ARS-Year 2007 - 2008

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C O N T E N T S
PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD
GROUP PHOTO OF MEMBERS
MAJOR EVENTS IN PICTURES
CHAPTER 1
The Legislative Council
Powers and Functions
Composition
CHAPTER 2
Legislative Council Meetings
Tabling of Subsidiary Legislation and Other Papers Questions Statements Bills Motions Policy Address Debate Budget Debate Other Debates Chief Executive’s Question and Answer Sessions Address by the Chief Executive
CHAPTER 3
Committees
Finance Committee Public Accounts Committee Committee on Members’ Interests House Committee - Other Subcommittees of the House Committee Committee on Rules of Procedure Bills Committees and Subcommittees on Subsidiary Legislation Panels
CHAPTER 4
Redress System
Analysis of Significant Cases Dealt With Other Significant CasesCHAPTER 5
Liaison
Parliamentary Liaison Subcommittee Luncheons with Consuls-General Contact with District Councils Contact with Heung Yee Kuk Visitors
CHAPTER 6
Support Services for Members
The Legislative Council Commission The Legislative Council Secretariat4
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853A P P E N D I C E S
APPENDIX 1
Composition of the Legislative Council
APPENDIX 2
Members’ Biographies
APPENDIX 3
Bills Passed
APPENDIX 4
Motion Debates Held
APPENDIX 5
Membership of Legislative Council
Committees (By Committtees and By Members)
APPENDIX 6
Statistical Breakdown of all Concluded Cases under the Legislative Council Redress System in the 2007-2008 Session
APPENDIX 7
The Legislative Council Commission and its Committees
APPENDIX 8
Organization Chart of the Legislative Council Secretariat86
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P R E S I D E N T S F O R E W O R D
with dignity. Irrespective of whether there is
any common ground, Members must respect themselves, respect others, respect different views, and most important of all, respect the Council. It is only with mutual respect that opinions of all kinds can be expressed in this Council in a harmonious manner. I sincerely hope that the rule of law would continue to be manifested in the legislature.
In regard to the relationship between the
Administration and the Legislative Council, I cannot help feeling that over the years, both branches have tended to focus more on their own problems and paid comparatively less attention to the difficulties faced by their counterpart. True, it is not possible, or perhaps not desirable, for these two arms of the Government to enjoy perfect harmony. But I do urge both Members and Government officials to avoid indulging in the conspiracy theory and try to develop some trust in each other. The partnership between the executive and the legislature is a political reality. I admit that at times, some Members may get carried away in the choice of words and criticize officials in an aggressive manner. On the other hand, some Government officials may try to shy away from the Council to evade Members’ criticisms. This way, the relationship between the Administration and the Council could only get worse. I believe that mutual respect, sincerity and fair treatment for all are the key to constructive cooperation.
As expected, the 2007-2008 session was a
busy year for the Legislative Council. Members had to compete with time to complete the proceedings on bills before the bills lapsed at the end of the term. The pace of tabling bills was yet again far from satisfactory. Some bills, such as the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2008, were presented to the Council just a few weeks before the end of the
‘
The 2007-2008 session of the Third Legislative Council was meaningful
and memorable. Not only was it the last legislative year of the term, it was also the last for me as President of the Legislative Council.
“ ... if the public think that I have been a responsible public
servant, then I would be most gratified. ”
The Legislative Council is a microcosm of Hong
Kong, with Members coming from the various sectors of our society. I am glad that in the past decade, however heated the arguments might become, Members consistently carried out their Council business with order and a reasonably discipline manner. As President, my main responsibilities were to safeguard Members’ freedom of speech during Council meetings in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, and ensure that Council meetings were conducted smoothly, effectively and 5P R E S I D E N T S F O R E W O R D
This new Complex, I am certain, will provide
Members and the Secretariat staff with a more modern and efficient working environment.
It was indeed a great honour for me to serve as
President throughout the Provisional Legislative Council, the First Legislative Council, the Second Legislative Council and the Third Legislative Council. I wish to express my deepest appreciation to my fellow Members for their support and tolerance during the years of my presidency. In retrospect, there were two most memorable moments in the past eleven years which I will always remember: the swearing-in ceremony in mid-1997 and Members’ applause at the end of the last Council meeting in this session. Members of the Council are elected by the people of Hong Kong and therefore our responsibility is to serve the best interest of the community. When I completed my duties in this Council, if the public think that I have been a responsible public servant, then I would be most gratified.
Last but certainly not the least, I would like
to thank the staff of the Legislative Council Secretariat for their hard work and invaluable support. In particular, I wish to pay special tribute to serving, retiring and retired senior Secretariat staff for the assistance given to me in making decisions and rulings.
The Fourth Legislative Council has come into
being. I am confident that the newly elected Members will give their best in building a better tomorrow for Hong Kong. I am confident that they will exercise their wisdom to elect a new President, and I wish the new President every success in the years to come.session. Members put in extra effort, and the Bill was passed on July 10.
During this session, 19 new government bills
were introduced into the Council. Together with the 12 bills brought forward from the preceding sessions, 31 bills were enacted. Three Member’s bills were introduced during the session, and all were passed. In addition, one Member’s bill carried forward from the previous session was also passed. A total of 226 items of subsidiary legislation were presented to the Council. Of these, 192 items were passed without amendment, and 13 items were amended by resolutions. The scrutiny period of 21 items has not expired, and these items will be scrutinized by the Fourth Legislative Council.
Another issue worth noting in this session was
the Council meeting on July 9. The meeting, which lasted for more than 62 hours, was the longest since Reunification. During that meeting, the Independent Police Complaints Council Bill, which sought to incorporate the Independent Police Complaints Council as a body corporate, was intensively debated for about 24 hours and was eventually passed on July 12.
Other bills that aroused public concern and
heated debate among Members included the Race Discrimination Bill, the Product Eco-responsibility Bill and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Bill. The object of the Race Discrimination Bill was to render racial discrimination, harassment and vilification unlawful. The Product Eco-responsibility Bill sought to impose a levy on certain retailers for providing plastic shopping bags, whereas the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Bill aimed at establishing the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in connection with the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District site.
On the new Legislative Council Complex
project, I am pleased that construction is now underway, and will be completed by 2011. Rita FANPresidentLegislative Council
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7GROUP PHOTO OF MEMBERS
From left to right:
First row (seated):Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Bernard CHANHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (President’s Deputy)Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (President)Hon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon James TIEN Pei-chun
Second Row:
Hon WONG Yung-kanHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon James TO Kun-sunDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Albert Jinghan CHENGDr Hon David LI Kwok-poHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon CHOY So-yuk
Third Row:
Hon CHAN Yuen-hanHon LI Fung-yingHon WONG Kwok-hingHon KWONG Chi-kinDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon CHIM Pui-chungHon Mrs Anson CHANHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Vincent FANG KangDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon LAU Kong-wahHon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon LEE Wing-tat
Fourth Row:
Hon TAM Heung-manHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon SIN Chung-kaiHon LI Kwok-yingHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Margaret NG
Fifth Row:
Hon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon LAU Chin-shekHon Howard YOUNGHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon CHAN Kam-lamHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Albert CHAN Wai-yip
Absent:
Hon CHEUNG Man-kwongDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon LAU Wong-fatHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon LEUNG Kwok-hung8
In the Chamber, Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai shows the facilities
on each Member’s desk to a group of students.MA jOR EvENTS IN PICTURES
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (centre), President of the Legislative Council, Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (left) and Hon Fred LI Wah-ming (right), Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the House Committee respectively, officiating at the opening ceremony of the Legislative Council Building Open Day. (From left at the back) Hon CHAN Kam-lam, Hon James TIEN Pei-chun, Hon LI Fung-ying, Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing, Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit and Hon WONG Ting-kwong join to share the joy of the event, which has attracted a total of 2,758 visitors this year.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BUILDING OPEN DAY9
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee helps distribute a magnet as souvenir to a girl at
the end of the visit.
Hon WONG Ting-kwong introduces to visitors the facilities of Conference
Room A.10
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit poses with visitors in Conference Room A after
touring the Building.
Hon James TIEN Pei-chun recalls some of the functions held in the Dining
Hall.
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Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee and Mr Henry TANG, Chief Secretary for
Administration, toast to cheer for the New Year.
Hon TAM Heung-man appears to have a happy conversation with Prof K C CHAN, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury.SOCIAL GATHERINGS
Spring Gathering
Members celebrate the Year of the Rat with the Chief Executive, Executive Council Members and Senior
Government Officials in the Spring Gathering hosted by Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the Legislative Council.12
Adding to the festive atmosphere
and promoting the concept of social integration of people with or without disabilities alike, Mrs FAN invites Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee and Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong to sing at the lunch (above), while several Members perform sign language with a group of trainees from Wai Ji Christian Service (dressed in orange).
13
Mrs FAN makes a speech to welcome all guests.
Mrs FAN presents a pair of teacups to Mr Donald TSANG Yam-kuen as
souvenir, and it looks like that Mr TSANG really loves it.
14
Lunch with the Chief Executive, Executive Council Members and
Senior Government Officials
Members of the legislature and the executive authorities enjoy a moment of amity at the
luncheons hosted by Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the Legislative Council.
At the head table, the Chief Executive, Mr Donald TSANG Yam-kuen,
listens carefully when the President is making a point.
(From right) Hon CHAN Kam-lam, Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung, Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee and Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong have a nice time chatting with the Chief Executive.
15
Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo (right) expresses his views to Mr Stephen
LAM, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs.
(From right) Hon Henry FAN Hung-ling, Executive Council Member, Mrs Pamela TAN, Director of Home Affairs, and Hon James TO Kun-sun, pose at the pre-lunch reception.
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Hon CHIM Pui-chung takes note of the words of Hon CHENG Yiu-tong,
Executive Council Member, while enjoying the drink.
With smiles on their faces, Hon Mrs Anson CHAN and Hon Henry FAN Hung-
ling are no doubt having a good chat with each other.
17End-of-term Dinner
A farewell dinner has been held for Members to say goodbye to one another and to Government
officials before the end of the last session of the Third Legislative Council. It is an evening of fun, joy and snap shots of memories.
Mr Donald TSANG Yam-kuen, the Chief Executive, pose with Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the Legislative Council, and other Members in the pre-dinner reception.
Members of different political affiliations sing the popular song “Friends” to celebrate their friendship.
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The music just can’t be stopped.
A serious toast by the President with Hon Fred LI Wah-ming.
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Hon WONG Yung-kan (left) and
Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him make a toast for their friendship before they urge Hon TAM Heung-man to empty a glass of Maotai.
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Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing (right) and Miss Denise YUE, Secretary for the Civil
Service.
Hon CHAN Yuen-han and Mr Michael SUEN Ming-yeung, Secretary for Education.
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(From left) Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming and
Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong.
(From left) Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming, Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, Hon Mrs Anson CHAN and Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung.
22
Hon LI Fung-ying (right) and Hon WONG Yung-kan (left) exchange views
with Mr LEUNG Fu-wah (centre).
Hon SIN Chung-kai (centre) converses with some of his former colleagues: (from right) Mr LAW Chi-kwong, Mr Ronald ARCULLI, Mr NG Leung-sing and Mr Gary CHENG.
Lunch with Former Members23
It seems like that Hon CHAN Kam-lam (centre) is having a serious
discussion with Mr Paul CHENG Ming-fun (right) and Mr KAN Fook-yee.
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FOR CHARITY
Blood Donation
In support of the work of the Hong Kong Red Cross, nine Members and 38 staff of the Legislative
Council (LegCo) Secretariat and members of the public give blood in the Dining Hall of the LegCo Building. The Members include: (in sequence of photos below) Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong; Hon Fred LI Wah-ming; Hon SIN Chung-kai; Hon Howard YOUNG; Hon WONG Ting-kwong; Hon CHOY So-yuk; Hon LEE Cheuk-yan and Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung.
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An Annual Tea Reception is hosted by Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the
Legislative Council, for the new Boards of Directors of six charitable organizations. (From left): Miss Elizabeth LAW, Chairman of Yan Chai Hospital; Ms Lisa LAU Man-man, Chairman of Lok Sin Tong; Mr Patrick MA Ching Hang, Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai; Mrs Pauline NGAN, Chairman of Po Leung Kuk; Mr LAM Kwok Hing, Chairman of Pok Oi Hospital; and Mr Dennis WONG, Vice-Chairman of Yan Oi Tong.
Annual Tea Reception with Charity Organizations28
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee (second from left) and Ir Dr Hon
Raymond HO Chung-tai (first from right) in a ceremony of the Cookies Day.
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai helps sell cookies for charity.
Cookies Day29
The Council observes one minute’s silence to mourn the victims of the
earthquake which occurred in Sichuan Province on 12 May 2008.
Members, Government officials, Secretariat staff, a group of student visitors and some members of the public observe a three-minute silence in mourning outside the LegCo Building at 2:28 pm (the time the earthquake occurred) a week after the disaster.THE SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE
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Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the Legislative Council, leads a
LegCo delegation to the epicenter of Sichuan quake-hit areas to have an understanding of the damage caused by the earthquake and the progress of reconstruction.
Members observe silence at the earthquake scene to mourn for those who died in the disaster.
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At one of the disaster areas, Wenchuan County head Liao Min briefs
Members on the damage done by the earthquake.
Members having lunch with soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army deployed to the area to help in disaster relief.
32
Members visit a victim family at the resettlement area.
Members meet with Sichuan officials to understand more about the
destruction caused by the earthquake and the details of the reconstruction project.
33
Hon Bernard CHAN, captain of the LegCo team, tries to
intercept a pass.
Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung organizes a strike from the midfield.ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD
Hon Bernard CHAN shares the trophy with
the Association’s Dr CHAN Chung-mau upon a happy ending of 1:1.Legislative Council vs. the Hong Kong Medical Association34
Players of the LegCo and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) teams pose
before the match on which the LegCo team beats the HKIA team by 3:2.
Legislative Council vs. the Hong Kong Institute of Architects35Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee, Chairman of House Committee, kicks off the
game.
Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip has
scored four goals for the team.
LegCo team takes the trophy by 6:4
Legislative Council vs. Consuls-General36
Members of the two teams mourn in silence before the match for those
who died in the Sichuan earthquake.
Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming and Mr Stephen LAM, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, battle for the ball.
Legislative Council vs. Senior Government Officials37
LegCo team takes the trophy from Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the
Legislative Council, after winning the match by 1:0.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FUN DAY
Members and LegCo beat reporters spend an enjoyable evening eating and playing in the
Dining Hall of the LegCo Building before the end of the four-year-term.
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Fun Day for the Third LegCo, delivers a welcoming note to Members and reporters.
Members and reporters dig deep into their memories to answer the questions asked in the game “Trivia of the Third Legislative Council”.
39
Hon LI Fung-ying (first from right) and Mr CHAN Wing-chan, former Legco
Member, show their cooking talent in contesting the title “LegCo Chef of the Chefs”. Hon WONG Yung-kan (second from left) watches with fun.
Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki and Miss Phyllis TSANG of Ming Pao Daily News pose in front of their masterpiece.
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee and Miss Gary CHAN of
TVB News may find that it is really “Easier Said Than Done” to knot a tie for the other.
40
From the facial expressions of (from left) Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki, Hon TAM
Heung-man, Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee and former Member Mr LAU Ping-cheung, it is not hard to guess who is the fastest runner in the 100m athletics game.
Hon Fred LI Wah-ming fights hard in the TV boxing game.41
Do you recognize the political figures imitated by Members and
reporters?
“Actors” of the farce pose with some of the Members they are trying to personate.
42
NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMPLEX
Mr Henry TANG Ying-yen (sixth from right), the Chief Secretary for Administration, makes a toast after
signing the Tamar Development Project contract. Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (fifth from right) and Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (fourth from right), members of the Special Selection Board of the Tamar Development Project, attend the ceremony.
Foundation work of the
Tamar site in progress.
43WAVING GOODBYE
Members waving farewell after concluding the business of the second last Council meeting of
the term.44
THE LEGISLATIvE COUNCILC H A P T E R 1
POWERS AND FUNCTIONS
As provided for in Article 73 of the Basic Law,
the Legislative Council of the HKSAR shall exercise the following powers and functions:
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According to the Basic Law, the Legislative Council of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region shall be the legislature of the Region.The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
stipulates that the HKSAR shall be vested with legislative power and the Legislative Council shall be the legislature of the Region.
To enact, amend or repeal laws in
accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law and legal procedures;
To examine and approve budgets introduced
by the Government;
To approve taxation and public
expenditure;
To receive and debate the policy addresses
of the Chief Executive;
To raise questions on the work of the
Government;
To debate any issue concerning public
interests;To endorse the appointment and removal of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court;
To receive and handle complaints from Hong
Kong residents;
If a motion initiated jointly by one-fourth of
all the Members of the Legislative Council charges the Chief Executive with serious breach of law or dereliction of duty and if he or she refuses to resign, the Council may, after passing a motion for investigation, give a mandate to the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal to form and chair an independent investigation committee. The committee shall be responsible for carrying out the investigation and reporting its findings to the Council. If the committee considers the evidence sufficient to substantiate such charges, the Council may pass a motion of impeachment by a two-thirds majority of all its Members and report it to the Central People’s Government for decision; and
To summon, as required when exercising the
above-mentioned powers and functions, persons concerned to testify or give evidence.45COMPOSITION
According to the Basic Law, the Legislative
Council of the HKSAR shall be constituted by election. There are 60 Members for the Third Legislative Council (2004-2008), with 30 Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections and 30 Members by functional constituencies. The election for the Third Legislative Council was held on 12 September 2004 and the term of office is four years.
The President of the Legislative Council is
elected by and from among Members of the Legislative Council.
The composition and biographies of Members
who served on the Legislative Council in the 2007-2008 session are in Appendices 1 and 2
respectively.46
LEGISLATIvE COUNCIL MEETINGSC H A P T E R 2
TABLING OF SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
AND OTHER PAPERS
Subsidiary legislation is any proclamation,
rule, regulation, order, resolution, notice, rule of court, bylaw or other instruments made by the designated authorities under or by virtue of the relevant ordinances and having legislative effect. It is subject to the scrutiny of the Council, which may be through either the negative vetting procedure or the positive vetting procedure.
Subsidiary legislation scrutinized through the
negative vetting procedure is first published in the Gazette and then laid on the table of the Council at its meetings. Where considered necessary, the Council’s House Committee may set up a subcommittee to study the subsidiary legislation in detail. A Member or a public officer may, within a prescribed time limit, move a motion in Council to seek the
Mrs Anson CHAN swears in after winning the by-election to fill
the seat vacated by the passing of Hon MA Lik.Meetings of the Legislative Council are open to the public. They
may be conducted in either Cantonese, English or Putonghua, with simultaneous interpretation provided. The proceedings of the meetings of the Council are broadcast live and are reported by the mass media. They are also recorded verbatim in the Official Record of Proceedings of the Meetings of the Legislative Council, which is accessible through the Legislative Council’s website.
The business transacted at a regular Council meeting mainly comprises
the tabling of subsidiary legislation and other papers and reports; asking of questions for replies by the Government; the consideration of bills; and debates on motions. During the period from October 2007 to July 2008, the Council held 37 meetings and sat for more than 410 hours.
Council’s agreement to amend or repeal an
item of subsidiary legislation that has been tabled.
During the 2007-2008 session, 210 items of
subsidiary legislation scrutinized through the negative vetting procedure were tabled in Council. Among them, 13 were amended by resolution of the Council. In addition, three amendments were moved by Members and two amendments by the Government to amend the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008, which were all negatived. Another amendment moved by a Member toamend the Building (Planning) (Amendment) Regulation 2008 was also negatived. As the scrutiny period of 21 items of subsidiary legislation has not expired as at the end of the 2007-2008 session, the scrutiny of these items will continue in the Fourth Legislative Council. Furthermore, the Council completed in this session the scrutiny of 24 items of subsidiary legislation which were tabled in the last session. Among them, two were amended by resolution of the Council.
The scrutiny by the Council of subsidiary
legislation through the positive vetting procedure is described later in this chapter, under Motions.47LEGISLATIvE COUNCIL MEETINGS
Other papers tabled at Council meetings
include annual reports of Government departments and public bodies, and reports of the Council’s committees. Members and public officers presenting the reports may address the Council.
QUESTIONS
Any Member may address questions to the Government on its work for the purpose of either seeking information on such matter or asking for official action with regard to it. The Member specifies whether an oral or a written reply is required.
During the 2007-2008 session, Members asked
a total of 167 oral questions on a wide range of subjects at Council meetings, and followed up with 895 supplementary questions. Another 471 questions seeking written replies by the Government were also asked.
STATEMENTS
Statements may be made by Government officials on issues of public concern at Council meetings. During the session, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs made a statement on the “Report on Further Development of Political Appointment System” at the Council meeting of 17 October 2007. In addition, the Chief Secretary for Administration made a statement on the “Report on Hong Kong’s Constitutional Development by the Chief Executive to the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress” at the Council meeting of 12 December 2007.
BILLS
The Government is primarily responsible for proposing new legislation or amendments to existing legislation, in the form of bills which are considered by the Council for enactment. Subject to meeting certain conditions, Members may also introduce bills into the Council. Broadly speaking, bills have one or more of the following purposes:
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- To extend the scope of existing legislation;
- To improve and update existing legislation;- To modify or reform the machinery of Government; and- To appropriate funds for public expenditure
and to raise revenue.
A bill is first published in the Gazette before
it is introduced into the Council. It has to be given three readings for its passage by the Council. The First Reading is a formality, with the Clerk reading the short title of a bill at a Council meeting. The Second Reading of the bill starts with the public officer or Member who introduces the bill moving the motion “That the bill be read the second time” and explaining the purpose of the bill. Usually, after the motion has been moved, the debate on it is adjourned and the bill is referred to the House Committee to allow Members more time to study it, either in the House Committee or in a bills committee set up by the House Committee specifically for it.
The debate on the Second Reading resumes
at a subsequent Council meeting after the bill has been studied. During the debate, Members present their views on the general merits and principles of the bill and may indicate their support or otherwise. A vote is then taken by the Council on the motion “That the bill be read the second time”. If the motion is not passed, the bill cannot proceed further. If it is passed, the bill is given a Second Reading, and the Council will then sit as a committee of the whole Council during which the committee goes through the clauses of To introduce new measures or policies, to create new organizations or institutions, or to make changes to existing organizations or institutions;48
the bill, making amendments where agreed
to by the committee. After the bill has passed through the committee of the whole Council with or without amendments, it is reported back to the Council for it to consider whether to support the passage of the bill by giving it the Third Reading.
When a bill has been given three readings,
it becomes a piece of enacted law. Unless a later date has been specified, it may take effect after it is signed by the Chief Executive and promulgated in the Gazette.
Where the Council considers that the passage
of a bill is sufficiently urgent, it may proceed with the Second Reading debate on the bill at the meeting at which the bill is introduced. If the bill receives Second Reading, the Council may proceed to the remaining stages at the same meeting.
During the 2007-2008 session, the Council
completed proceedings on 35 bills, which comprised respectively 22 and 13 bills introduced in this and the last sessions. All of them were passed, 27 of which with amendments. A list of the bills passed is in Appendix 3.
MOTIONS
Motions are the mechanism through which most of the Council’s business is transacted. The processing of a bill is by way of a series of motions moved, debated and voted upon by the Council at various stages. Amendments to bills and the approval of or amendments to subsidiary legislation are also effected by way of motions.
Regarding the scrutiny of subsidiary legislation
through the positive vetting procedure, the process starts with a public officer giving notice of a motion to be moved at a future Council meeting. The proposed motion is then studied by the House Committee which may decide to set up a subcommittee to study it in detail. Where Members consider it necessary, they may move amendments to the motion. During the 2007-2008 session, public officers moved a total of 16 motions to either approve or amend subsidiary legislation through the positive vetting procedure, and all were passed.
Apart from those relating to subsidiary
legislation, motions may be moved by Members to exercise the Council’s power under the Basic Law to amend the Council’s Rules of Procedure, or to invoke the Council’s power under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382). During the 2007-2008 session, the Council passed two motions to amend the Rules of Procedure and one motion to amend the terms of reference of Panels. One motion to invoke the Council’s power under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance to seek papers, books, records and documents regarding the salary and fringe benefits of Under Secretaries and Political Assistants was negatived.
POLICY ADDRESS DEBATE
Mr Donald TSANG Yam-kuen delivers the
first Policy Address of his second term as the Chief Executive, titled “ A New Direction for Hong Kong” .49The Chief Executive addresses the Council in
every Legislative Council session on his policies for administering the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At a Council meeting held after the Chief Executive has delivered his Policy Address, a motion is moved by the Chairman of the House Committee to thank the Chief Executive for his Address (Motion of Thanks). A debate then follows, with Members offering their comments on the Policy Address and public officers responding to these comments. During the 2007-2008 session, the Chief Executive delivered his Policy Address on 10 October 2007 and Members and Government officials debated the Motion of Thanks for three days on 24, 25 and 26 October 2007. The debate was divided into five debate sessions each of which covered several policy areas.BUDGET DEBATE
Shortly before a financial year ends at the end of March, the Financial Secretary presents to the Council his Budget for the next financial year which commences on 1 April each year, in the form of an Appropriation Bill and the Estimates, which is followed closely by legislative measures for implementing the Government’s revenue proposals. These set out the Government’s annual revenue and expenditure proposals for the following financial year. Legislative measures required for implementing the revenue proposals are presented in the form of bills or subsidiary legislation. After the proposed estimates of expenditure have been examined by the Finance Committee at its special meetings, the Appropriation Bill is brought back into the Council for consideration and decision. For the 2008-2009 Budget, the Financial
“Cheerleading” for Mr TSANG by his wife Selina TSANG
(dressed in yellow) and Executive Council Members (in the front row).
Members debate the Policy Address. (From left): Dr Hon
YEUNG Sum; Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing and Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him.
Mr john TSANG Chun-wah, the Financial Secretary, delivers
his first budget speech setting out the three basic principles
in public finances management as “Commitment to Society, Sustainability, and Pragmatism” .
Mr john TSANG Chun-wah explains to Members his budget
proposals in a special Finance Committee meeting.50
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S QUESTION AND
ANSWER SESSIONS
In the session, four meetings of the Council
were held during which the Chief Executive addressed the Council and answered questions put to him by Members.
ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The Chief Executive addressed the Council, under Rule 8(a) of the Rules of Procedure, on the Further Development of the Political Appointment System at the Council meeting of 25 June 2008.
During a Question and Answer Session, Mr Donald TSANG
Yam-kuen places an emphasis on a point of his Policy Address to Members.
Mr Donald TSANG Y am-kuen, the Chief Executive, makes an address for the first time during the course of a Council meeting on “Further Development of the Political Appointment System” .Secretary introduced the Appropriation Bill
2008 on 27 February 2008. The debate on the Budget took place on 16, 17 and 23 April 2008. The Appropriation Bill 2008 was passed on 23 April 2008.
OTHER DEDATES
All motions moved at Council meetings are debated and voted upon. Apart from motions with legislative or binding effect, Members also debate motions which do not have such effect. Such debates provide opportunities for Members to express their views on issues of public interest and for public officers to respond to such views. During the 2007-2008 session, the Council debated 55 such motions moved by Members. Among these, 44 were passed with or without amendment and 11 were negatived. These motions and the decisions of the Council on them are in
Appendix 4.
Where a Member wishes to raise a topic
for debate in Council but does not wish to formulate a motion in express terms, an adjournment debate may be proposed for Members to simply express their opinions on the topic and to elicit a response from the Government. Two motions for adjournment were moved during the 2007-2008 session. At the Council meeting of 19 December 2007, Dr Hon YEUNG Sum moved a motion to adjourn the Council for the purpose of discussing the Report by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the Public Consultation on Constitutional Development and on whether there is a need to amend the methods for selecting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2012. At the Council meeting of 2 July 2008, Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan moved a motion to adjourn the Council for the purpose of debating the predicament faced by the live poultry trade.51FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Finance Committee consists of all
Members of the Council except the President. The chairman and deputy chairman of the Committee are elected by and from among its members.
