Revised version

OP 95/96-10(1) (Issued at 11.00 a.m. on 4.12.95)

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
ORDER PAPER

Wednesday, 6 December 1995 at 2.30 p.m.

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I. PAPERS

Subsidiary Legislation
Sessional Papers 1995/96

II. QUESTIONS
III. BILLS

FIRST READING
SECOND READING

• Debates to be adjourned
• Debates to be resumed
COMMITTEE STAGE AND THIRD READING
IV. PRIVATE MEMBER'S MOTION

EMPLOYMENT POLICY
YOUTH SUICIDE (Translation)

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I. PAPERS

Sessional Papers 1995/96

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present :

1. No. 28 - Regional Council

Hong Kong Accounts for the year ended 31 March 1995 with Report and Certificate of the Director of Audit

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present :

2. No. 29 - Regional Council

Annual Report 1994-95

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present :

3. No. 30 - Revised List of Works annexed to the Regional Council's Revised Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 1995/96

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present :

4. No. 31 - Revisions of the 1994/95 Estimates approved by the Urban Council during the First Quarter of the 1995/96 Financial Year

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present :

5. No. 32 - Revisions of the 1995/96 Estimates approved by the Urban Council during the Second Quarter of the 1995/96 Financial Year

The Secretary for Home Affairs to present :

6. No. 33 - The Sir Murray MacLehose Trust Fund

Trustee's Report for the period 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995

The Secretary for Home Affairs to present :

7. No. 34 - Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund

Report of the Board of Trustees for the period 1st April 1994 to 31st March 1995

The Secretary for Security to present :

8. No. 35 - Report by the Trustee of the Police Children's Education Trust, Police Education and Welfare Trust for the period 1 April 1994 - 31 March 1995

The Secretary for Education and Manpower to present :

9. No. 36 - Vocational Training Council

Annual Report 1994/95

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II. QUESTIONS

1. Mr. Henry TANG to ask : (Translation)

In his 1995 Policy Address, the Governor indicated that the Government was conducting a comprehensive review of the practical and technical curriculum offered in pre-vocational schools. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. how much manpower will be required for the review and which departments will participate in it;
2. what are the terms of reference of the review and what is the timetable for conducting the review; and
3. how it will improve the curriculum in pre-vocational schools to meet the needs of the territory's changing economy?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

2. Miss CHAN Yuen-han to ask : (Translation)

A number of accidents involving the collapse of external walls or canopies of buildings (including existing buildings and buildings under construction or demolition) have occurred recently, causing injury and death to several workers and passers-by. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether the Government has any systems to monitor the structural safety of buildings and industrial safety at construction sites; if so, what are the details of such systems and why the accidents mentioned above still occur despite the existence of such systems;
2. whether the Government will review the existing systems to find out if any loopholes exist;
3. whether there are any cases where civil servants who have been negligent in enforcing the systems have been reprimanded or disciplined; and
4. whether the Buildings Department will consider making the register of building contractors and the register of building owners available for public inspection, so that after the occurrence of accidents involving the collapse of external walls or canopies of buildings the public can pursue the question of liability with the contractors and the building owners concerned?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

3. Mr. Edward HO to ask : (Translation)

Considerable inconvenience is often caused to residents of Tuen Mun when the Tuen Mun Highway is wholly or partially closed owing to traffic accidents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

1. it has any plan to expand the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier so as to improve the ferry service in the district; if so, when the plan will be implemented; if not, why not; and
2. it has held any discussion with the Hong Kong and Yaumatei Ferry Company, Limited about contingency measures to carry the large number of commuters to and from work during the closure of the highway; if so, what are the details?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

4. Mrs. Selina CHOW to ask : (Translation)

In regard to the refusal by the United Arab Emirates recently to grant visas to holders of the Hong Kong Certificate of Identity, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether prior notification of the refusal has been given to the Government; if so, whether the Government has lodged a protest with the United Arab Emirates; and
2. whether the Government has, subsequent to this incident, taken any action to resolve the issue either directly or through the British Government?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

5. Mrs. Miriam LAU to ask : (Translation)

In view of the recent spate of robberies in taxis, will the Government inform this Council whether:

1. the Police have put in place a package of special measures to safeguard the personal safety of taxi-drivers; and
2. the Transport Department will consider permitting taxi-drivers to install safety devices such as anti-robbery plastic partitions in their taxis?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

