A 98/99-22(1)

Legislative Council

Legislative Council
Agenda
Wednesday 13 January 1999 at 2:30 pm

I. Papers

	Subsidiary Legislation	L.N. No.
1.	Food Business (Regional Council) (Amendment) (No.3) Bylaw 1998	1/99
2.	Statutes of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Amendment) (No.2) Statute 1998	2/99
3.	Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529) (Commencement) Notice 1999	3/99
4.	Medical Laboratory Technologists (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1997; Physiotherapists (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1997; Radiographers (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1997 --- Corrigendum	4/99
5.	Medical Laboratory Technologists (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1999	5/99
6.	Physiotherapists (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1999	6/99
7.	Radiographers (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) (Amendment) Regulation 1999	7/99

Sessional Paper

No.83	-	Lingnan College Annual Report 1997-98 and Lingnan College Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 1998
(to be presented by Secretary for Education and Manpower)

Reports

1. Report of the Bills Committee on Evidence (Amendment) Bill 1998

(to be presented by Hon Margaret NG, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

2. Report of the Bills Committee on Business Registration (Amendment) Bill 1998

(to be presented by Hon SIN Chung-kai, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

II. Questions

1. Hon Ambrose LAU to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that last month a man in Ma Tau Wai Estate in Kowloon City was suspected of being electrocuted when using a storage-type electric water heater. While there was no effective earthing connection attached to the water heater concerned, the flat in question also had not been installed with a current-type leakage circuit breaker. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the total number of public housing flats which have not been installed with leakage circuit breakers; whether the Housing Department has plans to install leakage circuit breakers in all public housing flats; if so, the details and the timetable for implementation; and
   
   
2. whether it plans to step up its publicity efforts and conduct promotional programmes on the safety of using electrical home appliances, so as to enhance the public's knowledge and awareness in this respect, and thereby reduce the occurrence of similar accidents; if so, the details of such?

Public Officers to reply:

Secretary for Economic Services Secretary for Housing

2. Hon James TIEN to ask: (Translation)

In its annual pay adjustment exercise for the civil service, the Administration refers to the results of Pay Trend Surveys of private sector companies in the previous fiscal year as the basis for consideration. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether, in considering the civil service pay adjustment for this year, it will consider adjusting the results of the Pay Trend Surveys, having regard to the following factors:

1. the results of the Pay Trend Surveys which are limited in scope and whose respondents are mostly the larger or the more profitable companies in the private sector, cannot fully reflect the overall downward pay adjustment trend for the working population of Hong Kong; and
   
   
2. the practices of some private companies in achieving the target of cutting staff costs by adopting measures such as reducing their staff establishments or employing less experienced staff members, rather than by adjusting the salaries of staff?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

3. Hon CHENG Kai-nam to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the criteria used in setting the current vehicle speed limits for motor roads;

2. whether it has studied if the speed limits for some sections of expressways at present are too low; if so, of the reasons for these; and

3. whether it will review the criteria so as to strike a balance between road safety and traffic flow efficiency?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport

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

It is reported that there have been cases in which Hong Kong residents involved in business or other disputes in the Mainland were detained by the Mainland law-enforcement authorities for a long period of time without trial. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the respective numbers of cases in which the Government of Hong Kong received requests for assistance from the relatives and friends of Hong Kong residents who have been detained for more than one month because of such disputes, during the year before Hong Kong's reunification as well as since the reunification; and among such cases, the respective numbers of those which have been resolved and those still pending;

2. the department in the SAR Government from which the detainees or their relatives and friends can seek assistance where the Hong Kong residents concerned have been detained in the Mainland for a long time without trial; the kinds of assistance the SAR Government can render them; and

3. the department or policy bureau in the SAR Government which is responsible for following up such cases with the relevant Mainland authorities; and whether the SAR Government knows which department in the Mainland is responsible for coordinating matters relating to such cases and for liaising with the SAR Government on the same?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

5. Hon Andrew CHENG to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that the total number of industrial accidents and accident rate per 1 000 employees in all industries in 1997 increased by 6% and 12% respectively as compared with the corresponding figures in 1996. It is also reported that an employer failed to notify the Labour Department within the statutory time limit of an industrial accident which took place at a construction site in Tseung Kwan O in December 1997. In this regard, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of complaint cases received in the past year which involved employers failing to report industrial accidents involving casualties to the Labour Department; the number of prosecutions instituted in such cases and the average penalties that the courts imposed on the convicted offenders;

2. as the Administration will consider the contractors' performance records on industrial safety when selecting contractors for government projects, of the measures the Labour Department adopts to ensure that the accuracy of such records will not be affected by contractors' deliberate failure to report industrial accidents involving casualties; and

3. of the measures to further reduce the number of industrial accidents; and whether it will consider stepping up prosecutions against those people who fail to comply with industrial safety provisions?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

6. Hon Kenneth TING to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that an organisation has pointed out that most of the Government's consultancy contracts were awarded to overseas registered consultancy firms, and others allege that consultancy firms tended to conform to the Government's views and submit reports which were often biased. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether, before inviting public tenders for consultancy studies, it will consider commissioning local consultancy firms and academics of local tertiary institutions to conduct the studies, so as to provide more opportunities for local consultancy firms and the local talent to apply their knowledge; and

2. of the measures to ensure that the consultant fees are value for money and on a par with market prices; whether the Audit Commission may conduct value-for-money audits on the consultancy expenditure of various government departments in the past three years?