The Finance Committee is vested with the
responsibility of scrutinizing and approving public expenditure proposals submitted by the Financial Secretary. Each year, upon the presentation of the Appropriation Bill to the Council, the President refers the Estimates of Expenditure to the Finance Committee for its examination. Special meetings of the Finance Committee are then held for that purpose. After the passage of the Appropriation Bill in the Council, any changes to the approved Estimates are put to the Finance Committee COMMITTEESC H A P T E R 3
The Finance Committee has held 35 meetings include special
meetings and appropriated a sum of $95.8 billion during the sessionThrough a system of committees, Members perform the functions of
scrutinizing bills, controlling public expenditure, and monitoring the work of the Government. There are three standing committees, namely the Finance Committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Members’ Interests. The House Committee co-ordinates matters relating to the business to be considered at Council meetings and monitors the progress in the study of bills and subsidiary legislation. The scrutiny of bills which require more in-depth study is done through bills committees which report their deliberations to the House Committee. Panels are committees which monitor and examine policy issues. There are 18 panels whose formation and terms of reference are approved by the Council on the recommendation of the House Committee.
for its approval. The Finance Committee meets
on most Fridays to consider these proposals or to note financial implications of new policies.
During the 2007-2008 session, the Finance
Committee held 28 regular meetings and examined a total of 70 items of proposals, including 19 items containing 96 proposals which had been considered and supported by its two subcommittees, the Establishment Subcommittee and the Public Works Subcommittee.
The Establishment Subcommittee examines
and makes recommendations to the Finance Committee on the Government’s proposals for the creation, redeployment, and deletion of permanent and supernumerary directorate posts, and for changes to the structure of civil service grades and ranks. During the session, the subcommittee, consisting of 17 members, held 8 meetings and examined a total of 18 items of proposals put forward by the Government. The membership of the subcommittee is in Appendix 5.52
The Public Works Subcommittee examines
and makes recommendations to the Finance Committee on the Government’s proposals for the upgrading of projects to, or downgrading from, Category A of the Public Works Programme, or changes to the scope and approved estimates of projects already in that Category. During the session, the subcommittee, consisting of 28 members, held 17 meetings and examined a total of 80 items of proposals put forward by the Government. The subcommittee also considered the list of potential submissions to the Public Works Subcommittee in the session. The membership of the subcommittee is in Appendix 5.
To examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2008-
09, the Finance Committee held a series of seven special meetings consisting of 20 sessions from 31 March to 3 April and 7 April 2008. Prior to the special meetings, the Financial Secretary briefed members on the 2008-2009 Budget, while the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury provided further information on the Estimates of Expenditure. Members raised 2,733 written questions seeking written replies from the Government to facilitate deliberation at the special meetings. A total of 109 supplementary written questions and 29 verbal requests arising from the special meetings were further put forward to the Government for written response. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
The Public Accounts Committee is a standing committee of the Council. It is responsible for considering the reports of the Director of Audit on the accounts of the Government and the results of value for money audits on the Government and other organizations which are within the purview of public audit. The committee may call for explanation and obtain evidence from public officers, management staff of public organizations and other relevant persons, if considered necessary.
The committee comprises seven members
elected by Members and appointed by the President. The membership of the committee is in Appendix 5.
During the 2007-2008 session, the committee
examined the Director of Audit’s Report on the Accounts of the Government for the year ended 31 March 2007 and the Reports on the Results of Value for Money Audits (Reports Nos. 49 and 50). The conclusions and recommendations of the committee are contained in the Public Accounts Committee
A public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee targeting
at the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). (Lower photo)Witnesses of the hearing include (from left): Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee, former Chairman of HKTB; Ms Clara CHONG, former Executive Director of HKTB, and Mrs Grace LEE CHAN Ka-yan, former Deputy Executive Director of HKTB.
Members of the Public Works Subcommittee visit Lama Island
to obtain first-hand information on the sewage treatment works and the operation of sewage pumping stations.53Reports Nos. 49, 49A and 50, which were
tabled in Council on 20 February 2008, 30 April 2008 and 9 July 2008 respectively.
COMMITTEE ON MEMBERS’ INTERESTS
The Committee on Members’ Interests is also a standing committee of the Council. It considers complaints made in relation to Members’ registration and declaration of interests and Members’ conduct concerning their claims for reimbursement of operating expenses or applications for advance of operating funds, as well as examines arrangements for the compilation, maintenance and accessibility of the Register of Members’ Interests. The committee also considers matters of ethics in relation to the conduct of Members in their capacity as such, and gives advice and issues guidelines on such matters.
The seven members of the committee are
elected by Members and appointed by the President. The membership of the committee is in Appendix 5.
HOUSE COMMITTEEThe House Committee comprises all Members, except the President, who elect from among themselves the chairman and deputy chairman. While the Legislative Council (LegCo) is in session, the House Committee normally meets weekly and its meetings are open to the public.
The House Committee prepares for meetings
of the Council and considers matters relating to the business of the Council. One important function of the House Committee is to scrutinize bills introduced into the Council and subsidiary legislation tabled in Council or presented to the Council for approval. The House Committee may form bills committees to scrutinize bills, or appoint subcommittees to study subsidiary legislation in detail. The House Committee then monitors the progress and studies reports submitted by the bills committees or the subcommittees concerned.
The House Committee may refer to the relevant
panels for consideration any policy matters relating to the business of the Council. The House Committee may also consider, in such manner as it thinks fit, any other items relating to the business of the Council.
The House Committee also serves as a focal
point for establishing a formal and regular dialogue with the Government. The chairman and deputy chairman of the House Committee meet the Chief Secretary for Administration on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual concern.
During the 2007-2008 session, a total of 30
regular meetings of the House Committee were held. Two special meetings were also held to discuss with the Chief Secretary for Administration and other principal officials the subjects of population policy and cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong.
While attending a House Committee special meeting,
Mr Henry TANG Ying-yen (second from left in the lower photo), the Chief Secretary for Administration, gives an account on “Population Policy - Optimising Our Demographic Structure and Attracting Talent” .54
Other Subcommittees of the House
Committee
The House Committee may appoint
subcommittees to assist in the consideration of any other items relating to the business of the Council. The following subcommittees were in operation during the 2007-2008 session -- -
-
- -
-
-
- The memberships of these subcommittees are
in Appendix 5.COMMITTEE ON RULES OF PROCEDURE
The Committee on Rules of Procedure is responsible for reviewing the Rules of Procedure of the Council and the committee system, and for proposing to the Council such amendments or changes as are considered necessary.
The committee consists of a chairman, a
deputy chairman and 10 members appointed by the President in accordance with the recommendations of the House Committee. The membership of the committee is in Appendix 5.
During the 2007-2008 session, the committee
held a total of five meetings to study a wide range of issues relating to the procedural arrangements of the Council, and the procedures and working mechanism of committees of the Council.
The committee presented three papers to the
House Committee recommending changes to current procedures. The committee also presented a report to the Council on 9 July 2008 summarizing its deliberations on specific issues during the period under report.
BILLS COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES
ON SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
The House Committee may allocate bills,
except the Appropriation Bill and bills not referred to the House Committee by the Council, to bills committees for detailed scrutiny. All Members, other than the President, may join any bills committee. The chairman of each bills committee is elected from among its members. Government officials and members of the public may be invited to attend its meetings.
A bills committee will consider the general
merits and principles of the bill concerned
The Subcommittee on West Kowloon Cultural District
Development, formed under the House Committee, holds a press briefing to conclude the work of the Subcommittee which has been designated to study various issues concerning the development of the cultural district located at the southern portion of the West Kowloon Reclamation.
Parliamentary Liaison Subcommittee;
Subcommittee to Examine the Implementation in Hong Kong of Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council in relation to Sanctions;Subcommittee on Members’ Remuneration and Operating Expenses Reimbursement;Subcommittee to Study the Subject of Combating Poverty;Subcommittee to Study Issues Relating to the Provision of Boarding Places, Senior Secondary Education and Employment Opportunities for Children with Special Educational Needs;Subcommittee on West Kowloon Cultural District Development;Subcommittee to Study the Transport Needs of and Provision of Concessionary Public Transport Fares for Persons with Disabilities; andSubcommittee on Draft Subsidiary Legislation Relating to the Civil Justice Reform.55as well as its detailed provisions, and may
propose amendments relevant to the bill. It may also appoint subcommittees for the purpose of assisting the bills committee in the performance of its functions. After a bills committee has completed scrutiny of a bill, it will notify the House Committee and advise the committee in writing of its deliberations. The bills committee will be dissolved on the enactment of the bill concerned or as decided by the House Committee.
During the 2007-2008 session, 27 bills committees
completed their scrutiny work of the relevant bills and reported to the House Committee.
A total of 24 subcommittees considered 28
items of subsidiary legislation tabled in Council and five proposed resolutions presented by the Government for the Council’s approval. The memberships of these bills committees and subcommittees are in Appendix 5.
Reports of these bills committees and
subcommittees are available on the LegCo website at www.legco.gov.hk.
PANELS
Panels are committees of the Council tasked to monitor and examine Government policies. Panels provide a forum for Members to deliberate on policy matters and study issues relating to the policy areas of their corresponding bureaux, which are of wide public concern. The items for discussion can be brought up by members of the panel, referred to it by the House Committee or other committees, proposed by the Government, or raised by other Members following meetings with District Councils or upon receipt of complaints or representations. Panels also give views on major legislative and financial proposals before their introduction into the Council or the Finance Committee respectively. To enhance the effectiveness of panels in scrutinizing such proposals, a series of measures agreed by the House Committee on the recommendation of the Committee on Rules of Procedure have been put into place to ensure early consultation with the relevant panel(s) on such proposals and to allow more thorough discussion of the policy aspects of the proposals.
A panel may appoint subcommittees to study
specific issues and present reports to the Council as it considers appropriate.
Each panel is headed by a chairman elected
from amongst its members. Memberships of the 18 panels in the 2007-2008 session and their subcommittees are shown in Appendix 5.
Panel on Administration of Justice and
Legal Services
The panel welcomed the Administration’s
efforts in developing mediation on various fronts, including the one-year pilot scheme launched by the Lands Tribunal to encourage parties to resolve building management disputes by mediation, the proposal to provide funding for mediation in legally-aided matrimonial cases on a permanent basis by the Legal Aid Department, and the establishment of the Working Group on Mediation to review the current development of mediation and to make recommendations on the way forward. The panel requested the Administration to explore ways to facilitate and encourage community mediation, pending the outcome of the review of the Working Group in two years’ time.
Given the success of the Supplementary Legal
Aid Scheme in widening access to justice, the panel reiterated its support for the expansion of the scheme on a gradual and incremental basis. Regarding the 2007 five-yearly review of criteria for assessing the financial eligibility of legal aid applicants, the panel was informed that the Administration would examine various suggestions put forth by members, consult stakeholders and revert to the panel around 56
the end of 2008.
The panel closely monitored the progress of
the review of the criminal legal aid fee system which aimed at achieving general compatibility with the prosecution fee regime adopted by the Department of Justice. While the Administration and the two legal professional bodies had reached a broad consensus on the proposed structure of the system, the Law Society of Hong Kong considered that the proposed level of fees on the various payment items offered by the Administration were unacceptable. The panel requested the Administration to continue discussion with the Law Society to resolve differences.
The panel held a discussion on the prosecution
policy and procedure relating to the publication of an obscene article. Issues discussed included the desirability of the Police obtaining a pre-charge classification on the article from the Obscene Articles Tribunal, and the propriety for the prosecution to oppose bail on the ground that further investigation was being conducted into other suspected offences committed by the accused.
The panel was briefed on the nine-month
monitoring exercise being conducted to collect relevant statistics and information for the purpose of assessing whether a scheme of pre-trial witness interviews (PTWI) should be implemented. While the panel noted that the adoption of PTWI would advance interests of justice as weak cases would be weeded out at an early stage, the panel expressed concern that the introduction of the PTWI was a drastic departure from the existing practice of interviewing witnesses and no prior consultation had been made with the two legal professional bodies. The Administration explained that all interested bodies would be consulted if it was decided that a PWTI scheme should be taken forward.
The panel noted that the Chief Justice had
accepted the recommendation of the Working Party on Solicitors Right of Audience to extend higher right of audience to qualified solicitors, and the Administration would introduce the proposed legislation in the next LegCo session. Members requested the Administration to provide the opportunity for the panel to discuss the code of conduct to be drawn up by the Council of the Law Society of Hong Kong for solicitor-advocates before the introduction of the proposed legislation.
The panel, however, expressed disappointment
about the progress of a number of issues discussed and would follow up in the next LegCo term. These included the introduction of effective measures to tackle the problem of recovery agents, the review of Ordinances for application to offices set up by the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, and the Administration’s response to the recommendations made in the review of the jurisdictions of the Office of the Ombudsman.
Panel on Commerce and Industry
The panel followed up closely on the provision of convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong to ensure that the capacity of local facilities stayed ahead of the industry demand, so as to maintain Hong Kong’s leading position as an international business centre. Following an overseas duty visit to Dubai, Frankfurt, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to study the development of convention and exhibition facilities in these places, the panel published a report in January 2008 on its observations and recommendations for the development of convention and exhibition industry in Hong Kong. The panel subsequently exchanged views with the Administration on the subject. The panel was pleased to note that the Administration had taken on board the panel’s recommendations and proposed a host of measures in this regard. An Alliance Group would also be set up to identify “Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE)” opportunities and promote 57concerted marketing efforts.
The panel generally supported the
Administration’s proposal for a non-recurrent provision of $100 million to InvestHK, to enable continued funding of investment promotion efforts undertaken by InvestHK, which was conducive to sustaining Hong Kong’s competitive edge vis-à-vis its competitors in the region. Nevertheless, the panel considered that resources allocated to InvestHK and other bodies for promoting Hong Kong should be pooled together to achieve cost savings. The panel also urged the Administration to report in due course the outcome of its study to review the strategy for promotion of inward investment.
As regards the public consultation conducted
by the Administration on copyright protection in the digital environment, the panel considered it incumbent upon the Administration to ensure that the copyright protection regime would facilitate the free flow of information in the digital environment while not compromising the protection of personal data privacy. While members supported protection of intellectual property rights, they were keen to ensure that, in addition to enforcement, the Administration would devise measures to forestall infringing acts. The panel also called on the Administration to be mindful of the far-reaching effect of such measures on one’s daily life and to consult the public extensively before formulating any new legislation to combat Internet infringement.
The panel was briefed on the preparations
of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for participating in the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China. The panel supported the project and the proposed funding in principle. Panel members considered Hong Kong’s participation in the Shanghai Expo an excellent opportunity to exhibit Hong Kong’s quality city life and position itself as a creative capital, and to emphasize Hong Kong’s role as an important city connecting the Mainland and the rest of the world. On HKSAR’s intention to adopt smartcard applications as its main theme in the Urban Best Practices Area Exhibition under this project, the panel urged the Administration to take the opportunity to promote wider use of smartcard applications by various bureaux and departments so as to improve efficiency and promote connectivity. Panel members suggested that some of the exhibits, especially the Hong Kong Pavilion, could be retained for continuous exhibition after the Shanghai Expo.
Panel on Constitutional Affairs
The panel had divided views on the Administration’s proposal to create positions of Deputy Director of Bureau and Political Assistant to Director of Bureau which were approved by the Finance Committee in December 2007. Arising from wide public concern about the transparency on the nationality, remuneration, and appointment procedure of the first batch of the political appointees in May 2008, the panel discussed the relevant issues. The panel was informed that the Administration would, in future, advise the appointees that the public expected them to disclose whether they had foreign right of abode and would disclose their personal remuneration to the public. The Administration agreed to consider members’ views in making a decision on the remuneration of individual appointees in future, i.e. to offer the minimum salary point within the approved salary ranges to some appointees, having regard to their then existing remuneration and experience.
Following the decision made by the Standing
Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) on 29 December 2007 regarding the electoral methods for Hong Kong in 2012 and beyond, the panel was informed that the Administration’s target was to make appropriate amendments to the specific methods for electing the Chief Executive 58
(CE) and forming the LegCo in 2012 within
the tenure of the current term of the HKSAR Government in order to lay a solid foundation for attaining universal suffrage for CE in 2017, and for LegCo in 2020. Some members maintained that functional constituency (FC) seats should be abolished and all LegCo seats should be returned by direct elections when universal suffrage was implemented. Some other members considered that the abolition of FC seats altogether would need to be further studied as various sectors of the community had diverse views on the method for forming LegCo by universal suffrage.
The panel was regularly briefed on the
deliberations of the Task Group on Constitutional Development which was appointed by CE to discuss specifically the two electoral methods for 2012 within the framework set out by the NPCSC’s decision. One of the issues discussed by the Task Group was whether the number of LegCo seats should be increased to 70 or 80 in 2012. As the ratio between Members returned by FCs and geographical constituencies should remain unchanged for 2012, some members considered that an overall increase in the number of LegCo seats would inevitably lead to an increase in the number of FC seats, and would pose further hurdles for consensus to be reached for abolition of all FC seats. The panel was briefed on the reports on the 2007 District Council election and the 2007 LegCo Hong Kong Island Geographical Constituency By-election. The major issues discussed by the panel included whether it was appropriate for candidates to have meetings with principal officials during the election period, whether the use of exit poll results by political parties or organizations before the close of polls should be prohibited, and whether the electoral law should be amended to allow Members to continue to use the information contained in the electoral register to communicate with their constituents after election.
The panel was consulted on a number of practical arrangements for the 2008
LegCo election such as the vote counting arrangements, the venue for setting up the Central Counting Station, the feasibility of providing candidates with address labels on a household basis instead of individual basis, and the proposed increases in the subsidy rate of the financial assistance scheme and election expense limits for candidates.
Regarding the mechanism for amending the
Basic Law, the panel was informed that the Administration had discussed with the Central Authorities and concluded that there was no need to amend the Basic Law at this stage and hence, there was no need to specify the relevant amendment mechanism. While some members agreed with the Administration, some other members considered that a mechanism should be established to deal with the need to amend the Basic Law when it arose.
Panel on Development
The panel discussed the Final Report of Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy published by the Administration in September 2007. Panel members in general supported the broad development strategies such as providing a quality living environment, enhancing economic competitiveness and strengthening links with the Mainland. Nevertheless, members were concerned about the lack of an action agenda for enhancing the environment of built-up districts, and urged the Administration to conduct a comprehensive review of the development parameters for all the districts.
On the implementation of New Development
Areas (NDAs) in Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, Ping Che/Ta Kwu Ling, and Hung Shui Kiu to address the long-term housing demand and provide employment, the panel urged the Administration to conduct comprehensive planning for the NDAs, in order to provide 59sufficient local employment opportunities
and communal and transport facilities for the residents. As the Administration indicated that it would consider adopting the Public-Private Partnership approach in implementing NDAs, some members reminded the Administration to ensure fairness and transparency in the implementation process. The panel also discussed a number of planning proposals, such as the draft concept plan for the land to be released from the Frontier Closed Area, design proposals for the New Central Harbourfront, and enhancement measures for other harbourfront areas of the Hong Kong Island.
In view of the public concern about the
provision of public facilities in private developments, the panel held discussions with the Administration and deputations. The Administration acknowledged that there was room for improvement in the management, accessibility and quality of some of the public facilities provided in private developments, but stressed that there was a strong basis for the existing policy which should be retained. The panel welcomed the Administration’s promulgation of the lists of private developments containing public facilities, but raised concern about sufficient disclosure of information to prospective property purchasers on the inclusion of public facilities in private developments. Panel members urged the Administration to step up measures in this regard, and ensure that the public had easy access to such public facilities in private developments.
The panel continued to monitor the
Administration’s efforts to prevent new developments from creating a “wall effect”. The panel noted that the Administration had commenced the review of the Outline Zoning Plans of various districts in a gradual and prioritized manner and, where justified, would stipulate appropriate development restrictions. The Administration was also reviewing the approved schemes of the property development projects at two railway stations with a view to lowering their development intensities. Moreover, Air Ventilation Assessment would be conducted for large land sale sites. As regards some members’ suggestion of introducing legislation to tackle the “wall effect” problem, the Administration advised that scientific standards for air ventilation would be a pre-requisite for introducing relevant legislative measures, and it would examine the feasibility of formulating ventilation benchmarking standards upon completion of the relevant consultancy study in 2009. During the session, the panel reviewed the effectiveness of the measures in promoting green features in buildings, and the effect of the arrangement to exempt green features from gross floor area and site coverage calculations on the height and bulk of the buildings concerned. Members urged the Administration to carefully review the exemption arrangement to strike a proper balance among the interests of different parties.
With the public attaching greater importance
in recent years to heritage conservation, community networks, lower development intensities and provision of public open space, panel members urged the Administration to conduct a comprehensive view of the Urban Renewal Strategy. Heeding members’ demand, the Financial Secretary announced in February 2008 that the Development Bureau and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct a review of the Urban Renewal Strategy. In June 2008, the Administration briefed the panel on the overall approach, modus operandi and public engagement process of the review which would take about two years to complete. Members in general welcomed the review and gave views on the direction and strategies for urban renewal in future. Some members urged the Administration and URA to adopt a flexible approach and consult the stakeholders to 60
identify alternative arrangements acceptable
to them as far as possible. The panel conducted an overseas duty visit to Amsterdam and Prague from 13 to 21 March 2008 to study their experiences in town planning and urban renewal. A report was published on the panel’s observations on how urban renewal projects were delivered to enhance the physical living environment of old districts, while preserving the uniqueness and community networks of the localities concerned.
Panel on Economic Development
During the session, the panel continued to monitor closely the operation of major tourism infrastructure projects. The panel expressed disappointment at the decline in the number of visitors to the Hong Kong Disneyland and urged the park management to implement measures to boost the park attendance. The panel called on the Administration to increase transparency of the relevant proposals to facilitate consideration by the Council. As regards the Ngong Ping cable car service, the panel urged the new management to improve the cable car operation in order to re-establish public confidence, and to assist Ngong Ping Village tenants to tide over the difficult period. On the Ocean Park development, the panel was supportive of the proposal to develop three hotels in the Park to enhance its appeal to visitors, increase tourist spending, and create new jobs for local people. The project would be taken forward through open tender, under which developers would be invited to design, build and operate the hotels.
The panel supported the Administration’s
decision to construct a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak by open tender. Members stressed the importance to put in place a mechanism for monitoring the performance of the operator of the new cruise terminal, and ensuring the operator’s commitment in developing Hong Kong as a regional cruise hub by working with the cruise industry and the Administration.
The panel also discussed with the Hong
Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) its 2008-2009 work plan. Members welcomed that the Administration would work closely with HKTB on the development of new Key Performance Indicators for measuring HKTB’s performance.
In monitoring development in the electricity
market, the panel called on the Administration to ensure the power companies would bring down the basic tariffs in the first year of the new Scheme of Control Agreements, and to enhance the financial monitoring over the two power companies. Panel members also urged the Administration to draw up a clear road map on the opening of the electricity market and take prompt action in this regard within the next ten years. The Administration was requested to brief the panel on the progress regularly.
On the development of aviation infrastructure
and support services, the panel urged the Administration to strengthen efforts in enhancing the runway capacity of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), critically examine the need for a third runway, and step up cooperation with neighbouring aviation authorities over the use of airspace in the Pearl River Delta region to improve the air traffic management, with a view to enhancing the
Members of the Panel on Economic Development take a ride
on Ngong Ping 360 to experience the operation of the cable car system. (From left) Hon jeffrey LAM Kin-fung, Chairman of the
Panel; Hon LEUNG Chun-ying, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council; Mr Frederick MA Si-hang, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; Dr Raymond CHIEN Kuo-fung, Chairman of MTR Corporation; and Hon j ames TIEN Pei-chun.61competitiveness of HKIA.
The panel followed closely issues relating
to the introduction of a cross-sector new competition law in Hong Kong. Members considered it necessary to address the concerns raised by the small and medium-sized enterprises and prevent increasing compliance burden on companies. The panel noted the Administration’s plan to introduce the relevant bill into the Council in the 2008-2009 session.
On the re-allocation of Public Cargo Working
Areas (PCWA) berths, while the panel considered the Administration’s proposal to allocate berths through open tender would ensure fair competition, they shared the grave concerns expressed by existing PCWA operators that increased competition brought about by open tender would increase the costs of operation, and could lead to loss of low-skill jobs provided at PCWAs. Having considered the panel’s views, the concerns of the operators and the industry, and the possible impacts on employment, the Administration has subsequently decided to reduce the number of PCWAs for open tender from five to two.
Panel on Education
Following the release of the Report of the Phase 2 Review of the Post-secondary Education Sector in which 22 recommendations were made to address the key concern about the quality assurance of post-secondary education, the panel held three meetings and received views from deputations. While supporting the various measures to enhance the quality of sub-degree programmes, the panel urged the Administration to further increase the provision of publicly-funded articulated places for sub-degree graduates, strengthen the cooperation and communication among the bodies for academic accreditation and professional recognition of sub-degree programmes, and enhance the recognition of sub-degree qualifications for employment purpose.
The panel noted from the visit to three
designated schools with the enrolment of a relatively large number of non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) students the great variations on the Chinese proficiency of NCS students and the school-based Chinese Language curriculum. Members considered it important to develop an alternative Chinese Language curriculum and specially designed textbooks for NCS students. Members welcomed the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded institutions’ agreement to consider alternative qualifications in Chinese Language for admission to undergraduate programmes under specified circumstances starting from 2008. The panel requested the Administration to keep track of the number of NCS students at different key stages of education to assess the effectiveness of the various measures.
The panel welcomed the implementation of
Small Class Teaching (SCT) in public sector primary schools starting from the 2009-2010 school year in Primary 1 and extending to higher levels progressively up to Primary 6. Members examined the admission arrangements for schools which opted to or opted not to implement SCT, additional resources provided for schools and ways to resolve the shortfall of classes in individual school nets. The panel called on the Administration to devise a timetable for the implementation of SCT in secondary schools.
The panel discussed the proposals to implement
the Third Strategy on Information Technology (IT) in Education. Members supported the call of the school sector for the creation of a permanent post of IT Coordinator and the Administration’s proposal to conduct a holistic and evidence-based review of schools’ IT expenditure. Noting that 25,500 primary and secondary school students aged 10 or above did not have a computer at home, the panel urged the Administration to devise measures 62
to bridge the digital divide among students.
The panel examined the provision and allocation
of publicly-funded hostels for tertiary students. Members noted the knock-on implications of the additional year of undergraduate studies starting from the 2012-2013 academic year and the accommodation requirement arising from the increased quota for non-local students in publicly-funded programmes. As at May 2008, the UGC-funded sector had a shortfall of about 11,000 publicly-funded hostel places. While recognizing the need to provide support measures to achieve the policy objective of developing Hong Kong as a regional education hub, the panel considered it necessary to review the existing policy under which all non-local students attending the UGC-funded programmes should be provided with hostel places throughout their studies, as opposed to only one year’s hostel places for local undergraduate students.
Panel on Environmental Affairs
Air pollution was high on the agenda of the panel in the 2007-2008 legislative session. To tackle the deteriorating air quality and to achieve the 2010 emission reduction targets, the panel generally supported the Administration’s proposal of amending the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 311) to cap the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates from power plants, and to provide a legal basis for the latter to meet the emission caps by way of emissions trading. However, some members were disappointed at the non-inclusion of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the proposed emission caps, given their adverse effect on climate change. They urged the Administration to examine the feasibility of setting a timetable for emission targets for greenhouse gases in the context of the study on climate changes.As regards the Administration’s proposal of banning idling vehicles with running engines with a view to reducing vehicular emissions, members noted that while there was broad-based support from the community as revealed from the consultation findings, the trades remained strongly opposed to the ban on grounds that it would unduly affect their business. To avoid further delay to the implementation of the ban, members held the view that consideration should be given to excluding certain types of vehicles from the ban in the initial phase. A list of exemptions should be included in the new legislation to be introduced into the Council in 2009.
Enshrined in the Policy Framework for the
Management of Municipal Solid Waste (2005-2014) was the development of the Integrated Waste Management Facilities with incineration as the core technology. It aimed at substantially reducing the volume of unavoidable waste, thereby extending the life span of the existing landfills and their extension. Some members considered the use of incineration to tackle the waste problem a retrogressive step, while other members supported the use of non-polluting incinerators for waste treatment as the use of landfills for disposal was not sustainable. The panel urged that the public should be fully consulted before a decision was made.
The panel noted that since the implementation
of the charging scheme for the disposal of construction waste in December 2005, there had been an increase in the number of complaint cases on fly-tipping activities, particularly those posed to be land filling activities. The situation was further aggravated as there was no designated department to coordinate enforcement against such activities. The panel passed a motion requesting the Chief Secretary for Administration to convene an inter-departmental meeting and to come up with a proposal for solving the problem. The Environment Bureau was subsequently tasked to coordinate efforts of relevant bureaux/63departments in examining how best the issue
could be addressed. Following an initial review of the relevant legislation, some preliminary legislative options had been drawn up. A database capturing cases of depositing of construction materials on private land would also be set up to better monitor the situation. Members generally supported the legislative options which would be further discussed.
