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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (October 17) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Chief Executive will address the Council, under Rule 8(a) of the Rules of Procedure, to elaborate on his concept of governance, review progress made in the first three months of the Fourth Term Government, and outline his policy direction and work priorities in 2013.
Meanwhile, Members will debate a motion on urging the Government to withdraw the curriculum guide of Moral and National Education subject and requesting the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng, to step down. The motion, to be moved by Mr Ip Kin-yuen states: "That given the Government's introduction of the Moral and National Education subject in primary and secondary schools, despite the public's strong queries about the objective of the subject being political indoctrination and brainwashing education, the Government still adamantly refuses to withdraw the curriculum guide of the Moral and National Education subject, this Council strongly condemns the Government for disregarding public opinion, and urges the Government to immediately withdraw the curriculum guide of the Moral and National Education subject; the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng, has seriously mishandled the incident, including repeatedly refusing to have open dialogue with teachers, parents and students opposing the introduction of the Moral and National Education subject while selectively listening to supporters' views only, and saying that the silent majority not participating in the parades are in support of national education, and the number of protesters is not important; Eddie Ng's acts and remarks in the incident have caused intense public discontent and indignation, leading to the continuous deterioration of the incident and confrontation between the Government and the public; in addition, a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong has shown that the net support rating of Eddie Ng has dropped to minus 32%, which is the worst among the 12 Directors of Bureaux; Eddie Ng lacks the commitment, credibility and competence that accountability officials should have; in this connection, this Council urges Eddie Ng to bear political responsibility for the incident, take the blame and step down; in addition, given that the Chief Executive, Mr Leung Chun-ying, has mishandled the incident, failed to pro-actively respond to public opinion and triggered public resentment, this Council expresses regret at Mr Leung Chun-ying."
Dr Kenneth Chan, Mr Frederick Fung and Mr Leung Kwok-hung will move separate amendments to Mr Ip Kin-yuen's motion.
Members will debate another motion on the legislating for the regulation of working hours. The motion, to be moved by Mr Cheung Kwok-che states: "That this Council urges the Government to introduce a bill on the regulation of working hours within this legislative session, the contents of which must include the number of standard weekly working hours and overtime pay."
Mr Frederick Fung, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, Mr Sin Chung-kai, Dr Chiang Lai-wan, Mr Michael Tien, Mr Kenneth Leung and Mr Leung Kwok-hung will move separate amendments to Mr Cheung Kwok-che's motion.
Dr Kenneth Chan will move, under Rule 16(4) of the Rules of Procedure, a motion for the adjournment of the Council. The motion states: "That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of debating the following issue: follow-up work relating to the 1 October maritime disaster."
Meanwhile, Mr Wong Yuk-man will take the Legislative Council Oath during the meeting.
In addition, 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 LegCo 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 the meeting via the web broadcast system on the LegCo website.
Ends/Monday, October 15, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:48
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