6. Miss Emily LAU to ask :

In a recent speech to the Hong Kong Management Association, a Preliminary Working Committee member mentioned that the Chinese Government might set up a Special Administrative Region provisional secretariat and a provisional legislature in the territory next year. This has given rise to public concern over a smooth transfer of power upon the change of sovereignty. Will the Government inform this Council whether it will step up efforts to persuade the British Parliament to consider giving full British citizenship to all citizens in the territory who are holders of the British Dependent Territories Citizen passport or British National (Overseas) passport?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

* 7. Mr. Eric LI to ask : (Translation)

Regarding the territory's salaries tax which is shouldered by a small number of salary earners and which is based on a system with a high degree of progressivity, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it has carried out any comparisons of the progressivity of the territory's salaries tax system with that of other countries with a similar economic situation such as Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom; if so, what the conclusions are; and
2. if the answer to (a) is in the negative, whether it will obtain the necessary information from the countries in (a) above to work out the proportion of salaries tax to the total revenue paid by every 100,000 working population in the countries concerned, so as to compare these figures with the corresponding figures in the territory; if so, when it will submit the findings to the Panel on Financial Affairs of this Council for discussion; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Treasury

* 8. Mr. SIN Chung-kai to ask : (Translation)

At the resumption of the debate on the Motion of Thanks this year, the Financial Secretary expressed doubts about the setting up of an Economic Development Committee suggested by some Members of this Council as the existing Economic Advisory Committee and the Governor's Business Council were already providing the Government with valuable views and suggestions on economic and related issues. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether the Economic Advisory Committee has discussed the trend of the territory's future economic development as well as such issues as how to stimulate the economy and how to solve the unemployment problem; if so, what the conclusions are; if not, why not; and
2. whether consideration will be given to changing the present modus operandi of the Economic Advisory Committee, which is not answerable to the public and which does not seek public opinions, so as to enhance its accountability and transparency?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

* 9. Mr. CHAN Wing-chan to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government provide this Council with a breakdown by rank of the annual actual strength in respect of:

1. medical doctors (except those performing administrative duties only);
2. nurses;
3. allied health professionals; and
4. administrative personnel remunerated at a salary point equivalent to point 34 or above on the Master Pay Scale

in the Hospital Authority since its establishment in 1991?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*10. Mr. CHAN Kam-lam to ask : (Translation)

In regard to the recent series of accidents involving the collapse of the external walls and canopies of buildings, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of buildings under demolition and the number of illegal and dangerous canopies at present;
2. whether the Buildings Department will deploy staff to inspect buildings under demolition and speed up the removal of unauthorized structures with potential danger, so as to safeguard the public's safety;
3. what are the details of the government's plan to introduce legislation to require building owners to submit periodic building inspection reports to the Building Department; and
4. whether there are sufficient qualified professionals in the territory at present to cope with the demand for their services arising from this requirement; if not, what measures the Government will put in place to resolve the problem of shortage of such professionals?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

*11. Mr. Fred LI to ask : (Translation)

During the rainy season this year, there were many landslips caused by rain storms and typhoons. In particular, there were a number of landslips and tree-falling incidents in the squatter areas at Lei Yue Mun and Cha Kwo Ling in Kwun Tong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. what procedures does the Government have to clear the mud sent down by landslips; and
2. which Government departments are responsible for inspecting and dealing with trees dangling under the influence of rainstorms which may cause danger to residents in squatter areas?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Works

*12. Dr. LAW Cheung-kwok to ask : (Translation)

Regarding the collection of statistical data in recent years to compile the territory's Gross National Product (GNP) figures, will the Government inform this Council of the following:

1. when will the GNP figures be released; and
2. what are the major differences between the GNP and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the context of the present structure of the territory's economy?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

*13 Dr. David LI to ask :

A significant but temporary rise in government expenditure on affordable public housing would fulfil the public's aspirations to have their own homes, stimulate the economy, and mitigate the unemployment problem. In this connection, will the Administration inform this Council whether consideration will be given to building more Home Ownership Scheme flats in the short run, whilst at the same time ensuring that the Government spending is kept within 20% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the long run?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

*14. Mr. CHEUNG Bing-leung to ask : (Translation)

