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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (February 18) at 11 am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on measures for combating drink driving.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Lee Wing-tat, states: "That, as several serious traffic accidents caused by drink driving have occurred recently, which resulted in a large number of casualties, reflecting that the awareness of the danger of drink driving among motorists is still weak, this Council urges the Government to:
(a) review the penalties for the drink driving offence by increasing the disqualification period to a minimum of 12 months or above upon first conviction of this offence as well as raising the maximum imprisonment term and fine for such an offence;
(b) consider further tightening the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration;
(c) lodge appeals to the Court by the Department of Justice against drink driving cases with relatively lenient sentences so as to allow the Judiciary to formulate more stringent sentencing criteria;
(d) consider raising the maximum imprisonment term for dangerous driving causing death to the same level as that for manslaughter; and
(e) enhance public education and publicity to enable motorists to understand the perils of drink driving,so as to safeguard public safety."
Hon Cheung Hok-ming and Hon Leung Kwok-hung will move separate amendments to Hon Lee Wing-tat's motion.
Members will also debate a motion on helping young people cope with the financial tsunami. The motion, to be proposed by Hon Tanya Chan, says: "That, being struck by the financial tsunami, Hong Kong's economy will most probably slacken off substantially and young people will definitely face pressure from various fronts, including the financial burden arising from repaying student loans and the employment difficulties caused by reduction in jobs etc; this Council urges the Government to show concern for the needs of young people amid economic adversities and offer suitable support to help them alleviate their pressure, develop their career and contribute to the society, with specific measures which include:
(a) removing the existing 1.5% risk rate for the "Non-means Tested Loan Scheme" and making changes to the effect that the interest will be calculated after a student has completed the relevant programme;
(b) suspending the collection of repayments from all borrowers of student loan schemes for one year and waiving the interests on all loans for that year;
(c) providing young people with more employment counselling and support, especially by increasing the resources allocated to the environmental protection and creative industries, with a view to helping them find suitable jobs;
(d) creating temporary jobs and placements which are suitable for young people, including those in the fields of environmental conservation, survey studies, community relations, publicity and promotion etc, to give them opportunities to accumulate working experience;
(e) exploring various forms of support, including appropriate training, counselling services, subsidies or loan arrangements, for young people who aspire to start a business or become self-employed; and
(f) expeditiously implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Economic Challenges which target at young people's needs and putting forward specific work plans as well as announcing the details."
Hon Starry Lee, Hon Andrew Leung, Hon Wong Sing-chi, Hon Wong Kwok-hing and Hon Lee Cheuk-yan will move separate amendments to Hon Tanya Chan's motion.
On bill, the Disciplined Services Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2009 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 19 questions on various policy areas, five 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, February 16, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:35
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