A 98/99-14(1)

Legislative Council
Agenda

Wednesday 4 November 1998 at 2:30 pm

I. Taking of Legislative Council Oath

Dr Hon TANG Siu-tong to take the Legislative Council Oath.

II. Papers

Subsidiary Legislation	L.N. No.
1. Import and Export (Registration) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulation 1998	334/98
2. Specification of Arrangements (Government of the Kingdom of Belgium Concerning Air Services) (Double Taxation) Order	335/98
3. Specification of Arrangements (Government of the State of Israel Concerning Air Services) (Double Taxation) Order	336/98
4. Designation of Libraries (Urban Council Area) (No.3) Order 1998	337/98
5. Adaptation of Laws (Nationality Related Matters) Ordinance (28 of 1998) (Commencement) Notice 1998	338/98
6. Fugitive Offenders (New Zealand) Order (L.N. 263 of 1998) (Commencement) Notice 1998	339/98

Sessional Papers

1.No.46	-	Land Development Corporation Annual Report 1997-1998
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)
2. No.47	-	Vocational Training Council Annual Report 1996/97
(to be presented by Secretary for Education and Manpower)
3. No.48	-	The audited Statements of Accounts of the Provisional Regional Council for the financial year ended 31 March 1998 and the Director of Audit's Report
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
4. No.49	-	Regional Council Annual Report 1997-98
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
5. No.50	-	The audited Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Receipts and Payments and Statement of Revenue and Expenditure by Select Committees of the Provisional Urban Council for the year ended 31 March 1998 and the Director of Audit's Report
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
6. No.51	-	Urban Council/Provisional Urban Council Annual Report 1997/98
(to be presented by Secretary for Home Affairs)
7. No.52	-	The Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation Annual Report 1997-1998
(to be presented by Secretary for Trade and Industry)
8. No.53	-	Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation Annual Report 97-98
(to be presented by Secretary for Trade and Industry)
9. No.54	-	Hong Kong Productivity Council Annual Report 1997/98
(to be presented by Secretary for Trade and Industry)
10. No.55	-	The Government Minute in response to the Tenth Annual Report of the Ombudsman issued in July 1998
(to be presented by Chief Secretary for Administration, who will address to the Council )

III. Questions for Written Replies

1. Hon Timothy FOK to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the legislation or administrative measures currently in place to prohibit the unauthorized videotaping of films being shown in cinemas; and
   
   
2. of the number of persons prosecuted for the above act and the number of those subsequently convicted in the past year, as well as the average penalty imposed on the convicted persons?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Trade and Industry

2. Hon LAU Chin-shek to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of cases in which information was sought by the public from various government departments under the Code on Access to Information, and among these cases, the number of those in which requests for information were denied, in each of the past three years;
   
   
2. of the reasons for government departments not providing the requested information to the public, and whether it will review the validity of such reasons and relax the relevant restrictions to enable the public to have greater access to government information; and
   
   
3. whether it will consider publishing regularly the number of cases in which information was sought by the public from various government departments under the Code on Access to Information and a breakdown of these cases according to the types of information sought, so as to enhance the transparency of the operation of the Government?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Home Affairs

3. Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask: (Translation)

It is learned that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in London and Sydney organized Hong Kong film festivals in London, Melbourne and Sydney in July and August this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the purposes of hosting Hong Kong film festivals overseas and the achievements of the activities mentioned above;
   
   
2. of the criteria for deciding where to hold film festivals overseas;
   
   
3. of the criteria for selecting films to be screened in such festivals, and the way in which the film industry is consulted during the selection process; and
   
   
4. whether a theme and focal point have been set during film selection for each of the film festivals held overseas; if so, what the details are; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting

4. Hon Bernard CHAN to ask:

The hillsides at the quarry at Anderson Road have become an eyesore of Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the monthly output of the quarry in the past 12 months;
   
   
2. whether the Government has made any environmental impact assessment on the operation of the quarry; if so, what the findings are;
   
   
3. whether the Government has received any complaint about the appearance of the quarry or pollution arising from its operation; and
   
   
4. whether the Government has any plan to close down the quarry and rehabilitate the hillsides; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Works

5. Hon LAU Wong-fat to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether:

1. it has compared the levels of emissions from air-conditioned ("AC") buses and non-air-conditioned buses while they are running on the road; and
   
   
2. it will consider requiring companies providing regular bus route service to install openable windows on their AC buses and to turn off the air-conditioning system on AC buses during autumn and winter time, in order to reduce air pollution?

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

6. Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to ask:

To control air pollution caused by vehicle emissions, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the numbers of imported vehicles, by types of fuel consumed, during each month over the past three years;
   
   
2. whether there are plans to tighten the emission standards of new vehicles; and
   
   
3. whether there are incentive measures to encourage individual vehicle owners and fleet operators to switch-over to fuels other than diesel?