While the panel supported the application of
polluter-pays principle to recover the cost in relation to provision of sewage services, it also noted the concerns about the Administration’s proposal of revising the generic chemical oxygen demand values and rates of trade effluent surcharge following a trade-specific survey of the strength of sewage of all trades. The trades alleged that the high appeal cost had discouraged the small and medium enterprises to lodge appeals against the surcharge amounts. Panel members urged the Administration to consider including in the relevant subsidiary legislation a provision for the award of the appeal cost to the successful appellants.
Panel on Financial Affairs
In addition to examining financial policies, the panel continued to provide a forum for Members to monitor macro economic issues. Despite above-trend economic growth for consecutive quarters, the upward inflationary trend in Hong Kong was of grave concern to the panel. In view of rising food prices and increases in the tariffs of public utilities, members urged the Administration to introduce effective measures to alleviate the impact of inflation on the grassroot population, in addition to one-off concessions announced in the 2008-2009 Budget. Noting the Administration’s view that sustained growth in labour productivity would help cushion the upward pressure on prices, members made suggestions on promoting economic activities, and highlighted the need to narrow the wealth gap as the increase in earnings of lower skilled workers lagged behind that of higher skilled workers.
On monetary issues, the panel was concerned
that under the Linked Exchange Rate (LER) system, Hong Kong might not be able to pursue a discretionary monetary policy to tackle problems such as inflation. While advising that the pass-through of exchange rate changes to consumer prices was relatively low, the Administration reaffirmed that there was no plan to change the LER system which had provided Hong Kong with a firm monetary anchor since 1983. The panel noted that according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the impact of the growth in renminbi deposits in Hong Kong had minimal impact on the Hong Kong dollar and the Mainland’s money supply. The panel also attached great importance to the independence of the Monetary Authority (MA) in discharging his functions. To enhance transparency and accountability, some members suggested that the governance of HKMA, including the appointment and tenure of the MA, should be spelt out in a piece of governing legislation. The panel noted that the fallout of the US sub-prime crisis had not caused any systemic problem in the local banking sector, although individual banks might suffer from their investment in asset-backed securities. Members would follow up with the Administration and HKMA on the outcome of a consultancy study on HKMA’s work on banking stability. In deliberating on the availability of basic banking services in the wake of the closure of quite a number of bank branches in recent years, the panel passed a motion requesting the Administration to establish a working group comprising representatives from stakeholders to recommend initiatives to meet the banking needs of the elderly, the disabled and other disadvantaged groups.
In considering the regulatory framework for
securities trading, the panel examined the congestion problems experienced by banks and broker firms during the debut trading of 64
newly listed stocks, and discussed with the Hong
Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) the capacity and reliability of Hong Kong’s securities trading infrastructure. The panel also followed up with HKEx, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Administration on regulatory concerns arising from the price volatilities of certain stocks recorded during one of the Closing Auction Sessions. In view of an increasingly complex market environment, members raised concerns about the regulatory requirements on structured or derivative financial products and the existing criteria for classifying investors as “professional investors”.
The panel gave views on the Administration’s
proposal to allow an employee to transfer the accrued benefits derived from the employee’s mandatory contributions from the employer-chosen Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme to an employee’s personal account in a scheme of his own choice, as well as on the proposed injection of $6,000 to boost the MPF savings for lower income workers.
Panel on Food Safety and
Environmental Hygiene
Following a series of food safety incidents
in 2006, the panel urged the Administration to review comprehensively the food safety regulatory framework. Members were supportive of the proposed Food Safety Bill and called on the Administration to expedite the legislative work.
The panel in general supported the introduction
of a mandatory “one plus seven” nutrition labelling scheme, but members raised various issues relating to its implementation, including the format for expression of energy and nutrient value in food labels, the duration of the grace period and the implementation of the small volume exemption. The panel welcomed the Administration’s revised proposal of providing for a composite licence for the manufacture and sale of ready-to-eat food items which could further facilitate the food trade. The panel also welcomed the Administration’s proposals on the regulation of upstairs bars and clubs and trade facilitation.
The panel expressed concern that the
development of the poultry slaughtering and processing plant would not only lead to the monopolization of live poultry market, but also affect the relevant trade. The panel passed a motion urging the Administration to draw up compensation proposals and reach a consensus with the affected trade before introducing the relevant legislation.
The panel in general supported the
Administration’s zonal approach policy on control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, but some members considered it equally important to combat smuggling activities of live poultry and poultry meat into Hong Kong.
Following the discovery of H5N1 avian influenza
virus in chickens in public markets, the panel held a number of meetings to discuss with the Administration and the trade the precautionary measures against H5N1 virus, including the ban of live poultry at retail level overnight and the provision of compensation/ex-gratia payment to the trade. The panel called on the Administration to work out a more generous “ultimate” one-off compensation package to the trade for voluntary surrender of their licences, and provide necessary assistance to the trade to complement the implementation of the ban.
On the supply of live pigs, members were
generally supportive of the Administration’s proposed enhancement to the terms of the future contract with the operator of the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse. The panel also discussed with the Administration and the trade the introduction of a code of practice 65for pig farming to licensed local pig farms.
The panel requested the early implementation
of the Administration’s proposals of exploring the feasibility of re-issuing new hawker licenses and relaxing the requirements for succession and transfer of hawker licences. The panel also discussed the Administration’s review on the provision of public markets.
The panel was of the view that, before
introducing legislative proposals to further safeguard animal welfare and enhance regulation of the pet trade, the Administration should impose a licensing requirement on animal traders to source animals from legitimate sources as early as possible.
Panel on Health Services
During the session, the panel held four meetings with the Administration to discuss the Healthcare Reform Consultation Document entitled “Your Health, Your Life” released on 13 March 2008. Members were generally supportive of the service reform proposals, viz. enhancing primary healthcare service, developing an electronic database of patient records, strengthening public healthcare safety net, and promoting greater public-private healthcare partnership. They urged the Administration not to wait for the implementation of supplementary financing arrangements before embarking on the service reforms.
The Administration advised that it had already
embarked on pilot projects to take forward the various service reforms. To sustain the improvements in healthcare services and to enhance the health of the community in the long term, it was necessary to introduce supplementary financing to provide a stable and sustainable funding source. The Chief Executive had pledged to increase government expenditure on healthcare from 15% to 17% of recurrent government expenditure by 2011-2012. Setting aside $50 billion from the fiscal reserve to assist the implementation of healthcare reform demonstrated the Administration’s commitment to share the responsibility for healthcare financing together with the community and to increase the resources available to individual members of the community for healthcare.
While supporting the elderly health care
voucher scheme aimed at implementing the “money follows the patient” concept on a trial basis, members passed a motion requesting the Administration to provide health care vouchers to elders aged 65 or above, increase the value of each health care voucher to at least $100, expedite the launching of the health care voucher pilot scheme within 2008, and provide each senior citizen with at least 10 health care vouchers a year.
The panel urged the Hospital Authority (HA)
to address the uneven allocation of resources among and within clusters, as evidenced by the serious deprivation of resources in the Kowloon East Cluster, the New Territories East Cluster and the New Territories West Cluster. HA advised that a new internal funding allocation model was being developed to challenge and question the existing funding arrangements to clusters in areas such as whether the workload of staff and provision of equipment were similar in hospitals providing the same services. If it was revealed that secondary hospitals had been historically disadvantaged, action would be taken to increase resources to these hospitals progressively. A new Strategy and Planning Division had also been established by HA to work out what workforce and services were required to meet patients’ demand in the long run.
To better protect the health of children, members
passed a motion urging the Administration to incorporate the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine, and hepatitis A vaccine 66
into the Childhood Immunization Programme
(CIP), make public the report to investigate the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of incorporating the aforesaid four childhood vaccines into the CIP, and put in place a review mechanism to ensure that the CIP kept up with the latest developments in childhood vaccines.
Panel on Home Affairs
The panel discussed the Administration’s new policy statement and initiative on heritage conservation. Members supported the policy objective of enhancing heritage conservation work, but were dissatisfied with the progress made. Some members considered that the Administration should revamp the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, and set up a fund to preserve privately-owned historic buildings. The subcommittee set up under the panel also continued to review the planning for redevelopment and/or preservation projects relating to buildings or site with unique heritage value.
The panel discussed at length with the
Administration and deputations a package of measures proposed by the Administration to strengthen the software and humanware for culture and the arts. Members considered that the audience base should be widened and more arts education programmes at school should be implemented. Some members expressed concern that the policy of subsidizing the nine major professional performing arts groups had led to unfair competition in certain art sectors.
After visiting the Hong Kong Maritime Museum,
the panel discussed with the Administration the development of private museums in Hong Kong including the future development of the Museum. Members considered that the Administration should expedite the
development of a standard mechanism for
supporting private museums.
The panel had been following up actively on
the preparatory arrangements for Hong Kong to co-host the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events. The panel supported the funding proposal to provide $150 million for the promotion of Olympism in Hong Kong. The panel also supported the proposal of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China of bidding for the hosting right of the 2011 International Olympic Committee Session.
Towards the end of the implementation of
the one-year pilot scheme to further improve district administration launched in Wan Chai, Wong Tai Sin, Sai Kung and Tuen Mun, the panel discussed with these four pilot District Councils and the Administration the implementation experience and areas for improvements. Members urged the Administration to provide sufficient resources for District Councils and
Dr Stephen Davies, Director of the Hong Kong Maritime
Museum (first from left), briefs members of the Panel on Home Affairs about the exhibits in the museum. (From right) Hon Albert HO Chun-yan, Hon CHAN Yuen-han and Hon CHOY So-yuk.
During their visit to the Hong Kong Art School, members of
the Panel on Home Affairs seem to enjoy very much the work of the students. (From right) Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing, Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing and Hon CHOY So-yuk.67to strengthen the manpower of the relevant
departments to cope with additional work under the new arrangements.
The panel also monitored closely the submission
of reports to the United Nations under various international human treaties by the HKSAR Government and its progress in following up the recommendations made by the United Nations treaty monitoring bodies concerned in respect of these reports. Some members criticised the Administration for ignoring repeatedly the recommendations made, such as investigation of complaints against the police by an independent body and the establishment of a human rights commission in Hong Kong. The subcommittee set up under the panel concluded after its study that there was a need for such a commission.
The panel held a special meeting to discuss
with the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and the Administration the review of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Members urged the Administration to expedite the review process in order to better protect personal data.
Panel on Housing
During the session, the panel continued to monitor the development of the private residential market. The panel examined the need for the Administration to re-launch the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) and the Tenants Purchase Scheme. Some members considered that the Administration should revive the two schemes to meet the property ownership aspiration of people in the low and middle classes and that of public rental housing (PRH) tenants for improving their living conditions. However, some other members were of view that as surplus HOS flats were still available for sale and the construction of HOS involved heavy Government subsidies, the Administration should deploy more resources to increase the production of PRH flats instead, in order to ensure proper utilization of public resources to safeguard the overall interests of the community. In view of the soaring flat prices, members called on the Administration to critically review the situation and consult the public as soon as possible, to enable an early decision to be taken on the matter.
In monitoring sales arrangement for first-hand
residential properties, the panel discussed with the Administration, the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong (REDA), the Estate Agents Authority (EAA), the Consumer Council, and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors measures to enhance disclosure of sales information. The panel considered it necessary to adopt a clear and standardized presentation of saleable area (SA) for residential properties, so as to help prospective buyers understand floor area information and protect their interests. Members supported incorporating the standardized presentation of SA under the Consent Scheme for the sale of uncompleted residential properties. They welcomed REDA’s move to issue new guidelines and a price list template for standardized presentation by developers, whereby only the area of the unit and the balcony will be included for calculation of the SA. The panel urged the Administration to expedite actions to follow up with the relevant parties on the implementation of these new measures. As EAA plays an important role in enhancing the service quality of estate agents to ensure the fairness and transparency in the conduct of property transactions, the panel called on EAA to strengthen compliance inspection and disciplinary sanctions on licensees, and enhance the professional knowledge and skills of practitioners in the trade.
The panel was concerned about the shortage
of land for development of PRH in recent years, and stressed that the Housing Authority should be provided with adequate land for constructing PRH flats. Members called upon the Administration to formulate a clear policy on the disposal of land resources for PRH 68
production and work actively in identifying
suitable new sites for such purpose. The panel also urged the Administration to expedite discussion with local communities to address their concerns in order to speed up PRH development projects. The Administration should also ensure an even distribution of PRH flats over the territory, timely provision of community facilities upon the completion of PRH estates, improvement in the design of PRH flats, and enhancement in facilities and living space.
The panel attached great importance to
assisting low-income people in meeting their housing needs. Members considered that the Administration should phase out bedspace and cubicle apartments, and formulate comprehensive policy for this purpose. They also called on the Administration to put in place measures to mitigate the negative impact of substantial rent increases in recent years following the enactment of legislation to remove rent control and security of tenure.
Panel on Information Technology and
Broadcasting
On the implementation of digital terrestrial
television (DTT) broadcasting, the panel urged the Administration to target at completing five transmission stations by June/July 2008 at the latest, in order to allow time for electronic manufacturers to produce sufficient DTT receivers for the Hong Kong market and for the public to purchase and install the set-top boxes. Panel members considered that part of the provision for the publicity and promotion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics could be used to expedite the roll-out of transmission network to achieve close to 99% digital coverage by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After discussion with the two domestic free television (TV) broadcasters, the Administration advised that they had brought forward their plan to complete construction of transmission stations to extend digital coverage to 75% of the population from end of 2008 to early August 2008, to enable more people to enjoy viewing of the Beijing Olympics with DTT.
In view of the pervasiveness of Internet service
and its popularity in Hong Kong families, members expressed concern about the prevalence of indecentand obscene Internet content easily accessible by young people and students. The panel considered that measures should be taken to protect the youth from being exposed to objectionable materials classified under the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (COIAO) (Cap. 390). Members urged the Administration to consider strengthening the deterrent effect of COIAO by increasing the maximum penalty on repeated offenders, particularly those media organizations with records of repeated offences of publishing indecent articles.
Members also expressed concern
about the deferral of the review of the Telecommunications Ordinance (TO) (Cap. 106) pending the outcome of the appeal on the magistrate’s constitutionality ruling arising from the incident on unlicensed broadcast by Citizens’ Radio. Members considered that the TO was outdated and the licensing regime no longer effective in regulating the telecommunications industry, and these should be revamped to enhance the fairness and transparency of the licensing procedures regardless of the outcome of the appeal. The panel expressed regret about the delay in the release of the long-awaited consultation paper on public service broadcasting (PSB) and the future of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Some members were concerned that the bundling of PSB consultation, the future of RTHK and the opening up of airwaves for community radio stations with the legal proceedings against Citizens’ Radio would hold up the review of all these issues. The panel urged the Administration to provide a timetable on consultation on these issues. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic 69Development assured members that the
Administration would make the best effort to finalize the consultation paper within a reasonable timeframe.
On the implementation framework for mobile
TV services and development of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) in Hong Kong, the panel expressed concern over the lack of progress in the development of DAB despite discussion for years. In view of the competing demand for frequency spectrum, the panel was concerned that the future development of DAB would be significantly restricted by the deployment of frequency spectrum for mobile TV services. The Administration assured members that it was the Government’s intention to take the opportunity of developing mobile TV services to facilitate the roll out of DAB. The panel would continue to follow up the development of DAB.
Panel on Manpower
On the introduction of a statutory minimum wage (SMW) for cleaning workers and security guards if the Wage Protection Movement failed to yield satisfactory results, some panel members considered that the definitions of cleaning workers and security guards should be wide so as to cover as many workers as possible. The level of SMW should not be lower than the monthly allowance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme or the median wage, and should enable the low income groups to maintain a basic living standard. An independent statutory body should be established for conducting reviews on the level of SMW at least once a year. These members also considered that an appropriate penalty level should be imposed to deter non-compliance with the requirements under SMW.
To assist employees in enforcing Labour Tribunal
(LT) awards, some members expressed support for making non-compliance with LT awards a criminal offence. They also considered that there was a need for a subrogate to represent employees of defaulting employers to recover the sums owed. However, a member was of the view that the making of non-compliance of LT awards a criminal offence would have significant impact, and it would only be fair if employees would similarly be held criminally liable should they fail to comply with the court’s ruling. The Administration subsequently advised the panel of three proposals which were considered to be viable and effective: making non-compliance with LT awards a criminal offence; empowering LT to order defaulting employers to pay additional sums to the employees; and empowering LT to order disclosure of the financial details of defaulting employers. Some members urged the Administration to introduce these measures as early as possible.
Some members expressed concern that the
findings of the survey on “Benefits of employees under the Employment Ordinance” indicated a substantial increase in the total number of non-”4-18” employees in comparison with that of 2001. These members urged the Administration to plug the loopholes of the Employment Ordinance (EO) to minimise unscrupulous employers’ exploitation of part-time workers. A member suggested that the Administration should consider removing the “4-18” threshold and extending the rights and benefits of “4-18” employees under EO to part-time employees on a pro-rata basis. The panel passed a motion urging the Administration to proceed immediately to amend EO for protection of non-”4-18” employees.
While welcoming the proposed relaxations
under the Transport Support Scheme (TSS), some members considered that the Administration should extend TSS to low-paid workers not living in the four designated districts (i.e. Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, North and Islands Districts). They also considered that the requirement of personal asset value of no 70
more than $44,000 should be removed. The
Administration was of the view that to relax TSS to cover all low-paid workers in the territory would be a departure from the objective of the Scheme. Nevertheless, the Administration agreed to consider reviewing the personal asset value requirement one year after the implementation of the proposed relaxations of TSS.
Panel on Public Service
During the session, the panel reviewed the overall civil service strength and the retirement and resignation situation. Concerned about the aging profile of the civil service and its succession plan, the panel called on the Administration to ensure that there would be adequate staff of suitable calibre in the years ahead to continue providing the public with an effective, efficient and high quality service.
The panel also discussed with the Administration
the arrangements in relation to the resumption of open recruitment for grades included in the Second Voluntary Retirement Scheme, the entry system for new appointees to the civil service, and the grade structure reviews of selected grades in the civil service.
In reviewing the employment situation of non-
civil service contract (NCSC) staff in the civil service, the panel passed two motions. The first motion called on the Administration to make its best endeavour to continue to offer appointment to those NCSC staff who had not been able to convert to civil servants. The second motion urged the Administration to consider setting up an inter-departmental platform to enhance communication with NCSC staff, so as to boost their morale.
The panel was concerned about the
implementation of the “3+3 entry system” for new appointees to the civil service, whereby recruits would be appointed to basic ranks in civil service grades on three-year probationary terms, to be followed by three-year agreement terms, before they would be considered for appointment on permanent terms. Some members considered that such arrangement was too harsh and had seriously affected the morale of new appointees. The panel passed a motion urging the Administration to abolish the ‘3+3’ policy for recruiting civil servants.
On the civil service recruitment policy, the panel
was briefed on the proposed incorporation of Basic Law assessment into civil service recruitment process. As regards the civil service pay adjustment proposal, the panel expressed concern about the polarization in salary between senior and junior civil servants, and the pay adjustment mechanisms for NCSC staff and staff of subvented organizations.
During the session, the panel also discussed the
application of the “no double benefits rule” in granting housing benefits to civil servants; provision of medical benefits to serving civil servants, retired civil servants and eligible dependants; and implementation of five-day week in the civil service.
The panel was consulted on the proposal to
allow serving Model Scale 1 (MOD 1) staff to opt to become Category A officers. The panel made various suggestions to the Administration on the proposal, taking into account the views expressed by the Staff Side of the MOD 1 Staff Consultative Council and relevant staff associations.
Panel on Security
Members of the panel were concerned about the Police’s practices regarding the handling of searches of detainees, especially whether strip searches were conducted with full justifications and in compliance with the Police’s guidelines. They considered that the Police should review the relevant provisions in the Police General Orders and the Force Procedures Manual. The panel was informed 71that new guidelines and procedures would
be issued to make it explicit that a search involving removal of underwear should not be conducted as a matter of routine but only with strong justifications. Accurate records should be kept on such a search and it should be conducted with proper regard to the privacy and dignity of the detained person and in accordance with Hong Kong’s human rights obligations. The panel appointed a subcommittee to follow up on the subject matter.
The panel examined law enforcement against
cyber crimes relating to obscence and indecent articles. Some members considered that it should be an established procedure for the Police to consult the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA) before determining whether an article was obscene or indecent. Law enforcement and prosecution in relation to the publishing of obscene articles on the Internet should also be reviewed. The panel was advised that the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (COIAO) provided that an article would only be submitted to the Obscene Articles Tribunal (OAT) for classification when the question of whether the article was obscene or indecent would be a live issue in legal proceedings. This notwithstanding, the Police would, in case of doubt in future, consult TELA or send the article to OAT for classification before laying charges relating to obscene and indecent articles. The Administration advised that it was conducting a comprehensive review on COIAO.Some members expressed concern about double standards being adopted in the processing of entry applications into Hong Kong. They queried whether it was the Government’s policy to tighten immigration control and restrict freedom of expression when major events took place in Hong Kong. The Administration advised the panel that it fully respected the freedom of speech and freedom of holding peaceful public processions. A person would not be refused entry for exercising his freedom of speech. Each entry application was considered on its individual merits and there was no question of double standards being adopted. The Administration stressed that immigration control and public order had to be strengthened when major events were taking place in Hong Kong.
Noting the increasing number of young
people crossing the boundary to abuse drugs, members considered that the Administration should combat the youth drug abuse problem in collaboration with the relevant Mainland authorities. They also urged the Administration to formulate measures to facilitate early identification of drug abuse among youth. The Administration advised the panel that a series of measures recommended by the Task Force on Youth Drug Abuse, which included enhancing the detector dog services at the boundary control points and stepping up anti-drug publicity, would be implemented. The Task Force would also examine the feasibility of conducting medical examination on students on a voluntary basis and with parental consent.
Mr justice WOO Kwok-hing (middle), the Commissioner on
Interception of Communications and Surveillance, briefs
members of the Panel on Security on his report findings.72
Panel on Transport
Road safety had always been the primary
concern of the panel. During the session, the panel discussed with the Administration measures to combat drink driving and other inappropriate driving behaviour.
Arising from a court case where a driver had
pleaded not guilty to the charge of speeding at 119 km/h in a 50 km/h zone as detected by Police using the UltraLyte Laser Gun (LG), the panel reviewed the circumstances surrounding the case, including the expert evidence given by the prosecution and the defence. The panel also observed a speed check operation at the site and discussed the internal guidelines and procedures governing the use of LGs by the Police.
The panel expressed deep regret about the
fatal traffic accident that occurred at the Ho Chung Roundabout on 1 May 2008. The panel conducted a site investigation with the Sai Kung District Council at the scene of the accident to review the traffic arrangements and the design of long downhill roads.
The panel was gravely concerned about the
rising fuel prices and the impact of inflation on transport costs, people’s livelihood and Hong Kong’s overall economic development. The panel urged the Administration to take into account public affordability before approving the fare increase applications from public transport operators.
The panel was also concerned about the
tunnel toll increase and the resultant knock-on effect on public transport fares and increasing burden on motorists. The panel passed a motion strongly opposing the proposed toll increase of Tate’s Cairn Tunnel and urging the Administration to reject it. The panel also called on the Administration to consider ways to even out distribution of traffic among various tunnels.
As ferry service was the only means of transport
for people residing on outlying islands, the panel urged the Administration to provide necessary assistance to ensure the provision of proper and efficient outlying island ferry services at reasonable prices.
The panel also reviewed the planning
and implementation of a number of road infrastructural projects, including Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge and Central Kowloon Route.
A subcommittee had been formed under
the panel since October 2004 to oversee matters relating to railways. Since then, the subcommittee had been actively monitoring the planning, implementation and operation of railways in Hong Kong. During the session, the subcommittee reviewed the planning and funding arrangements for the implementation of South Island Line (East), the Shatin to Central Link, the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express
While visiting the site of a fatal traffic accident at the Ho Chung
Roundabout in Sai Kung, members of the Panel on Transport observe silence to mourn for the 19 victims died in the accident.
Members of the Panel on Transport are briefed on the use of laser
guns for detection of speeding during a site visit.73Rail Link, the West Island Line and the MTR
Kwun Tong Line Extension. The subcommittee also reviewed the station designs, and the choice of alignments and depots for various railway projects. Various suggestions were put forward to the Administration to enhance the connectivity of railways.
Panel on Welfare Services
The panel had extensive discussion with the Administration on the assistance and support for the needy and the low-income group, especially at times of high inflation. Members were particularly concerned about the adequacy of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) payments for the recipients to meet their basic living. The panel continued to call for a comprehensive review of the CSSA Scheme and an adjustment to the CSSA rates ahead of the next annual adjustment cycle. The subcommittee set up under the panel made a number of recommendations, and a motion urging the Administration to take note of the subcommittee’s report was moved at the Council meeting on 20 February 2008. The motion was carried.
Members were also concerned about the
financial assistance and residential care services for the elderly who lacked family support or retirement protection, and for those who did not apply for CSSA for various reasons. Although members strongly urged the Administration to increase the monthly Old Age Allowance (OAA) to $1,000, they were only advised that a review of OAA was underway and was expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The panel set up a subcommittee to pursue these issues. In concluding its work, the subcommittee put forward a number of recommendations for the Administration’s consideration.
Members were dissatisfied with the slow
progress of the introduction of a licensing scheme to regulate the operation of residential care homes for persons with disabilities (RCHDs). Members noted that the Voluntary Registration Scheme (VRS) was introduced as an interim measure to encourage private RCHD operators to enhance their service quality. Given that the progress of VRS was unsatisfactory, in the interest of persons with disabilities, the panel wrote to the Chief Secretary for Administration urging the Administration to expedite the legislative timetable for the licensing regime and allocate more resources to strengthen the monitoring of services provided by RCHDs. Members were advised that the Administration aimed to introduce the relevant legislative proposal into the Council in the 2008-2009 session.
The panel supported the setting up of a
Child Development Fund to test a new model for promoting the longer-term personal development of children from a disadvantaged background. At the panel’s request, the Administration undertook to make
The Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways conducts a
site visit to the staff toilets in railway stations to explore ways to renovate the staff toilets so as to facilitate public access.74
progress reports on the pioneer projects.
Following the announcement of the
establishment of the Family Council in December 2007, the panel discussed the work of the Council. Noting that the Family Council sought to rationalize the work of the Elderly Commission, the Women’s Commission and the Commission on Youth under it by March 2009, members expressed the view that the three commissions were performing different roles to meet the specific needs of the elderly, women and youth, and should not be brought under the Family Council.
The subcommittee set up under the panel
since November 2004 to review the strategy and measures for tackling family violence concluded its work and submitted a report to the panel.75REDRESS SYSTEMC H A P T E R 4
The Council operates a redress system under which the public can
make representations on or seek solutions to problems arising from Government policies, decisions and procedures. Under the system, Members provide assistance, where justified, for members of the public who are aggrieved by Government actions or policies. They also deal with public representations on Government policies and legislation as well as other matters of public concern.
In groups of six, Members take turns to be on duty each week to oversee
the system and to receive and handle representations and complaints made by deputations. In addition, they take turns to be on “ward duty” during their duty week to meet individual complainants and to give guidance to staff in processing cases. Staff of the Secretariat provide full-time support service for Members in the operation of the system.
In 2007-2008, 926 new cases which required
investigation and 1,446 telephone enquiries/views were received. Of the new cases received, 160 were group representations and 766 were cases brought up by individual members of the public. Out of the 918 cases dealt with and concluded within the period, Members directly handled 701 cases, which constituted 76.4% of the caseload. Of the remaining 217 cases, 212 were views which were circulated to Members for consideration, and five were simple cases handled by Secretariat staff on behalf of Members. In order to resolve cases expeditiously, Members held 59 case conferences with representatives of the Government.
The nature of the cases concluded during the
period under review is shown in Fig. 4.1, and
the outcome of these cases is shown in Fig.
4.2. Of the 918 cases concluded, assistance was provided to 785 cases (85.5%), while the remaining 133 cases (14.5%) were not pursued, as these were either outside the scope of the redress system, groundless, or incomprehensible.
Complaint
237
(25.8%)
Matters outside scope
103
(11.2%)
Enguiry
22
(2.4%)Proposal / View
297
(32.4%)Request for assistance
259
(28.2%) Suitable assistance given
241
(26.3%)
Cases resolved / views
accepted
148
(16.1%)Not pursued because
outside scope,
groundless,
incomprehensible, etc.
