investment management standards and targets for HKIC; if so, of the specific details?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Making good use of the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund
Ir Hon CHAN Siu-hung to ask:
The existing legislation requires that a contractor of any construction operations carried out in Hong Kong with a total value of $3 million or above is liable to pay a levy at the rate of 0.15% of the value of the construction operations concerned, and an operator of any quarry is also liable to pay a levy in respect of the quarry products extracted from or produced in one's quarry, at the rate of 0.15% of the value of the quarry products concerned. Such levies provide a source of income for the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund ("the Fund") to pay compensation to persons who are entitled to compensation under the Pneumoconiosis and Mesothelioma (Compensation) Ordinance (Cap. 360). It is learnt that the accumulated surplus of the Fund is close to $3 billion at present. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of new cases of pneumoconiosis (including silicosis and asbestosis) and mesothelioma recorded in the past three years, with a breakdown by name of disease; the new measures put in place by the authorities to reduce the number of cases of such diseases;
(2)
of the amounts of compensation disbursed by the Fund to patients suffering from the diseases mentioned in (1) in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by name of disease; and
(3)
given that with the increasing number of major infrastructure developments in Hong Kong (including the Northern Metropolis and the artificial islands in the Central Waters), the levies collected by the Fund will also increase correspondingly, whether the authorities have considered how to make good use of the surplus of the Fund, apart from using it for the liquidity needs of the Fund; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Developing medical tourism
Dr Hon Dennis LAM to ask:
There are views that Hong Kong has the conditions for developing into a first-rate medical tourism destination in Asia and in the international arena, including possessing excellent medical scientific research talents, internationally recognized clinical trial know-how, a comprehensive regulatory regime, internationally-aligned medication standards, and a well-developed commercial medical insurance market. However, the Government still does not have a clear action agenda for developing Hong Kong's medical tourism industry. Moreover, it has been reported that the scale of the Mainland medical tourism service market already reached Renminbi 118.6 billion in 2018, while the scale of the global medical tourism market is expected to reach US$165.345 billion in 2023. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of non-Hong Kong residents who came to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment in the past five years, the countries or regions from which they mainly came, and the main specialties involved in the medical treatment;
(2)
whether it has considered issuing visas for non-Hong Kong residents who come to Hong Kong for medical treatment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it can provide non-Hong Kong residents who wish to come to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment with more official advice and assistance; and
(4)
whether it has plans to assist non-Hong Kong residents who wish to come to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment in taking out commercial medical insurance in Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Regulating contents generated by artificial intelligence technology
Hon Nixie LAM to ask:
Some views have pointed out that generative artificial intelligence ("AI") technology is developing by leaps and bounds, giving rise to not only transformative changes in the productivity of society but also hidden security hazards such as algorithmic bias, information leakage and fabricated contents. In particular, as AI-generated images can pass off as genuine, they may facilitate dissemination of false information and conspiracy theories. On the other hand, the Cyberspace Administration of China published the Measures for the Administration of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services (Draft for comments) in April this year with a view to regulating generative AI services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has studied and assessed the impacts of the popularization of AI on Hong Kong's various aspects, such as the community, teaching and research activities, as well as economic structure; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will study and compare the legal provisions on regulation of the application of AI put in place by the Mainland and overseas regions (e.g. the European Union and Japan) and formulate forward-looking proposals to resolve the legal issues involved in the application of AI; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will study the enactment of legislation to require that AI-generated images must be specified as being generated by AI, with a view to preventing false information from being generated; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Crowd management at boundary control points
Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
