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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 16) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on striving for 15-year free education.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Cheung Man-kwong, states: "That early childhood education (ECE) is an important stage in children's articulation to primary education, and the provision of quality ECE for children is a responsibility that the Government cannot shy away from; last year, the Macao SAR Government already announced the implementation of 15-year free education, indicating that Hong Kong's basic education policy lags behind that of Macao; given Hong Kong's strong financial position and its increase in fiscal reserve year after year, the Hong Kong Government is definitely able to and needs to make greater commitment to ECE; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously implement 15-year free education, include ECE in the scope of subsidization, draw up a pay scale and directly subsidize the payment of kindergarten teachers¡¦ salaries, and reasonably increase the subsidies for half-day and whole-day kindergartens, so as to enable parents and children to benefit from completely free basic education, create quality teaching conditions for kindergarten teachers, retain quality kindergarten teachers and comprehensively upgrade the quality of basic education, thereby creating a new chapter of Hong Kong education."
Hon Audrey Eu, Hon Starry Lee and Dr Hon Priscilla Leung will move separate amendments to Hon Cheung Man-kwong's motion.
Members will also debate a motion on social welfare land use planning. The motion, to be moved by Hon Cheung Kwok-che, states: "That, given that at present, the Government does not include social welfare use as one of the considerations of land use planning, resulting in many welfare service units' quality of service being affected due to inadequate area or inability to meet the requirements of net operational floor areas specified in the relevant Schedules of Accommodation; some units are even unable to commence operation due to failure to identify permanent venues; recently, there have been delays in residential care homes for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities, District Support Centres for Persons with Disabilities and Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness, etc. finding places to commence operation because of the authorities' unsatisfactory land use planning, which ultimately causes service users to suffer; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to face up to the inadequacy of social welfare land use, have land zoned for welfare use well in advance, expedite the provision of lands for welfare use as needed, and jointly draw up with the sector a mechanism for long-term social welfare land use planning, including collating social indicators, assessing social welfare needs and appropriately dovetailing with the implementation of welfare policies when formulating land policies, so as to ensure that the development of social welfare services will not be impeded; moreover, this Council also urges the Government to enhance civic education, with a view to fostering greater public acceptance of the integration of the socially disadvantaged into the community."
Ir Dr Hon Raymond Ho will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to extend the period for amending the Building (Construction) (Amendment) Regulation 2011, which laid on the table of the Legislative Council on January 19, 2011, to the meeting of March 9, 2011.
Meanwhile, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2011 will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings. Second Reading debate on the bill will be adjourned.
During the meeting, Members will 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 LegCo InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869 9568) or the LegCo website (www.legco.gov.hk). Please note that the agenda is subject to change, and the latest information about the agenda could be found in the LegCo website.
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 web broadcast system on the Legislative Council homepage.
Ends/Monday, February 14, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:56
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