133
(14.5%)Information given /
referrals made
396
(43.1%)Nature of concluded cases Outcome of concluded cases76
At Fig. 4.3 and Fig. 4.4 respectively are statistical breakdowns of these concluded cases, by
nature and by outcome, by the 10 Government policy bureaux/departments which received
the largest number of complaints. A breakdown of all concluded cases by Government policy bureaux/departments, independent organizations and others is at Appendix 6.
SOCIAL WELFARE
DEPARTMENT
CONSTITUTIONAL & MAINLANDAFFAIRS BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)
FOOD & HEALTH BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)
TRANSPORT & HOUSING BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)HONG KONG POLICE FORCETRANSPORT DEPARTMENT
LABOUR & WELFARE BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)LANDS DEPARTMENTHOUSING DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)
SOCIAL WELFARE
DEPARTMENT
CONSTITUTIONAL & MAINLAND AFFAIRS BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)FOOD & HEALTH BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)
TRANSPORT & HOUSING BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)HONG KONG POLICE FORCETRANSPORT DEPARTMENT
LABOUR & WELF ARE BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007)LANDS DEPARTMENTHOUSING DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION BUREAU (as from 1.7.2007) Statistical breakdown of concluded cases by nature
by the 10 Government policy bureaux/departments
which received the largest number of complaints
Statistical breakdown of concluded cases by outcome
by the 10 Government policy bureaux/departments
which received the largest number of complaints
Government Policy Bureaux/DepartmentsGovernment Policy Bureaux/DepartmentsNumber of cases Number of casesComplaint Request for
assistanceProposal /
viewEnquiry Matters outside
scope
Cases resolved /
views acceptedSuitable assistance givenInformation given / referrals madeNot pursued because outside scope, groundless, incomprehensible, etc.77ANALYSIS OF SIGNIFICANT CASES
DEALT WITH
Some of the more common and significant
cases dealt with under the redress system are as follows:
Social Welfare Cases
Social Welfare Department attracted the largest number of cases, totalling 100. These consisted mainly of complaints and views concerning the administration of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme. Many requests were received asking the Administration to upward adjust the CSSA standard payment rates to catch up with the persistent high inflation in recent years, and to relax or to remove the seven-year residence requirement for applying for CSSA. There were also a number of cases of asylum seekers and torture claimants in Hong Kong requesting to improve the food provision procedures and to be provided with transport allowance for them to attend social activities. In this session, there were a noted increase in complaint cases relating to elderly homes, amongst them were dissatisfaction with the service provided, objection to the establishment of an elderly home nearby, and the illegal operation of elderly homes. Some complaint cases were on the service rendered by Social Welfare Department staff and subvented organizations. Members met with the concerned groups and referred the policy issues to the relevant panels and subcommittees for reference and follow-up. Individual cases were taken up by the Department directly.
Housing Cases
Housing cases ranked the second in the number of cases received, totalling 41. These included individuals’ complaints about application for public rental housing (PRH) and transfer, maintenance of PRH units and management of PRH estates. Group cases were related to the asbestos management programme of the Home Ownership Scheme, compensation for commercial tenants affected by the redevelopment of an estate, request for the installation of escalator and elevator on the hillside of an estate and alleviation of the living conditions of overcrowded PRH households. The Complaints Division took up the cases with the Administration and advised the complainants accordingly.
Constitutional and Mainland Affairs
Related Cases
Cases within the purview of the Constitutional
and Mainland Affairs Bureau, totalling 38,
Members meet with a concern group petitioning for a review
on the Special Grants under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme.78
formed the third largest number of cases
handled during the session. These were mainly individual cases brought forth by two deputations requesting assistance for Hong Kong residents who encountered difficulties when conducting businesses in the Mainland. Views were also received on the constitutional development in Hong Kong, universal suffrage, Legislative Council election and anti-discrimination legislation.
During the session, two deputations
approached Members to urge the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to play a more active role in protecting the interests of Hong Kong investors operating businesses in the Mainland. Members raised the matter with the Administration, and were advised that the HKSAR Government would strive to provide assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress. However, for cases involving private contractual disputes, cases under judicial proceedings and those under investigation by the relevant Mainland authorities, it would be inappropriate for the HKSAR Government to intervene under the principle of “one country, two systems”. At Members’ request, the Administration had followed up on the cases and rendered suitable assistance to the individuals concerned.
Food and Health Related Issues
The Food and Health Bureau attracted 37 cases which were the fourth largest number of cases during the session. The majority of cases were views on the provision of medical services to the elderly, the health care reform and financing, the mechanism on obstetric charges for non-local expectant mothers, and the implementation of smoking ban in Hong Kong. There were also requests for expediting the construction of the North Lantau Hospital to address the needs of residents, as well as enhancing medical subsidy for patients. The issues were taken up with the Administration in the form of written referrals or case conferences.
Labour and Welfare Issues
The fifth largest category of cases, totalling 36, were on labour and welfare issues. Cases concerning labour issues were mainly views from members of the public on minimum wages, default salaries and payments of the Mandatory Provident Fund contributions by employers, as well as proposal for employment of disabled persons and importation of domestic helpers from the Mainland. Welfare cases mainly consisted of views on CSSA and the Old Age Allowance, and requests for review of the special grants under CSSA. Members had met with the concerned groups and referred the policy issues to the Administration for consideration. Individual cases were taken up with the appropriate departments and suitable assistance rendered to the complainants.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT CASES
Financial assistance rendered to
elderly owners for maintenance of old buildings
Elderly property owner-occupiers solicited
Members’ assistance in urging the Administration to provide enhanced financial assistance to the needy for building safety and maintenance works. Members followed up the issue at a case conference with the Hong Kong Housing Society (HS) and the Buildings Department (BD). Members were informed that elderly owners could apply cash subsidies under the Building Maintenance Incentive Scheme administered by HS and interest-free loans under the Building Safety Loan Scheme administered by BD. In addition, the Administration would implement the Building 79Maintenance Grant Scheme for Elderly
Owners at a non-recurrent expenditure of $1 billion to help elderly owner-occupiers in need to improve building safety.
Members noted that HS and BD had adopted
different income and asset limits for elderly owners applying for the subsidies and loans. At Members’ request to standardize the limits, HS agreed to adopt BD’s criteria for using the limits for granting the Normal Old Age Allowance by the Social Welfare Department. Members also requested HS to take into account the low income and modest asset of needy elders when administering the Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for elderly owners. To this end, a maximum grant of $40,000 would be available for each eligible elderly owner-occupier within a period of five years. Elderly owner-occupiers aged 60 or above would be eligible for the grant, subject to a simple declaration-based means test. For married couples, they would be eligible if either member of the couple reached the age limit and was the registered owner of the flat, provided that the couple lived in the flat under application and did not possess income and assets above the prescribed limit. The grant could also be used to repay the outstanding loans with BD and the Urban Renewal Authority in relation to building maintenance.
Safeguarding the employment
opportunities of local crew members on cross-boundary ferries between Hong Kong and Macau
A group of local crew members raised
concern about the gradual replacement of local crew members with Mainland crew members on cross-boundary ferries between Hong Kong and Macau. They sought Members’ assistance regarding the review of the Merchant Shipping (Seafarers) Ordinance (Cap. 478), which did not impose restriction on the nationality of seafarers, to protect the employment opportunities of local crew members. Members considered that there was a need for the Administration to introduce legislative amendments in the long term and explore administrative measures in the interim to address the concern raised by the deputation. At a case conference to follow up on the issue, the Administration advised that any legislative changes would require careful examination and extensive consultation. Members urged the Administration to expedite the process and formulate a timetable for introducing the legislative amendments. Members also requested the Administration to step up efforts to attract young people in Hong Kong to join the maritime industry with relevant training. In response to Members’ request, the Administration agreed to look into every possible measure to protect the employment of local crew members. To this end, the Administration undertook to review the relevant legislation for implementing the Marine Labour Convention 2006 of the International Labour Organization, on which the consultation was expected to be completed in mid-2009.
Impact on small movie rental operators
with the commencement of Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2007
An Alliance comprising video rental shop
operators petitioned Members regarding the proposed video rental licensing scheme with the coming into effect of the relevant provisions in the Copyright (Amendment) 2007 Ordinance in mid-2008. The operators were concerned that the copyright owners would increase the rental licence fees, which would result in increased costs. Consumers would then turn from rental to purchase, thus affecting the business of the rental shops. Members explained to the Alliance that rental licensing was a commercial act and the Administration 80
would not interfere with the free operation
of the market by involving in the detailed operation of the rental licensing scheme. However, in view of the divergent views between the shop operators and the copyright owners, Members urged the Administration to assist in maintaining constructive dialogue between the two sides to work out the details. The Administration subsequently arranged a series of meetings for both sides and the Consumer Council. Progress had been made on several important issues including: (a) setting the initial ceiling for rental licence fee at 130% of the retail version; (b) maintaining the above ceiling for one year, thereby providing time for the market to adapt; and (c) waiving the deposit requirement. Members noted that the fee level in future adjustments would ultimately be decided by the market, and the Copyright Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear matters referred to it regarding the licensing scheme, including rental of films operated by licensing bodies.
Reprovisioning of a school in Tuen Mun
with boarding service for students with physical disability
Members were concerned with the
Administration’s plan to build a new boarding section and secondary section of a school in Tuen Mun for students with physical disability at a different location. The Administration explained that there was an urgent need for additional boarding places for such students residing in the New Territories West Region. In view of the scarcity of land, the Administration could only identify a site with the space required at a distance of three to five minutes’ drive from the existing primary section of the school. Members did not accept the provision of the primary and secondary classes at separate locations, because even though the students with physical disability would not need to travel between the two premises, some specialist staff, such as nurses and occupational therapists, had to travel between the new boarding and secondary sections and the existing school. Moreover, some school facilities such as school halls would need to be provided separately. Members considered that it would be ideal if a suitable site could be identified for the
Members visit Lam Tei of Tuen Mun to know more about the
planning, transport, recreational and cultural facilities there. A concern group petition to Members complaining against the poor town planning of the area. (From left) Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung, Hon Fred LI Wah-ming, Hon Albert HO Chun-yan and Hon TAM Yiu-chung.
During a site visit to the Western District Public Cargo Working Area, Members receive a petition of a group of local residents urging that the site be converted into recreation use. (From left) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN, Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming, Dr Hon YEUNG Sum, Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee and Hon LEE Cheuk-yan.81construction of a 60-place boarding section
and new premises for the school to operate both primary and secondary classes. Members held two case conferences and conducted a site visit with the Administration. During the site visit, Members noticed a vacant piece of land adjacent to the site for the new boarding and secondary sections which was earmarked for a driving test examination centre. At Members’ request, the Administration finally agreed to release the land and consider relocating the existing primary section so that the three sections of the school would be situated on the same site. The Administration also agreed to seek approval for the necessary funding for the project in 2009.
Members receive a briefing by Ms Alice TAI, the Ombudsman
(second from right).82
LIAISONC H A P T E R 5
PARLIAMENTARY LIAISON
SUBCOMMITTEE
The Parliamentary Liaison Subcommittee of the
House Committee is responsible for the overall co-ordination of all parliamentary liaison activities between the Council and other parliamentary organizations outside Hong Kong, and for considering proposals for setting up friendship groups with such organizations. It makes recommendations to the House Committee on such matters. The membership of the subcommittee is in Appendix 5.LUNCHEONS WITH
CONSULS-GENERAL
To enhance contacts between Members
and the diplomatic community in Hong Kong, luncheons were organized regularly to provide opportunities for Members to make acquaintance and exchange views with consular officials on the work of the Council as well as matters of mutual concern. Between October 2007 and September 2008, three such luncheons were held, which were attended by a total of 43 consular officials.
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, President of the Legislative
Council, makes an address to the Consuls-General attending a lunch with Members.Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing, Mr Walid ISMAIL (right), Consul of Egypt, and Mr David LI vINGSTONE, Deputy Consul-General
of Australia.
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan (left) and Consul-General of Indonesia Mr Ferry ADAMHAR.Hon Fred LI, Mr Hans jakob ROTH (right), Consul-general of
Switzerland, and Mr A F M Gousal Azam SARKER, Consul-general of Bangladesh.
Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming (left) and Mr Shigekazu SATO, Consul-General of j apan.83CONTACT WITH DISTRICT
COUNCILS
Members hold regular meetings on a roster
basis with the District Councils to exchange views on matters or issues of mutual interest. Members convene such meetings by turn. Each meeting is followed by a luncheon attended by members of the District Council concerned, the President and Members. Policy issues raised at these meetings are referred to the relevant panels for more in-depth study, while individual cases are taken up by the Complaints Division for follow-up action with the Government. During the 2007-2008 session, 10 meetings were held with District Councils.
CONTACT WITH HEUNG YEE KUK
Members also hold regular meetings with Councillors of Heung Yee Kuk to exchange views on matters or issues of mutual concern. During the 2007-2008 session, one meeting between Members and Heung Yee Kuk Councillors was held on 8 November 2007. The Chairman of the House Committee presided at the meeting. Policy issues raised at the meeting were referred to the relevant panels and the Government for follow-up action.
VISITORS
Members meet with Kwai Tsing District Councillors
Members in a meeting with Heung Y ee Kuk councillors.Members meet with a delegation of the Committee for the
Future of the Parliament of Finland. (From left at back) Hon TAM Yiu-chung, Hon Howard Young, Hon Alan LEONG Kah-hit and Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing.
The President receives a souvenir from Hon Mike REYNOLDS,
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Queensland Parliament, Australia, after a meeting with the delegation led by the Speaker.The President poses with the Delegation of the Senate of the
Parliament of the Czech Republic - Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions after meeting with the delegation.
The President in a meeting with Chinese
vic
e-minister of
Commerce, Madam Ma Xiuhong.84
On a regular basis, Members and senior
staff of the Legislative Council Secretariat receive visiting parliamentarians, dignitaries and delegations referred by the Information Services Department and other departments of the Government and by consuls-general in Hong Kong. During the 2007-2008 session, a total of 93 meetings were held with visitors to brief them on the work of the Council and the latest developments in Hong Kong. These visitors included members of legislatures, political and business leaders, government officials and prominent persons from various countries and places.
The President(first from right), Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing(first
from left) and Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee(second from left) meet a delegation led by the Hon Stephen Smith MP , Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia. Before the meeting, the Minister signs the Guest Book.85SUPPORT SER vICES FOR
MEMBERSC H A P T E R 6
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
COMMISSION
The LegCo Commission is a statutory body
established under The Legislative Council Commission Ordinance (Cap. 443). Chaired by the President of the Council and comprising eleven other Members (as provided in the Ordinance, the Commission can have not more than 13 members, including the Chairman), the Commission exercises managerial and financial functions in providing, through the LegCo Secretariat, administrative support and facilities to the Council independent of the Government. There are three committees under the Commission to carry out specific delegated functions. Membership of the Commission, its committees, and their terms of reference are set out in Appendix 7.
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
SECRETARIAT
Headed by the Secretary General, the LegCo
Secretariat comprises nine divisions. Staff of the Secretariat are directly appointed by the Commission. As at 30 September 2008, there was an establishment of 336 posts in the Secretariat. In addition, a temporary Project Team, headed by an Assistant Secretary General, was set up in March 2008 to oversee and co-ordinate the planning and implementation of the new Legislative Council Complex at Tamar. The organization chart of the Secretariat is shown in Appendix 8.86Appendix 1
COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
PRESIDENT
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, GBM, GBS, JP(Hong Kong Island)
MEMBERS
FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES
Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-tai, SBS, S.B.St.J., JP
(Engineering)
Dr Hon David LI Kwok-po, GBM, GBS, JP
(Finance)
Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah, SBS, JP
(Industrial – Second)
Hon Margaret NG
(Legal)
Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
(Education)
Hon Bernard CHAN, GBS, JP
(Insurance)
Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun, GBS, JP
(Textiles and Garment)
Hon SIN Chung-kai, SBS, JP
(Information Technology)
Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong, GBS
(Commercial - Second)
Hon WONG Yung-kan, SBS, JP
(Agriculture and Fisheries)
Hon Howard YOUNG, SBS, JP
(Tourism)
Hon LAU Wong-fat, GBM, GBS, JP
(District Council)
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee, GBS, JP
(Transport)
Hon Timothy FOK Tsun-ting, GBS, JP
(Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication)Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him, SBS, JP(Real Estate and Construction)
Hon LI Fung-ying, BBS, JP
(Labour)
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan, SBS, JP
(Catering)
Hon Vincent FANG Kang, SBS, JP
(Wholesale and Retail)
Hon WONG Kwok-hing, MH
(Labour)
Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long, JP
(Health Services)
Hon Daniel LAM Wai-keung, SBS, JP
(Heung Yee Kuk)
Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung, SBS, JP
(Commercial - First)
Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen, SBS, JP
(Industrial - First)
Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
(Medical)
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
(Social Welfare)
Hon WONG Ting-kwong, BBS
(Import and Export)
Hon CHIM Pui-chung
(Financial Services)
Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing, SBS, JP
(Architectural, Surveying and Planning)
Hon KWONG Chi-kin
(Labour)
Hon TAM Heung-man
(Accountancy)87GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES
Hon James TIEN Pei-chun, GBS, JP
(New Territories East)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan
(New Territories West)
Hon LEE Cheuk-yan
(New Territories West)
Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming, SC, JP
(Hong Kong Island)
Hon Fred LI Wah-ming, JP
(Kowloon East)
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee,
GBS, JP(New Territories West)
Hon James TO Kun-sun
(Kowloon West)
Hon CHAN Yuen-han, SBS, JP
(Kowloon East)
Hon CHAN Kam-lam, SBS, JP
(Kowloon East)
Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung
(New Territories West)
Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, GBS, JP
(Kowloon West)
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum, JP
(Hong Kong Island)
Hon LAU Chin-shek, JP
(Kowloon West)
Hon LAU Kong-wah, JP
(New Territories East)
Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing, JP
(New Territories East)Hon CHOY So-yuk, JP(Hong Kong Island)
Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo
(New Territories East)
Hon TAM Yiu-chung, GBS, JP
(New Territories West)
Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip
(New Territories West)
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, SBS, JP
(Kowloon West)
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee, SC, JP
(Hong Kong Island)
Hon LEE Wing-tat
(New Territories West)
Hon LI Kwok-ying, MH, JP
(New Territories East)
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit, SC
(Kowloon East)
Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung
(New Territories East)
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming, SBS, JP
(New Territories West)
Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah, SC
(New Territories East)
Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG, JP
(Kowloon East)
Hon Mrs Anson CHAN, GBM, JP
(Hong Kong Island)(since 3 December 2007)88Appendix 2
MEMBERS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai, GBM, GBS, JP
President of the Legislative Council
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Honorary Doctor of Social Science, City University of Hong Kong (2005)• Honorary Doctor Degree, China University of
Political Science and Law, People’s Republic of China (2003)• Master of Social Science (in Psychology), The University of Hong Kong (1970-1973)• Certificate in Personnel Management, The University of Hong Kong (1969-1971)• Bachelor of Science (in Chemistry and Physics), The University of Hong Kong (1964- 1967)
• St. Stephen’s Girls’ College, Hong Kong (1952-1964)
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation : -
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee, GBS, JP
President’s Deputy
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Transport
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A. Hons., The University of Hong Kong• Solicitor, Supreme Court of Hong Kong• Solicitor, Supreme Court of England• Barrister and Solicitor, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia• Diploma in Chinese Law, University of East Asia
Occupation :
• Solicitor and Notary Public• China-Appointed Attesting Officer
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party 89Hon James TIEN Pei-chun, GBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, San Jose State University, U.S.A. (1970)• B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, U.S.A. (1968)• Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong (1964)
Occupation :
• Chairman, Manhattan Holdings Limited• Chairman, Manhattan Garments (Int’l) Limited
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Laws (Hons.), The University of Hong Kong• Post-graduate Certificate in Laws, The University of Hong Kong• Solicitor, Supreme Court of Hong Kong• Notary Public
Occupation :
• Practising Solicitor and Notary Public
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
90Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-tai, SBS,
S.B.St.J., JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Engineering
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Ph.D., City University of London, U.K.
(1968-1971)• P.D.S.E., The University of Manchester, U.K. (1963-1964)• B.Sc. (Eng.), The University of Hong Kong (1963)• Honorary Doctor of Laws, The University of Manchester, U.K. (2001)• Honorary Doctor of Business Administration, City University of Hong Kong (1999)• Authorized Person (Building Ordinance)• Registered Structural Engineer (Building Ordinance)• Registered Professional Engineer (Building, Civil, Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural)• Honorary Fellow (Disciplines: Building, Civil, Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural, Materials, Control, Automation &
Instrumentation) and Past President (1987- 1988), The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers• Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers, U.K.• Fellow, Former Vice President (1989-1990) and International Representative (Asia-Pacific
Region), The Institution of Structural Engineers,
U.K.• Former Council Member (1984-1987) and Registered Principal, The Association of Consulting Engineers of Hong Kong• Fellow and Council Member, Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences• Honorary Fellow and Former Honorary Advisor
(2004-2006), The Chartered Institute of Building• Fellow and Past President (1989-1990), The
Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology• Fellow and Former Honorary Advisor (1999- 2002), Hong Kong Institute of Real Estate Administrators• Honorary Fellow, The Hong Kong Institute of Facility Management• Founder Member and Fellow, The Hong Kong Institution of Highways and Transportation• Honorary Advisor and Honorary Fellow, The Hong Kong Institute of Utility Surveyors
Occupation :
• Engineer
Political Affiliation :
• The Alliance
Hon LEE Cheuk-yan
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.Sc. (Eng.), Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong
Occupation :
• General Secretary, Hong Kong Confederation
of Trade Unions
Political Affiliation :
• Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
91Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming, SC, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A., The University of Hong Kong• Queen’s Counsel• Senior Counsel
Occupation :
• Barrister-at-law
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
Dr Hon David LI Kwok-po, GBM, GBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Finance
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.A. (Economics and Law), University of Cambridge• Fellow, The Chartered Institute of Bankers• Fellow, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales• Chartered Fellow, British Computer Society• Fellow, Hong Kong Computer Society• Fellow, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, England• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Law, University of Cambridge• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, University
of Warwick• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, The University of Hong Kong• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, Lingnan College• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration, Napier University• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science, Imperial College London• Fellow, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants• Fellow, The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers• Fellow, The Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants
Occupation :
• Banker (Chairman and Chief Executive, The Bank of East Asia, Limited)
Political Affiliation : -
92Hon Fred LI Wah-ming, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Arts (Sociology)• Master of Social Work• Registered Social Worker, Hong Kong
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Industrial (Second)
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.Sc., University of N.S.W., Sydney, Australia• Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan, Canada• P.Eng. / C.Eng.
Occupation :
• Businessman
Political Affiliation : -
93Hon Margaret NG
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Legal
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A., The University of Hong Kong
• M.A., The University of Hong Kong• Ph.D., Boston University• B.A. (Law), University of Cambridge• P.C.LL. (Law), The University of Hong Kong• Barrister-at-Law
Occupation :
• Barrister
Political Affiliation :
• Civic Party
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee,
GBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• St. Paul’s Co-Educational College (Primary and Secondary Levels)• B.A. in English, The University of Hong Kong• Post Graduation Diploma, Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, U.K.• A.D.B., L.R.A.M. in Drama (Teacher and Performer)
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
94Hon James TO Kun-sun
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• LL.B., The University of Hong Kong• Solicitor of Hong Kong Court
Occupation :
• Solicitor
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Education
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (1978)• Registered Teacher
Occupation :
• Teacher• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
95Hon CHAN Yuen-han, SBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Hoi Luk Fung School• San Kiu Middle School• Chack Kwan Middle School• Higher Diploma, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Business Management Society• B.A. in Philosophy, Guangdong Science and Research University• University of Warwick
Occupation :
• Trade Union Officer
Political Affiliation :
• The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
Hon Bernard CHAN, GBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Insurance
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Arts, Pomona College, California, U.S.A.
Occupation :
• President, Asia Financial Group• President, Asia Insurance Co. Ltd.
Political Affiliation : -
96Hon CHAN Kam-lam, SBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Hong Kong Technical College (now known as The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) (1971)
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun,
GBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Textiles
and Garment
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Illinois, U.S.A.
Occupation :
• Director, Bay Apparel Limited• Director, Golden Emblem Investment Company Limited
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
97Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A. (Hons.), University of Essex, U.K.• Post-graduate Certificate in Education, The University of Hong Kong
Occupation :
• Teacher
Political Affiliation :
• Neighbourhood & Worker’s Service Centre• The Frontier
Hon SIN Chung-kai, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Information Technology
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.B.A., The Chinese University of Hong Kong• Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong• Life Member, Hong Kong Intellectual Property Society• Fellow, Hong Kong Computer Society
Occupation :
• Assistant Information Technology Project Manager
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party 98Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong, GBS
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Commercial (Second)
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.Sc. (Engineering), University of California, U.S.A.• J.D. (Law), Southland University, U.S.A.• Ph.D. (Engineering), California Coast University, U.S.A.
Occupation :
• Chairman and Chief Executive, Winco Paper Products Company Limited
Political Affiliation : - Hon WONG Yung-kan, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Agriculture and Fisheries
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Diploma in Modern Management, South China Teacher’s University
Occupation :
• Fisherman
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
99Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, GBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A., The University of Hong Kong (1968)• Cert. Ed., The University of Hong Kong (1981)• M.Ed., The University of Hong Kong (1983)
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Hon Howard YOUNG, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Tourism
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.Sc. (Economics) Part I, London University• British Diploma in Marketing• Member, The Chartered Institute of Marketing,U.K.
Occupation :
• General Manager, Industry and Hong Kong Affairs, Cathay Pacific Airways
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
100Dr Hon YEUNG Sum, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.Soc.Sc. (The University of Hong Kong)• M.A. (The University of York, U.K.)• Ph.D. (The University of Hong Kong)
Occupation :
• Assistant Professor (Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong)
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
Hon LAU Chin-shek, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Senior Secondary Level
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions101 Hon LAU Kong-wah, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• St. Paul’s College• Sir Robert Black College of Education• B.A. in Sociology and Philosophy, The University of Exeter, U.K.• M.Phil. in Public and Social Administration, City Polytechnic of Hong Kong
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong Hon LAU Wong-fat, GBM, GBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - District Council
Education and Professional Qualifications : -
Occupation :
• Chairman, Wing Tung Yick (Holdings) Limited
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
102Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A., Broadcast Journalism, University of Southern California, U.S.A.• M.Sc., International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, U.K.
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• The Frontier
Hon CHOY So-yuk, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Master of Philosophy, The University of Hong Kong (1978)• Bachelor of Science (Hons.), The University of Hong Kong (1974)
Occupation :
• Merchant
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
103Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A., M.A., M.Ed., Practising Solicitor
Occupation :
• Solicitor
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party
Hon Timothy FOK Tsun-ting, GBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Sports,
Performing Arts, Culture and Publication
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• University of Southern California, U.S.A.
Occupation :
• Merchant
Political Affiliation : -
104Hon TAM Yiu-chung, GBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• “Adult Education”, Centre for Continuing Education, Australian National University • “Trade Union Studies”, London School of Economics and Political Science, University
of London, U.K.• Honorary Life Fellow, The Institute of Commercial Management, U.K.
Occupation :
• Trade Union Officer• Vice-President, The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Real
Estate and Construction
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A. and Dip.Ed., University of Sydney, Australia
Occupation :
• Company Director
Political Affiliation : -
105Hon LI Fung-ying, BBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Labour
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Tertiary Education
Occupation :
• Trade Union Officer
Political Affiliation : -
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Catering
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Pepperdine University (B.Sc., M.B.A.)
Occupation :
• Chairman, Goldearn Consultants Ltd.• Chairman, Syto Trading and Investment Ltd.• Chairman, Citiway Development Ltd.• Deputy General Manager, World Trade Centre Club Hong Kong• Director, Art Concept International Culture Studies Foundation Ltd.• Independent Non-Executive Director, Wah Yuen Holdings Ltd.