Public Officers to reply: Secretary for the Treasury Secretary for Works

*7. Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the respective numbers of existing job vacancies in the service and manufacturing sectors of Hong Kong, together with a breakdown of the vacancies by entry qualifications; and

2. whether it will consider recruiting the unemployed to conduct a comprehensive survey on the number of vacancies in the market and the entry qualifications required, so as to implement the Job Matching Programme effectively?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

It is reported that a consultancy study on financing of the Hong Kong health care services coordinated by the Government has been completed. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the detailed instructions given by the steering committee concerned in commissioning the consultancy study;

2. of the areas with which the recommendations in the consultancy report are concerned; and

3. whether the scope covered by the consultancy report exceeded the steering committee's instructions; if so, of the details?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

*9. Dr Hon HO Chung-tai to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that a company is recently operating unlicensed ferry services, plying between Cheung Chau and Tsuen Wan or Tuen Mun, and that the ferries in question are not equipped with safety facilities and life saving apparatus that meet the statutory requirements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the actions taken by the Administration against the company operating unlicensed ferry services; whether such actions included prosecution against the company; if not, of the reasons; and

2. whether any companies have been found operating the above ferry routes without a licence in the past; and of the number of cases in which the operators were prosecuted?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Transport

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

Regarding the provision of services to other government departments by the Correctional Services Industries ("CSI"), will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the printing services currently provided by the CSI;

2. of the current progress on the CSI's plan to set up production lines for dry-pressed paving blocks; and

3. whether the CSI has planned to introduce new services, such as Chinese word processing service; if so, of the details?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

*11. Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that a person died from a suspected heart attack recently after practising jogging for 10 minutes in a privately run fitness club. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of privately run clubs or fitness centres in Hong Kong (referred to collectively as "fitness centres" hereinafter) equipped with fitness equipment; and whether it knows the total number of fitness coaches currently employed by such fitness centres and among them, the number who have undergone professional training;
   
   
2. whether there is legislation requiring persons engaged as fitness coaches must have undergone professional training; if not, whether the authorities have any plans to formulate such legislation; and
   
   
3. whether it knows the proportion of fitness centres which provide medical examinations for new members to the total number of fitness centres in Hong Kong; and the items covered by such medical examinations; and whether the authorities will consider formulating legislation requiring fitness centres to provide medical examinations for new members?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*12. Dr Hon TANG Siu-tong to ask: (Translation)

With regard to the quality of potable water in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it knows how the Mainland government grades the potable water by its quality; the grading criteria thereof; and the grade of Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong;
   
   
2. of the contents of the substances in potable water which have been monitored by the Water Supplies Department in the past three years; and the frequency of conducting laboratory tests on each substance as well as the results obtained; and
   
   
3. of the water quality standards it currently adopts; and how such standards compare with those adopted by the World Health Organisation and other advanced countries?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Works

*13. Hon LEE Wing-tat to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council, in respect of each Provisional District Board, of the various types of occupation of its members and the number of members in each type of occupation?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*14. Hon Mrs Miriam LAU to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that in order to alleviate disturbance caused by aircraft noise to the residents, the Civil Aviation Department has recently made some changes to the flight path arrangements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether the flight path arrangements will vary with the seasons; if so, of the details;
   
   
2. whether there is any mechanism in place to regularly monitor the noise levels in the various districts under the flight paths; if not, why not;
   
   
3. whether it will announce the aircraft noise levels in the affected districts on a regular basis; and
   
   
4. of the justifications for excluding aircraft noise from the ambit of the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap 400)?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Economic Services

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

Regarding the recent call by waste paper collectors for assistance from the Government, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the details regarding the Government assistance sought by waste paper collectors; and
   
   
2. of the cost incurred on average by the Administration, including the land development costs of the relevant landfills, for disposing of every tonne of waste paper by means of landfill?

Public Officer to reply:

Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands

*16. Hon Christine LOH to ask:

Will the Administration inform this Council whether there is a proposal to build a cruise liner pier at North Point; if so, whether, in considering the proposal, the Administration will take or has taken into account the requirement to protect and preserve the Victoria Harbour under the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance (Cap 531)?

