Subsidiary Legislation	L.N. NO.
1. Land Survey (Fees) Regulation	458/95
2. Securities (Offence and Penalty) (Amendment) Regulation 1995	459/95
3. Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Public Pleasure Grounds) (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) (No. 6) Order 1995	460/95
4. Public Cemeteries (Regional Council) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bylaw 1995	461/95

Sessional Papers 1995/96

The Secretary for Security to present :

1. No. 1 - Report by the Commissioner of Police on Police Welfare Fund for the period 1 April 1993 - 31 March 1994

The Secretary for Home Affairs to present :

2. No. 2 - Urban Council

Revisions to the Lists of Work Approved During the 1994/95 Financial Year and the First Quarter of the 1995/96 Financial Year

The Secretary for Works to present :

3. No. 3 - Sewage Services Trading Fund

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 1995

The Secretary for Financial Services to present :

4. No. 4 - Companies Registry

Annual Report 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995

The Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands to present :

5. No. 5 - The Land Registry Trading Fund Hong Kong Annual Report 1994-95

The Chief Secretary to present and to address the Council on :

6. No. 6 - The Government Minute in Response to Report No. 24 of the Public Accounts Committee dated July 1995

The Secretary for Recreation and Culture to present and to address the Council on :

7. No. 7 - Hong Kong Sports Development Board Annual Report 94/95

The Chief Secretary to present and to address the Council on :

8. No. 8 - The Government Minute in Response to The Seventh Annual Report of The Commissioner for Administrative Complaints Hong Kong Dated June 1995.

Miscellaneous

The Secretary for Home Affairs to present :

Fourth Periodic Report by Hong Kong under Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The Secretary for Home Affairs to present :

Thirteenth Periodic Report by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in respect of Hong Kong under the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination

III. QUESTIONS

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

In regard to the closure of Tuen Mun Highway to traffic on three occasions after boulders had fallen onto the highway on 18 August 1995, will the Government inform this Council:

of the causes leading to the falling of the boulders;
whether any human error was involved and whether there was any dereliction of duty on the part of the officials concerned;
whether an independent inquiry will be held; if not, why not; and
what measures will be taken to ensure that similar accidents will not occur in future?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Works and for Transport

2. Mrs. Elizabeth WONG to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of the details regarding the Governments policy on the allocation of public housing to its lower-paid staff and whether there is any intention to change this policy; and if so, whether compensation is payable to cover the retrenchment of such time-honoured staff welfare?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

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

Some residents of Richland Garden have expressed discontent with the Governments recent plan to construct a primary health care centre in Kowloon Bay which will also provide services for persons infected with HIV. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of similar primary health care centres operating in the territory and the present level of demand for their services;
of the criteria adopted in planning the location of such centres; and
whether it will consider relocating the Kowloon Bay Primary Health Care Centre to a more suitable site nearby?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

4. Mr. IP Kwok-him to ask : (Translation)

In view of the fact that the court can reverse the Medical Councils ruling on cases involving breaches of code of professional conduct by medical practitioners, will the Government inform this Council whether it will review as soon as possible the current channels for appeal, and examine the effects on the community arising from conflicting rulings between the court and the Medical Council on such cases, so that appropriate measures could be taken to restore public confidence in the existing mechanism for regulating the conduct of medical practitioners?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

5. Mr. CHENG Yiu-tong to ask : (Translation)

In view of the fact that the problem of theft of tractors of container vehicles has become rather serious at present, will the Government inform this Council:

whether the Administration is aware of the problem and what measures does it have to tackle it; and
of the number of cases involving the theft of tractors of container vehicles over the past two years?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

6. Dr. John TSE to ask : (Translation)

As the problem of old people committing suicide in the territory has become more serious in recent years, will the Government inform this Council whether there are any services provided to prevent old people from committing suicide, and what long-term policy and measures will be adopted by the Government to solve the problem?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

* 7. Miss Emily LAU to ask : (Translation)

Regarding the imprisonment of Mr. XI Yang - the Ming Pao Daily News reporter - in China, will the Government inform this Council of the measures taken by the Hong Kong Government in the past year to seek his early release and whether it has any information on whether the British Government has taken similar or other measures to obtain the release of Mr. XI Yang?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

* 8. Mr. CHIM Pui-chung to ask : (Translation)