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
106Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Arts• Bachelor of Social Work• Master of Social Work
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• League of Social Democrats
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, SBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.A. (Hons.) in Social Policy and Public Administration, Bradford University, U.K. (1982)
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood
107Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee, SC, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• St. Francis Canossian College (1960-1970)• St. Paul’s Co-Educational College (1970-1972)• LL.B. (Hons.), The University of Hong Kong (1972-1975)• LL.M., University of London (1975-1976)• College of Law (Bar Finals) (1976-1977)• Called to the Bar in England (1977)• Called to the Bar in Hong Kong (1978)• Called to the Inner Bar in Hong Kong (1993)• Senior Counsel (1997)
Occupation :
• Senior Counsel
Political Affiliation :
• Civic Party
Hon Vincent FANG Kang, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Wholesale & Retail
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.Sc. of Textiles Engineering, North Carolina State University (1969)• B.Sc. of Textiles Engineering, North Carolina State University (1967)• Wah Yan College (1962)
Occupation :
• Chief Executive Officer, Toppy Co. (Hong Kong) Ltd.• Managing Director, Fantastic Garments Ltd.
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
108Hon WONG Kwok-hing, MH
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Labour
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Diploma of Social Administration of The
University of Hong Kong School of Professional
and Continuing Education• B.A. in Sociology, Jinan University• Outstanding Lifelong Learner Award of The University of Hong Kong School of Professional
and Continuing Education (9/2001)
Occupation :
• Labour Service Executive Officer• Writer• Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions New Territories Office
Political Affiliation :
• The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Hon LEE Wing-tat
Constituency : Geographical Constituency - New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• St. Paul’s College• Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong• Certificate of Education, The University of Hong Kong
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Party109Hon LI Kwok-ying, MH, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Tai Po Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School• Liverpool John Moore University, England
Occupation :
• Solicitor
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Health
Services
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Ph.D. (Social Science)• Registered Nurse
Occupation :
• Associate Professor and Programme Leader, Nursing, School of Science & Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong
Political Affiliation : -
110Hon Daniel LAM Wai-keung, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Heung
Yee Kuk
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Business Administration
Occupation :
• Company Director
Political Affiliation : -
Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Commercial (First)
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• St. Joseph’s College, Hong Kong• Tufts University, U.S.A. (BSME)
Occupation :
• Managing Director, Forward Winsome Industries Limited• Managing Director, Eltee Enterprise Limited
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
111Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Industrial (First)
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• B.Sc. (Hons.), Leeds University• Textiles Institute Fellow• Clothing and Footwear Institute Fellow
Occupation :
• Merchant
Political Affiliation :
• Liberal Party
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit, SC
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• LL.B., The University of Hong Kong (1982)• LL.M., University of Cambridge (1984)• Called to the Hong Kong Bar (1983)• Called to the Inner Bar (1998)
Occupation :
• Senior Counsel
Political Affiliation :
• Civic Party
112Hon LEUNG Kwok-hung
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Form Six
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• April Fifth Action• League of Social DemocratsDr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Medical
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• M.B.B.S., The University of Hong Kong (1985)• Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1990)• Fellow, College of Surgeons of Hong Kong (1990)• Fellow, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (1993)• Master of Arts, The University of Hong Kong (2003)
Occupation :
• Private Urologist
Political Affiliation : -
113Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Social
Welfare
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Ph.D.• Registered Social Worker
Occupation :
• Lecturer
Political Affiliation :
• Civic Party
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming, SBS, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories West
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• College
Occupation :
• Full-time Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
114Hon WONG Ting-kwong, BBS
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Import
and Export
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Heung To Middle School
Occupation :
• Merchant
Political Affiliation :
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah, SC
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
New Territories East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Queen’s College, Hong Kong• LL.B. (1st Class Honours/1st of Class), The University of Hong Kong (1972)• B.C.L. (Honours), Oxford University (1974)• Holder of Simon Lee Medal in Laws, The University of Hong Kong (1972)• Graduate Awardee, Rotary International (1973-1974)• Winter-Williams Scholar of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University (1972-1974)• Certificate of Honour, London Bar Final Examination (First Class Honours/1st of Candidates) (1974)• The Lloyd Stott Memorial Prize (1974)• J.B. Montagu Pupillage Prize (1974)• The Middle Temple Certificate of Honour Prize
(1974)• Member of the Hong Kong Bar Association• Member of The General Council of the Bar of England• Member of the New York State Bar Association of the United States of America• Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association (1999-2001)
Occupation :
• Senior Counsel
Political Affiliation :
• Civic Party
115Hon CHIM Pui-chung
Constituency : Functional Constituency -
Financial Services
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Secondary School
Occupation :
• Director of a number of companies
Political Affiliation : -
Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing, SBS, JP
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Architectural, Surveying and Planning
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• People’s Republic of China Class I Registered Architect Qualification (2004)• Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects
(1989)• Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (1974-1989)• Member of Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (1971)• Honorary University Fellow, The University of Hong Kong (2006)• Master of Business Administration, University of
East Asia (1988)• Bachelor of Architecture, University of Manitoba (1969)• The Artist of the Year Award (1999)• HKIA Outstanding Architect Award (1991)• Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award (1984)
Occupation :
• Architect• Honorary Professor, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong (2006-present)• Honorary Professor, College of Humanities and Law in The University of Hong Kong School of Professonal and Continuing Education (2005-present)• Head of Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong (1996-2000)• Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Professor of Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong (1973-2004)
Political Affiliation : -
116Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Kowloon East
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
Occupation :
• Legislative Council Member
Political Affiliation : -
Hon KWONG Chi-kin
Constituency : Functional Constituency - Labour
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Bachelor of Social Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong• Bachelor of Laws, University of London• Master of Laws, University of London• Called to the Bar in England• Called to the Bar in Hong Kong• Called to the Bar in Australia
Occupation :
• Legal Adviser, The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
Political Affiliation :
• The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
117Hon TAM Heung-man
Constituency: Functional Constituency -
Accountancy
Education and Professional Qualifications:
• Fellow of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants• The Chartered Institute of Taxation (Chartered Tax Adviser)• Fellow of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants• Member of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong• B.A. (Hons.), Middlesex University, U.K.
Occupation:
• Tax Advisor
Political Affiliation:
• Civic Party
Hon Mrs Anson CHAN, GBM, JP
Constituency : Geographical Constituency -
Hong Kong Island
Education and Professional Qualifications :
• Sacred Heart Canossian College (1949-1957)• St. Paul’s Convent School (1957-1958)• Bachelor of Arts (Honours), The University of Hong Kong (1959-1962)
Occupation :
• Retired Civil Servant
Political Affiliation : -118Appendix 3
BILLS PASSED
Bills
Race Discrimination Bill
Domicile BillMainland Judgments (Reciprocal
Enforcement) Bill
Patents (Amendment) Bill 2007Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) BillStatute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill
2007
Civil Justice (Miscellaneous Amendments)
Bill 2007
The English Schools Foundation (Amend-
ment) Bill 2007
Attachment of Income Order (Application
to Government and Miscellaneous Amend-ments) Bill 2007
Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2007Independent Police Complaints Council BillPrevention of Bribery (Amendment) Bill 2007Buildings (Amendment) Bill 2007Legislative Council (Amendment) Bill 2007Prevention and Control of Disease BillTrade Descriptions (Amendment) Bill 2007Product Eco-responsibility BillMandatory Provident Fund Schemes
(Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2007Gazette Date
1.12.2006
26.1.200723.2.2007
30.3.2007
4.4.2007
23.3.200730.3.200720.4.2007
&
27.4.2007
15.6.2007
15.6.2007
15.6.2007
29.6.2007
6.7.2007
23.11.2007
7.12.20077.12.2007
21.12.200721.12.200728.12.20071st Reading
Date
13.12.2006
7.2.20077.3.2007
18.4.200718.4.200725.4.2007
25.4.200730.5.2007
27.6.200727.6.2007
27.6.2007
11.7.200711.7.20075.12.2007
19.12.200719.12.2007
9.1.20089.1.20089.1.2008Passage through
LegCo Date
10.7.200820.2.200823.4.2008
21.11.2007
30.4.200830.4.2008
30.1.200812.3.2008
14.11.2007
9.1.2008
18.6.2008
12.7.200825.6.200818.6.200823.4.200828.5.200818.6.200810.7.200818.6.20081.2. 3.

4. 5. 6.
7. 8.
9.
10.

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. @+@+@+
@+
@+@+
@+#+*
@+@+
@+
@+@+@+@+@+@+@+@+
Indicates that a Bills Committee was formed for the Bill
Bill passed with CSAs moved by AdministrationBill passed with CSAs moved by MembersMember’s Bill+
@
#
* 119Bills
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
(Declaration of C.W. Chu College, Wu Yee Sun College and Lee Woo Sing College as Constituent Colleges) Bill
Munsang College and Heep Yunn School
(Change of Corporate Names and General Amendments) Bill 2008
Pneumoconiosis (Compensation)
(Amendment) Bill 2008West Kowloon Cultural District Authority BillRoad Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Bill
2008
Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) BillAir Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill 2008Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill
2008
Appropriation Bill 2008Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity
Foundation Bill
Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill
2008
Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) (No. 2)
Bill 2008
Revenue Bill 2008Supplementary Appropriation (2007-2008)
Bill
The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology (Amendment) Bill 2008
Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes
(Amendment) Bill 2008Gazette Date
21.12.2007
&
28.12.2007
4.1.2008
11.1.2008
1.2.2008
6.2.2008
6.2.2008
6.2.20086.2.2008
27.2.2008
1.2.2008
&
6.2.2008
25.4.2008
25.4.200825.4.2008
6.6.20086.6.2008
13.6.20081st Reading
Date
9.1.2008
16.1.2008
30.1.2008
20.2.2008
20.2.2008
20.2.2008
20.2.200820.2.2008
27.2.2008
9.4.2008
7.5.2008
7.5.20087.5.2008
11.6.200811.6.200818.6.2008Passage through
LegCo Date
23.1.2008
14.5.2008
9.4.2008
3.7.2008
26.6.2008
2.7.2008
10.7.2008
2.7.2008
23.4.2008
14.5.2008
28.5.2008
28.5.200826.6.2008
3.7.2008
26.6.200810.7.200820.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26. 27.
28.
29.
30.
31. 32.
33.
34. 35. *
@
@+
@+
@+
@+
@+@+
*
@
+
*
+
Indicates that a Bills Committee was formed for the Bill
Bill passed with CSAs moved by AdministrationBill passed with CSAs moved by MembersMember’s Bill+
@
#
* 120Appendix 4
MOTION DEBATES HELD
Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
17 and 24, 25 & 26 October 2007
“Development of the convention and
exhibition industry” moved byHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen
amendment moved by
Hon WONG Ting-kwong
24, 25 and 26 October 2007
“Motion of Thanks” moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
amendments moved by
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LEUNG Yiu-chung
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon Fred LI Wah-mingThe motion as amended by Hon WONG Ting-kwong: “That, as the convention and exhibition industry, which is a new point of growth in the economy of Hong Kong in addition to the four pillar industries, brings about enormous direct and indirect economic benefits to Hong Kong every year, and the Mainland, Macao and many Southeast Asian cities have built or expanded their convention and exhibition spaces in recent years and launched measures and promotional activities to attract large-scale international exhibitions; in the face of keen competition from the neighbouring regions, this Council urges the Government to optimize the use of border areas and vacated factory buildings to ensure that Hong Kong provides competitive convention and exhibition venues and supporting facilities, thus turning Hong Kong into an all-year-round capital of international exhibitions and sales, so as to maintain its leading position in the convention and exhibition industry in Asia.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Albert HO Chun-
yan, Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo, Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee and Hon Fred LI Wah-ming: “That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address, but strongly requests the Government to increase the rates of the Normal Old Age Allowance and Higher Old Age Allowance for the elderly to $900 and $1,000 per month respectively, so as to improve the life of the poor elderly; this Council also expresses deep disappointment that, despite a huge surplus in the government treasury, the Chief Executive only deploys a meagre amount of resources to enhance the medical services for the elderly, which is hardly sufficient to meet the medical needs of the elderly in the lower class; this Council urges the Chief Executive and the Government to adopt measures and devote more resources to enhance the medical services for the elderly, including extending the beneficiaries of the health care vouchers to all senior citizens aged 65 or above, increasing the amount of subsidy for each elderly recipient, offering half-fee concession for public medical services to all senior citizens, setting up a fund to subsidize dental services for the elderly, and providing all senior citizens with free vaccination against influenza, etc; this Council at the same time urges the Government to set up an ad hoc committee 121Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
31 October 2007
“Facing up to the needs of people with
disabilities in using transport” moved byHon LEUNG Yiu-chung
amendment moved by
Hon WONG Kwok-hingheaded by the Chief Secretary for Administration to tackle the problem of poverty, and to expeditiously implement the recommendations put forward by the Commission on Poverty and the Legislative Council Subcommittee to Study the Subject of Combating Poverty in their reports, as well as to deploy more resources to develop social enterprises.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon WONG Kwok-
hing: “That, although the Chief Executive, in response to Members’ questions during the Legislative Council’s Question and Answer Session on the Policy Address on the 11th of this month, said that he would give a response, in one or two months’ time, on how the provision of transport half-fare concessions for people with disabilities would be addressed, in view of the past records that despite this Council’s passage of motions in the 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 sessions calling for improvement to transport facilities for people with disabilities and offer of concessionary fares to them, the government departments concerned, some statutory transport corporations and other public transport operators have all failed to take corresponding measures and face up to the requests, there are worries about further procrastination by the government departments; this Council considers that for many years there is a general consensus in the community that there is a need to offer transport concessions to help people with disabilities to integrate into society and the Government is duty-bound to take the matter forward, this Council is greatly dissatisfied and expresses deep regret that the Government has been procrastinating for years and has not achieved any results so far; after a relevant subcommittee was formed by the Legislative Council and meetings held over the past year or so, coupled with the fact that the Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission has written to the Chief Executive relaying the demands and justifications in this regard, the solution to this problem has dawned; moreover, some transport operators have recently proposed that the Government should bear all the deficits or keep all the surpluses arising from the introduction of half-fare concession for people with disabilities, but the government officials in charge have been procrastinating on putting forward a timetable and 122Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
31 October 2007
“Alleviating the disparity between the
rich and the poor and re-establishing the Commission on Poverty” moved byHon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee
amendments moved by
Hon LI Kwok-yingHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon SIN Chung-kairoadmap for implementation on the pretext that they have not yet assessed the various options and worked out precisely the financial commitments involved if the relevant option is chosen, which very much calls into question the Government’s determination and sincerity in taking the matter forward; in this connection, this Council urges that the Government:
(a)
(b)

(c)
(d)
The motion as amended by Dr Hon Fernando
CHEUNG Chiu-hung: “That, as the disparity between the rich and the poor is becoming more serious in Hong Kong, this Council urges the Government to re-establish the Commission on Poverty and formulate a more comprehensive and targeted policy on combating poverty, particularly in remote areas where a large number of low-income and socially disadvantaged families live, but the leisure and cultural facilities, medical and social services fall far short of the actual needs of the residents; as such, the Government must take into full account the characteristics of the population structures in these areas when allocating community facilities and services, appropriately relax the ratio of population to such facilities and services, and providing strategic and more specialized support services targeted must relentlessly shoulder the responsibility to provide financial assistance, regardless of which option of transport half-fare concession it eventually decides to adopt for people with disabilities;
must expeditiously put forth, in the near
future, specific proposals and timetable for introducing half-fare concession for people with disabilities, so as to help them integrate into society and improve their life;
should allocate additional resources to
comprehensively improve the Rehabus service and, in particular, must extend such service to remote areas and new towns; and
should strictly regulate the public transport
operators in providing barrier-free facilities, so as to enable more people with disabilities to use public transport and integrate into society.” was passed.123Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
7 November 2007
“Enhancing co-operation with Macao
in developing the tourism industry” moved byHon James TIEN Pei-chun
amendments moved by
Hon WONG Kwok-hingHon SIN Chung-kaiat socially disadvantaged families such as those which are single-parent, poor, under the potential threat of domestic violence, or having family members who are mentally or chronically ill or disabled, including the reopening of Single Parent Centres and Post Migration Centres in the districts concerned, thereby improving the life of the poor; at the same time, the Government should strive to create more employment opportunities in these areas, and relax the eligibility criteria for applying for the pilot Transport Support Scheme, so as to alleviate the burden of travelling expenses on the residents concerned, narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, reduce social conflicts and promote harmonious social development.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon WONG Kwok-hing
and Hon SIN Chung-kai: “That, in view of the rapid development of the tourism industry in Hong Kong and Macao in recent years, indicating that there is immense room for co-operation between the two places, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously adopt measures to enhance the co-operation and sharing of experience with Macao on the tourism front, with a view to fostering the long-term development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry and achieving a win-win situation with Macao; such measures should include:
(a)

(b)

(c)appealing to the Central Government for
the issuance of a single exit endorsement for visiting Hong Kong and Macao under the Individual Visit Scheme, so as to facilitate Mainland travellers in visiting the two places on the same trip;
using an automated clearance system to
shorten the immigration clearance time for Hong Kong people at the Macao control point, so as to make available more space to facilitate immigration clearance of other travellers;
strengthening co-operation with the relevant
authorities in Macao and Guangdong Province in sharing the advanced management expertise of the hotel and tourism sectors, as well as training middle and senior management professionals for the two sectors, so as to 124Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
7 November 2007
“Strengthening support for Tin Shui Wai”
moved byHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee
amendments moved by
Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Albert HO Chun-yan
(d)

(e)
The motion as amended by Hon LEE Cheuk-
yan and Hon Albert HO Chun-yan: “That, as the Government’s faulty planning has caused family tragedies to have occurred time and again in Tin Shui Wai in recent years and to prevent similar tragedies from happening, this Council urges the Government to :
(a)
(b)
enable the professionals of Guangdong,
Hong Kong and Macao to develop at the same pace and serve the tourism industry of their respective regions, in order to meet the development needs of the tourism industry in the three places;
vigorously advocating and promoting honest
tourism, as well as enhancing the professional management in various areas such as hotel, tourism, catering, retailing, etc, thereby boosting the attractiveness of Hong Kong and Macao tours and increasing travellers’ duration of stay and spending in Hong Kong; and
increasing the number of middle and senior
management professionals trained locally for the hotel sector and upgrading the quality of training, in order to enhance the service quality of the tourism industry while meeting the regional demand.” was passed.
expeditiously implement the various
recommendations put forward in the Report of Review Panel on Family Services in Tin Shui Wai and comprehensively improve the community facilities and services in the district, give suitable support to the needy families and provide family services on all fronts to create a harmonious community;
cooperate with the stakeholders, such as
the residents, community organizations, non-governmental organizations and relevant professional bodies in the locality, to map out the town planning and community development strategies for the district afresh, improve its population structure, better the neighbourhood relations and perfect the transport support, medical services, arts, recreational and sports facilities for the area;125Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
14 November 2007
“Rates relief” moved by
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming
amendments moved by
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
(amendment proposed by
Hon CHAN Kam-lam was withdrawn)
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee(c)

(d)
(e)
The motion as amended by Hon Jeffrey LAM
Kin-fung and Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee: “That, as the rentals of different types of properties have been rising in recent years and the government revenue of the current year is also far better than expected, this Council urges the Government to provide rates relief to return wealth to the people, including waiving the rates for the whole year of 2008-2009, subject to a ceiling of $5,000 per quarter, and reducing the rates percentage charge from the existing 5% to below 5%, which will not only alleviate the burden on the public and the businesses, but can also avoid creating long-term pressure on government revenue.” was passed.solve the problem of working poverty and formulate a family-friendly labour policy to alleviate the troubles faced by grass-roots families in the district due to work and financial pressure;
inject more economic activities into the
district, and increase facilities and business opportunities for cultural and recreational enterprises, so as to enhance employment opportunities and promote a balanced community development in the district; and
set up an investigation committee to find out
the causes of the problems in Tin Shui Wai; recruit more social workers to clear case backlogs and strengthen the coordination mechanism, and create Family Service Case Manager posts; establish Community Practice Centres to support residents’ organizations and enhance mutual aid among neighbours; develop wetland resort hotels, ‘riverside markets’ and recovery parks; enhance employment counselling service and relax restrictions on the cross-district transport allowance to allow a family to be a unit in making applications; assist social enterprises in real terms, and suggest that the Housing Department provide rent concession to social enterprises.” was passed.126Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
14 November 2007
“Developing diversified hawking and
bazaar economic activities” moved byHon WONG Kwok-hing
amendments moved by
Hon Vincent FANG KangHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeThe motion as amended by Hon Vincent FANG Kang: “That, as open-air bazaars not only feature local characteristics, which are one of Hong Kong’s tourist attractions, their operations are also diversified and have a low threshold of entry, hence conducive to encouraging start-up businesses, and in order to fully utilize human and land resources, develop diversified hawking and bazaar economic activities to enhance the attractiveness of tourism in Hong Kong, as well as to further revitalize on-street economy and diversified economic activities in remote new towns, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f) preserve and revitalize existing bazaars which
have local economic, cultural and native characteristics, and launch beautification works, enhance management and promotion, so as to foster the viability and promote the sustainable development of such bazaars;
establish and develop new marketplaces
with various characteristics, such as creativity bazaars and marketplaces for organic fishery and agricultural produce;
set up designated zones for street art
performance, arts fairs and the like in order to encourage and promote the culture of street art performance, preserve collective memories, and maintain, discover and nurture the culture and talents of folk art performance;
set up various types of dawn markets and night
markets at suitable locations so that those running small businesses who are self-reliant and self-supporting can have a way out;
explore the setting up of on-street cooked
food designated zones featuring specialty food and drinks;
expeditiously conduct a comprehensive
review on the policies for hawker licensing and management, and handle licence renewal applications with flexibility to tie in with the objectives of increasing employment, promoting diversified hawking and bazaar economic activities; and127Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
21 November 2007
“Preventing cancer” moved by
Hon LI Kwok-ying
amendments moved by
Dr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon CHOY So-yuk
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming(g)
The motion as amended by Dr Hon KWOK Ka-
ki, Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo, Hon CHOY So-yuk and Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming: “That, as early diagnosis can reduce the death rates of cancer, yet cancer has become the number one cause of death of Hong Kong people, and they generally know very little about cancer and neglect the importance of improving their life style, taking injections of effective vaccines and undergoing regular screening tests to prevent and detect cancer at an early stage, thus causing delay in treating the disease and affecting the efficacy of treatment, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)proactively explore with various District
Councils to implement the above measures and means for revitalizing the diversified economy and culture in the districts,
so as to provide the grass-roots with
opportunities for starting up small businesses and employment.” was passed.