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

7. Hon NG Leung-sing to ask: (Translation)

In the 1998 Policy Address, the Government has stated that it will consider the extent to which it will continue to build Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats as opposed to the alternative of offering home ownership loans. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

1. the long-term target of 70% home ownership will be affected as a result; and
   
   
2. it will consider formulating corresponding measures to prevent a sharp rise in property prices in the wake of its move to stop or reduce the production of HOS flats?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Housing

8. Hon Albert HO to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the Government's use of the Exchange Fund to intervene in the stock and futures markets in August this year, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether the Administration had previously purchased Hong Kong shares and futures; if so, please provide a breakdown of the years of purchase and the respective amounts of money spent;
   
   
2. whether the Administration has traded in the stock options market; and
   
   
3. whether an assessment has been made to determine if the Administration's trading in the futures market is in compliance with the principle of prudent management of the Exchange Fund?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Financial Services

9. Hon TAM Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the provision of hospital beds in Northwest New Territories, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the respective ratios of hospital beds to residents in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, and how these ratios compare with the average ratio of hospital beds to the population in the whole of Hong Kong;
   
   
2. of the specific implementation timetable for the planned expansion of Pok Oi Hospital to increase the number of hospital beds by 272;
   
   
3. whether consideration will be given to the further expansion of Pok Oi Hospital by way of land resumption so as to increase the number of hospital beds in Northwest New Territories; and
   
   
4. whether, in view of the increasing population in Tin Shui Wai, there is any plan for building a general hospital in the district to meet the needs of the local community; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

10. Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)

Does the Government know:

1. of the total number of successful claims against the Hospital Authority ("HA") or its underwriter insurance companies arising from "professional negligence" on the part of HA in the past three years, and the total amount of compensation involved (please list the respective numbers of cases where an agreement on compensation was reached with the claimant without the initiation of proceedings, those where the claims were awarded by the court and those where the claims were settled out of court with the claimants);
   
   
2. of the respective numbers of claims which HA is still processing and those which are currently undergoing court proceedings, and the total amount of claims involved; and
   
   
3. of the measures HA has in place to reduce the number of claims?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

11. Hon LAU Kong-wah to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that seven cases of abortive landing have happened since the opening of the new airport, and that the most recent case happened on 1 October. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the causes for and the details of the incident on 1 October, and whether an assessment has been made to see if human negligence was involved;
   
   
2. of the reasons for the occurrence of several cases of abortive landing within the first three months after the opening of the new airport; and how the figure compares to the corresponding figure recorded within the year before the closure of the airport at Kai Tak;
   
   
3. whether regular reviews of the taking-off and landing of flights and of the related arrangements are conducted by the Civil Aviation Department; and
   
   
4. of the measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Economic Services

12. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

It is learnt that the Government may experience budget deficit in the next few years, because of decreasing revenues from taxes and land sales on the one hand and increasing expenditure on infrastructural projects and welfare on the other hand. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will consider resorting to drawing money up to a certain limit from its reserves for meeting such anticipated budget deficit in advance of other measures?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for the Treasury

13. Hon Fred LI to ask: (Translation)

When the China Light and Power Company Limited (CLP) put in force a new tariff structure in March this year, the originally three-block tariff structure applicable to domestic customers was changed to a four-block structure. As a result, households with higher consumption rates are required to pay much higher tariffs than those calculated under the old structure. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

1. it knows of the person or the party who made the proposal of changing CLP's tariff structure;
   
   
2. it is aware of the justifications for CLP changing its tariff structure, and of any consultation that might have been conducted before the new tariff structure was adopted;
   
   
3. the Scheme of Control made between the Administration and CLP provides for any restrictions on revising the tariff structure;
   
   
4. it has assessed the impact of the new tariff structure on larger households; and
   
   
5. it knows if CLP has defined a particular consumption level as "electricity wastage"; if so, of the criteria adopted; if not, the justifications for adopting a progressive tariff structure?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Economic Services

14. Hon Eric LI to ask:(Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. how the time frame for the publication of economic data and prospect forecasts is determined; and
   
   
2. whether there is any measure in place to shorten the data processing time, so that the relevant data can be published as soon as possible?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Financial Services

15. Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that in late August, a power failure occurred at the Lo Wu Control Point and the emergency generating system could not be activated at the time, rendering the computer system inoperative. Officers of the Immigration Department had to process immigration clearance manually, resulting in thousands of travellers being stranded at the Control Point for more than an hour. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the causes of the power failure;
   
   
2. the reasons why the emergency generating system at the Control Point could not be activated during the power failure;
   
   
3. the number of incidents in which the emergency generating system could not be activated when a power failure occurred at the Control Point in each of the past five years, together with the number of travellers affected in each of these incidents; and
   
