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The following is issued on behalf of Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council(LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (November 9) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Complex. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on assisting the public in coping with economic fluctuations.
The motion, to be moved by Dr Philip Wong, states: "That, given the uncertain prospects of the global economy, this Council urges the Government to closely monitor the economic situation and adopt suitable and effective measures to assist people from different strata and enterprises in coping with difficulties such as inflation and employment, etc., so that they can tide over the difficult times."
Mr Wong Sing-chi, Dr Pan Pey-chyou and Ms Tanya Chan will move separate amendments to Dr Philip Wong's motion.
Mr Wong Kwok-hing will move a motion on comprehensively reviewing the Disability Allowance scheme. The motion, states: "That Hong Kong's existing Disability Allowance (DA) scheme was formulated in 1973 and, after some 30 years of operation, the protection provided by the scheme has become outdated; some people with disabilities (PWDs) (such as people with loss of one limb) are even not entitled to the allowance and not issued with the Registration Card for People with Disabilities because the scheme was inflexible, thus rendering them unable to enjoy MTR half-fare concessions for PWDs; in this connection, this Council urges the Administration to comprehensively review the DA scheme, so as to meet the needs of society today; the relevant review should include:
(a) to review the criteria for the granting of DA, including granting an allowance proportionate to the degree of disability of the applicant;
(b) to consider including professional social workers' 'whole-person assessment' as one of the criteria in the vetting and approval process, rather than relying solely on medical practitioners for determining applicant's eligibility or otherwise based on the degree of disability of the applicant;
(c) to review the Medical Assessment Form and the checklist used for assessing a DA applicant's degree of disability, and clearly specify the definition of and criteria on 'visceral diseases';
(d) to comprehensively review the definition of 'severely disabled' under the existing DA scheme, and relax the criteria in the First Schedule to the Employees' Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282 of the Laws of Hong Kong), i.e. a degree of disability broadly equivalent to a 100% loss of earning capacity, so as to strengthen the protection of PWDs; and
(e) to comprehensively review the applicability of the various public transport concessions available at present to PWDs and the payment arrangements."
Mr Wong Sing-chi, Mr Tam Yiu-chung, Dr Pan Pey-chyou and Mr Ronny Tong will move separate amendments to Mr Wong Kwok-hing's motion.
Mr Chan Kam-lam will move a proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Securities and Futures (Professional Investor) (Amendment) Rules 2011, laid on the table of the Legislative Council on October 12, 2011, to the meeting of November 30, 2011.
Meanwhile, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare will move a proposed resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to amend the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Regulation, laid on the table of the Legislative Council on July 6,2011.
On Bills, the Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Bill 2011 will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings. Second Reading debate on the bill will be adjourned.
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 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 Chamber of the Legislative Council Complex. They may reserve seats by calling 3919 3399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Members of the public can also watch or listen to the meeting via the web broadcast system on the LegCo homepage.
Ends/Monday, November 7, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:31
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