launch a community-wide cancer screening
programme for colorectal and breast cancers, etc;
study the offer of financial incentives, such
as medical check-up vouchers and tax concessions, to encourage and help people to undergo regular medical check-ups;
introduce a vaccination programme for
cervical cancer to reduce its incidence rate;
promote education on different types of
cancers, in order to change people’s life style and achieve results in prevention;
expedite the collation of data on cancer to
effectively monitor the development trend of this disease, and research on the cancer-causing risk factors so that the Government, the medical sector and the general public can grasp in a timely manner the relevant information, which may serve as reference in the formulation of policies and enhance public awareness of cancer; 128Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
21 November 2007
“Consolidating the quality of
post-secondary education” moved byDr Hon YEUNG Sum
amendment moved by
Hon TAM Yiu-chung(f)
(g)
(h)
The motion as amended by Hon TAM Yiu-chung:
“That, as the over expansion of sub-degree places in recent years has led to varied programme quality and the qualifications not being given due recognition, which have affected the graduates’ further studies and employment, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously implement measures to improve the quality of sub-degree education and increase the articulation opportunities for sub-degree graduates, which include: allocate more resources to promote the use of Chinese medicine in preventing and fighting cancer and strengthen the co-operation between Chinese and Western medical fields to enhance the efficacy of cancer prevention, as well as to train family doctors and enhance the promotion of family medicine concept, so that the public can know more about cancer and receive diagnosis at an early stage through family doctors in the community, thereby greatly increasing the chance of curing cancer;
comprehensively review the work in cancer
prevention, education, screening and reporting, including reviewing the popularity of the existing Cervical Screening Programme, and in light of the relevant experience, launching a community-wide cancer screening programme for colorectal and breast cancers, etc; promoting education on cancer to reduce cancer-causing factors such as smoking and overweight, and educating people on how to detect early symptoms of cancer, so as to achieve results in prevention and early detection of this disease; and improving the statistical information system on cancer and encouraging the participation of the private medical sector; and
review the policies on drug management
and subsidy under the current public medical system, so that people will not be deprived of the chance of receiving timely and proper diagnosis, taking injections of vaccines against cancer, and undergoing medical check-ups, etc, due to the lack of financial means, so as to assist them in preventing cancer.” was passed.129Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
28 November 2007
“Maintaining the political neutrality of
the civil service” moved byHon Margaret NG
amendment moved by
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon TAM Yiu-chung
28 November 2007
“Responding to the problem of climate
change” moved byHon CHOY So-yuk
amendments moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon SIN Chung-kai(a)
(b)
(c)
The original motion: “That this Council urges the
Government to adopt all measures to maintain a quality, professional, politically neutral, clean and public-spirited civil service, and to clearly delineate the division of powers, responsibilities and roles between the civil service and the politically appointed officials.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Miriam LAU Kin-
yee, Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee, Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung and Hon SIN Chung-kai: “That, as climate abnormalities frequently occur in Hong Kong in recent years and climate change has also become an important issue in sustainable development worldwide, the United Nations will convene a summit on climate change in Bali in December this year, and many countries and places are working together to formulate effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to lead Hong Kong in shouldering its due responsibilities as an establishing a transparent quality assurance mechanism to ensure that the admission criteria of sub-degree programmes and exit performance of the graduates meet the required standards, and expeditiously clarifying the level of sub-degree qualifications in the Qualifications Framework and widely publicizing it to the employers, so as to enhance the recognition of sub-degree qualifications;
increasing the number of subsidized articulation
places in local universities to eliminate the worsening bottleneck in further studies; and
improving the Financial Assistance Scheme for
Post-secondary Students to enable sub-degree graduates to receive subsidies for enrolment in articulation degree programmes with assured quality and recognized qualifications, and grant scholarships to sub-degree graduates with outstanding performance, so as to increase their articulation opportunities.” was passed.130Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
international city and take proactive actions to
respond to the crisis of climate warming, which include:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)(h)(i)
(j)strengthening cooperation with the Mainland,
particularly Guangdong Province, to work together to respond to the problem of climate warming;
setting up an inter-departmental working
group on climate change under the leadership of the Chief Executive to demonstrate the Government’s determination to respond to climate change, as well as to more effectively coordinate the efforts of various departments in formulating emissions reduction and adaptation policies;
stipulating concrete targets in the reduction
of total greenhouse gas emissions;
including the limits on the amount of
greenhouse gas emissions in the terms of the new Scheme of Control Agreement with the two power companies;
proactively promoting territory-wide greening
work, collaborating with District Councils and the private sector in expediting the development of Greening Master Plans, and actively adopting the concepts of vertical greening and rooftop greening etc. to facilitate three-dimensional development of greened areas and make available additional space for greening;
legislating for mandatory implementation of
the Building Energy Codes;
expediting full implementation of the
Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme;
optimizing the use of greenhouse gas emitted
from landfill sites;
enhancing publicity and education on energy
conservation so that members of the public will start with themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
proactively developing renewable energy 131Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
5 December 2007
“Promoting social enterprises” moved by
Hon CHAN Yuen-han
amendments moved by
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun
(amendment proposed by
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan was withdrawn)
(amendment to amendment proposed by
Hon WONG Kwok-hing was withdrawn)and legislating for mandatory implementation of the Building Energy Codes only after extensive consultation; in addition, the Government should also set targets for local electricity supply to be provided from renewable energy sources, including achieving 5% of total electricity supply to local households from such sources by 2020; establish mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for products and consider following the example of Australia to mandate the phasing out of tungsten light bulbs in the next five to 10 years; take proactive steps to compensate carbon emissions, including calculating the amount of carbon emissions generated from energy used within government departments in their daily activities and making a corresponding amount of donations for tree planting, with a view to meeting the target of ‘zero carbon emissions’ in the long run; include carbon dioxide emission project in the emission trading pilot scheme in the Pearl River Delta region; and launch a ‘dress casual in summer’ campaign within government departments.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Frederick FUNG
Kin-kee and Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun: “That, as the mission of social enterprises is to pursue both social and economic objectives, and social objectives may include various aspects such as environmental protection, cultural education and facilitating employment, etc; and although the unemployment rate has gradually come down, elementary workers still face the plight of low wages, long working hours and even difficulties in securing employment; to alleviate the hardship of elementary workers and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, this Council urges the Government to formulate the following policies to promote the development of social enterprises as one of the policies to facilitate and improve employment:
(a)for electricity generation, including providing
financial incentives and technical support to facilitate grid connection of small-scale renewable energy power systems;
establishing a high-level cross-bureau task
force to formulate overall strategies for developing social enterprises;132Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)making rules and regulations on social
enterprises to clarify the definition of such enterprises, and at the same time encouraging social enterprises to employ a certain proportion of unemployed persons and people with disabilities in the light of their modes of operation;
enhancing the awareness of the business
sector about social enterprises and encouraging the sector to make use of their professional knowledge to participate in the development of social enterprises, and at the same time enhancing public awareness about social enterprises in order to remove their misunderstanding that social enterprises will lead to unfair competition;
introducing more social enterprises in areas
where the poverty problem is more serious, such as Sham Shui Po and Tin Shui Wai, etc, so as to increase employment opportunities in these districts;
providing various financing channels for social
enterprises, including setting up a public or private seed fund and encouraging financial institutions to offer low-interest loans, etc;
providing loan guarantee and setting up
marketing, training and development funds, etc, for social enterprises, with reference to the modes of the funding schemes implemented by the Government for small and medium enterprises;
providing a profits tax exemption period
for and offering profits tax concession to newly established social enterprises, as well as offering further tax concession to social enterprises which employ a certain proportion of unemployed persons and people with disabilities;
establishing a social enterprises operation
support centre to provide free business information, consultation and support services on the setting up and operation of business as well as market news, etc;
the Government and private organizations 133Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
5 December 2007
“Comprehensively reviewing subsidized
home ownership schemes” moved byHon CHAN Kam-lam
amendment moved by
Hon LEE Wing-tat
(amendment proposed by
Hon WONG Kwok-hing was withdrawn)(j)
(k)
(l)
(m)
(n)
The motion as amended by Hon LEE Wing-tat:
“That, as the private property market has become prosperous again and property prices continue to rise, which puts pressure on the burden of housing on the public, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously review afresh the various subsidized home ownership schemes, including the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Tenants Purchase Scheme and Home Assistance Loan Scheme, and proactively consider resuming the construction of an appropriate number of HOS flats and the sale providing shops, properties and venues with rent exemption/concession to social enterprises;
lowering the tender threshold for social
enterprises and reserving a certain percentage of the procurement of government goods and services for social enterprises, in order to provide room for the development of such enterprises;
promoting cross-sector collaboration and
developing a platform for participation in different aspects, as well as facilitating the establishment of partnership, so that various sectors can expand the scope for collaboration among social enterprises in a complementary and mutually beneficial environment;
establishing the value and raising public
awareness of social enterprises through publicity and education programmes in schools and the community;
eliminating administrative and policy barriers
which may hinder the development of social enterprises, so as to create an environment conducive to the growth of such enterprises; and
breaking away from the confines of the
pure social work sector by encouraging and embracing the participation of willing and capable talents from the business sector, so that social enterprises can possess such management elements as professionalism and market sensitivity.” was passed.134Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
12 December 2007
“Legislating for the provision of baby-
sitting rooms” moved byHon LEE Wing-tat
amendments moved by
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long
12 December 2007
“Gender equality” moved by
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee
amendments moved by
Hon TAM Heung-manHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon CHOY So-yukHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon Albert HO Chun-yanof an appropriate number of public rental housing flats, and the number may be adjusted according to the needs of the community, land available to the Housing Authority and its financial situation, with a view to more effectively utilizing housing resources and alleviating the burden of housing on the public as well as allowing the public to meet their housing needs through various channels.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Mrs Selina CHOW
LIANG Shuk-yee and Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long: “That, as the number of breastfeeding women in Hong Kong is on the rise, but government and public sector buildings, large shopping centres and restaurants in Hong Kong at present generally do not provide baby-sitting rooms, thus causing great inconvenience to women who are breastfeeding, and resulting in some mothers having to breastfeed in toilets, which may affect the health of the babies, this Council urges the Government to face up to women’s right to breastfeed, to study introducing or amending legislation to make the provision of baby-sitting rooms and breastfeeding facilities a mandatory requirement for new and existing government and public sector buildings, immigration control points, parks, cultural and leisure facilities, public bathing beaches with lifeguards, stations of the mass transit systems, large shopping centres, department stores and large restaurants, and to enhance public awareness of the breastfeeding culture, thereby arousing public concern and support for the provision of baby-sitting rooms; the Government should also study introducing or amending legislation to make the provision of baby-sitting rooms and breastfeeding facilities a mandatory requirement for workplaces, so as to enable more women to breastfeed after childbirth and safeguard babies’ right to be breastfed.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Miriam LAU Kin-
yee: “That the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations specifically requires States parties to take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development and advancement of women in political, social, economic and cultural aspects for the purpose of guaranteeing women 135Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men; however, as women in Hong Kong at present still face many barriers politically, economically and socially, etc, and are denied equal opportunities for development, this Council urges the Government to adopt more proactive measures to cater for their needs, so that both sexes can enjoy equal opportunities for development; such measures should include:
(a)
(b)
(c)(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)eliminating discrimination and prejudices
which are based on sex or stereotyped roles for men and women, and giving full respect and development opportunities to women;
appointing more women to advisory
and statutory bodies to encourage their participation in community affairs;
increasing resources to support women from
the grassroots, including new arrivals and single mothers;
enhancing training to help women in need to
upgrade their skills, and launching adaptation programmes to help women who have left the employment market to re-enter it;
improving child care services to encourage
women to go out for work;
actively promoting the Capacity Building
Mileage Programme to help women equip themselves in different aspects, so that they can meet different challenges;
allocating more resources to curb domestic
violence and support the victims of such violence;
allocating more resources to support victims
of sexual violence; and providing more women-friendly facilities in the community, such as more water closet cubicles for female.” was passed.136Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
19 December 2007
“Establishing a geological park
in the eastern part of the New Territories” moved byHon CHEUNG Hok-ming
amendment moved by
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon LI Kwok-ying
16 January 2008
“Coping with inflation” moved by
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum
amendments moved by
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon CHAN Kam-lamHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon LEE Cheuk-yanThe motion as amended by Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee and Hon LI Kwok-ying: “That, as the eastern part of the New Territories has a unique geological environment but the SAR Government does not attach much importance to it, this Council urges the Government to put forward proactive conservation proposals and plan the area according to the principle of sustainable development, including protecting the unique, rare and spectacular geological features of the area and, in particular, safeguarding the stone columns and stone walls with rhyolitic columnar joints, which are found in Sai Kung but rare in the world, from being damaged in the future, the Government should request the Central Government to apply to the United Nations for listing the site as a World Natural Heritage Site and, taking into account the area’s ecological carrying capacity and modelling on a marine park, develop the eastern part of the New Territories into a geological park of conservation, science popularization and eco-tourism value, as well as to make recommendation to the Central Government to strive for its grading as a national geological park and apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for its listing as a world geological park.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Frederick FUNG
Kin-kee, Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan, Hon CHAN Kam-lam, Hon CHAN Yuen-han, Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing and Hon LEE Cheuk-yan: “That, the problem of disparity between the rich and the poor in Hong Kong continues to worsen, wages of the grassroots have not increased and the inflation cycle has returned recently, quite a number of public transport operators and public utilities have applied for increase in fares or charges, and the prices for food and oil supplies continue to rise, thus aggravating the burden on the public, this Council urges the Government to adopt measures to cope with inflation so as to alleviate the pressure of livelihood on the public; such measures should include:
(a)
(b)waiving the rates and Government rent for the
whole of the next financial year, subject to a ceiling of $5,000 per quarter per household;
waiving the rent of public rental housing for
one to two months;137Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)assessing the public’s affordability when
considering applications for fare increase by public transport operators;
lowering the rates of permitted return of the
two power companies to single digit so as to reduce electricity charges when formulating the new Scheme of Control Agreements;
discussing with the Mainland authorities to
further open up the livestock market in order to protect the interests of Hong Kong consumers, and requesting the major food suppliers to ensure the supply of major food items and foodstuffs from the Mainland so as to prevent the prices of food items from increasing heftily due to insufficient supply;
adopting the method whereby the rates of
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments are determined on the basis of the inflation forecast, and shortening the adjustment cycle;
reviewing the weightings of individual
consumption items in the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices, so as to assist families on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance in coping with the impact brought about by inflation;
increasing the amount of Old Age Allowance
(OAA) to prevent the quality of life of the elderly from declining;
reducing the electricity charges chargable by
the two power companies immediately after the new Scheme of Control Agreements take effect;
freezing various Government fees and charges
which affect people’s livelihood;
actively studying various measures to reduce
the tolls of the Eastern Harbour Crossing, Western Harbour Crossing and Route 3 (Country Park Section), including buying them out or extending their franchise periods;
providing two additional months of Social 138Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(m)
(n)
(o)(p)
(q)(r)
(s)
(t)
(u)Security Allowance and Comprehensive Social
Security Assistance payments;
using the fiscal surplus to waive the fees and
charges for public facilities and services provided by the Government;
drawing up a new water supply agreement
with the Guangdong Province with payment based on the supply quantity, so as to lower the water charges payable by the public;
enhancing competition among oil companies
in Hong Kong, and waiving the levy on processed oil when oil prices are persistently high so as to stablize oil prices;
discussing with the Mainland authorities not to
impose export quotas on food and foodstuffs exported to Hong Kong;
providing living supplement to the poor
elders not on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance;
in respect of OAA, increasing the amount of
Normal OAA and Higher OAA to $1,000 per month, and relaxing the asset limit of OAA recipients aged 65 to 69 to $200,000, so as to improve the livelihood of the poor elders;
providing transport subsidy for the working
poor living in remote areas with a view to improving the livelihood of the working poor and people with low income;
offering public transport half-fare concessions
to people with disabilities, or providing them with transport subsidy, and improving facilities in order to reduce the barriers to the disabled; and
discussing with the MTR Corporation to offer
fare concessions for rides on all its lines to full-time students aged above 12.” was passed.139Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
16 January 2008
“Protecting the rights and interests of
animals” moved byHon Albert HO Chun-yan
amendments moved by
Hon WONG Kwok-hingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon CHOY So-yuk
(amendment proposed by
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee
was withdrawn)The motion as amended by Hon WONG Kwok-hing, Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee and Hon CHOY So-yuk: “That, although the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2006 was passed by this Council last year to increase the penalty for cruelty to animals, incidents of animal cruelty still continue to occur; in order to protect the rights and interests of animals, this Council urges the Government to adopt various measures to ensure that animals are protected under the law; the relevant measures should include:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)comprehensively reviewing and amending the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, including reviewing the definition of cruelty to animals and making abandonment of animals an offence of animal cruelty;
improving the licensing and regulatory
system for the sale and breeding of pets and consulting the public before amending the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Ordinance and the relevant regulations, extending the animal registration system to cover cats and other kinds of animals that are commonly kept as pets, improving the licensing and regulatory system for pet shops and breeding farms, introducing legislation to regulate the sources of animals for sale in pet shops, requiring that all such animals should come from licensed breeding farms, and stepping up enforcement actions against unlicensed breeding, so as to stop the entry of animals from unknown sources into the pet market;
enhancing the transparency of the Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department in its handling of stray dogs and cats, treating the animals kindly, abandoning the ‘Trap-and-Kill’ method, cooperating with community organizations in jointly promoting the ‘Trap-Neuter-Return’ programme, and using humane means to deal with the problem of stray dogs and cats, with a view to reducing their number in the community;
requiring law enforcement officers to actively
handle the reports on cruelty to animals from the public, considering drawing on overseas experience to set up ‘animal police’ teams 140Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)specially tasked to investigate cases of animal
cruelty and abandonment, and rigorously enforcing the law to curb the situation of animal cruelty and abandonment from becoming prevalent;
studying the provision of places at suitable
locations for animals to move around, including providing more parks and leisure venues which are accessible to dogs and cats;
actively identifying suitable locations for the
provision of public toilets for dogs, so as to make available suitable places for dogs to toilet and improve the environmental hygiene of streets;
actively identifying suitable locations for
placing dog excreta collection bins in areas or streets where public toilets for dogs cannot be provided, and increasing the frequency of cleaning and washing to improve environmental hygiene;
regulating by licensing hospice service for
animals;
improving the situation of fragmentation of
responsibilities in dealing with the rights and interests of animals, and clearly designating a responsible department to avoid confusion over the implementation of policies;
advising pet shops and private/domestic pet
breeders that when selling pets to prospective pet keepers, the former should follow the practice of animal groups in dog adoption by confirming that the deeds of mutual covenant of the buildings where the dog keepers live state that the keeping of dogs is not objected to, so as to reduce the chance of the dogs concerned being abandoned in the future;
further educating the public on the concept
of animal care and responsible pet ownership, and providing incentives to encourage people to arrange their pets to undergo sterilization and regular physical examinations;
ensuring that all dogs are implanted with 141Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(m)microchips to fully implement the existing
statutory requirements, thereby enabling the relevant authorities to track down the owners of the abandoned dogs according to the stored information and enforcing the penalties; and
further educating the public to, before
proceeding to keep dogs, carefully consider and ascertain that the deeds of mutual covenant of the buildings where they live state that the keeping of dogs is not objected to and to truly behave as responsible pet owners, so as to reduce the chance of the dogs concerned being abandoned in the future.” was passed.142Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
23 January 2008
“Ensuring the conduct of fair elections”
moved byHon Audrey EU Yuet-mee
amendment moved by
Hon TAM Yiu-chung
30 January 2008
“Optimizing the use of the Hong Kong-
Shenzhen Western Corridor” moved byHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung
amendments moved by
Hon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooThe motion as amended by Hon TAM Yiu-chung: “That, as there were a number of incidents of violence, intimidation and provocation which were allegedly related to elections during the District Council Election and the Legislative Council Hong Kong Island Geographical Constituency By-election at the end of last year, and there were controversies arising from grey areas in various aspects such as the use of exit poll results, distributing ad hoc election news in the constituencies by media syndicates on the polling day, and releasing television and MTR advertisements by media syndicates echoing the campaign slogans of individual candidates, the employment of electoral staff and the provision of community services, etc, causing the public to query whether the election results might have been affected; this Council urges the Government to review existing legislation and guidelines, and take appropriate measures to improve the regulation of various acts related to elections, so as to ensure that the various levels of election are conducted fairly.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming
and Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo: “The persistently very big discrepancy between the traffic flow of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (i.e. the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Shenzhen Bay Bridge), which was built for alleviating the frequent congestion at other cross-boundary control points, and the projected figures since its commissioning on 1 July last year indicates the failure of the Corridor to serve its intended purpose; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)
(c)expeditiously discuss with the Mainland
authorities to improve the ancillary facilities in the vicinity of the port area, expedite the construction of the Guangshen Yanjiang Expressway;
expedite the works on the Tuen Mun Western
Bypass and Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, which are connected to the Corridor;
explore incentives on various fronts to attract
more cross-boundary vehicles to use the Corridor;143Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
30 January 2008
“Sharing the fruits of economic growth
by all the people” moved byHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
amendments moved by
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon James TO Kun-sunDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon WONG Kwok-hingHon CHAN Kam-lamDr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)
The motion as amended by Dr Hon KWOK Ka-
ki: “That, as the fiscal surplus for this financial year is expected to be unprecedentedly huge, this Council urges that the Government must effectively utilize the huge surplus and share the fruits of economic growth with all the people of Hong Kong and, in addition to those tax reliefs already announced by the Chief Executive, should also make enhanced efforts in returning wealth to the people, alleviating the burden of tax and rates on the public, promoting respect for the elderly and the work of alleviating poverty and helping the disadvantaged, as well as expediting the implementation of infrastructure projects to invest for the future; the relevant measures must include:
(a)
(b)
(c)discuss with the Mainland Government to
totally relax the restrictions on the use of cross-boundary vehicular permits to allow vehicles with Lok Ma Chau, Sha Tau Kok or Man Kam To cross-boundary vehicular permits to use the Corridor;
discuss with the Mainland Government to
provide more cross-boundary coach and franchised bus routes;
open up the port to allow entry of school
buses; and
improve the public transport services between
the New Territories West and the port,
with a view to optimizing the use of the port,
achieving the function of diverting traffic flows and alleviating the traffic congestion at other control points.” was passed.
providing tax rebate of at least 50% of salaries
tax, subject to a ceiling of not less than $15,000;
further widening the tax bands and reducing
the marginal rates for salaries tax;
increasing the child allowance and tax
allowance for newborn babies;144Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
20 February 2008
“Report of the Subcommittee on Review
of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme” moved byDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung(d)

(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)
(m)
The motion: “That this Council notes the Report of
the Subcommittee on Review of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme.” was passed. raising the dependent parent/grandparent allowance, and relaxing the requirement of living together for the purpose of claiming tax deduction;
allocating more resources to the Hospital
Authority to improve the situation of inadequate resources among hospital clusters;
allocating additional funds to recruit front-
line doctors and retain senior doctors, so as to implement the reform on the working hours of doctors and improve health care services;
allocating substantial additional funds to
improve psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation and support services for which resources are seriously inadequate for a long time;
increasing the amount of health care vouchers
for the elderly and lowering the eligibility age for such vouchers, and introducing dental care vouchers for the elderly;
actively helping the disadvantaged groups;removing the restrictions on the usage of pre-
primary education vouchers;
expediting the implementation of infrastructure
projects to boost Hong Kong’s competitiveness and create more jobs;
expediting and increasing the provision of
community facilities; and
providing sufficient incentives and impetus to
promote the development of new and high-tech industries as well as creative industries.” was passed.145Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
20 February 2008
“Transformation of old industrial areas”
moved byHon CHAN Kam-lam
amendments moved by
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon SIN Chung-kaiThe motion as amended by Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit and Hon SIN Chung-kai: “That, as Hong Kong is a small place with a large population, there is an increasing shortage of commercial land available for development, many communities also need land allocation to enhance and increase community facilities and, at the same time, many old industrial areas in Hong Kong have a serious ageing problem and the situation of factory building units being left vacant, converted into warehouses or used for other non-industrial purposes is prevalent, the precious land resources are not fully utilized, this Council urges the Government to take proactive measures to comprehensively re-plan the old industrial areas to provide a basis for compliance in the course of transformation, with a view to fully utilizing their potentials for development and achieving the objective of optimizing the use of land resources; the specific measures include:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

(e)
(f)fully relaxing the land uses of industrial land,
implementing the payment of extra premium by instalments, as well as re-examining and amending the definition of ‘industrial use’ and ‘factory’;
expeditiously reviewing the Urban Renewal
Strategy and studying realigning the role of the Urban Renewal Authority to enable it to actively complement the renewal of old industrial areas;
rationalizing the road layout and increasing
transport ancillary facilities in the old industrial areas;
increasing leisure and recreational facilities
as well as expanding green areas in the old industrial areas;
according to the needs of different
communities, studying changing the land uses of old industrial areas to improve the medical, welfare and educational support for the communities;
encouraging re-planning of vacant
factory buildings to provide development 146Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
5 March 2008
“Promoting the introduction of monthly
ticket and student fare concessions to all MTR lines” moved byHon LAU Kong-wah
amendments moved by
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo (g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
The motion as amended by Dr Hon Fernando
CHEUNG Chiu-hung and Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo: “That, in view of the fact that at present, cross-boundary students attending schools in Hong Kong every day have to pay the high fares of cross-boundary MTR lines and, after the rail merger, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has not introduced the monthly ticket concessions offered by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the student fare concessions offered by the former MTR Corporation to all its rail lines, thus creating unfair situations, this Council urges the Government to discuss with MTRCL to promote the introduction of the above two types of fare concessions to all MTR lines, so as to eliminate the present unfair opportunities for creative industries, cultural industries, social enterprises and various small and medium enterprises;
reducing the Forbearance Fee for Commercial
Use in Existing Industrial Buildings in the Metro Area, so as to assist in converting the industrial buildings in the Metro Area to commercial use;
relaxing the approval criteria for converting
single or multiple industrial building units to commercial use, so that industrial buildings with fragmented ownership can more easily change the use of individual units;
expeditiously developing suburban centres
in the New Territories to provide cheaper industrial and commercial land as well as to create more job opportunities for the new towns in their vicinity;
using footbridges to connect industrial
buildings to separate pedestrian and vehicle passages, so as to reduce the chances of people breathing in exhaust air; and
in comprehensively re-planning the old
industrial areas, allowing more diversified land uses, including land for commercial, cultural, recreational and leisure facilities as well as open space, lowering the density of development, increasing public space and reducing screen effect.” was passed.147Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
5 March 2008
“Rebuilding the local agriculture and
fisheries industries” moved byHon WONG Yung-kan
amendment moved by
Hon Fred LI Wah-mingsituations and, when introducing such concessions, consider extending the concessions to cross-boundary students to alleviate their burden of travelling expenses, so as to benefit all passengers including cross-boundary students, as well as to extend the student fare concessions offered by the former MTR Corporation to cover full-time students over 25 years of age; moreover, in addition to introducing the monthly ticket concessions offered by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to all its rail lines, such monthly ticket concessions should be made a standing arrangement.” was passed.
The original motion: “That, as the HKSAR
Government does not render support to the development of the local agriculture and fisheries industries and even continues to reduce their room for survival, causing Hong Kong to depend almost totally on the Mainland and other areas for its food supply; with the increased spending power of people on the Mainland, coupled with the tight supply of food due to various factors affecting food production, directly resulting in the decrease in the quantity of food supplied to Hong Kong, and as the role of local agricultural and fishery products as a supplementary source of food supply in the past has significantly diminished, people in Hong Kong are suffering severely from the recent substantial increase in food prices; as such, this Council urges the Government to seriously study the strategy on food supply to Hong Kong, redefine the appropriate role of the local agriculture and fisheries industries and put forward relevant measures, so as to ensure a stable supply of quality and safe food for the community; the relevant measures should include:
(a)
(b)studying the zoning of designated areas for
exclusive use by the agriculture and fisheries industries, once again enabling the agriculture and fisheries industries meeting hygiene and environmental requirements to develop in a sustainable manner, and further developing organic farming in Hong Kong;
formulating policies on the sustainable
development of the agriculture and fisheries 148Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(c)
(d)

(e)industries, assisting the local capture fishery to develop in the off-shore direction, developing the local quality aquaculture industry, and studying the development of Hong Kong into a distribution centre for aquatic products, so as to tie in with the development of the aquaculture industry;
keeping in tune with the major development
trend of the international agriculture and fisheries industries, striving to improve the ecological environment in Hong Kong, and stepping up efforts to promote the development of the integration of agriculture and fisheries industries with leisure activities;
strengthening the quality management,
integrated scientific research and development and professional training in the local agriculture and fisheries industries, so as to make available sufficient professionals for the industries and ensure that local agricultural and fishery products are of high quality and safe; and
establishing a fast-track vetting mechanism for
providing emergency relief to operators in the industries affected by natural disasters, and taking into account the scale of operation and business-related price indexes in relaxing the restriction on the provision of relief to the industries and assisting those affected to resume operation, as well as setting the interest of various loans related to the agriculture and fisheries industries at a standardized low rate, so as to support the development of the industries.” was passed.149Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
12 March 2008
“Improving the public hospital services
in Kowloon East” moved byHon Alan LEONG Kah-kit
amendments moved by
Dr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon James TO Kun-sunDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee
(amendment proposed by
Hon LAU Kong-wah was withdrawn)
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanThe motion as amended by Dr Hon KWOK Ka-ki, Hon Fred LI Wah-ming, Hon Albert HO Chun-yan, Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah, Hon James TO Kun-sun, Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long, Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee and Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan: “That, since the formation of hospital clusters by the Hospital Authority, many clusters, particularly the New Territories West Cluster, are facing the problem of insufficient funding provision for a long time, and this cluster is allocated the least resources among all of the seven hospital clusters, the funding provision for the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster is also far more insufficient than other clusters and lags far behind the needs of the population and the communities of Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O, resulting in the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster failing to provide comprehensive health care services, which is not only contrary to the vision of ‘meeting community demands and expectations’ but also exerts tremendous pressure on the frontline health care personnel and impedes their provision of most suitable services for the residents within the districts, this Council strongly urges the Administration to:
(a) taking the opportunity of the present huge
surplus and not affecting the services of other
hospital clusters, allocate more resources, according to the population and community structure of the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster, to increase health care manpower, set up specialties which are lacking in the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster, and should especially implement expeditiously the provision of specialist services, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology and ear, nose and throat, psychiatry, etc, in the Tseung Kwan O Hospital, and additionally provide oncology and neurosurgery services as well as provide more general and rehabilitation beds in the districts, thereby expeditiously improving the public hospital services in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O, and solve the problem of residents in the two districts having to seek medical treatments in other clusters, and in particular, the implementation of the United Christian Hospital’s reconstruction plan must be expedited; 150Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)expeditiously focusing on the long-term
demand of health care services in various districts, study and review the mechanism of hospital cluster planning as well as the logic of operation of hospital services;
focusing on the problem that the Kowloon
East Hospital Cluster is the only one without a cancer centre among the seven hospital clusters, look for improvement options to ensure that cancer patients in Kowloon East can obtain convenient and appropriate health care services;
set up an independent committee and invite
the participation of representatives of frontline staff and patients’ groups to comprehensively review the clustering arrangement;
when taking the opportunity of the present
huge surplus and not affecting the services of other hospital clusters to allocate more resources for the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster to expeditiously improve the public hospital services in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O, also allocate additional resources to hospital clusters which are in serious shortage of resources, such as the New Territories West Hospital Cluster which covers Tin Shui Wai, Tung Chung and Tuen Mun, so as to enable them to provide services at standards comparable to those of other clusters;
focusing on the needs of residents in Tseung
Kwan O, expand and upgrade the Tseung Kwan O Hospital to a general hospital, and increase the health care manpower, particularly to expeditiously provide additional services in neonatology, etc;
when taking the opportunity of the present
huge surplus and not affecting the services of other hospital clusters to allocate more resources for the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster to expeditiously improve the public hospital services in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O, at the same time provide the resources required to address the specific needs of the population in various clusters (such as providing interpretation services at the Kwong Wah Hospital to meet the needs of the many 151Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
12 March 2008
“Enhancing sex education” moved by
Hon SIN Chung-kai(h)
(i)
The motion: “That, as the recent circulation of
pornographic photos purporting to be artistes on the Internet has aroused public concern and wide media coverage, some members of the education sector and parents worry that the incident may adversely affect the values and personal conduct of children and youngsters; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)South Asians in the Kowloon West Hospital
Cluster, and enhancing the public health care services in districts such as Sham Shui Po where the elderly and low-income populations are relatively high and have to rely on public health care services);
regarding the study and review of the
mechanism of hospital cluster planning as well as the logic of operation of hospital services, especially focus on the demand related to elderly health care services, and examine the long-term health care manpower planning, so as to alleviate the pressure faced by frontline health care personnel and enhance the quality of public hospital services; and
taking into account the ageing population
situation in the Kowloon East Hospital Cluster, appropriately increase the resources for elderly health care services and additionally provide Chinese medicine services in the public hospitals in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O.” was passed.