There are views pointing out that during the recent Easter holidays, the situation of passenger congestion occurred at a number of land boundary control points ("BCPs"), causing nuisance to travellers entering and leaving Hong Kong. Regarding crowd management at BCPs, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that Hong Kong residents are currently required to complete a health declaration online to obtain a QR code commonly known as "black code" before entering the Mainland, so that they can scan the code for entry when crossing the boundary, but there are views pointing out that the scanning of black code is the main cause of passenger congestion at various BCPs during long holidays, whether the Government has communicated with the relevant Mainland departments on the arrangement concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as it is learnt that some BCPs operated apparently smoothly during the last two long holidays by suspending the arrangement for scanning of black code, whether the Government will consider proposing to the relevant Mainland departments to regularize the arrangement for suspending the scanning of black code during public holidays in Hong Kong and on the Mainland; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that there are a number of land BCPs in Hong Kong, what strategies the authorities have put in place to implement the diversion of travellers, so that the resources of various BCPs can be fully utilized, and whether they will consider making use of technology to share with travellers the information on passenger flow at various BCPs on a real time basis;
(4)
of the publicity measures the authorities have put in place in respect of BCPs which are newer and have fewer passengers, so as to enable Hong Kong and Mainland residents to fully understand the relevant information on such BCPs; and
(5)
whether it will consider suitably extending the opening hours of BCPs during public holidays, so as to facilitate Hong Kong residents and encourage staggered peak travel?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Improving the ancillary facilities at Tai Po Lung Mei Beach
Hon Dominic LEE to ask:
Tai Po Lung Mei Beach ("the Beach"), which was officially opened in June 2021, is the only public bathing beach in Tai Po District. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has planned and studied the connection of the Beach to Tai Mei Tuk for development into a waterfront promenade, and to repair the relevant seaside facilities, provide additional leisure facilities and bring in more restaurants, so as to build the relevant location into the second Hong Kong Gold Coast and make it one of Hong Kong's signature attractions;
(2)
as it is learnt that in the area between Ting Kok Road near Tai Po Lung Mei Road and the Beach, some parts of the footpath near the seaside have crash barriers installed in the middle, resulting in the relevant section of the footpath being only several inches wide and quite a number of villagers being forced to walk on the carriageway when walking to that section, thus posing danger, whether the Government will improve the relevant section (e.g. widening the section concerned or altering the design of the crash barriers concerned), so as to protect the safety of the villagers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether the Government will enhance the facilities at the Beach, such as providing additional leisure facilities, installing the Smart Public Toilet System in public toilets, using a smart system to monitor the water quality of the Beach, and planting more trees, so as to improve the quality of the Beach; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether the Government will enhance the ancillary transport facilities in the vicinity of the Beach, such as increasing the number of public transport routes to connect with other areas of the northeast New Territories, and providing additional parking spaces in the car park; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Conclusions made by a United Nations committee on the situation in Hong Kong
Hon LAI Tung-kwok to ask:
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("the Committee") held its meetings in February this year to receive the Chinese delegation, which included the HKSAR Government delegation, and consider the fourth report submitted by HKSAR under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. According to the Government, the Committee issued its Concluding Observations in March, in which it made inaccurate, biased and misleading statements on various aspects of the situation in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
apart from the Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs being one of the Deputy Heads of the Chinese delegation, of the ranks of the other members of the HKSAR Government delegation, the policy bureaux/government departments to which they belong, and their specific work contents in the delegation;
(2)
apart from taking note of the "shadow reports" submitted by non-governmental organizations before the Committee's meetings with regard to the aforesaid fourth report, and preparing lines-to-take beforehand, what other advance preparatory work the Government carried out for the aforesaid meetings to rebut any inaccurate allegations of the Committee;
(3)
given that even though the Government had carried out the advance preparatory work mentioned in (2), the Committee still made inaccurate, biased and misleading statements on various aspects of the situation in Hong Kong, whether the Government has learnt from the experience of the aforesaid meetings, and reviewed how to make better preparations before the submission of the next report in 2028; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
as a number of members of the Panel on Constitutional Affairs of this Council pointed out at its meeting in April this year that it was insufficient for the Government to express dissatisfaction with and respond to the Committee's Concluding Observations only through press releases, and they considered that the Government should rebut the inaccurate allegations of the Committee by means of measures such as using videos, data and multi-media and holding regular press conferences, with the officials attending the meeting undertaking to consider those suggestions, whether the Government will take those suggestions on board; if so, of the timetable for implementing relevant measures; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Shortening the waiting time for specialist outpatient services
Hon Edward LEUNG to ask:
The Hospital Authority ("HA") has indicated that the annual attendance of specialist outpatient ("SOP") services at public hospitals has reached 8 million with about 900 000 new cases every year. There are views that the strategy of "Narrowing Upstream, Collaborating Downstream, Diverting Midstream", which was endorsed by HA at the end of 2019 to further improve the waiting time for SOP services, is ineffective, and there are also views that promoting the development of specialist care can alleviate the problem of long waiting time for SOP services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the percentage of stable new specialty patients who have their cases closed within five follow-up consultations, or have been referred to Family Medicine Specialist Clinics ("FMSCs"), after receiving the first diagnosis and treatment by specialists;
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the respective percentages of stable new specialty patients who have been referred to general outpatient clinics for follow-up owing to their complicated conditions and mild conditions, with a breakdown by specialty department (i.e. Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmology, Gynaecology, Medicine, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Surgery);
(3)
given that HA has established a mechanism for arranging new specialty patients with relatively mild conditions and patients with stable conditions who require specialist support to follow up in FMSCs, of the number of patients referred from various specialist outpatient clinics ("SOPCs") to FMSCs in each of the past three years, and its percentage in the total number of specialty patients;
(4)
given that HA has established nurse clinics led by experienced nurses to provide services such as consultation and complication screening for patients, of the number of patients seeking SOP services who received consultation from nurses of the nurse clinics before their scheduled follow-up appointments in the past three years, and its percentage in the total number of specialty patients; among them, the number of patients who did not need to return to SOPCs for follow-up consultation after receiving consultation at nurse clinics; and
(5)
given that the Nursing Council of Hong Kong currently operates the Voluntary Scheme on Advanced and Specialised Nursing Practice, whether the authorities have considered enhancing the Scheme by allowing nurse specialists to handle specialty patients with mild conditions or stable new specialty patients, so as to give full play to the role of nurse specialists, and shorten the waiting time for SOP services?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Solving the problem of insufficient manpower of lifeguards
Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
According to the information provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), it needed to employ more than 600 seasonal lifeguards from April to May this year, but as at the 1st of this month, only 240 lifeguards reported for duty. Some members of the public are worried that some public swimming facilities may not be fully open for members of the public to use during the swimming season, resulting in a waste of public resources. Moreover, in the light of the shortage of lifeguards in Hong Kong, I proposed at the meeting of the Panel on Public Service of this Council on the 15th of this month that the authorities should consider importing lifeguards from the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has conducted survey on the median wage of lifeguards employed in the private sector in Hong Kong at present, and how such figure compares to the median wage of LCSD's lifeguards (including seasonal lifeguards and civil service lifeguards);
(2)
as some trade unionists have indicated that with the low academic qualification requirements for entry into the lifeguard industry, its attractiveness to talents with high academic qualifications from the GBA Mainland cities is limited, whether the Government has assessed the attractiveness of recruiting qualified persons from the GBA Mainland cities to come to Hong Kong to work as lifeguards with the median wage of lifeguards in Hong Kong; whether it will launch a pilot recruitment scheme to gauge responses to the scheme from the actual application situation;
(3)
as some trade unionists have indicated that the Government should recruit more civil service lifeguards to maintain a stable workforce, whether the Government has assessed if it is a proper use of public money to expand the staffing establishment of civil service lifeguards under the circumstances that the work nature of lifeguards is mostly seasonal;
(4)
whether it has studied in detail the feasibility of importing lifeguards from the GBA Mainland cities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
as LCSD indicated earlier on that it would explore the feasibility of the provision of seasonal lifeguard services by outsourced contractors at designated public swimming pools, of the progress of the relevant work, and whether there is an implementation timetable?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care
Hon Stanley LI to ask:
In December 2018, the Government set up the Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care ("the Fund") to subsidize eligible elderly and rehabilitation service units to procure, rent and trial use technology products. The eligibility for application for procurement and rental of technology products has been extended to all non-subsidized private or self-financing residential care homes for the elderly ("RCHEs") and persons with disabilities from the Eighth Tranche launched in September 2022 onwards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of applications received and approved by the Fund in the first to the eighth tranches, with a breakdown by the type of service units making the applications;
(2)
of the respective amounts of grants allocated by the Fund for the procurement, rental and trial use of technology products so far, and their relevant proportions in the grants; and
(3)
as there are views that the Government's proposal to increase the minimum area of floor space per resident of RCHEs will result in an increase in the operating costs of RCHEs, whether the Government will consider relaxing the ceiling of grants under the Fund for RCHEs' applications, so as to better assist RCHEs in enhancing the quality of their services?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Public dental services
