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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (May 30) at 11 am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on fostering the development of the tourism industry.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung, states: "That, Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city popular among tourists all over the world, and the SAR Government has all along supported the development of the local tourism industry, which being one of the four pillars of the local economy, should have had immense room for development; however, as most travel agencies in Hong Kong are small and medium enterprises operating on narrow profit margins and have recently been affected by some negative factors, coupled with the internal conflicts in the industry, the tourism industry is encountering difficulties in business operation; as such, this Council urges the Government to face up to the problems and discuss with the industry measures to enhance the level of professional services and promote the long-term development of the industry, which include:
(a) providing more training courses by the Government to upgrade the quality of professional services of the employees in the tourism industry, in particular that of the tourist guides; and
(b) assisting in resolving internal conflicts in the industry, eliminating uneven distribution of interests and rationalizing the cooperative relationship among stakeholders in the industry."
Hon WONG Kwok-hing, Hon Fred LI, Hon TAM Heung-man and Hon CHAN Kam-lam will move separate amendments to Hon Jeffrey LAM Kin-fung's motion.
Members will also debate a motion on the 4 June incident. The motion, to be proposed by Hon Martin LEE, says: "That this Council urges that: the 4 June incident be not forgotten, the 1989 pro-democracy movement be vindicated, the civil rights movement be supported, and a constitutional democracy be established."
Meanwhile, Hon LAU Kong-wah will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Road Traffic (Amendment: Extension of Permitted Area for New Territories Taxis to Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area) Regulation 2007, the Closed Area (Hong Kong Section of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Deep Bay Link Portion) Order, the Immigration (Places of Detention) (Amendment: Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area) Order 2007, the Immigration Service (Designated Places) (Amendment: Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area) Order 2007, and the Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area (Permission to Enter) Notice, laid on the table of the Legislative Council on May 9, 2007, to the meeting of June 27, 2007.
On bill, The English Schools Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2007 will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings; debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
During the meeting, Members will also ask the Administration 20 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the Legislative Council InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869 9568) or the Legislative Council web site (http://www.legco.gov.hk).
Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Legislative Council Chamber. They may reserve seats by calling 2869 9399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Members of the public can also listen to the meeting via the audio webcast system on the Legislative Council homepage.
Ends/Monday, May 28, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:15
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