pay proper attention to the impact of Internet
information on children and youngsters, and allocate additional resources to facilitate parents and educational and youth groups to promote moral education, respect for privacy and sex education; and
review the contents of sex education
programmes in schools so as to enable children and youngsters to acquire correct knowledge and concepts about sex at a suitable time.” was passed.152Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
9 April 2008
“Elderly housing policy” moved by
Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
amendments moved by
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon James TO Kun-sunHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Wing-tat
(amendment proposed by
Hon CHAN Kam-lam was withdrawn)
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon SIN Chung-kaiThe motion as amended by Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, Hon James TO Kun-sun, Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee, Hon CHAN Yuen-han, Hon Albert HO Chun-yan, Hon LEE Wing-tat and Hon SIN Chung-kai: “That, although the Chief Executive’s Policy Address emphasizes ‘quality city and quality life’, it has not put forward any long-term policy objective, and in the face of the two challenges of the appalling living conditions of many elderly persons and the known problem of the ageing population, this Council urges the Government to allocate additional resources to promote comfortable living for all the elderly so as to achieve quality life for the whole community, and make reference to local and overseas experience, as well as comprehensively consult the elderly, to expeditiously formulate, through comprehensive planning, a clear policy on elderly housing, including:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)immediately examining the different housing
needs of various categories of elderly persons in various districts in the territory, and formulating guidelines for constructing elderly housing;
encouraging people to live with their elderly
parents through measures such as perfecting the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance system and offering additional tax concessions, etc, as well as enhancing the support for elderly persons living alone or with another elderly person;
formulating land policies that complement
elderly housing, including giving consideration to land supply, land grant and land premium, etc, and setting out explicitly in the Outline Zoning Plan the types of land to be used for building elderly housing;
expediting the pace of urban renewal and
rehabilitation to improve the living environment for the elderly residing in old districts (including Sham Shui Po and Kwun Tong);
providing land at a low price or for free to
non-profit-making bodies or organizations that have the interest, ability and experience to build elderly housing, and considering converting vacant schools and old industrial buildings into elderly housing;153Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(f)
(g)comprehensively reviewing the legislation on
lands, planning and buildings, as well as the system for long-term care services and the relevant support measures, with a view to reinforcing the policy objective of ‘ageing in the community’, so as to integrate elderly housing, medical care and community care services into various communities, and providing in the vicinity of elderly housing sufficient community and passive recreational facilities which are needed by the elderly; and
improving the regulation of care and attention
homes and serviced housing for the elderly by increasing the subsidized places and nursing manpower as well as enhancing the transparency of residential care homes for the elderly, so as to provide diversified choices for elderly persons with different means,
thereby truly creating a quality living
environment and a culture of mutual help and care for the people in the territory, including the elderly who will account for over a quarter of the population, and developing a harmonious and integrated quality city for the future of Hong Kong; in addition, in view of the cramped living environment in Hong Kong and the appalling living conditions of many elderly persons, quite a number of elderly persons hope to take up residence on the Mainland upon retirement to enjoy a better housing and living environment; the Government, in formulating the elderly housing policy, should take into consideration this factor and provide more support and flexibility in such areas as medical care, welfare, etc, for the Hong Kong elderly persons who take up residence on the Mainland, so as to enable the elderly to choose the places where they reside and live upon retirement according to their actual situations and wishes; at the same time, the Government should also raise the dependent parent/grandparent allowance, and relax the requirement of living together for the purpose of claiming tax deduction, so that children living in the same housing estates as their 154Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)elderly parents or grandparents or living in the
vicinity within a specified distance can enjoy the tax allowance, so as to encourage children to take care of their elderly parents and grandparents; in addition, the Government should:
construct public housing units and other types
of housing for the elderly according to the different housing needs of various categories of elderly persons in various districts in the territory;
when considering converting vacant schools
and old industrial buildings into elderly housing, also consider converting them into relevant support facilities, such as elderly centres, to be managed and operated by non-profit-making bodies or organizations;
lower the income and asset limit requirements
for public housing applicants living with their elderly parents, as well as extend and enhance the various measures under the ‘schemes to foster harmonious families’ in public housing, thereby enabling more elderly persons to live with their children and be taken care of by their family members;
conduct a comprehensive survey on the
housing conditions of elderly persons in Hong Kong, actively help elderly persons living in appalling conditions to improve their living environment, and assist elderly persons with housing needs, such as those living in cubicle apartments and cage homes, to apply for public housing;
construct more small public housing flats for
the elderly and provide supporting social services;
study the provision of ‘residential care
vouchers’ to eligible elderly persons so that holders of such vouchers can freely purchase residential care services of their choice, as well as introduce a grading system for residential care homes for the elderly to strengthen their regulation, while at the same time expeditiously increase the residential care places for the elderly, so as to resolve the current hardship 155Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
9 April 2008
“Raising the limit of university places for
publicly-funded degree programmes” moved byHon Fred LI Wah-ming
amendments moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long
amendment to amendment moved by
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum(g)
The motion as amended by Hon Miriam LAU Kin-
yee, Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong, Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long and Dr Hon YEUNG Sum: “That, talents are the foundation of society, and to keep in tune with the social development, Hong Kong must strive to enhance the integrated competitiveness of its population, but the percentage of the people in Hong Kong who attend universities at the appropriate age has all along been lower than those of other big international cities and the neighbouring regions, and there is presently a keen demand for degree holders in the market, this Council urges the Government to gradually raise the annual limit of 14,500 places for publicly-funded first-year first-degree programmes, encourage the provision of more private university places, increase the proportion of local people of the appropriate age group holding first degree or higher academic qualifications, and provide more opportunities for sub-degree holders with outstanding academic results to pursue higher studies, and that the Government should also endeavour to upgrade the quality of university education, correspondingly increase the support facilities such as university hostel places, and provide opportunities for more non-local students to attend universities in Hong Kong, so as to match the development of a knowledge-based economy in Hong Kong and its development as an education hub in the region, thereby training more talents in various sectors such as finance, trade, logistics, tourism and culture for Hong Kong; this Council also urges the Government to increase the direct subsidy for sub-degree places, provide more effective subsidy, such as interest-free loans, to students taking degree and sub-degree programmes with caused by the excessively long waiting time to those on the central waiting list; and
review the policy on public housing for the
elderly, including providing housing units of elderly-friendly designs and relevant support facilities on a comprehensive basis, as well as assigning more young families to housing estates where many elderly persons live, so as to inject new vitality into the elderly community.” was passed.156Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
30 April 2008
“Ceasing the imposition of the levy on
employers of foreign domestic helpers” moved byHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan
amendment moved by
Hon LEE Cheuk-yan amendment to amendment moved byHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen
7 May 2008
“Strengthening the prevention of
communicable diseases for children and the elderly” moved byHon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo
amendment moved byHon LI Kwok-ying
(amendment proposed by
Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long was withdrawn)a view to alleviating their financial burden, and increase the funding for the places for first-year first-degree programmes in nursing to meet the nursing manpower demand of the community, public and private hospitals and residential care homes for the elderly in the future.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon LEE Cheuk-yan and
Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen: “That this Council urges the Government to cease the imposition of the levy on employers of foreign domestic helpers and, after doing so, effectively utilize the existing Employees Retraining Fund.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon LI Kwok-ying: “That,
in the face of continuous threat of influenza and also a possibility that a number of communicable diseases may break out in Hong Kong, and given that children and the elderly are high-risk groups whose health may be more seriously affected by these communicable diseases, this Council urges the Government to strengthen the prevention and control of communicable diseases; expand the coverage of immunisation against such diseases, including providing free influenza vaccination for all elderly people and children, as well as reviewing the Childhood Immunisation Programme and studying the introduction of new vaccines in the light of the development of communicable diseases and vaccines; review the existing infection control measures in kindergartens, schools, residential care homes for the elderly, medical institutions and public facilities with high pedestrian flow and allocate more resources for these institutions to improve the prevention and control of communicable diseases; improve environmental hygiene, including strengthening anti-rodent and anti-mosquito efforts; and step up education to enhance the awareness of personal hygiene, so as to reduce the risk of the public being infected with communicable diseases.” was passed.157Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
14 May 2008
“Perfecting lawn facilities in parks”
moved byHon Bernard CHAN
amendments moved by
Hon WONG Kwok-hingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHOY So-yukThe motion as amended by Hon WONG Kwok-hing, Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee, Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee, Hon James TO Kun-sun and Hon CHOY So-yuk: “That, as there is a serious shortage of lawn resources for public use in Hong Kong, this Council urges that the Government should, along the existing waterfront promenades such as the Tsing Yi and Tsuen Wan sections, and in the course of urban planning, including the development of future projects such as the West Kowloon Cultural District, the New Central Harbourfront and the waterfront from Tsuen Wan to Tuen Mun in New Territories West, study the planting of more lawns in the open spaces, allocate more resources for the maintenance of lawns, make available lawns which are not closed for maintenance for use by the public and reduce unnecessary regulatory control, so that members of the public, especially small children, can better enjoy these public greening facilities; in addition, in view of the aggravating heat island effect, this Council urges that the Government should, in the course of urban planning, increase greened areas on the ground and provide more open spaces throughout the territory and plant more lawns in those open spaces, so that the greening ratio in urban areas can be increased as a whole, as well as extend the criteria of planting more lawns, making lawns available for public use and reducing unnecessary regulatory control to the existing lawns managed by the Government; and draw up code of practice for management and use of lawns, and increase pedestrian walkways to connect lawns and related facilities in the open spaces, so as to facilitate the access of members of the public to and their enjoyment of these public facilities, fully utilizing the function of parks to relieve people’s urban stress; in addition, this Council also urges the Government to study the planting of more lawns as far as possible on the rooftops of buildings located in the open spaces and improve their maintenance work, including utilizing as far as possible solar energy facilities and providing additional rainwater and grey water recycling facilities, and as far as possible using pervious materials for the land formation works of open spaces beside the lawns, etc.” was passed.158Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
28 May 2008
“Immediately improving the health care
services in Hong Kong” moved byDr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
amendments moved by
Hon CHAN Yuen-hanDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Vincent FANG KangHon LI Kwok-yingDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longThe motion as amended by Hon LI Kwok-ying: “That, the Consultation Document on Health Care Reform has given rise to extensive discussion in the community since its publication, and presently there is public consensus hoping that the Government would strengthen the role of primary health care services, engage in closer public-private partnership (PPP) in health care, improve the current public health care services, etc. to resolve the existing problems in health care services, thus this Council urges the Government to implement a series of measures and immediately allocate funding to improve Hong Kong’s health care services; such measures must include:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)carrying out institutional reform to strengthen
the role of primary health care in the overall health care services, and conducting detailed study on the institution of family doctor;
the Authorities substantially augmenting the
provision of resources to improve existing services, increasing the use of new psychiatric drugs and thoroughly considering the views of stakeholders in formulating long-term psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation policy, in view of the persistent lack of resources and long-term service planning for psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation and support services;
increasing the funding for the Hospital Authority
(HA) to address the plight of persistent shortage of resources suffered by some hospital clusters or district hospitals, reducing the working hours of HA doctors, improving the promotion prospects of doctors and the situation of unequal pay for the same work, in order to retain experienced and middle-ranking doctors and health care workers as well as boost staff morale;
proactively allocating land for the construction
of new private hospitals and assisting existing private hospitals in their extension, so as to increase the provision of beds in private hospitals;
increasing training resources and opportunities
for specialists to enable various medical specialties to have sufficient room for 159Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)development, thereby providing patients with
the most suitable services;
re-opening nursing schools and increasing
the number of places for nursing degree programmes to boost nursing manpower;
through promoting various PPP projects on
health care services to improve the imbalance between public and private health care services which has existed for a long time, and supporting PPP in dental services;
providing additional resources for HA or
patients to purchase drugs, such as drugs for curing cancer, and immediately reviewing the Drug Formulary to avoid patients being denied effective drugs with little side effect due to financial difficulties and to reduce misunderstanding between doctors and patients;
through purchasing services from community
doctors or increasing the manpower of general outpatient clinics to reduce the number of cases in each consultation session attended by outpatient doctors and shorten patients’ waiting time, thereby enhancing service quality;
strengthening regulation of private medical
insurance and encouraging the industry to provide medical insurance which is in line with public interest, such as insurance which does not discriminate against mental or chronic illness, and providing tax incentive to encourage the public to purchase medical insurance;
increasing the value of elderly health care
vouchers to at least $1,000 a year, lowering the eligibility age for such vouchers to 65 and providing low-income families with such vouchers;
enhancing oral care education;160Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
4 June 2008
“Promoting the development of local
football” moved byHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun
amendments moved by
Hon CHOY So-yukDr Hon YEUNG Sum(m)
(n)
(o)
(p)The motion as amended by Hon CHOY So-yuk and
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum: “That football sport in Hong Kong has developed for a period of time and is a very popular sport in the territory, which is well liked and widely supported by the community, the Government should capitalise on this favourable condition to promote the development of local football and establish team brands, which will not only raise the standards of sports activities, but can also promote social integration and enhance social cohesion; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)providing dental care vouchers for young
children, secondary students, low-income families and the elderly, so as to protect the oral health of the public;
strengthening the role of paramedical
professionals in the health care system, and promoting their links and cross-referral of patients with Western and Chinese medicine practitioners, so as to provide Hong Kong people with more efficient and better health care services through a team approach;
stepping up disease prevention work, such
as expeditiously updating the vaccination programme and subsidizing people to receive preventive care services; and
using Chinese medicine more extensively to
further enhance the quality of health care services.” was passed.
immediately conduct a detailed study to
position the development of local football, formulate an overall development plan, set long-term and short-term goals, and implement the relevant initiatives, etc;
develop football training schemes for local
youngsters, encourage renowned overseas football clubs to establish football academies in Hong Kong, and enhance the training for young football players with potential, so as to lay a good foundation for the development of local football;161Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)apart from supporting the Football District
League and the Young Athlete Training Scheme, consider giving more funding support to football teams with outstanding performance, and formulate a long-term funding policy;
provide support to promote the
professionalization of local football, such as assisting the football sector in drawing up a clear framework and targets for the development of professional football players as well as career paths for coaches and managers, etc to be promoted to the management of football teams, thereby encouraging more football players to take up the sport as their career, and strengthen the training of referees, so as to facilitate the enhancement of the overall professional standards of the football sport;
in order to meet their education needs,
recommend young football players with outstanding performance in football matches for admission to universities and tertiary institutions so as to broaden the prospects of retired football players;
provide support for football teams to conduct
overseas training and participate in overseas matches, so as to encourage exchange of experience and learning, and become stronger teams;
draw reference from successful examples in
Europe and America to create a favourable environment for establishing local football team brands;
build more football pitches across the territory
and upgrade the facilities of existing football pitches, including converting the existing concrete pitches into natural turf, plastic or artificial turf pitches, so as to reduce the chances of football players sustaining injuries;
encourage local radio and television stations to
conduct live broadcast of football matches to cultivate the community’s interest in watching local and overseas football matches;162Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
4 June 2008
“Opportunities to Hong Kong brought
about by the thawing cross-strait relations” moved byHon TAM Yiu-chung
amendments moved by
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Howard YOUNG
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
11 June 2008
“Providing food and nutrition support to
the grassroots” moved byHon KWONG Chi-kin
amendments moved by
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee(j)
(k)The motion as amended by Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-
fung, Hon Howard YOUNG and Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee: “That, as the new political situation in Taiwan presents major opportunities for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the ‘Three Direct Links’ across the Taiwan Strait may hopefully be established earlier, this Council urges the SAR Government to expeditiously strengthen, through various channels, the close ties between Hong Kong and Taiwan under the framework of the Basic Law, promote exchanges between the two places, as well as study and implement various proactive measures in respect of finance, economic and trade, aviation and transportation, tourism, technology and immigration arrangements, etc, including promoting with Taiwan arrangements for the avoidance of double taxation, etc, thereby enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness to enable it to become a business platform in the Greater China region, and facilitating the four places on both sides of the Strait to achieve a win-win situation; this Council also urges the SAR Government to implement the granting of visa-on-arrival to Taiwan travellers visiting Hong Kong.” was passed.
The motion as amended by Hon Albert HO Chun-
yan, Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee and Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee: “That, as the rise in food prices worldwide has led to a surge in local food prices, resulting in escalating inflation in Hong Kong, with last month’s year-on-year Composite Consumer Price Index recording an increase of 5.4%, the income of the grassroots being eroded by inflation, forcing many grassroots and poor people to reduce their expenditure on food, buy less food or switch to buying food products of poorer quality, and some people even have to collect leftovers in the markets or at the back entrances of restaurants, such situations will easily lead to children who are growing up and the frail elderly suffering from malnutrition; in this connection, deploy resources to support the future day-to-day operation of the Football Academy to be built in Tseung Kwan O; and
include football as an elite sport to attract
more talents.” was passed.163Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
this Council urges the Government to formulate
the following measures to assist the grassroots in countering the surge in food prices:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)the Administration making reference to
overseas practices and providing poor students with free breakfasts and lunches, as well as nutritious foodstuffs such as fruits and milk, etc to enable them to be well-fed and take in sufficient nutrition;
expeditiously providing rent-free units in
poor and remote districts, collaborating with voluntary bodies to establish social enterprises, co-operatives which make bulk purchase of food, hot food centres or food banks to sell food at low prices or even give it to poor families for free, so as to provide meals as well as basic food and oil supplies to those poor people who have difficulty in paying for their daily meals;
making inflationary adjustments to the
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance rates and grants on a more frequent basis, and increasing the amount of Old Age Allowance to enable the recipients to buy sufficient food, as well as issuing food coupons and meal coupons to those poor people who cannot benefit from food banks or hot food centres to enable them to have enough food for their daily meals;
closely monitoring the supply situation and
price increase of basic food and oil supplies, and curbing large supermarket chains from manipulating the supply prices charged by suppliers;
encouraging the general public and private
organizations to donate food to food banks and hot food centres;
allocating more resources to provide free
meal delivery service to the poor elderly;
immediately reviewing the Comprehensive
Social Security Assistance system to ensure 164Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
18 June 2008
“Legislating to regulate debt collection
practices” moved byHon Albert CHAN Wai-yip(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
The motion: “That, as debt collection practices
are a serious harassment to many members of the public, and some people even committed suicide out of fear, and for many years in the past, tens of thousands of cases relating to debt collection malpractices were reported every year, and the Law Reform Commission (LRC) also recommended to the Government in 2002 to make harassment of debtors a criminal offence and to set up a statutory licensing system to monitor debt collection agencies; given that many people are harassed by debt collection practices, and some even feel that their lives and safety are threatened by such practices, this Council strongly requests that the Government should adopt the LRC’s recommendations and expeditiously regulate, by way of legislation, debt collection agencies and their debt collection practices, so as to protect the public against such harassment and threat in their daily life.” was passed.that poor people who have difficulty in paying for their daily meals can also be protected by the safety net;
ensuring that there will be no labelling effect
on the grassroots in the process of formulating measures to assist the grassroots in countering the surge in food prices;
maintaining close contact with Mainland
suppliers to ensure that there is an ample supply of various types of food, foodstuffs, materials and livestock, so as to avoid a surge in food prices due to shortage of supply;
strengthening the monitoring of and support
to non-governmental organizations to ensure that the quality of meals delivered to the elderly and that provided in residential care homes for the elderly will not be affected; and
expeditiously reviewing the weighting of
food in the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices so that recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance can maintain their purchasing power for food.” was passed.165Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
18 June 2008
“Reducing the duties on motor vehicle
fuels” moved byHon LAU Kong-wah
amendments moved by
Hon WONG Kwok-hingHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon CHAN Kam-lamHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
(amendment proposed by
Hon SIN Chung-kai was withdrawn)
25 June 2008
“Report of the Subcommittee on West
Kowloon Cultural District Development” moved byHon Alan LEONG Kah-kit
25 June 2008
“Enhancing co-operation between
Hong Kong and Macao” moved byHon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing
amendment moved by
Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
2 July 2008
“Report of the Subcommittee to Study
Issues Relating to the Provision of Boarding Places, Senior Secondary Education and Employment Opportunities for Children with Special Educational Needs” moved byDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungThe motion as amended by Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee: “That, the Government has, since 1 December last year, lowered the concessionary duty rate for Euro V diesel to $0.56 per litre, yet international oil prices have repeatedly reached record highs, thereby substantially increasing the cost of the transportation industry and the burden on people’s livelihood, this Council urges the SAR Government to reduce the duty on unleaded petrol by half and completely remit the duty on Euro V diesel, and at the same time ensure that oil companies will fully reflect the duty concessions in the retail prices, so as to relieve the pressure of inflation and persistently high oil prices on the public and the relevant industries.” was passed.
The motion: “That this Council notes the Phase III
Study Report of the Subcommittee on West Kowloon Cultural District Development.” was passed.
The original motion: “That, in view of Macao’s
close proximity to Hong Kong and its remarkable development in recent years, there is much room for co-operation between the two places to achieve synergy through complementing and reinforcing each other, this Council urges the Government to enhance the co-operation between Hong Kong and Macao on all fronts, set up a permanent and high-level co-operation mechanism, and formulate overall plans and policy measures, so as to promote joint development of Hong Kong and Macao.” was passed.
The motion: “That this Council endorses the Report
of the Subcommittee to Study Issues Relating to the Provision of Boarding Places, Senior Secondary Education and Employment Opportunities for Children with Special Educational Needs, and urges the Government to implement the recommendations therein.” was passed.166Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
2 July 2008
“Proactively promoting waste recovery
and recycling” moved byHon Vincent FANG Kang
amendments moved by
Hon CHOY So-yukHon Audrey Eu Yuet-mee
(amendment proposed by
Hon SIN Chung-kai was withdrawn)The motion as amended by Hon CHOY So-yuk and Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee: “That Hong Kong’s economy and population keep growing, coupled with the proliferation of consumerism, the amount of waste generated continues to increase, in which there are a lot of recyclable and useful materials, yet Hong Kong has no clear policy and effective measures to implement separate recovery and reuse of waste in a comprehensive manner, resulting in a large quantity of useful materials being dumped at landfills; together with the imminent passage of the Product Eco-responsibility Bill, which contains no proposal on complementary measures to recover and recycle plastic bags, this Council urges the Government to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)review the effectiveness of the relevant
Ordinance one year after the imposition of levy on plastic bags, including the quantity of plastic bags reduced, recovered and recycled;
establish a dedicated department and
allocate more resources to consolidate an administrative framework related to waste handling and recovery which will be responsible for running a follow-through work process from source separation, material recovery, waste collection to waste disposal, and at the same time enhancing the efficiency of waste handling and recovery;
expeditiously implement the legislative work
for other products mentioned in the Product Eco-responsibility Bill so as to reduce waste generation and increase incentives to recover waste, and promote the industrial activities relating to the recovery and reuse of resources;
expeditiously implement the ‘variable rate
charging scheme for refuse’ to fully achieve the polluter-pays principle, so that the public would undertake their own eco-responsibilities, and through economic incentives, encourage the public to proactively participate in waste separation and recovery, with a view to ultimately pursuing the objective of waste avoidance at source; 167Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)device an effective mechanism for bulk
recovery of food waste, set up more facilities for recovery and reuse of food waste, review the present land use restrictions to encourage private organizations to engage in industries related to the recovery and reuse of food waste, and procure fertilizers converted from locally recovered food waste by the Government for use on plants grown in gardens and on roadsides;
provide incentives or appropriate assistance
to waste collectors, and proactively examine the feasibility of implementing a licensing regime for waste collectors, so as to regulate the recovery trades, thereby minimizing the disturbance of the trades to the public and promoting the development of the recovery trades;
provide incentives in terms of taxation or
land, etc., expand the scope of ‘EcoPark’ and improve the infrastructural facilities and leasing conditions to attract advanced local or international waste recycling trades to invest in the waste recycling industries in Hong Kong, so as to process the waste generated locally by recycling as far as practicable, thereby reducing the waste ultimately dumped at landfills, promoting the sustainable development of the Hong Kong economy, and creating job opportunities;
formulate a green procurement policy with
the Government taking the lead in requiring all departments and contractors to comply with it, so as to provide steady outlets for green products; implement a green certification and labelling system, as well as establish a database to facilitate the Government, private organizations and the public to identify when procuring such products;
adopt effective measures to appropriately
address the problem of illegal dumping, so as to minimize improper disposal of recyclable materials; and168Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I. MOTIONS PASSED
9 July 2008
Valedictory Motion moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee(j)
The motion: “That this Council concludes its work
and wishes for the smooth formation of the fourth Legislative Council to continue to serve the people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” was passed.use the proceeds from the levy on plastic bags to set up a green fund to encourage waste reduction and recovery work.” was passed.169Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I I. MOTIONS NEGATIVED
17 October 2007
“Franchised bus fares” moved by
Hon LEE Wing-tat
amendments moved by
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon CHEUNG Hok-ming
19 December 2007
“Applying for the inscription of ‘Hong Kong
style cafes culture’ as ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity’” moved byHon CHOY So-yuk
amendment moved by
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanThe original motion: “That, as a franchised bus operator has recently applied to the Transport Department for a substantial fare increase of 9%, which is far beyond public affordability, this Council urges the Government to reject the application and adopt measures, including:
(a)
(b)
(c)(d)(e)
(f)
The original motion: “That, as Hong Kong
style cafes are commonplace eateries which originated from Hong Kong, and with the mobility of population and spread of culture, Hong Kong style cafes are prevalent among the Chinese communities around the world, this Council urges the Government to recognize the unique local culture of such cafes, assign a designated department to compile an inventory as well as a database of ‘intangible cultural heritage’, including Hong Kong style cafes, and actively pursue with the State’s Ministry of Culture the application for the inscription of Hong Kong in applying the Modified Basket of Factors approach, taking the outcome of the fare adjustment formula and public affordability as primary factors for consideration, while other factors should be supplementary and secondary ones;
allowing the Legislative Council to activate
the fare adjustment mechanism so as to safeguard public interest;
requesting the franchised bus companies to
provide more comprehensive sectional fares and bus-bus interchange concessions;
discussing with the franchised bus companies
the introduction of one-day and monthly ticket schemes for buses;
designating Sundays and public holidays as
free-ride days for the elderly; and
introducing half-fare concessions for people
with disabilities,
with a view to ensuring that franchised bus
fares are within public affordability, and promoting the participation of the socially disadvantaged in the community.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.170Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
9 January 2008
“Setting up a fund to meet the needs
of the ageing population and help the poor” moved byHon TAM Heung-man
amendments moved by
Hon SIN Chung-kaiDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon TAM Yiu-chung
9 January 2008
“Report on Public Consultation on Green
Paper on Constitutional Development” moved byHon Albert CHAN Wai-yip
amendments moved by
Dr Hon YEUNG SumHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon LEUNG Kwok-hungstyle cafes as ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity’ with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; this will not only help promote and develop local culture, establish in the international community Hong Kong’s positive image of preserving its local culture and boost the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, but will also be conducive to enhancing the culture of such cafes and the catering business.” and the proposed amendment to the motion were negatived.
The original motion: “That, as the SAR Government
may record a huge fiscal surplus in the 2007-2008 financial year and it is anticipated that the Government will have considerable surplus in the next few years, this Council urges the Government, in addition to appropriately increasing the expenditures on education, medical services, social welfare and promotion of economic development, as well as implementing one-off relief measures such as tax rebates or rates exemption, to set aside part of its surplus for setting up a long-term sustainable fund to meet the additional expenditures arising from implementing policies to cope with the ageing population and help the poor and, at the same time, establish a funding mechanism for the fund under which a certain proportion of the surplus will be injected into the fund if the fiscal surplus in a financial year exceeds a certain level, so as to maintain the fund’s effective operation.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.
The original motion: “That this Council strongly
condemns that the Report on Public Consultation on Green Paper on Constitutional Development published on 12 December 2007 by the Administration has given a distorted account of public aspirations for expeditiously implementing dual universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council, and has failed to provide a specific and clear timetable as well as a roadmap for dual universal suffrage, thus universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council cannot be fully implemented at an early date; in addition, this Council considers that dual universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council should be implemented by no later than 2012.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.I I. MOTIONS NEGATIVED171Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
23 January 2008
“Introducing legislative amendments
to open up community radio stations” moved by Hon James TO Kun-sun
amendments moved by
Hon CHAN Kam-lamHon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEUNG Kwok-hung
30 April 2008
“Human rights and the right to return to
one’s hometown” moved byHon Emily LAU Wai-hing
amendment moved by
Hon TAM Yiu-chung
amendment to amendment moved by
Hon LEE Cheuk-yan
7 May 2008
“Implementing co-location of immigration
and customs facilities” moved byHon WONG Ting-kwong
amendment moved by
Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungThe original motion: “That existing legislation restricts the setting up of community radio stations by the public and the Government has unrestricted power to reject the applications from members of the public for a licence to operate a radio station, which has led to criminal prosecution against members of the public for setting up and participating in community radio stations, thus depriving the public of the right to express opinions through different channels and violating human rights; this Council urges the Government to amend the Telecommunications Ordinance and the Broadcasting Ordinance to open up public service broadcasting, including setting up channels for digital television and radio broadcasting for use by the public and allowing the community to set up and operate radio and television broadcasting services, so as to safeguard the freedom of speech of the public.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.
The original motion: “That this Council urges the
Central Government to honour the commitment it made when bidding to host the Olympic Games seven years ago that it would enhance human rights and develop democracy; moreover, as a number of Hong Kong people have been barred by the Central Government from returning to the Mainland for almost 20 years, this Council calls on the Central Government to respect the right of the Chinese nationals in Hong Kong to freely travel to and from the Mainland, and urges the Executive Authorities to assist these people to have their right to return to their hometown reinstated.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.
