A 98/99-17(1)

Legislative Council

Agenda
Wednesday 25 November 1998 at 2:30 pm

I. Papers

Subsidiary Legislation	L.N. No.
1.Designation of Libraries (Urban Council Area) (No.4) Order 1998	354/98
2.Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Public Pleasure Grounds) (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) (No.5) Order 1998	355/98
3.Food Business (Urban Council) (Amendment) (No.2) Bylaw 1998	356/98
4.Frozen Confections (Urban Council) (Amendment) Bylaw 1998	357/98
5.Milk (Urban Council) (Amendment) Bylaw 1998	358/98

II. Questions

1. Hon CHAN Kam-lam to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that the Director of Social Welfare chose to take indirect flights on duty visits overseas and took the opportunity to take leave during the period between July and August this year, incurring an extra amount of public money on air tickets as compared with the fare for taking the most direct routes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the regulations governing the routes and flights to be taken by civil servants on duty visits outside Hong Kong;
   
   
2. of the regulations governing the vacation arrangements for civil servants before or after their duty visits outside Hong Kong or during the period of their duty visits; and
   
   
3. where a civil servant on duty visits outside Hong Kong stops over in some other places for private business or vacation, thus incurring more expenses on air tickets than flying on direct routes, whether the civil servant in question will be required to bear the extra amount incurred; if not, the reasons for it and whether the Administration has any plan to amend the relevant regulations?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for the Civil Service

2. Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)

In its reply to a question raised by this Council on 11 November, the Government said that it would give careful and serious consideration to the possibility of privatization, either in part or in whole, of some of its assets through selling or listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the criteria for consideration in deciding what assets will be privatized;
   
   
2. whether consultancy studies will be conducted for the privatization of individual assets; if so, of the central issues of such studies; and
   
   
3. whether, when deciding to privatize the assets, a mechanism will be in place to ensure that public interest will not be jeopardized as a result of the need to seek maximum returns for shareholders of these assets after their sale or privatization?

Public Officer to reply:Secretary for the Treasury

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

In order to attract foreign businessmen to invest in high-tech industries in Hong Kong and train local high-tech talent, will the Government inform this Council whether it will consider providing:

1. concessionary measures for high-tech companies investing in Hong Kong, such as offering low-priced land and tax concessions;
   
   
2. housing and other favourable terms for high-tech talent coming to work in Hong Kong; and
   
   
3. financial assistance to companies which engage in training local technologists to undertake high-tech work?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Trade and Industry

4. Hon Ambrose CHEUNG to ask: (Translation)

At the Finance Committee meeting on 31 July, the Secretary for Housing undertook to seek legal advice on the matter concerning private property buyers who had failed to complete property transactions being regarded as not being eligible for the Home Starter Loan Scheme ("HSLS"), and to reply afterwards. In response to my follow-up in writing later on, the Secretary further undertook to look into the issue in greater depth. However, this Council has not yet received any specific reply from the Government. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether legal advice has been sought and studies been conducted; if so, of the progress made, and the time for submitting the reply to this Council;
   
   
2. of the rationale for regarding private property buyers who have failed to complete property transactions as property owners and thus excluding them from applying for the loan under the HSLS; and
   
   
3. whether the definition of property ownership under the HSLS is the same as those under various subsidized home ownership schemes implemented by the Hong Kong Housing Authority; if not, the reasons for that?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Housing

5. Hon CHAN Wing-chan to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council whether, under section 9 of the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), employers may dismiss their employees who go on strike or take industrial action without notice or payment in lieu of notice; if so, whether it will consider amending the Ordinance to give effect to the right and freedom of Hong Kong residents to strike as stipulated in Article 27 of the Basic Law?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

Regarding the supervision of tutorial centres, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether there has been an upward trend in the number of complaint cases received by the Education Department about unregistered tutorial centres in recent years; if so, of the reasons for that; and of the percentage of cases not resulting in prosecution by the authorities out of the total number of such cases, together with the reasons for that;
   
   
2. of the number of cases in which tutorial centres violated the relevant stipulations in collecting tuition fees in each of the past three years, and how the Education Department dealt with those cases; and
   
   
3. whether it has reviewed the adequacy of the Education Department's supervision over tutorial centres, and of the steps to be taken to strengthen supervision in this respect?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

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

Regarding the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria as a result of the overuse of antibiotics, will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of cases in which patients were infected with drug-resistant bacteria and the number of such cases in which the infected patients subsequently developed serious complications, as detected by public hospitals and the Department of Health in the past three years; please give a breakdown by types of bacteria;
   
   
2. of the measures in place to monitor the use of antibiotics by medical practitioners in making out prescriptions, including those measures taken by the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and professional bodies; and
   
   
3. whether it has any information on the use of antibiotics by private medical practitioners in making out prescriptions; if so, what the details are?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

Regarding the medical incidents in public hospitals and the mechanism for handling complaints about such incidents, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it knows:
   
   
   1. the total number as well as the breakdown of medical incidents occurring in public hospitals in each of the past three years; and
      
      
   2. the mode of operation of the Hospital Authority ("HA")'s Public Complaints Committee (PCC) which is tasked with receiving complaints about medical incidents, and the total number as well as the breakdown of complaints received by the PCC in each of the past three years; and
   
   
   
2. whether consideration has been given to establishing a mechanism independent of the HA for handling complaints about medical incidents; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

*9. Hon WONG Yung-kan to ask: (Translation)

It is reported that the number of cases of prostitution involving women entering Hong Kong from the Mainland on two-way exit permits has been on the rise. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted by the authorities against these women for engaging in prostitution, in each of the past three years; and
   
   
2. the measures in place to prevent these women from engaging in prostitution?

