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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (December 16) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on formulating operational standards for public organisations.
The motion, to be moved by Mrs Regina Ip, states: "That dozens of public organisations in Hong Kong, some being statutory bodies, provide important public services in areas including housing, transportation, commerce and trade as well as financial services, etc; the funding for such organisations is mostly provided by the Government in full or in part, and some of them are authorised by legislation to impose levies or develop other businesses to enhance their profitability; it is learnt that in determining the pay and bonus for the management of these public organisations, their profitability is one of the important criteria for measuring performance, causing some public organisations to fully strive to expand and compete with the private sector for profits, hence disregarding the purposes of their establishment, development of market economy and public interests; as such, this Council urges the Government to formulate operational standards for public organisations, which include ensuring that their operation:
(a) shall meet the purposes laid down upon the establishment of the organisation;
(b) shall meet the overall interests of the community;
(c) shall comply with stringent indicators for corporate social responsibility;
(d) shall be subject to the regulation of the fair competition law;
(e) shall have a highly transparent mechanism for declaration of interests, including proper confidentiality and exit arrangements, so as to prevent real or potential conflicts of interests or transfer of interests;
(f) shall be subject to value for money audits by the Director of Audit on a regular basis; and
(g) shall not jeopardise the principles of 'big market, small government' and free market economy;
and peg the pay/bonus for the remunerated directors and senior executives of public organisations to the above criteria."
Mr Frederick Fung, Ms Miriam Lau and Dr Pan Pey-chyou will move amendments to Mrs Regina Ip's motion.
Members will debate another motion on urging the Government to promote a new occupational culture campaign for work-life balance. The motion, to be moved by Mr Chan Kin-por, says: "That, as Hong Kong has developed into a society with a mature economy where the opportunities for upward social mobility continue to reduce, the promotion opportunities for many employees, especially the younger generation, are drastically reduced, coupled with heavy work pressure, they easily develop a sense of failure in work and life, which has a negative impact on the long-term development of the Hong Kong society; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to promote a new occupational culture campaign for work-life balance to alleviate pressure in life brought by various problems at work, educate the public to establish proper values towards life that, in addition to work, there are still many things worth pursuing in a healthy life, and encourage the public to develop a diversified life, including building harmonious families and a public-spirited society, as well as pursuing knowledge, etc; the Government should at the same time make employers understand that the mode of work-life balance may mitigate work pressure on employees and increase their passion for work, thereby achieving the goals of enhancing productivity and work quality, as well as reduce labour disputes, ultimately enabling both the employees and employers to benefit at the same time; the relevant government measures should include:
(a) to set up a special task force, and adopt new thinking to tailor-make a new occupational culture policy on work-life balance for Hong Kong, and disseminate the message of a diversified and healthy life to various social strata so as to enable the public to understand that achievements in life do not come solely from work, and that building harmonious families and a public-spirited society, etc are also important achievements in life;
(b) the Government to take the lead in promoting a new occupational culture of work-life balance and set up a special fund to subsidise companies in various industries and trades according to their needs to actively promote a more flexible work culture and other measures for work-life balance, thereby enabling Hong Kong to become a more vibrant and competitive city;
(c) to encourage enterprises to implement policies to meet the needs of employees regarding work-life balance, including providing support for the employees and their families, assisting in solving their emotional problems such as those stemming from work pressure and encouraging enterprises to organise public-spirited and spare-time recreational activities for the employees, so as to enable the employees to enjoy a fruitful life, consolidate their morale and increase their passion for work; and
(d) to encourage enterprises to implement a flexible leave policy, and give them special holidays such as paternal leave, study leave, compassionate leave, etc, when employees encounter major events in life."
Mr Wong Kwok-hing, Mr Wong Sing-chi, Mr Lee Cheuk-yan will move amendments to Mr Chan Kin-por's motion.
On Government motion, Secretary for Food and Health will move a resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to the Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment)(No.4) Regulation 2009; and the Poisons List (Amendment)(No.4) Regulation 2009, which was made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on November 24, 2009.
On bill, Members will resume Second Reading debates on the Import and Export (Amendment) Bill 2009, Public Officers Pay Adjustment Bill and Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2009. 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.
Moreover, the Toys and Children's Products Safety (Amendment) 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 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, December 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:36
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