Hon CHAN Kin-por to ask:
Since September last year, the Department of Health ("DH") has implemented a "preliminary registration" arrangement at some of its dental clinics that provide general public dental services. Those clinics will preliminarily register personal information for persons in the queue subject to their service quotas starting at 12:00 am on the day of providing general public dental services. Those persons can leave the clinics, and return to the relevant clinics at the original disc-distributing time in the morning on the same day to obtain discs and register formally. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the quotas, the proportions of discs distributed, and the average waiting times of persons in the queue for general public dental services at the various relevant dental clinics since the launch of the "preliminary registration" arrangement, and whether DH has considered increasing the service quotas to meet the demand; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it will consider enhancing the "preliminary registration" arrangement, including allowing members of the public to obtain discs through telephone or online platform, so that they need not queue up and wait in person;
(3)
given that at present, DH's walk-in emergency dental services only cover relieving pain and extracting teeth for members of the public and do not cover other oral problems, whether DH will expand the scope of such services; and
(4)
whether it has plans to provide more public dental services in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Planning for primary and secondary school places
Dr Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
Regarding the planning for public sector (including government and aided) and Direct Subsidy Scheme ("DSS") primary and secondary school places, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of public sector and DSS primary and secondary schools which have ceased or will cease operation, have been or will be merged or reprovisioned in each of the past three school years and the coming school year, and set out in Table 1 the following information of such schools by the three regions, namely Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, as well as District Council district: (i) name, (ii) school sponsoring body, (iii) school's founding year, and (iv) their (a) number of classes, (b) total number of students and (c) total number of teachers and school staff in the school year preceding the cease of operation, merger or reprovisioning;
Table 1 Year:
| Region | District Council district | (i) | (ii) | (iii) | (iv) |
| (a) | (b) | (c) |
| Hong Kong Island | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Kowloon | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| New Territories | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
(2)
of the respective numbers of public sector and DSS primary schools operating only one Primary One class in each of the past three school years and the coming school year, and set out in Table 2 the following information of such schools by the three regions, namely Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, as well as District Council district: (i) name, (ii) school sponsoring body, (iii) school's founding year, and (iv) their (a) number of classes, (b) total number of students and (c) total number of teachers and school staff in the past school year;
Table 2 Year:
| Region | District Council district | (i) | (ii) | (iii) | (iv) |
| (a) | (b) | (c) |
| Hong Kong Island | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Kowloon | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| New Territories | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
(3)
whether it has assessed the respective demands for secondary school places in various districts in each of the coming three school years; if so, of the figures concerned; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
regarding the students affected by schools which have ceased operation or merged, whether a mechanism is in place to arrange for their transfer to other public sector or DSS primary and secondary schools in the same district to continue their studies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
regarding the teachers affected by schools which have ceased operation or merged, whether a mechanism is in place to assist them in transferring to other public sector or DSS primary and secondary schools to continue working as teachers, thereby retaining talents for the sector; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether a mechanism is in place to assist the public sector and DSS primary schools which have failed to receive public funding to operate Primary One classes in transforming into vocational training centres designed for persons with special educational needs, community education centres for providing employees retraining courses, or universities' learning centres in urban areas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Combating online sexual harassment of teenagers
Revd Canon Hon Peter Douglas KOON to ask:
Some organizations' surveys have revealed that the problem of online sexual harassment of teenagers is serious in Hong Kong, with nearly 40% of the teenagers surveyed indicating that they have been exposed to virtual sexual harassment, including involuntarily receiving online sexual and nude contents, as well as sexual solicitation, etc., and even being asked to provide their personal pornographic photographs. There are views that the situation concerned should not be overlooked. Regarding combating online sexual harassment of teenagers, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the respective numbers of requests for assistance, complaints and reports about teenagers being exposed to online sexual harassment received by the authorities in the past five years, with a breakdown by the age group of such teenagers exposed to online sexual harassment; of the respective numbers of persons arrested and convicted in such cases;
