Revised version

OP 96/97-20(1)
(Issued at 11:00 am on 24.2.97)

The Legislative Council

Order Paper
Wednesday 26 February 1997 at 2:30 pm

I.Papers

Subsidiary LegislationL.N. NO.
1. Specification of Public Office67/97
2. Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax)
(Amendment) Ordinance 1997 (11 of 1997)
(Commencement) Notice 1997		68/97

Sessional Papers 1996-97
1.No.68 -Trustee's Report on the Administration of the Education Scholarships Fund and the Audited Statement of Accounts together with the Director of Audit's Report for the year ended 31 August 1996
(to be presented by the Secretary for Education and Manpower)

2.No.69 -Occupational Deafness Compensation Board Annual Report 1995/96
(to be presented by the Secretary for Education and Manpower)

3.No.70 -The Legislative Council Commission Annual Report 1995-1996
(to be presented by the President)

II. Questions

1. Mr David CHU to ask :

The findings of surveys conducted by community organisations indicate that many of the 500,000 people living in abject poverty in the territory are unaware of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) scheme. Will the Government inform this Council of the measures being taken to facilitate those least able to help themselves to come forward to apply for assistance under the CSSA scheme?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

In view of the fact that the pilot scheme for the importation of 1,000 PRC professionals has been implemented for some time, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the number of applications for importing PRC professionals which have been approved by the Immigration Department to date;

  2. of the number of PRC professionals already admitted into the territory for employment under the above scheme;

  3. of the trades in which such PRC professionals are engaged after their entry into the territory and their respective remunerations and benefits; and

  4. when the Government will conduct a detailed and comprehensive review of the scheme?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

The Long Term Housing Strategy Review Consultative Document released recently by the Government depicts the Government's overall housing strategy in the coming decade. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. whether, in formulating the scheme to sell public rental flats to public housing tenants, the Government has considered how to assist those public housing tenants without sufficient financial resources to buy public rental flats as well as how to resolve the housing needs of the Waiting List applicants;

  2. how the price and mortgage terms of flats sold under the above scheme are determined; and

  3. of the specific details of housing projects jointly undertaken by the Government and private developers, and whether any study has been carried out to ascertain if such projects will further push up the price of flats?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

4. Question withdrawn.

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

It is learnt that the premium for an urban taxi licence has soared from $2 million early last year to $3 million now, recording a sharp increase of nearly $1 million. In view of the soaring taxi licence premium, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. since the publication of the report on "Taxi Policy Review" by the Transport Department in 1994, of the number of recommended measures which have been implemented to dampen speculation on taxi licences as well as the effectiveness of such measures;

  2. whether the Transport Department has studied the reasons for the 50% increase in taxi licence premium over the last year; and

  3. of the measures to be adopted by the Transport Department to curb the soaring taxi licence premium?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

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

Will the Government inform this Council of:

  1. the total number of secondary schools with self-contained "language laboratories" to facilitate language learning of students;

  2. its policy on subsidizing and encouraging secondary schools to set up "language laboratories"; and

  3. the estimated amounts of capital expenses and annual operating expenses required for the full subsidization of all secondary schools to set up "language laboratories"?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

* 7. Mr NGAN Kam-chuen to ask : (Translation)

In connection with a research which shows that the signals emitted by mobile phones may interfere with the operation of other electronic devices, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. how the Government regulates the specifications in respect of the installation of carphones;

  2. whether, in order to prevent mobile phones from interfering with the operation of the braking, driving and other electronically controlled systems of vehicles, the Government will strengthen its regulation over the installation of carphones and the use of mobile phones while driving; if so, what the specific details are; if not, why not; and

  3. whether the Government will follow the example of the United Kingdom by prohibiting the use of mobile phones within the confines of hospitals; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

* 8. Mr Michael HO to ask : (Translation)

In her reply to a written question at the Legislative Council sitting on 8 January this year, the Secretary for Health and Welfare stated that there were about 80 persons without recognised nursing qualifications currently employed in patient care in private hospitals. In this connection, does the Government know:

  1. of the positions held in private hospitals by such persons who are without recognised nursing qualifications, as well as the nature and scope of their work;

  2. whether there are any channels available in these hospitals to enable patients to know distinctly that such persons are neither registered nurses nor enrolled nurses, so that patients can decide whether they will accept the services provided by such persons as well as to ensure that the rights of patients are safeguarded and that the question of professional liabilities can be pursued; and

  3. how the Government monitors the nursing services provided by such persons who are without recognised nursing qualification, so as to ensure the safety of patients?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the names of all the buildings in respect of which consent letters for the forward sale of uncompleted flats were issued by the Lands Department last year, together with the dates on which these consent letters were issued, the expected completion dates of such buildings and the number of residential flats to be provided; and

  2. whether, in order to prevent developers from hoarding, the Government will require the Lands Department to stipulate in the Conditions of Sale in land grants that the developers must offer all residential flats for sale within a certain period after the completion of buildings, so as to increase the housing supply?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

*10. Mr CHOY Kan-pui to ask : (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the reasons why the commemorative stamps for the Year of the Ox could not be issued before the Lunar New Year;

  2. whether the delay in putting the commemorative stamps on sale will result in additional expenses for the Government;

  3. whether the organization engaged in printing the commemorative stamps have to compensate the Government for the delay; if not, why not; and

  4. whether consideration will be given to improving the present queuing arrangements for the purchase of commemorative stamps when putting such stamps on sale?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

*11. Dr David LI to ask :

It is reported that the findings of a detailed study conducted by the Information Technology Services Department indicate that about 20% of the computer systems in the Government departments will malfunction when the year flips from 1999 to 2000. Will the Government inform this Council whether, as the major user of information technology, it has formulated any plans to address the above problem; if so, what the details are?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Treasury

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

Regarding the use of re-developed public housing for interim housing, will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the amount spent by the Housing Department in converting each of the re-developed public housing blocks to interim housing units;

  2. of the difference between the converting cost of interim housing and the cost of constructing a brand new public housing block of similar sizes during the same period of time;

  3. of the estimated years of occupancy of these interim housing units before they are demolished;

  4. of the method of determining the rents of these interim housing units, and whether such method is different from that of other public housing units;

  5. whether there is any difference between the management practice for interim housing units and that for other public housing estates; and

  6. whether periodic inspection on safety standards of these interim housing units will be carried out by the Housing Department?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

  1. whether the progress of the localization plan for senior civil servants has reached the expected target;

  2. of the reasons why the post of Attorney General has not yet been taken up by a local officer; and

  3. when the localization of the Legal Department is expected to be fully accomplished?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

*14. Mr LAW Chi-kwong to ask : (Translation)

I have received a number of complaints concerning the long time taken in processing applications for Senior Citizen Cards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

  1. the respective average number of applications received and cases processed each month during the past year;

  2. the current number of Social Welfare Department staff who are responsible for processing applications for Senior Citizen Cards, and the average number of applications which they have to handle each month; and

  3. the vetting procedure for the issue of a Senior Citizen Card as well as the average time an applicant has to wait before being issued with the card after filing an application, and whether the Government has considered increasing the number of staff handling the applications or streamlining the application procedure in order to expedite the process?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

  1. of the total number of primary and secondary schools built by the Government in the past three years, together with the number of these schools which were required to install noise abatement facilities due to noise problems;

  2. of the addresses of the above schools which were required to install noise abatement facilities and the respective types of facilities which were installed; and

  3. whether the noise problems faced by the above schools were related to improper planning in the selection of school sites; if not, what the reasons for the noise problems were; if so, what improvements will be made on the future selection of school sites?