Public Officer to reply :Secretary for Security

*10. Hon LAW Chi-kwong to ask: (Translation)

Regarding the operation of the Hospital Governing Committees ("HGCs") of various public hospitals managed by the Hospital Authority ("HA"), will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the number of meetings held by each HGC and the average attendance rate of its members in the past year;
   
   
2. of the measures taken by the HA to ensure that the operation of HGCs will not be affected by the frequent absence of some HGC members from meetings; and
   
   
3. whether the management of various hospitals have reported to their respective HGCs of all medical incidents occurring in their hospitals which might lead to legal proceedings; if so, of the details; if not, why not?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

*11. Hon SIN Chung-kai to ask:

Regarding the setting up of telecommunications transmission equipment at various places in Hong Kong by various telecommunications companies providing paging, fixed and mobile telephone services etc, will the Government inform this Council:

1. how it ensures that these companies have equal opportunities in setting up such equipment in private buildings and whether it will provide assistance to these companies when needed;
   
   
2. of any regulation on the fees chargeable by private property owners for allowing the setting up of such equipment in their properties;
   
   
3. whether it knows the fees charged by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, the companies operating the three cross-harbour tunnels and Tate's Cairn Tunnel, and the Hong Kong Housing Authority for allowing the setting up of such equipment in their properties; and
   
   
4. of its policy (including fee policy) on the setting up of such equipment in Government buildings?

Public Officer to reply

:

Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting

*12. Hon Albert HO to ask: (Translation)

Will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the estimated number of people with chronic illness who require community-based rehabilitation (CBR) service in Hong Kong at present;
   
   
2. the basis on which it assesses the public's demand for such CBR service;
   
   
3. whether the Government had pledged to establish five community rehabilitation network ("CRN") centres; if so, of the reason why there are only three such centres at present; and
   
   
4. the reasons why until now there is no CRN centre in the New Territories?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. of the current ratio of physiotherapists to pupils in special schools under the Education Department; whether an assessment has been made to determine if the number of such physiotherapists is adequate to cope with the pupils' needs;
   
   
2. of the number of vacancies for physiotherapists in special schools at present and their percentage against the total number of such posts; and
   
   
3. how the remuneration of physiotherapists in special schools compares with that of their counterparts in hospitals under the Hospital Authority; whether the Administration has plans to improve the remuneration of physiotherapists in special schools?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education and Manpower

*14. Hon Christine LOH to ask:

With regard to the improvement of the urban environment, will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the existing policy on urban design;
   
   
2. the long-term programme of urban design and streetscape improvement; and
   
   
3. the authority responsible for implementing urban design and streetscape improvement projects, and its achievements so far?

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

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

Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the respective numbers of single-parent families receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance on grounds of financial hardship resulting from marital breakdown in each of the past three years, as well as the total amount of payments granted to this category of cases in each of the past three years?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Health and Welfare

*16. Hon Emily LAU to ask:

It is learnt that the Chief Executive has, through various parties, liaised with the Taiwan authorities for Mr LIN Por-yan, a Hong Kong resident detained in Taiwan pending trial of a court case against him, to return to Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:

1. of the justifications for taking the above action and the details of it;
   
   
2. of the number and details of cases in which the Administration has taken actions to liaise for the return of Hong Kong residents who are detained by and facing trial in other jurisdictions since 1 July 1997; and
   
   
3. whether they have assessed if there is any need to allay the public's concern on whether the Chief Executive has interfered with the judicial process in Taiwan?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Constitutional Affairs

*17. Hon Fred LI to ask:(Translation)

Regarding establishment by the Government of the Competition Policy Advisory Group ("COMPAG") chaired by the Financial Secretary, so as to promote healthy free competition among public and private sectors, will the Government inform this Council of:

1. the various issues in respect of competition policy for which reviews have been initiated by COMPAG since its formation in December 1997, and of the progress of these reviews;
   
   
2. how COMPAG has motivated government bureaux, departments and the private concerns to enhance economic efficiency and promote free trade through competition, and of the effectiveness of such work;
   
   
3. the total number of complaints received by the authorities concerned about organisations adopting anti-competition business practices in the past year; of the government departments or private concerns that were involved in these cases, and of the role played by COMPAG in handling these cases; and
   
   
4. the channels through which the public can learn of the progress and the effectiveness of the work undertaken by COMPAG, and of the measures adopted by the Administration to enhance the operational transparency and accountability of COMPAG?