The original motion: “That this Council urges the
SAR Government to step up its cooperation with the Mainland and expeditiously implement the ‘co-location of immigration and customs facilities’ for clearance at the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong International Airport, so as to enhance the efficiency of passenger and freight transport to and from the Mainland, consolidate the position of Hong Kong as a regional aviation and transportation hub and strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong.” and the proposed amendment to the motion were negatived.I I. MOTIONS NEGATIVED172Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
14 May 2008
“Legislating to strengthen the protection
for the rights and interests of property buyers” moved byHon Albert Jinghan CHENG
amendments moved by
Hon LEE Wing-tatHon CHAN Kam-lam
21 May 2008
“Inclusion of general holidays as
statutory holidays” moved by Hon LEE Cheuk-yan
28 May 2008
“The 4 June incident” moved by
Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
11 June 2008
“Implementation of ‘one country, two
systems’” moved byHon Martin LEE Chu-ming
amendment moved by
Hon TAM Yiu-chungThe original motion: “That, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) issued a Supplement to the Code of Measuring Practice (the Supplement) on 5 February this year to spell out more clearly the way of measuring the saleable area of properties and require that the saleable area and items of ancillary accommodation, such as bay window, garden, flat roof, etc, should be separately measured and stated, but some estate developers have instantly indicated that they have no intention of complying with the Supplement; in order to prevent the public from being confused by the varying definitions of saleable area and suffered losses when buying properties, this Council calls on the Government to require by way of legislation that when uncompleted and completed flats are offered for sale by developers, the saleable area specified in the sales brochures must be measured in the way prescribed in the Supplement issued by HKIS, and the saleable area so measured be used as the basis for calculating the average price per square foot of the properties, so as to protect the rights and interests of consumers.” and the proposed amendments to the motion were negatived.
The motion: “That this Council urges the
Government to amend the Employment Ordinance to progressively include all general holidays other than Sundays as paid statutory holidays.” was negatived.
The motion: “That this Council urges that: the
4 June incident be not forgotten and the 1989 pro-democracy movement be vindicated.” was negatived.
The original motion: “That this Council urges the
Central Government to abide by the Basic Law and strictly require that no department of the Central Government, including the Central Government Liaison Office, and no local government in the Mainland shall interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong SAR Government administers on its own in accordance with the Basic Law, so as to implement ‘one country, two systems’, ‘Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong’ with ‘a high degree of autonomy’.” and the proposed amendment to the motion were negatived.I I. MOTIONS NEGATIVED173Bills Date of Council meeting, Subject and Mover Wording of Motion and Result
I I I. MOTIONS FOR ADJOURNMENT
19 December 2007
Motion for adjournment moved by
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum
2 July 2008
Motion for adjournment moved by
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanThe motion: “That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of discussing the Report by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the Public Consultation on Constitutional Development and on whether there is a need to amend the methods for selecting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2012.” was negatived.
The motion: “That this Council do now adjourn
for the purpose of debating the following issue: Predicament faced by the live poultry trade.” was passed.174Appendix 5
MEMBERSHIP OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMITTEES
(BY COMMITTEES AND BY MEMBERS)
BY COMMITTEES
SUBCOMMITTEES OF FINANCE
COMMITTEE
Establishment Subcommittee
Hon LI Fung-ying (Chairman)
Hon WONG Kwok-hing (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon David LI Kwok-poHon Margaret NGHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon SIN Chung-kaiHon WONG Yung-kanHon Howard YOUNGDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon KWONG Chi-kin
Public Works Subcommittee
Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-tai (Chairman)Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit (Deputy Chairman)Hon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Bernard CHANHon CHAN Kam-lamHon SIN Chung-kaiDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGHon LAU Kong-wahHon LAU Wong-fatHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Timothy FOK Tsun-ting (since 31.10.2007)Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LEE Wing-tatHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon CHEUNG Hok-mingProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon TAM Heung-man
COMMITTEE ON
MEMBERS’ INTERESTS
Hon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-fun (Chairman)
Hon SIN Chung-kai (Deputy Chairman)Hon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Kwok-yingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon Albert Jinghan CHENG
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong (Chairman)Hon TAM Heung-man (Deputy Chairman)Hon LAU Kong-wahHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG
COMMITTEE ON RULES OF
PROCEDURE
Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NG (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah175Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Hon KWONG Chi-kin
BILLS COMMITTEES
Bills Committee on Air Pollution Control
(Amendment) Bill 2008
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee (Chairman)
Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LEE Wing-tatHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Mrs Anson CHAN
Bills Committee on Attachment
of Income Order (Application to Government and Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2007
Hon CHOY So-yuk (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon Margaret NGHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
Bills Committee on Buildings
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Hon KWONG Chi-kin (Chairman)
Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-tai (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TO Kun-sunHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LEE Wing-tatHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Bills Committee on Civil Justice
(Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2007
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sun Hon LI Kwok-yingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Bills Committee on Domestic Violence
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Margaret NGHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Bernard CHANDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon KWONG Chi-kinHon TAM Heung-manHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Bills Committee on Domicile Bill
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming176Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Audrey EU Yuet-mee
Bills Committee on Energy Efficiency
(Labelling of Products) Bill
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee (Chairman)
Hon Fred LI Wah-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Vincent FANG KangHon WONG Ting-kwong
Bills Committee on The English Schools
Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2007
Dr Hon YEUNG Sum (Chairman)
Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon Albert Jinghan CHENGHon TAM Heung-man
Bills Committee on Fixed Penalty
(Smoking Offences) Bill
Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo (Chairman)
Hon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon LI Kwok-yingDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon WONG Ting-kwongBills Committee on Independent Police
Complaints Council Bill
Hon LAU Kong-wah (Chairman)
Hon LEE Cheuk-yanDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Margaret NGHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon James TO Kun-sunHon Bernard CHANDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long (since 23.10.2007)Hon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon KWONG Chi-kin
Bills Committee on Legislative Council
(Amendments) Bill 2007
Hon Howard YOUNG (Chairman)
Hon WONG Ting-kwong (Deputy Chairman)Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon LUI Ming-wah Hon Margaret NGHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon SIN Chung-kaiDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon LAU Kong-wahHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG Kang Hon Daniel LAM Wai-keung 177Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung
Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon KWONG Chi-kinHon TAM Heung-man Hon Mrs Anson CHAN
Bills Committee on Mainland Judgments
(Reciprocal Enforcement) Bill
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Deputy Chairman)Hon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon James TO Kun-sun Hon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Bills Committee on Mandatory
Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2007
Hon CHAN Kam-lam (Chairman)
Hon LEE Cheuk-yanDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon SIN Chung-kaiHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LI Kwok-yingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon WONG Ting-kwongHon TAM Heung-manBills Committee on Mandatory
Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2007
Hon James TIEN Pei-chun (Chairman)
Hon CHAN Kam-lam (Deputy Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yan Hon CHAN Yuen-hanHon SIN Chung-kai Hon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit Hon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Bills Committee on Mandatory
Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2008
Hon CHAN Kam-lam (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan Hon LEE Cheuk-yan Hon CHAN Yuen-hanHon SIN Chung-kaiHon LI Fung-yingHon Albert CHAN Wai-yip Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon WONG Ting-kwong Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon TAM Heung-man
Bills Committee on Patents
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Hon SIN Chung-kai (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon LI Kwok-yingHon WONG Ting-kwong178Bills Committee on Pneumoconiosis
(Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 2008
Hon KWONG Chi-kin (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Bills Committee on Prevention and
Control of Disease Bill
Hon Vincent FANG Kang (Chairman)
Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long (Deputy Chairman)Hon Margaret NGHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon WONG Yung-kanHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
Bills Committee on Prevention of Bribery
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing (Chairman)
Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon Martin LEE Chu-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Margaret NGHon CHEUNG Man-kwongDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Howard YOUNGDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon Albert Jinghan CHENGHon KWONG Chi-kinHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Bills Committee on Product
Eco-responsibility Bill
Hon CHOY So-yuk (Chairman)
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon LEE Wing-tatHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon WONG Ting-kwong
Bills Committee on Race
Discrimination Bill
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him (Deputy Chairman)Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Martin LEE Chu-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Bernard CHANHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon LI Fung-ying179Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon TAM Heung-manHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Bills Committee on Revenue Bill 2008
Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen (Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yan Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon CHAN Kam-lamHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon WONG Ting-kwong Hon TAM Heung-man
Bills Committee on Road Traffic
Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2008
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Chairman)
Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon James TO Kun-sunHon LAU Kong-wahHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon KWONG Chi-kinHon TAM Heung-manBills Committee on Statute Law
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sunHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon LI Kwok-yingHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Bills Committee on Statute Law
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming Hon James TO Kun-sunHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Bills Committee on Trade Descriptions
(Amendment) Bill 2007
Hon Fred LI Wah-ming (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon WONG Ting-kwong
Bills Committee on West Kowloon
Cultural District Authority Bill
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee (Chairman)
Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming (Deputy Chairman)Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Margaret NGHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Bernard CHANHon CHAN Kam-lam180Hon SIN Chung-kai
Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEE Wing-tatHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingPANELS
I.Panels
Panel on Administration of Justice and
Legal Services
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming (Deputy Chairman) (since 26.11.2007)Hon James TO Kun-sun Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Panel on Commerce and Industry
Hon Vincent FANG Kang (Chairman)Hon WONG Ting-kwong (Deputy Chairman)Dr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon CHAN Kam-lamHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chung
Panel on Constitutional Affairs
Dr Hon LUI Ming-wah (Chairman)Hon TAM Yiu-chung (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon Margaret NGHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee181Hon CHEUNG Man-kwong
Hon Bernard CHANHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon LEUNG Yiu-chungDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGDr Hon YEUNG SumHon LAU Kong-wahHon LAU Wong-fatHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEE Wing-tatHon Daniel LAM Wai-keung Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon WONG Ting-kwong Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chungProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing Hon KWONG Chi-kinHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Panel on Development
Hon LAU Wong-fat (Chairman)Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Kam-lamHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon CHOY So-yukHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LEE Wing-tatHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon CHEUNG Hok-ming
Panel on Economic Development
Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung (Chairman)Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-him (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon David LI Kwok-poHon Fred LI Wah-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon CHAN Kam-lamHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Howard YOUNGHon LAU Chin-shekHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Vincent FANG KangHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chungHon KWONG Chi-kinHon TAM Heung-man
Panel on Education
Hon Jasper TSANG Yok-sing (Chairman)Dr Hon YEUNG Sum (Deputy Chairman)Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen182Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Panel on Environmental Affairs
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee (Chairman)Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing (Deputy Chairman)Ir Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon Martin LEE Chu-mingHon SIN Chung-kaiHon WONG Yung-kanHon Howard YOUNGHon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon CHOY So-yukHon LEE Wing-tatHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Panel on Financial Affairs
Hon CHAN Kam-lam (Chairman)Hon Ronny TONG Ka-wah (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon David LI Kwok-poHon James TO Kun-sunHon Bernard CHAN Hon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung Hon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon WONG Ting-kwongHon CHIM Pui-chungHon TAM Heung-man
Panel on Food Safety and
Environmental Hygiene
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan (Chairman)
Hon Fred LI Wah-ming (Deputy Chairman)Hon WONG Yung-kanHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Vincent FANG KangHon WONG Kwok-hingDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-ki
Panel on Health Services
Hon LI Kwok-ying (Chairman)Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long (Deputy Chairman)Hon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo Hon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon LEUNG Kwok-hung Dr Hon KWOK Ka-kiDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Panel on Home Affairs
Hon CHOY So-yuk (Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yan (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon CHAN Yuen-hanDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon LAU Wong-fatHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon TAM Heung-man183Panel on Housing
Hon LEE Wing-tat (Chairman)
Hon WONG Kwok-hing (Deputy Chairman)Hon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon CHAN Kam-lamHon LEUNG Yiu-chungDr Hon YEUNG SumHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon LI Kwok-yingDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Panel on Information Technology and
Broadcasting
Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG (Chairman)
Hon SIN Chung-kai (Deputy Chairman)Dr Hon David LI Kwok-poHon Fred LI Wah-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Bernard CHANDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Panel on Manpower
Hon LAU Chin-shek (Chairman)Hon KWONG Chi-kin (Deputy Chairman)Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon LI Fung-yingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hung
Panel on Public Service
Hon Howard YOUNG (Chairman)Hon LI Fung-ying (Deputy Chairman)Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Margaret NGHon James TO Kun-sunHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon TAM Yiu-chungHon WONG Kwok-hingHon KWONG Chi-kin
Panel on Security
Hon LAU Kong-wah (Chairman)Hon James TO Kun-sun (Deputy Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Margaret NGHon CHEUNG Man-kwongDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon WONG Yung-kanHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon CHIM Pui-chung
Panel on Transport
Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo (Chairman)Hon CHEUNG Hok-ming (Deputy Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-tai184Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yee
Hon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon LI Fung-yingHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEE Wing-tatHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon LEUNG Kwok-hungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon TAM Heung-man
Panel on Welfare Services
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung (Chairman)Hon CHAN Yuen-han (Deputy Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funDr Hon YEUNG SumHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
II. Subcommittees of Panels
Panel on Development
Subcommittee to Review the Planning for the Central Waterfront (including the Tamar Site)
Hon LAU Wong-fat (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon CHAN Kam-lamHon WONG Yung-kanHon CHOY So-yukHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LEE Wing-tatHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon CHEUNG Hok-ming
Panel on Home Affairs
Subcommittee on Heritage Conservation
Hon CHOY So-yuk (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sunHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon WONG Yung-kanHon LAU Wong-fatHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon TAM Heung-man
Panel on Home Affairs
Subcommittee on Human Rights Protection Mechanisms
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sunDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon LI Kwok-yingHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon WONG Ting-kwong185Panel on Home Affairs
Subcommittee to Follow Up the Outstanding Leisure and Cultural Services Projects of the Former Municipal Councils
Hon LI Kwok-ying (Chairman)
Hon LAU Wong-fatHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Panel on Security
Subcommittee on Police’s Handling of Searches of Detainees
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon WONG Yung-kanHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LEUNG Kwok-hung
Panel on Transport
Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon LAU Kong-wahHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEE Wing-tatHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon TAM Heung-manPanel on Welfare Services
Subcommittee on Elderly Services
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Panel on Welfare Services
Subcommittee on Review of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Frederick FUNG Kin-keeHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hung
Panel on Welfare Services
Subcommittee on Strategy and Measures to Tackle Family Violence
Hon CHAN Yuen-han (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 2.1.2008)186SUBCOMMITTEES ON SUBSIDIARY
LEGISLATION
Subcommittee on Antiquities and
Monuments (Withdrawal of Declaration of Proposed Monument) (No. 128 Pok Fu Lam Road) Notice
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee (Chairman)
Hon CHOY So-yukHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LEE Wing-tatHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Subcommittee on Building
Management (Third Party Risks Insurance) Regulation
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan Hon Bernard CHANHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon CHOY So-yukHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon WONG Kwok-hingHon TAM Heung-man
Subcommittee on Building (Planning)
(Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing (Chairman)
Hon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingSubcommittee on Building (Refuse
Storage and Material Recovery Chambers and Refuse Chutes) (Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon CHOY So-yuk (Chairman)
Hon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon CHEUNG Hok-mingProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Subcommittee on Dutiable Commodities
(Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yan (Chairman)
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chung
Subcommittee on Food Business
(Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon Fred LI Wah-ming (Chairman)
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon WONG Yung-kanHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Alan LEONG Kah-kit187Subcommittee on Food and Drugs
(Composition and Labelling) (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008
Hon Bernard CHAN (Chairman)
Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon SIN Chung-kaiHon WONG Yung-kanHon Howard YOUNGHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon WONG Kwok-hingDr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-longHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon WONG Ting-kwong
Subcommittee on Fugitive Offenders
(Ireland) Order
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
Subcommittee on Interpretation and
General Clauses Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 6) Order 2008
Dr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hong (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Mrs Sophie LEUNG LAU Yau-funHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Howard YOUNGDr Hon YEUNG SumHon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Daniel LAM Wai-keungHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon Mrs Anson CHAN
Subcommittee on Merchant Shipping
(Prevention of Air Pollution) Regulation
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Chairman)
Hon SIN Chung-kaiHon WONG Yung-kan Hon CHOY So-yuk
Subcommittee on Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters (Finland) Order
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yee
Subcommittee on Pension Benefits
Ordinance (Established Offices) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2008
Hon KWONG Chi-kin (Chairman)
Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon SIN Chung-kaiHon TAM Yiu-chungHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-mee188Subcommittee on Proposed Resolution
under Section 7(1) of the Public Finance Ordinance (Cap.2)
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon CHAN Kam-lam Hon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hing
Subcommittee on Rail Merger
Ordinance (Commencement) Notice
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Chairman)
Hon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon LAU Kong-wahHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Fung-yingHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon KWONG Chi-kin
Subcommittee on Rating (Exemption)
Order 2008
Hon Albert HO Chun-yan (Chairman)
Hon CHAN Kam-lamHon WONG Kwok-hingHon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon WONG Ting-kwongHon TAM Heung-manHon Mrs Anson CHANSubcommittee on Road Traffic
(Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon LI Fung-yingHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon CHEUNG Hok-ming
Subcommittee on Securities and
Futures (Contracts Limits and Reportable Positions) (Amendment) (No.2) Rules 2007
Hon SIN Chung-kai (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon CHAN Kam-lamHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chung
Subcommittee on Sewage
Services (Trade Effluent Surcharge)(Amendment) Regulation 2008
Hon Audrey EU Yuet-mee (Chairman)
Dr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Tommy CHEUNG Yu-yanHon WONG Ting-kwong
Subcommittee on Subsidiary Legislation
to Implement the Obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sunHon Howard YOUNGHon LAU Kong-wah189Subcommittee on Subsidiary Legislation
to Implement the Obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Chairman)
Hon Margaret NGHon Howard YOUNGHon LAU Kong-wahHon LEUNG Kwok-hung
Subcommittee on Subsidiary
Legislation to Introduce a Unified Carrier Licence under the Telecommunications Ordinance
Hon Bernard CHAN (Chairman)
Hon SIN Chung-kaiDr Hon Philip WONG Yu-hongHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Howard YOUNGHon Albert CHAN Wai-yipHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Subcommittee to Study Six Items of
Subsidiary Legislation under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance Gazetted on 18 April 2008
Hon CHAN Kam-lam (Chairman)
Hon Fred LI Wah-mingHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon Vincent FANG KangHon Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuenHon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon CHIM Pui-chungSubcommittee on Tsing Sha Control
Area (Tolls, Fees and Charges) Regulation
Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Chairman)
Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEE Wing-tatHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fungHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah
Subcommittee on Unsolicited
Electronic Messages Regulation (Commencement) Notice
Hon SIN Chung-kai (Chairman)
Hon WONG Ting-kwongHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah190SUBCOMMITTEES OF HOUSE
COMMITTEE
Parliamentary Liaison Subcommittee
Hon Howard YOUNG (Chairman)
Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing (Deputy Chairman)Hon Fred LI Wah-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon CHOY So-yukHon LI Kwok-yingHon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing
Subcommittee to Examine the
Implementation in Hong Kong of Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council in Relation to Sanctions
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon Martin LEE Chu-mingDr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon LAU Kong-wah
Subcommittee on Members’
Remuneration and Operating Expenses Reimbursement
Prof Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing (Chairman)
Dr Hon LUI Ming-wahHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon Howard YOUNGHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon WONG Ting-kwongHon TAM Heung-manSubcommittee to Study the Subject of
Combating Poverty
Hon Frederick FUNG Kin-kee (Chairman)
Hon James TIEN Pei-chun (Deputy Chairman)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Margaret NGHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon LEUNG Yiu-chung Hon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon TAM Yiu-chungHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon LI Fung-ying Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kitHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hungHon Ronny TONG Ka-wahHon Albert Jinghan CHENG (up to 5.11.2007)Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
Subcommittee to Study Issues Relating to
the Provision of Boarding Places,
Senior Secondary Education and Employment Opportunities for Children with Special Educational Needs
Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung (Chairman)
Hon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Mrs Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Audrey EU Yuet-mee
Subcommittee on West Kowloon
Cultural District Development
Hon Alan LEONG Kah-kit (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sun (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chun (up to 15.10.2007)Hon Albert HO Chun-yanIr Dr Hon Raymond HO Chung-taiDr Hon LUI Ming-wah191Hon Margaret NG
Hon Selina CHOW LIANG Shuk-yeeHon CHAN Yuen-hanHon CHAN Kam-lamHon SIN Chung-kaiHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon LAU Wong-fat (up to 9.10.2007)Hon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon CHOY So-yukHon Timothy FOK Tsun-tingHon Abraham SHEK Lai-himHon Albert CHAN Wai-yip (up to 20.11.2007)Hon Audrey EU Yuet-meeHon LEE Wing-tatHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon KWOK Ka-kiHon CHEUNG Hok-mingHon CHIM Pui-chungProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon Albert Jinghan CHENG (up to 14.10.2007)
Subcommittee to Study the
Transport Needs of and Provision of Concessionary Public Transport Fares for Persons with Disabilities
Hon LEE Cheuk-yan (Chairman)
Hon LEUNG Yiu-chungHon LAU Kong-wahHon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Andrew CHENG Kar-fooHon TAM Yiu-chungHon WONG Kwok-hingHon LEUNG Kwok-hungDr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Subcommittee on Draft Subsidiary
Legislation Relating to the Civil Justice Reform
Hon Margaret NG (Chairman)
Hon James TO Kun-sun Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon LI Kwok-yingHon Ronny TONG Ka-wah192Appendix 5
MEMBERSHIP OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMITTEES
BY MEMBERS
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(1) Hon Timothy FOK Tsun-ting (since 31.10. 2007)
193Membership of Bills Committees
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(1) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007) (2) Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long (since 23.10.2007)(continued ...)
194Membership of Bills Committees (… continued)
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(3)(4) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
195Membership of Panels
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(1) Hon Martin LEE Chu-ming (since 26.11.2007) (2)(3)(4) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007)
196Membership of Subcommittees of Panels
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(1) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 2.1.2008)
197Membership of Subcommittees on Subsidiary Legislation
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(continued ...)
198Membership of Subcommittees on Subsidiary Legislation
(… continued)
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman (continued ...)
199Membership of Subcommittees on Subsidiary Legislation
(… continued)
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
200
201Membership of Subcommittees of House Committee
C = Chairman DC = Deputy Chairman
(1) Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG (up to 5.11.2007) (2) Hon Mrs Anson CHAN (since 14.12.2007) (3) Hon James TIEN Pei-chun (up to 15.10.2007) (4) Hon LAU Wong-fat (up to 9.10.2007) (5) Hon Albert CHAN Wai-yip (up to 20.11.2007) (6) Hon Albert Jinghan CHENG (up to 14.10.2007)
202
203Appendix 6
Statistical Breakdown of All Concluded Cases
under the Legislative Council Redress System
204
205
206
207
208
209
210Appendix 7
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMISSION AND
ITS COMMITTEES
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMISSION
Terms of Reference
1. To provide through the Secretariat administrative support and services to the Council;
2. To provide office accommodation to Members of the Council and staff of the Secretariat; 3. To supervise the operation of the Secretariat; 4. To produce an official report of all proceedings in the Council and in any committee of the whole Council; and 5. To perform such other duties as the Council may by resolution determine.
Membership
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (Chairman)Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee (Deputy Chairman)Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon LEE Cheuk-yanHon Fred LI Wah-mingHon Margaret NGHon CHEUNG Man-kwongHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shingHon Albert Jinghan CHENG
Committee on Personnel Matters
Terms of Reference
1. To consider personnel matters including staffing resources, appointment, promotion, dismissal, grading, duties, remuneration and other terms and conditions of service of staff of the Secretariat which require the attention of the Commission;
2. To approve appointments including acting appointments with a view to promotion
of officers at Chief Council Secretary level and above; and
3. To monitor progress of appointment and personnel matters delegated to the
Secretary General.
Membership
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (Chairman)Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Margaret NGHon Jasper TSANG Yok-singHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon Albert Jinghan CHENG211Committee on Members’ Operating Expenses
Terms of Reference
1. To advise on administrative matters relating to Members’ operating expenses; and
2. To review the Secretary General’s decision on a Member’s claim for operating expenses
reimbursement upon the Member’s request.
Membership
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (Chairman)Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yeeHon Fred LI Wah-ming
Committee on Facilities and Services
Terms of Reference
1. To consider the accommodation requirements of the Council and the Secretariat;
2. To assess the needs of the Council and of individual Members for services and facilities for
the conduct of Council business;
3. To formulate solutions for meeting needs identified at (1) and (2);4. To consider financial matters relating to (1) to (3) above, and approve procurement of fixed
assets costing above $500,000 but not exceeding $2,000,000; and
5. To monitor the progress and developments relating to the above items.
Membership
Hon Mrs Rita FAN HSU Lai-tai (Chairman)
Hon James TIEN Pei-chunHon Emily LAU Wai-hingHon WONG Ting-kwongProf Hon Patrick LAU Sau-shing212
213Appendix 8
Organization Chart of the Legislative Council Secretariat
(as at 30 September 2008)
Project Team
for the New
Legislative
Council ComplexCouncil Business
Division 1Council Business
Division 2Council Business
Division 3Research and
Library Services
Division
Assistant Secretary
General
(Special Duties)
Mrs Percy MAAssistant Secretary
General 1
Mrs Constance LIAssistant Secretary
General 2
Mrs Vivian KAMAssistant Secretary
General 3
Mrs Justina LAM
Head (Research
and Library
Services)
Mr Watson CHAN
Consultant
Architect
Mr IP Ching-wanChief Council
Secretaries
Miss Polly YEUNG
Miss Becky YU
Ms Connie SZETO
Ms Anita SIT
Ms YUE Tin-po
Ms Rosalind MAChief Council
Secretaries
Miss Odelia LEUNG
Miss Flora TAI
Miss Mary SO
Miss Betty MA
Mr Raymond LAM
Ms Betty FONGChief Council
Secretaries
Ms Miranda HON
Mr Colin CHUI
Mr Arthur LEUNGDeputy Head
(Research and
Library Services)
Ms Elyssa WONG
Senior Council
Secretary
Mr Matthew LOO
Senior Information
Technology Officer
Mr Ian LEONGSenior Council
Secretaries
Mrs Mary TANG
Ms Sarah YUEN
Ms Debbie YAU
Mr WONG Siu-yee
Mr SUNG Pui-yin
Ms Annette LAM
Ms Guy YIPSenior Council
Secretaries
Mr Stanley MA
Mrs Eleanor CHOW
Ms Joanne MAK
Ms Amy YU
Mr Chris LAI
Ms Alice LEUNG
Ms Janet SHUM
Miss Josephine SOSenior Council
Secretaries
Miss Lolita SHEK
Ms Dora WAI
Ms Serena CHU
Ms Jessica CHANResearch Officers
Ms Vicky LEE
Mr Jackie WU
Mr Michael YU
Ms Diana WONG
Mr Thomas WONG
Ms Ivy CHENG
Miss Lettice AU YEUNGThe Legislative Council Commission
Translation and
Interpretation
DivisionPublic
Information
DivisionComplaints
DivisionAdministration
DivisionLegal Service
Division
Senior Assistant
Legal Advisers
Mr LEE Yu-sung
Mr Arthur CHEUNG
Head (Translation
and Interpretation)
Mr Kenneth WONGChief Public
Information Officer
Mr Simon WONGPrincipal Council
Secretary
(Complaints)
Mrs Sharon TONGPrincipal Council
Secretary
(Administration)
Mr Andy LAU
Assistant Legal
Advisers
Mr Stephen LAM
Ms Connie FUNG
Mr KAU Kin-wah
Miss Kitty CHENG
Mr Kelvin LEE
Mr Timothy TSO
Miss Winnie LO
Ms Clara TAM
Mr YICK Wing-kinChief Translation
Officers
Mrs Angelica CHUNG
Mr CHAN Wing-hong
Mr Peter CHUNG Accountant
Mr Joseph KWONG
Senior Public
Information
Officers
Ms Emily PANG
Mr Jimmy YUEN
Mr Kelvin LISenior Council
Secretaries
Mrs Pandora CHAN
Miss Erica WONG
Miss Erin TSANG
Mrs Queenie YU
Ms Shirley CHANSenior Translation
Officers
Miss Lucie CHAU
Ms Pollyanna CHUNG
Miss Margaret LI
Mr Philip YU
Ms Loretta WOO
Ms NG Wan-king
Mrs Suzanne LI
Mr WONG Kin-bun
Mr Daniel AU
Miss Linda CHAN
Ms Tamus HON
Miss Vivian LEE
Miss Iris TSUI
Ms Gloria MA
Mr George LO
Miss Tammy LEUNG
Ms Winnie CHAN
Miss Rebecca LOUIE
Miss Anita CHAN
Miss Christabel CHIU
Mr Thomas YEUNG
Ms Jo SIU
Ms Eva LAN
Ms Mandy LAMInformation
Technology
Manager
Mr CHAN Wai-kwong
Senior Council
Secretaries
Mr Anthony CHU
Mr Derek LOSecretary General
Ms Pauline NG
Legal Adviser
Mr Jimmy MA