Most members of the Stock Exchange and the Futures Exchange are very dissatisfied and displeased with the term rat accounts, and they consider that the term severely degrades the status of their industry. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:

of the Governments interpretation of the term rat accounts as well as its analysis of such a practice; and
whether it is aware that stock and futures brokers as well as their staff are forbidden to match orders with their clients; if so, whether such restriction is in violation of the policy of free trade?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

* 9. Miss Christine LOH to ask :

In regard to major consultancy studies relating to reclamation and redevelopment in the territory, will the Government inform this Council of:

the terms of reference, cost and completion date in respect of each of the studies undertaken since 1993; and
whether consideration is being given to undertaking similar studies in the near future; if so, what are the objectives and cost estimates of such studies?

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

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

Recently, many slopes located on Crown land have been opened up illegally, mostly for farming purposes, and the situation is getting increasingly serious. In Kwun Tong District alone, such activities are known to have taken place on a number of slopes. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of slopes located on Crown land in the territory which have been illegally opened up for farming;
whether the illegal opening up of slopes for farming will increase the risk of landslips; and
what interim and long-term measures does the Government have to prevent Crown land from being occupied and used illegally?

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

*11. Mr. LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

In view of the worsening pollution problem in the Victoria Harbour, will the Government inform this Council of:

the number of large-scale reclamation projects which have been approved along the harbour front; and
the measures taken to prevent these projects from causing pollution to the harbour?

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

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

With regard to dental services financed by public funds, will the Administration provide this Council with the annual breakdown in respect of the following areas in the past five years:

overall expenditure;
expenditure on direct services;
expenditure on staff training;
expenditure on public education; and
the staff establishment and strength by major ranks for providing such services?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*13. Mr. CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask : (Translation)

Regarding the Governors visits to various districts of the territory since his assumption of office, will the Government inform this Council:

of the districts which the Governor has visited and the respective dates of those visits;
of the districts in which special whitewashing works, such as repainting, extension or reconstruction and extra cleansing, were carried out by the Government departments concerned before the Governors visit, as well as the districts in which he was requested to visit only those units that had been varnished over in advance; and the expenses involved in each of those special whitewashing works;
whether the Governor knew and approved of these whitewashing works carried out by the departments concerned beforehand; and whether, whilst visiting the districts, he has heard of complaints from the public about their dissatisfaction with Government departments putting up facades and hiding the truth; and
whether the Government considers that the extra whitewashing works carried out before the Governors visit would conceal the actual situation of those districts, resulting in the Governor not being able to understand precisely the living standard and actual situation of the people; and whether it will review the existing practice of carrying out whitewashing works before the Governors visit, so that he can truly understand the livelihood, feelings and grievances of the residents?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

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

Regarding the open-air bus stops of the three franchised bus companies, will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of open-air bus stops that are provided with shelter and the respective number of such bus stops owned by each of the three bus companies;
whether any Government department is responsible for regulating and overseeing the provision of bus stop facilities; and
whether consideration will be given to requiring bus companies to provide shelters for all their bus stops in future, so as to make it more comfortable for passengers to wait for buses?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

*15. Mrs. Elizabeth WONG to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

of the progress regarding the implementation of legislation governing residential homes for elderly people in the territory; whether any problems have been encountered, and if so, what are these problems;and
whether, arising from the case of an outbreak of fire in a private home for elderly people in North Point, there is any intention on the part of the Government to amend the safety aspects of the relevant legislation to protect the interests of elderly people residing in these privately run homes?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

It is learnt that some students of the University of Hong Kong residing in Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and the Northern District have not been allocated hostel accommodation in the current academic year, resulting in these students having to travel long distances. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

whether the Government, in allocating funds to the universities for providing student hostel places, has imposed conditions requiring the universities concerned to accord priority to students living in remote areas in the allocation of hostel accommodation; and
what assistance the Government will render to students living in remote areas who have not been allocated hostel places; and whether consideration will be given to providing them with a rent or traveling allowance?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*17. Miss Emily LAU to ask : (Translation)

In the Legislative Council election held on 17 September 1995, some members of the public complained that their names had been removed from the register of electors without prior notification. Discrepancies between the voter turnout figure and the number of votes cast as well as miscalculation in the votes cast also occurred in the process of votes counting. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:

of the causes of the above-mentioned incidents; and
how it can ensure that the results of the election have not been affected by such incidents?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

