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The following is issued on behalf on the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (January 27) at 11 am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on appointing a Select Committee to inquire into the interference with the professionalism of social workers on the part of the Secretary for Home Affairs and District Officer (Islands).
The motion, to be moved by Hon Cheung Kwok-che, states: "That this Council appoints a select committee to inquire into whether Tsang Tak-shing, Secretary for Home Affairs, and Lam Saint-kit, District Officer (Islands), failed to promote harmony among community organisations during 2008 and 2009, and Secretary Tsang Tak-shing, before understanding the real facts, exerted pressure on the President of the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association and interfered with the operation of the profession of social workers, and based on the results of the above inquiry, to make recommendations on preventing government officials from interfering with the professional work of social workers; and that in the performance of its duties the committee be authorized under section 9(2) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) to exercise the powers conferred by section 9(1) of that Ordinance."
Members will also debate a motion on actively resolving deep-rooted conflicts. The motion, to be moved by Hon Albert Chan, states: "That, since the transfer of sovereignty 12 years ago, the problem of deep-rooted political, economic and social conflicts in Hong Kong has been worsening; regarding constitutional reform, the pace of democracy remains stagnant while the functional constituency elections of the Legislative Council have even resulted in public aspirations being distorted in the legislature; on the economic front, as monopoly by consortia is becoming more rampant, the difficulties of the ordinary public and small businesses are increasing, and the problem of disparity between the rich and the poor is aggravating, with the population of the poor even having doubled as compared to that before 1997 and the problems of class conflicts and social confrontation in the Hong Kong society continuously intensifying; in view of the above, this Council urges the Government to formulate effective policies to resolve deep-rooted conflicts, implement dual universal suffrage at an early date, provide a platform for fair competition and alleviate the disparity between the rich and the poor; in addition, Hong Kong people should not remain silent about unfair and unjust phenomena, and more importantly, should not tolerate the Government's practice of tilting in favour of large consortia, the public should therefore actively participate in social and political movements and spare no effort in striving for early implementation of dual universal suffrage so as to facilitate the realization of social justice."
In addition, Members will debate a motion on promoting the development of fishing activities. The motion, to be moved by Hon Wong Yung-kan, states: "That, as fishing is both a sport and a leisure activity, which has the characteristics of having diversified ways of participation and being suitable for people of various age groups, it has attracted many enthusiasts; and the rapid development of fishing-related industries has caused governments worldwide to formulate policies to develop local fishing activities; Hong Kong, being surrounded by the sea and with convenient transport, has the advantages for developing fishing activities, and the number of fishing enthusiasts has also continued to increase in recent years, yet due to the lack of appropriate policies, the development of fishing activities in Hong Kong is subject to many restrictions; as such, this Council urges the Government to formulate effective measures to promote the development of fishing activities in Hong Kong, which include:
(a) to relax the existing restrictions on angling at fish rafts and fish ponds, so that the operators can provide more diversified services to cater for the needs of the public;
(b) to relax the existing restrictions on passenger capacity of fishing vessels and, provided that safety standards are met, allow fishermen to operate an additional business of carrying passengers to go angling at sea;
(c) to organise systematic training courses and set up a knowledge bank, so that fishing enthusiasts have the opportunities to acquire the knowledge of fishing skills, safety management and marine conservation, etc.;
(d) to step up publicity on reservoir angling and provide more comprehensive facilities to attract more members of the public as well as tourists to engage in such leisure activity;
(e) to provide additional resources to improve the conservation of marine resources, enhance the environment of the harbourfront, and increase facilities and safety equipment which are conducive to fishing activities, so as to facilitate fishing enthusiasts to enjoy angling on shore;
(f) to encourage and assist in the organization of local and international fishing competitions to promote fishing activities, and to promote the beautiful coastal environment of Hong Kong to other places;
(g) to study the establishment of a fishing licensing system with a view to striking a balance between the conservation of marine resources and promotion of the sustainable development of fishing activities; and
(h) to study co-operating with the Pearl River Delta region to achieve better development and conservation of the entire waters, so as to facilitate the development of fishing activities.
On bills, Members will resume Second Reading on Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2009. 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.
During the meeting, Members will ask the Government 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, January 25, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:29
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