Public Officer to reply : Financial Secretary

*18. Hon Eric LI to ask: (Translation)

In view of the environmental pollution caused by plastic waste, will the Government inform this Council:

1. whether it has estimated the respective percentages of the amount of plastic waste against the total amount of waste discarded by the public in each of the past three years;
   
   
2. of the plans in place to urge the public to discard fewer plastic articles;
   
   
3. whether it will consider stepping up publicity to educate the public regarding waste separation at the time of disposal; and
   
   
4. whether it will consider imposing levies on those people who dump plastic waste at landfills?

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

*19.Hon CHOY So-yuk to ask: (Translation)

The import and export of air cargo were seriously affected by the recent power failure at the Super Terminal 1 operated by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited ("HACTL"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

1. whether the Airport Authority ("AA") has plans to review the terms of the agreement it has signed with HACTL and bring in more air cargo terminal operators, so as to ensure fair and healthy competition in the air cargo terminal business; if so, of the timetable for the review; if not, why not; and
   
   
2. whether, before making a decision on the review, AA will assess if its decision will impose upon itself the liability for compensating those affected by a delay as a result of a similar incident occurring at any of the air cargo terminals in the future?

Public Officer to reply: Secretary for Economic Services

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

Will the Government inform this Council:

1. among the families receiving the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, of the number of those which have children studying in primary and secondary schools, and the number of such students;
   
   
2. whether the education expenses of these students are fully subsidized by the relevant authority; and
   
   
3. of the current amount of subsidies provided to these students, together with a breakdown of the subsidies by category of subsidized items?

Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Health and Welfare

* For written reply.

III. Bills

First Reading

Adaptation of Laws (No.9) Bill 1998

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

Adaptation of Laws (No.9) Bill 1998 : Secretary for Financial Services

IV. Members' Motions

1. Information technology strategy

Hon SIN Chung-kai:

That this Council urges the Government to speed up the implementation of Digital 21 and to substantiate this information technology (IT) strategy with a comprehensive and integrated plan which should encompass participation of various Government bureaux, the business sector and the academia and put emphasis on education, training and promotion of IT literacy, with a view to transforming Hong Kong into a digital city; furthermore, the Government should ensure interoperability and interconnection of Hong Kong's IT infrastructure, protect intellectual property rights and encourage the private sector to take a lead in IT development by ensuring an open market and fair competition.

Amendment to Hon SIN Chung-kai's motion

Hon YEUNG Yiu-chung:

To delete "speed up the implementation of" after "That this Council urges the Government to" and substitute with "set clear objectives for Hong Kong's information technology (IT) strategy, so that while Hong Kong is moving towards the era of"; to delete "and to substantiate this information technology (IT) strategy with a comprehensive and integrated plan which should encompass" after "Digital 21" and substitute with ", it is advantageously placed in the world of IT internationally and becomes an Asian hub for IT; in addition, the Government should take the lead in promoting IT applications and developments, encourage"; to delete "various Government bureaux," after "participation of"; to add "through the various Government bureaux," after "the business sector and the academia"; to delete ", with a view to transforming Hong Kong into a digital city" and substitute with "so that Hong Kong has an IT industry rooted locally"; to add "in providing supporting facilities," after "furthermore,"; to add "and its compatibility with IT systems around the world, introduce appropriate regulatory legislation" after "Hong Kong's IT infrastructure"; and to delete "encourage the private sector to take a lead in IT development by ensuring" and substitute with "maintain".

Public Officer to attend: Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting

2. Improving air quality

Hon Edward HO: (Translation)

That, in view of the seriousness of Hong Kong's air pollution problem whilst the Government's proposed scheme to replace diesel vehicles is progressing too slowly and not sufficiently comprehensive to safeguard public health, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously formulate long-term and comprehensive measures to improve the air quality, including offering adequate financial incentives to encourage the taxi trade to switch to the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) expeditiously; examining the feasibility of introducing LPG or other environment-friendly fuels for use by other types of vehicles; conducting researches on mechanical installations that can reduce exhaust emissions and enhancing vehicle maintenance standards; studying the feasibility of introducing pollution-free public transport; launching large scale tree-planting campaigns; making the reduction of demand for vehicular transportation a key town-planning consideration; and strengthening the co-operation with neighbouring regions in the Mainland with a view to alleviating the cross-border air pollution problems.

Amendment to Hon Edward HO's motion

Hon Christine LOH: (Translation)

To add "both short-term and" after "this Council urges the Government to expeditiously formulate"; to delete "and" after "long-term"; to add "introducing compulsory emission testing for all vehicles; substantially increasing the existing fine for smoky vehicles to encourage better maintenance; stepping up enforcement actions against smoky vehicles;" after "including"; to delete "and" from 弌nd strengthening the co-operation with neighbouring regions"; and to add "; and vigorously pursuing demand-side management of electricity to reduce consumption of electricity from fossil-fuelled power stations" after ith a view to alleviating the cross-border air pollution problems".

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

Clerk to the Legislative Council