Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Revised version
A 97/98-14(1)
(Issued at 11:00 am on 27.10.97)

Provisional Legislative Council

Agenda
Wednesday 29 October 1997 at 2:30 pm

I. Papers

	Subsidiary Legislation	L.N. No.
1.	Road Tunnels (Government) (Amendment) Regulation 1997	482/97
2.	Employees' Compensation Insurance Levy (Rate of Levy) (Amendment) Order 1997	483/97
3.	Employees' Compensation Insurance Levies Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Notice 1997	484/97
4.	Protected Places (Declaration) Order 1997	485/97
5.	Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Federal Republic of Germany Concerning Air Services) (Double Taxation) Order	486/97
6.	Specification of Arrangements (Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Concerning Air Services) (Double Taxation) Order	487/97
7.	Tsing Ma Control Area (General) (Amendment) Regulation 1997	488/97
8.	Volunteer and Naval Volunteer Pensions Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules) Order 1997	489/97
9.	Statutes of the University of Hong Kong (Amendment) (No.2) Statutes 1997	490/97
10.	Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation (L.N.187 of 1997) (Commencement) Notice 1997	491/97
11.	Plant Varieties Protection Ordinance (Cap.490) (Commencement) Notice 1997	492/97
12.	Plant Varieties Protection Regulation (L.N. 279 of 1997) (Commencement) Notice 1997	493/97

Sessional Papers

1.No. 28-	Report of changes to the approved Estimates of Expenditure approved during the first quarter of 1997-98 Public Finance Ordinance : Section 8
(to be presented by Secretary for the Treasury)
2.No.29-	Hong Kong Sports Development Board Annual Report 1996-1997
(to be presented by Mr Timothy FOK Tsun-ting)
3.No.30-	Land Development Corporation Annual Report 1996-1997
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)
4.No.31-	The Prince Philip Dental Hospital Hong Kong Report by the Board of Governors for the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997
(to be presented by Secretary for Health and Welfare)

Report

Report of the Bills Committee on the Employment and Labour Relations (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 1997

(to be presented by Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Chairman of the Bills Committee, who will address the Council)

II. Questions for Written Replies

1.Mr CHOY Kan-pui to ask :

(Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of residents who have applied for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passports in the three months from 1 July to 30 September this year; how it compares to the estimation of the Administration;
of the number of SAR passports issued by the Administration during that period;
of the estimation of the Administration regarding the time still needed to finish processing the remaining applications received in that period; and
when the Administration anticipates a large number of applicants for SAR passports will be submitted; and whether it will consider accepting such applications by phases during that period, for the sake of an orderly processing of such applications?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
2. Dr TANG Siu-tong to ask :
(Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of traffic accidents in the past three years, which involved motorists using mobile phones while driving;
of the measures in place to regulate the use of mobile phones by motorists while driving; and
whether it has conducted any studies on traffic accidents caused by motorists using mobile phones while driving; if so, what the findings are; if not, whether any such study will be conducted?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport
3.Mr YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask :
(Translation)

It is learnt that a reshuffle of posts among four Assistant Directors of Education was made recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the reasons for and details of such a reshuffle, and whether it has affected the Department's administrative efficiency?

Public Officer to reply

: Secretary for Education
and Manpower

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

It is learnt that some Mainlanders enter Hong Kong with a "Cross Border Farming Permit" (CBFP). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

of the causes for issuing CBFPs and the purpose of CBFPs;
of the measures in place to control the activity of persons entering Hong Kong with CBFPs; and
whether persons entering Hong Kong with CBFPs were found to have engaged in activities other than farming in Hong Kong during the past three years; if so, what the details are?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
5.Mr CHIM Pui-chung to ask :
(Translation)

Since implementing the legislation requiring passengers in rear seats of vehicles to wear seat-belts, will the Government inform this Council of:

the number of persons prosecuted for contravening the relevant legislation;
the penalties imposed by the court on such persons in general and how those penalties compared to the maximum penalty for this offence; and
the number of rear seat passengers who were saved from injuries during traffic accidents for wearing seat-belts as required by law?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Transport
6.Mr YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask :
(Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether there are plans to reallocate and redeploy the staff resources of the Education Department in order to complement and implement the "Quality Education" policy; if so, of the details of such plans?

Public Officer to reply

: Secretary for Education
and Manpower

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

Will the Government inform this Council whether there is any agreement or consensus with the Central Government to enable the Central Government to commandeer or close the Hong Kong International Airport under certain circumstances; if so, what these circumstances are?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

8.Mr HUI Yin-fat to ask :

(Translation)

Regarding the implementation of the Immigration (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 1997, will the Government inform this Council:

of the number of certificates of entitlement which have been issued by the Director of Immigration since 1 July this year, and the related statistical break down in terms of sex, native place and age of the persons issued with the certificates;
among these persons, of the number who have arrived Hong Kong on one-way exit permits issued by Mainland authorities, and the related statistical break down in terms of sex, native place and age; and
among the eligible applicants for certificates of entitlement currently living in the Mainland (i.e. those who claim to have permanent residency in Hong Kong under Article 24(3) of the Basic Law and paragraph 2(c) of Schedule 1 to the Immigration Ordinance), of the number of persons at or over the age of 18; and of the estimated average waiting time on the part of the applicants from the date of applications to their arrival in Hong Kong?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
9.Mr Henry TANG to ask :
(Translation)