(2)
as it is learnt that the Mainland has put in place the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency which are dedicated to protecting teenagers, whether the authorities will, in light of the increasingly serious problem of Hong Kong teenagers being exposed to online sexual harassment, consider drawing reference from the Mainland's measures which protect teenagers and conducting a study on enacting legislation to prevent teenagers from being exposed to online sexual harassment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that some organizations have considered that the Government should create a post of commissioner for online safety for children and an independent organization to target at cases of online sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, as well as provide a child-friendly mechanism for help-seeking and complaints, whether the Government will consider the relevant proposals; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Modular Integrated Construction method
Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
In recent years, the Government has been vigorously promoting the Modular Integrated Construction (known in abbreviated form as "MiC") method and has adopted such construction method in a number of construction projects (e.g. public rental housing). However, the transportation of the relevant integrated modules is subject to restrictions under the existing legislation and requirements (for example, if the total width of such modules is in excess of 2.5 metres, it is necessary to apply for a "wide load" permit and make special traffic arrangements (including that escort vehicles to the front and rear of the carrying vehicle concerned are required, etc.)), resulting in an increase in the relevant transportation costs and time. In addition, as MiC is different from traditional construction methods, additional personnel with relevant professional backgrounds are needed to be hired for construction projects using MiC. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the current number of personnel in Hong Kong who have mastered MiC technology; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether the Government has plans to enhance the training for personnel mastering MiC technology; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
as it is learnt that the number of construction projects using MiC is increasing, whether it has plans to offer more relevant training courses to attract more young people to join the industry concerned and enhance their professional knowledge and skills; if so, of the progress; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
as it is learnt that with the increase in the number of construction projects using MiC, the demand for transportation of the relevant modules has also increased correspondingly, whether the Government has studied amending the legislation to, for example, allow vehicles carrying integrated modules with a total width exceeding 2.5 metres to be exempted from obtaining a wide load permit and relax the relevant special traffic arrangements, so as to reduce the transportation costs and time concerned; if so, of the progress; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Encouraging the employment of more half-time and part-time professional drivers
Hon Holden CHOW to ask:
Some members of the transport sector have pointed out that the shortage of bus and minibus drivers has affected the daily lives of members of the public. Regarding encouraging public transport operators to employ more half-time and part-time drivers, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the respective total numbers of half-time and part-time drivers employed by operators of (i) bus, (ii) tram, (iii) minibus and (iv) MTR in each of the past five years and, among them, the respective numbers of female drivers;
(2)
whether it knows the numbers of (i) half-time and part-time drivers and (ii) half-time and part-time female drivers as mentioned in (1) by various age groups to which they belonged (i.e. aged below 25, 25 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 or above) (set out in a table); and
(3)
whether it will provide incentives to encourage various public transport operators to engage more housewives to take up half-time or part-time driver posts, with a view to enabling them to join the labour market and earn a living while unleashing more labour force?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Improving the quality and odour of coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour
Dr Hon Priscilla LEUNG to ask:
Regarding the efforts to improve the quality and odour of coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour ("the Harbour"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the annual Water Quality Objectives compliance rate of the Harbour Water Control Zone ("WCZ") in the past year;
(2)
of the number of cases of misconnections of foul water pipes leading to the discharge of sewage to the Harbour WCZ which the Government followed up in the past year and, among such cases, the number of those which have been rectified, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(3)
among the cases mentioned in (2), of the respective numbers of those in which (i) rectifications were made after the owners had been given warnings/advice, (ii) rectifications were made after the owners had received statutory repair/removal orders or had been prosecuted, (iii) rectifications were still not yet made after the Government had taken law enforcement actions, and (iv) rectification works were carried out by government contractors;
(4)
of the following information on the Harbour WCZ sewerage improvement projects which (i) were completed in the past year, (ii) are now under construction and (iii) are pending funding approval by this Council: project name, year of completion/expected year of completion, as well as cost/estimated cost; and
(5)
of the latest implementation progress of the various proposals set out in the consultancy report on "Further Enhancing Quality of Coastal Waters of Victoria Harbour"?