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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (May 11) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on temporarily suspending the implementation of the Minimum Wage Ordinance.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Paul Tse, states: "That, as both employees and employers in many industries have complained bitterly about the Minimum Wage Ordinance, the general guidelines promulgated by the Government as well as the specific guidelines formulated for a number of industries which are mostly affected by the Ordinance are not yet able to allay public concern, and Members who supported the passage of the Minimum Wage Bill that day have recently been queried for failing to thoroughly scrutinize the relevant bill and underestimating the negative impact of the legislation, this Council urges the SAR Government to temporarily suspend the implementation of the Ordinance."
Dr Hon Priscilla Leung and Hon Vincent Fang will move separate amendments to Hon Paul Tse's motion.
Members will debate another motion on improving ancillary facilities at various crossings for the convenience of residents travelling between Guangdong and Hong Kong. The motion, to be moved by Hon Jeffrey Lam, says: "That, since exchanges between Hong Kong and Mainland have become increasingly frequent, the utilization rates of various land boundary control points are rising year by year, with serious congestion in the flows of people and vehicles occurring frequently during peak periods, this Council urges the Administration to adopt the following improvement measures:
(a) to conduct studies on the acutely uneven utilization rates of boundary control points in Hong Kong at present, put in place different incentive measures to divert cross-boundary travellers and balance the utilization rates of various crossings, and enhance the arrangements for crowd diversion on weekends and during public holidays, so as to shorten the clearance time for residents travelling between Guangdong and Hong Kong;
(b) to expeditiously discuss with the Mainland Government improvement to the ancillary facilities near various boundary control points, so as to enhance the linkage between the boundary control points and the facilities such as roads and railway lines, etc., and make it more convenient for residents in both places to travel to and from boundary control points; and
(c) to expedite the studies on the clearance arrangements at the new boundary control points under planning or construction and on the surrounding ancillary facilities, and having regard to demand, launch extension or improvement works, so as to ensure that the new boundary control points can achieve better diversion effect and alleviate congestion at other crossings."
On bills, the Lifts and Escalators Bill will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings. Debate on the Bills will be adjourned.
Meanwhile, the Secretary for Security will move a resolution under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (India) Order, made by the Chief Executive in Council on February 15, 2011.
On Members' motions, Hon Cyd Ho will move a resolution under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance to extend the period of amending the Revised Code of Practice on Employment under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on April 13, 2011 to the meeting of June 1, 2011.
In addition, Hon Tam Yiu-chung will move two resolutions under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China to amend the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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 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 LegCo 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 LegCo website.
Ends/Monday, May 9, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:21
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