Following the recent incident of gas leaking from a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank-truck in Tuen Mun, the public has expressed great concern about the safety of students studying in schools located near hazardous installations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. how many schools are currently located near dangerous goods stores;
2. whether a comprehensive risk assessment of schools located near hazardous installations will be conducted; if so, how it will be conducted and when its findings will be made known; and
3. whether such schools will be given special guidelines on how to formulate measures to deal with evacuation and other emergencies?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*15. Mr. LEE Wing-tat to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the median wage of local workers in 1975, 1985 and 1995 respectively; and
2. the average price of a 500 sq. feet flat in a large private residential development in the urban area in each of the years mentioned above?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

*16. Dr. Samuel WONG to ask :

In regard to the recent incident of gas leaking from a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank-truck at Siu Hong Court in Tuen Mun, will the Government inform this Council whether the Government will carry out a quantifiable risk assessment study on the transport of LPG on roads; if so, when the study will be completed?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

*17. Dr. C.H. LEONG to ask :

Will the Administration inform this Council of:

1. the total cost of fringe benefits enjoyed by all civil servants (including the cost of such benefits as pension, vacation, housing, etc) in 1995/96, and the proportion of such cost to the total basic salary cost of all civil servants in the same year; and
2. a breakdown of the average annual cost of fringe benefits and its proportion to the average annual basic salary cost for 1995/96 in respect of a civil servant in the following categories:
   1. directorate pay scale;
   2. upper pay band (master pay scale point 34 and above);
   3. middle pay band (point 10 to 33); and
   4. lower pay band (below point 10)?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

*18. Dr. HUANG Chen-ya to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of listed companies which have been privatised or voluntarily delisted in the past 3 years;
2. how many of the cases referred to in (a) above have given rise to complaints from minority shareholders; and
3. how many of such complaints have been lodged directly with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC); and whether the SFC has carried out investigations in order to find out if the interests of minority shareholders' have been damaged in such cases?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

*19. Dr. John TSE to ask : (Translation)

Regarding the pollution problem in Deep Bay and the Shenzhen River which are in the vicinity of the Mai Po Nature Reserve, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the total resources allocated in the past three years to improve the water quality of Deep Bay;
2. what plans or measures does the Government have to improve the water quality of Deep Bay and its wet land, so as to protect Mai Po against pollution; and what resources have been used for such purposes;
3. whether the Government has co-operated with the relevant authorities in Shenzhen to prevent the Mai Po Nature Reserve from being polluted; if so, what is the progress and whether any specific plan has been drawn up; and
4. what criteria are used in determining the area of the buffer zone in Mai Po, and what measures the Government will take to ensure that the minimum area of the buffer zone is maintained?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

*20. Mr. WONG Wai-yin to ask : (Translation)

Currently a rainstorm red warning or black warning is issued according to the recorded average rainfall of the whole territory. However, serious flooding very often occurs in the Northwest New Territories and the Northern District during a torrential downpour before the relevant warning is issued. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether the Government will consider issuing such warnings on a district basis instead of on a territory-wide basis, in view of the fact that the low-lying regions in the New Territories are particularly prone to serious flooding; if not, why not; and
2. if the answer to (a) is in the negative, what other measures does the Government have which will give an early warning of a flood to villagers constantly threatened by flooding?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

* For written reply.

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III. BILLS

FIRST READING

1. Crimes (Amendment) Bill 1995
2. Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 1995
3. Noise Control (Amendment) Bill 1995
4. Road Traffic (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 1995

SECOND READING

Debates to be adjourned

1. Attorney General	:	Crimes (Amendment) Bill 1995
2. Secretary for Education and Manpower	:	Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 1995
3. Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands	:	Noise Control (Amendment) Bill 1995
4. Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands	:	Road Traffic (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 1995

Debates to be resumed

5. Secretary for Education and Manpower	:	Employment (Amendment) (No.4) Bill 1995
6. Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands	:	Land Registration (Amendment) Bill 1995

COMMITTEE STAGE AND THIRD READING

1. Secretary for Education and Manpower	:	Employment (Amendment) (No.4) Bill 1995
2. Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands	:	Land Registration (Amendment) Bill 1995

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IV. PRIVATE MEMBER'S MOTION

EMPLOYMENT POLICY

Mr. CHENG Yiu-tong

(WITHDRAWN)

YOUTH SUICIDE (Translation)

Mr. CHEUNG Hon-chung :

That in view of the upward trend in the number of youth suicides and the drop in the age of young people attempting suicide in recent years, this Council urges the Government to take positive and effective measures, including reviewing the existing relevant policies and youth services and conducting a comprehensive and forward-looking study so as to prevent and resolve the problem of youth suicide.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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