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

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

Regarding the forthcoming Research Assessment Exercise ("RAE") to be conducted by the University Grants Committee ("UGC") to assess the research performance of tertiary institutions, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the criteria to be adopted by the UGC in the RAE; whether the same criteria will be adopted for assessing research reports published in local or overseas academic journals, and for those written in Chinese or in English;

2. of the number of research reports assessed by the UGC in the last RAE and among these research reports, the respective numbers of those written in Chinese and in English, as well as those published in local and overseas academic journals; and

3. whether research projects funded by the Quality Education Fund are also within the scope of the forthcoming RAE; if so, whether the same criteria will be used to assess these and other research reports; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*18. Dr Hon David LI to ask:

It is reported that according to a study conducted by the Baptist University, 25.2% of the secondary students in Hong Kong have low self-esteem, compared with 8.2% of secondary school students in Shanghai. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it knows if any research has been conducted on the emotional quotient of the primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong; if so, the findings of these researches; and
   
   
2. whether it will consider introducing time and stress management courses into the curricula of primary and secondary schools; if not, the reasons for not doing so?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

In connection with the "supervision fees" currently charged by the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") on households of Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") estates, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

1. of the total amount of supervision fees to be collected by HA in the current fiscal year;
   
   
2. of the expenditure items covered by the income derived from the supervision fees;
   
   
3. how HA determines the levels of supervision fees payable by households of various HOS estates;
   
   
4. of the criteria adopted by HA in adjusting the level of supervision fees each year;
   
   
5. of the number of HOS estates required to pay supervision fees to HA in the next fiscal year; and
   
   
6. if HA will consider lowering the levels of supervision fees in view of the enhanced efficiency of the Housing Department due to the implementation of the Enhanced Productivity Programme?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

*20. Hon Emily LAU to ask: (Translation)

It is learnt that the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap 201) was not applicable to the then Governor of Hong Kong before Hong Kong's reunification with China. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council whether the Chief Executive ("CE") is now subject to the provisions of the Ordinance; if not, whether they have studied if the CE should be brought under the ambit of the Ordinance; if the conclusion of the study is that the CE should not fall within the ambit of the Ordinance, of the justifications for that?

Public Officer to reply : Chief Secretary for Administration

* For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill 1999

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Human Organ Transplant (Amendment) Bill 1999 : Secretary for Health and Welfare

Second Reading (Debates to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading

1. Evidence (Amendment) Bill 1998	:	Secretary for Justice
2. Business Registration (Amendment) Bill 1998	:	Secretary for the Treasury

IV. Members' Motions

1. Review of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme

Dr Hon YEUNG Sum: (Translation)

That this Council is disappointed that under the pretext of helping CSSA recipients to become self-reliant, the Government's review of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme is in effect to tighten the Scheme; at the same time, this Council urges the Government to adopt the following measures in order to attain its established policy objectives and continue to provide the necessary support to CSSA recipients:

1. to withdraw the proposal for reducing the CSSA standard rates for three-person households;
   
   
2. to continue to provide the various special grants to CSSA recipients, including the burial grant and the grant for spectacles;
   
   
3. to redeploy the resources proposed by the Government for arranging unpaid work for CSSA recipients to provide comprehensive employment services, in order to make optimum use of these resources;
   
   
4. to provide comprehensive employment services to CSSA recipients, including assessment of employment skills, provision of training and employment counselling service; and
   
   
5. to withdraw the proposal that rigidly requires CSSA single-parents to seek full-time employment when their youngest child reaches the age of 12, and to allow these parents to take up part-time jobs, receive education or training.

Amendment to Dr Hon YEUNG Sum's motion

Hon CHAN Kam-lam: (Translation)

To delete "at the same time," and to add to implement a "re-employment support scheme', so as to separately deal with two services, namely unemployment assistance and social security and, at the same time," after "this Council urges the Government".

Public Officer to attend: Secretary for Health and Welfare

2. Developing continuing education

Hon TAM Yiu-chung: (Translation)

That, in order to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong people individually and as a community, this Council urges the Special Administrative Region Government to conduct a study on the establishment of a continuing education commission, to review the existing continuing education mechanism, to formulate both long-term and short-term objectives and strategies for the development of continuing education, to institute a transparent mechanism for the accreditation of academic qualifications as well as an integrated qualification ladder, to set up a fund for the development of continuing education, to support and assist organisations and institutions to provide a variety of learning programmes, to encourage employers to increase investment in human resources, and to promote learning incentive schemes to encourage people to actively pursue further studies, so as to create a liberal and open learning environment, motivate individuals to learn on their own initiative, and facilitate the development of Hong Kong into a learning-based community.

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Education and Manpower

Clerk to the Legislative Council