   
4. the contingency measures in place to deal with the situation where a power failure occurs when there are many travellers waiting for immigration clearance at the Control Point?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Security

16. Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the terms of employment of heads of universities, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it knows the current tenure of contracts, remuneration and other benefits of all heads of universities; if so, of the details;
   
   
2. how the remuneration and other benefits of these heads of universities compare with those of directorate officers of the government; and
   
   
3. of those heads of universities whose remuneration has been delinked from that of the Chief Secretary for Administration; and those who have not and the reasons thereof; and of the measures the Administration has in place to implement such a delinking policy?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Education and Manpower

17. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the investment and management activities of the Land Fund, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

1. of the current net asset value of the Land Fund and the details of its investments;
   
   
2. of the principles on which the Financial Secretary bases his investment decisions in respect of the Land Fund's assets; and
   
   
3. whether the funds of the Land Fund have been used to purchase stocks for the purpose of supporting the pegged exchange rate; if so, whether such moves are investment activities?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Financial Services

18. Hon LAU Chin-shek to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the Government's effort to examine the use of natural gas as an alternative to towngas so as to promote the healthy development of the market for domestic gas fuels, will the Government inform this Council:

1. how Hong Kong can secure a reliable supply of natural gas from suitable sources;
   
   
2. of the estimated timing for the introduction of natural gas as an alternative domestic gas fuel into the territory;
   
   
3. whether the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited has accepted the Government's proposal to establish a new accounting framework in order that a breakdown of gas transportation costs can be provided in the company's accounts; and
   
   
4. whether it has considered other measures, such as by encouraging the healthy competition between liquid petroleum gas and towngas or through legislation, in order to regulate the tariff for the use of towngas?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Economic Services

19. Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask: (Translation)

With regard to the implementation of environmental protection policies within government departments, including the adoption of ISO 14000 environmental management standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, as well as the acquisition of relevant certification, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the current progress made by various government departments in implementing environmental protection policies;
   
   
2. whether government departments aim at achieving the ISO 14000 environmental management standards in the implementation of environmental protection policies; and
   
   
3. of the measures taken to encourage government departments to acquire the relevant international certification?

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

20. Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to ask:

Regarding the protection of the public from consuming imported vegetables contaminated with heavy metal or pesticide, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the details of the current screening tests conducted on imported vegetables, including frequency and types of tests;
   
   
2. of the effectiveness of these tests in identifying heavy metal or pesticide;
   
   
3. of the monthly quantity of vegetables inspected and found unsuitable for consumption in the past 12 months;
   
   
4. of the measures taken by the relevant authorities to build up consumer confidence in imported vegetables and to increase consumers' awareness of food safety; and
   
   
5. whether discussions will be held with the relevant Mainland authorities to promote the awareness of good agricultural practices among Mainland farmers supplying vegetables to Hong Kong?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

IV. Bills

First Reading

1. Introduction of the Euro Bill

2. Immigration (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 1998

Second Reading (Debates to be adjourned)

1. Introduction of the Euro Bill	:	Secretary for Financial Services
2.Immigration (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 1998	:	Secretary for Security

V. Members' Motions

Continuation of debate on the "Motion of Thanks"

Dr Hon LEONG Che-hung: (Translation)

That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address.

Amendments to Dr Hon LEONG Che-hung's motion

1. Hon LEE Cheuk-yan: (Translation)

To add ", but since the Chief Executive has not only failed to admit the Government's policy blunders in the past year, review them seriously and account for them, but has also failed to propose in the Policy Address effective measures to promote democracy, restore the economy, ease unemployment and improve people's livelihood, thereby further undermining public confidence in the Government's administration of various policies, this Council expresses deep regret" after "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address".

2. Hon Christine LOH: (Translation)

To add but is of the view that various policy areas were not well-developed or neglected, thereby losing an opportunity to increase public confidence" after "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address".

3. Hon Martin LEE: (Translation)

To add ", but deeply regrets that the Policy Address lacks effective measures to ease unemployment and alleviate people's hardship, and proposes to abolish the two municipal councils, thereby moving against the democratic trend and towards executive hegemony; this Council also urges the Chief Executive to make every effort to safeguard Hong Kong's free economy and legal system, build a democratic, free and pluralistic society, as well as promote long-term developments through independent and novel thinking, so as to restore public confidence" after "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address".

Public Officers to attend :

Financial Secretary
Secretary for Education and Manpower
Secretary for Economic Services
Secretary for Trade and Industry
Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting
Secretary for Transport
Secretary for Works
Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands
Secretary for Health and Welfare
Secretary for Security
Secretary for Constitutional Affairs
Secretary for Justice
Chief Secretary for Administration

Clerk to the Legislative Council