******************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (July 2) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will resume the Second Reading Debate on the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Bill. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will then go through the Committee Stage and be read the third time.
On other bills, Second Reading Debates on the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008, the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) Bill, and the Supplementary Appropriation (2007-2008) Bill will resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Readings, they will then go through the Committee Stage and be read the third time.
On Members' motion, Hon Miriam Lau will move a resolution under the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to resolve that the amended terms of reference and list of corresponding bureaux/bodies set out in the Schedule, as recommended by the House Committee, be approved in respect of the existing 18 Panels formed by resolutions made and passed by this Council at its meetings of July 8, 1998, December 20, 2000, October 9, 2002 and July 11, 2007; and that the amendments so approved shall take effect on the day when the 2008-2009 session of the Council begins.
Members will debate a motion on 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. The motion, to be proposed by Dr Hon Fernando Cheung, says: "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."
Members will also debate a motion on proactively promoting waste recovery and recycling. The motion, to be moved by Hon Vincent Fang Kang, states: "That, as the amount of waste generated in Hong Kong continues to increase, in which there are a lot of recyclable and useful materials, yet the Hong Kong Government has no dedicated department responsible for waste recovery and no policy to encourage the recycling industries to recycle local waste, 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) 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;
(b) establish a dedicated department under the Environment Bureau to formulate a policy on recovery of recyclable waste, and enhance its collaboration with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which is responsible for handling refuse, to implement separate recovery of recyclable waste;
(c) provide incentives or appropriate assistance to waste collectors, and regulate the recovery trades and promote their development; and
(d) provide incentives in terms of taxation or land, etc. 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."
Hon Choy So-yuk, Hon Hon Sin Chung-kai, and Hon Audrey Eu will move separate amendments to Hon Vincent Fang Kang's motion.
On Government motions, the Secretary for Food and Health will move a resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance to approve the Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment) (No 3) Regulation 2008 and the Poisons List (Amendment) (No 3) Regulation 2008 made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on June 6, 2008.
The Secretary for the Environment will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to amend the Sewage Services (Trade Effluent Surcharge) (Amendment) Regulation 2008, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No 106 of 2008 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on May 14, 2008.
In addition, Hon Tam Yiu-chung, Chairman of the Finance Committee, will present the Report of the Finance Committee on the examination of the Estimates of Expenditure 2008-2009 and address the Council. Hon Lee Wing-tat, Chairman of the Panel on Housing; Hon Lau Kong-wah, Chairman of the Panel on Security; Dr Hon Lui Ming-wah, Chairman of the Panel on Constitutional Affairs; Hon Chan Kam-lam, Chairman of the Panel on Financial Affairs; Hon Tsang Yok-sing, Chairman of the Panel on Education; Dr Hon Fernando Cheung, Chairman of the Panel on Welfare Services; Hon Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, Chairman of the Panel on Economic Development; Hon Li Kwok-ying, Chairman of the Panel on Health Services; and Hon Audrey Eu, Chairman of the Panel on Environmental Affairs, will present the 2007-2008 Reports of the related Panels and address the Council respectively.
During the meeting, Members will also ask the Administration 19 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, June 30, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:58
NNNN