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

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

The Housing Authority proposes that rents for new and existing public housing estates in the next decade will be fixed at a level tenants can afford. Rents for housing flats are fixed so that the median rent-income ratio should be 15 percent for a minimum allocation standard of 5.5 square metres of internal floor area per person; and 18.5 percent for seven square metres per person. In this connection:

  1. does the Government know of the criteria adopted in determining the above percentages; and

  2. will the authorities illustrate, in accordance with the criteria mentioned in the answer to (a) above and with different allocation standards of internal floor area for units in old and new public housing estates, how the rents in each case will increase progressively towards the proposed percentages, together with the amounts of rent increases of public housing in the next ten years?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

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

In connection with the Code of Conduct (the Code) issued by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in February 1994 to the persons registered with the SFC and the Code of Conduct Regulations (the Regulations) promulgated by the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) in November 1993, does the Government know whether:

  1. the above Code and Regulations have any retrospective effect; and whether a person who had breached the relevant provisions prior to the promulgation of the Code and Regulations will be subjected to disciplinary action; if so, what the reasons are; and

  2. the SFC and the SEHK will be required to abide by the spirit of introducing the regulations when taking disciplinary action, so as to avoid violating the Bill of Rights?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services

III. Government Motions

1. Public Bus Services Ordinance

Secretary for Transport :

That the franchise conferring the right on Citybus Limited to operate a public bus service on the routes specified in the Schedule of Routes (North Lantau and Chek Lap Kok Airport) (Citybus Limited) Order 1996 (L.N. 439 of 1996) and in any subsequent order made by the Governor in Council shall not, for the entire period of the franchise, be subject to sections 27, 28, 29 and 31 in Part V of the Public Bus Services Ordinance.

2. Public Bus Services Ordinance Secretary for Transport :

That the franchise conferring the right on Long Win Holdings Limited to operate a public bus service on the routes specified in the Schedule of Routes (Long Win Holdings Limited) Order 1996 (L.N. 440 of 1996) and in any subsequent order made by the Governor in Council shall not, for the entire period of the franchise, be subject to sections 27, 28, 29 and 31 in Part V of the Public Bus Services Ordinance.

3. Public Bus Services Ordinance Secretary for Transport :

That the franchise conferring the right on New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited to operate a public bus service on the routes specified in the Schedule of Routes (New Lantao Bus Company) Order 1996 (L.N. 259 of 1996) and in any subsequent order made by the Governor in Council shall not, for the entire period of the franchise, be subject to sections 27, 28, 29 and 31 in Part V of the Public Bus Services Ordinance.

4. Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance Secretary for Education and Manpower :

That the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Asbestos) Regulation, made by the Commissioner for Labour on 21 January 1997, be approved.

IV. Government Bills

First Reading

Copyright Bill

Second Reading

Debate to be adjourned

1. Copyright Bill

:

Secretary for Trade and Industry

Debates to be resumed

2. Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1997

:

Attorney General

3. Consumer Goods Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1996

:

Secretary for Trade and Industry

4. Toys and Children's Products Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1996

:

Secretary for Trade and Industry

Committee Stage and Third Reading

1. Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1997

:

Attorney General

2. Consumer Goods Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1996

:

Secretary for Trade and Industry

3. Toys and Children's Products Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1996

:

Secretary for Trade and Industry

V. Members' Motions

1. Matters relating to the Hong Kong elderly living in Guangdong

Mr CHAN Wing-chan : (Translation)

That, while welcoming the Government's decision to provide standard Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and supplement to the elderly CSSA recipients who live in Guangdong province, this Council urges the Government to set up a working group to conduct a comprehensive study of matters relating to the Hong Kong elderly living in Guangdong, including the provision of medical service for them, their housing needs in the mainland and the problem of residence on their return to Hong Kong.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Health and Welfare

2. Setting up of a maintenance board

Mr Law Chi-kwong: (Translation)

That, in view of the difficulties encountered by many divorcees and their children in claiming the maintenance payments, this Council urges the Government to set up a maintenance board as an intermediate body, to take up the responsibilities for the collection, recovery, payment and relevant management work of maintenance payments, and to oblige divorcees to fulfill their obligations to support their children.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Home Affairs


Ray CHAN


for Clerk to the Legislative Council