*18. Mr. CHIM Pui-chung to ask : (Translation)

In view of the frequent traffic congestion at the Hong Kong entrance to the Cross Harbour Tunnel, will the Government inform this Council of the following:

whether there is any requirement stipulating that buses and heavy vehicles must use the left carriageway at the entrance on Hong Kong Island; if so, what the reasons are;
if the answer to (a) is in the affirmative, whether the Government has reviewed such a requirement to ensure that it will not cause confusion to motorists; and
whether it will study the feasibility of changing such a requirement?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

*19. Miss Christine LOH to ask :

The Government has indicated that it will soon invite tenders for a multi-million dollar consultancy study on the container port industry and its effects on the long-term sustainability of economic activity in the territory. This study will propose an economic development plan for the territorys port and port related service sector industries for the next decade and beyond. Will the Government inform this Council:

of the detailed objectives and cost estimate of the upcoming study; and
whether this study will incorporate the rapid development of manufacturing and port services in the Pearl River Delta Region?

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

*20. Mr. LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask : (Translation)

In view of the imprisonment of Mr. XI Yang, a Hong Kong newspaper reporter, by the Chinese Government and the recent cases in which a number of Hong Kong journalists met with obstruction while making coverage in China (notably the incidents resulting in the detention of the reporters of Television Broadcasts Limited and the Next Magazine), will the Government inform this Council:

what follow-up action has been taken by the Hong Kong Government, and whether it is aware of any action taken by the British Government in connection with these incidents; and
what measures are in place to effect and protect freedom of the press and to prevent the occurrence of the above incidents in the territory?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*For written reply.

IV. BILLS

FIRST READING

Legal Aid Services Council (No. 2) Bill
Prevention of Bribery (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 1995
Intellectual Property (World Trade Organization Amendments) Bill 1995
Gas Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1995
Bank Notes Issue (Amendment) Bill 1995
Buildings (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 1995
Air Passenger Departure Tax (Amendment) Bill 1995
Tax Reserve Certificates (Amendment) Bill 1995

SECOND READING

Debates to be adjourned

1. Chief Secretary	:	Legal Aid Services Council (No.2) Bill
2. Attorney General	:	Prevention of Bribery (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 1995
3. Secretary for Trade and Industry	:	Intellectual Property (World Trade Organization Amendments) Bill 1995
4. Secretary for Economic Services	:	Gas Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1995
5. Secretary for Financial Services	:	Bank Notes Issue (Amendment) Bill 1995
6. Secretary for Planning, Environment and Planning	:	Buildings (Amendment) (No.3) Bill 1995
7. Secretary for the Treasury	:	Air Passenger Departure Tax (Amendment) Bill 1995
8. Secretary for the Treasury	:	Tax Reserve Certificates (Amendment) Bill 1995

V. PRIVATE MEMBER'S MOTIONS

1. HONG KONG ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS 1917 TO 1993 (NOS. 1 AND 2)

Dr. C.H. LEONG :

(See Resolution at Annex I)

2. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMISSION ORDINANCE

Dr. C.H. LEONG :

(See Resolution at Annex II)

3. PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILLS

Mr. David CHU :

That Members of this Council should refrain from introducing Private Member's bills to amend or repeal laws enacted to implement the agreements reached by the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group.

AMENDMENT TO MR. DAVID CHU'S MOTION

Mr. LEE Cheuk-yan :

To add "as" after "That"; to delete "should refrain from introducing" and substitute with "have the right to introduce"; to add "enact," before "amend or repeal laws"; to delete all the words after "repeal laws" and substitute with "relating to the public interest, this Council requests The National People's Congress of China to amend Article 74 of the Basic Law to remove restrictions on the introduction of private member's bills relating to the political structure, the operation of the government and government policies by Members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region"

Public Officer to attend : Chief Secretary

VI. ADJOURNMENT

Mrs. Elizabeth WONG :

The importance of encouraging broad education and modern-day
literacy (e.g. computer literacy) in Hong Kong.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education and Manpower

Last Updated on 29 July 1999

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ORDER PAPER

Wednesday, 18 October 1995 at 2.30 p.m.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
ORDER PAPER