The Airport Authority plans to scale down the proposed level of fees to be charged at the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

how the proposed fees to be charged at the new airport compare to those at the Kai Tak Airport (for example, charges on 747 freighters for using the two airports);
whether assessment has been made by the Administration on the impact of the proposed charges on the air cargo trade and Hong Kong's economy; if so, what the findings are; if not, why not;
whether the Administration will release information on the scheme of control on profits of air cargo terminals; if so, what the details are; and
whether the Administration has considered retaining Cargo Terminal 2 of the Kai Tak Airport as a cargo distribution point to cut down the cost of small consignment; if so, what the outcome is; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Economic Services
10.Dr C H LEONG to ask :

Will the Government inform this Council of the longest, shortest and average waiting time for an elderly applicant to be admitted to a subvented care-and-attention home and infirmary respectively, and of the number of those applicants who passed away before being admitted, in each of the past three years?

Public Officer to reply

: Secretary for Health
and Welfare

11.Mr Howard YOUNG to ask :

Will the Government inform this Council:

of the respective average time taken by the Immigration Department to process entry visa applications from overseas applicants routed through the Chinese Embassy in their respective countries and from the applicants direct; and
whether, since 1 July 1997, it has received complaints or comments that entry visa applications have taken a longer processing time than before; if so, whether it has carried out any investigation and what the findings are?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Security
12.Mr HUI Yin-fat to ask :
(Translation)

The Report of the Working Party on Primary Health Care entitled "Health for All, The Way Ahead" published in December 1990 contained 102 recommendations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the present progress in implementing those recommendations?

Public Officer to reply

: Secretary for Health and Welfare

13.Dr C H LEONG to ask :

Will the Government inform this Council:

whether it has received complaints from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport holders about their treatment at overseas immigration check points in the past three months; if so, of the number of such complaints, together with a breakdown according to the nature of complaints; and
of the countries or regions which have offered visa-free entry for SAR passport holders in the past three months, highlighting those offers made in written agreement?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security
14.Mr Howard YOUNG to ask :

Will the Government inform this Council whether non-emergency ambulance services will be available in the restricted area of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, in respect of embarking, disembarking or transitting passengers in stretchers or under medical care?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Security

III. Bills

First Reading

Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Bill 1997

Second Reading

Debate to be adjourned

1. Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Bill 1997

: Secretary for Financial Services

Debate to resume

2. Employment and Labour Relations (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 1997

: Secretary for Education and Manpower

Committee Stage and Third Reading

Employment and Labour Relations (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 1997

: Secretary for Education and Manpower

IV. Motions
1.Legislative Council Ordinance

Secretary for Constitutional Affairs :

That the Legislative Council Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 1997, made by the Chief Executive in Council on 7 October 1997, be approved.

2.Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997

Secretary for Education and Manpower :

pursuant to subsection (3) of section 3 of the Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997 (which section suspends the operation of the Trade Unions (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 1997 (102 of 1997)), that the period during which subsection (1) of that section has effect shall be extended to 30 November 1997 and accordingly that subsection (2) of that section shall be read as if the date 30 November 1997 was substituted for the date 31 October 1997 specified in that subsection;
pursuant to subsection (4) of section 4 of the Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997 (which section suspends the operation of the Employee's Rights to Representation, Consultation and Collective Bargaining Ordinance (101 of 1997)), that the period -
1. of suspension referred to in subsection (1) of that section; and
2. during which subsection (2) of that section has effect,
  shall be extended to 30 November 1997 and accordingly that subsection (3) of that section shall be read as if the date 30 November 1997 was substituted for the date 31 October 1997 specified in that subsection;
pursuant to subsection (4) of section 5 of the Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997 (which section suspends the operation of the Employment (Amendment) (No. 4) Ordinance 1997 (98 of 1997)), that the period during which subsections (1) and (2) of that section have effect shall be extended to 30 November 1997 and accordingly that subsection (3) of that section shall be read as if the date 30 November 1997 was substituted for the date 31 October 1997 specified in that subsection.

3.Family Status Discrimination Ordinance

Secretary for Home Affairs :

That the Family Status Discrimination (Proceedings by Equal Opportunities Commission) Regulation, made by the Secretary for Home Affairs on 6 October 1997, be approved.

4.Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997

Secretary for Home Affairs :

That pursuant to section 2(3) of the Legislative Provisions (Suspension of Operation) Ordinance 1997, the period during which subsection (1) of that section (which subsection suspends the operation of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights (Amendment) Ordinance 1997 (107 of 1997)) has effect shall be extended to 31 January 1998 and accordingly subsection (2) of that section shall be read as if the date 31 January 1998 was substituted for the date 31 October 1997 specified in that subsection.

V. Members' Motions

Motion of Thanks

Dr C H LEONG :

That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address.

(Debate to resume - Response from the Administration)

Public Officers to attend :

Clerk to the Provisional Legislative Council