*******************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting on Wednesday (March 18) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on comprehensively reviewing the role and functions of the University Grants Committee.
The motion, to be moved by Professor Hon Patrick Lau, states: "That, as the international trend is that more and more countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Singapore, etc, have abolished their university grants committee mechanism, this Council urges the Government to comprehensively review the role and functions of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong, with a view to optimising the academic quality of local universities as well as the quality of their scientific researches, including:
(a) complementing the switch to the '334' academic structure, fostering the interface between local universities and the top universities in the world, and strengthening mutual academic exchange and co-operation in scientific researches;
(b) improving the mechanism for approving research funding, abandoning the vetting criterion of giving emphasis to quantity rather than quality, ensuring academic freedom, and promoting research studies which meet the needs of the local community;
(c) allocating more funds to provide subsidised undergraduate places and for the universities to determine the intake of associate degree graduates and the number of undergraduate places that need to be substantially increased after the academic structure reform; and
(d) promoting the development and construction of campuses under the principle of university autonomy, and developing Hong Kong into the education hub of Asia."
Hon Paul Chan, Hon Cheung Man-kwong, Hon Starry Lee, Hon Tanya Chan, Hon Wong Yuk-man, Hon Mrs Regina Ip and Dr Hon Pan Pey-chyou will move separate amendments to Professor Hon Patrick Lau's motion.
Members will also debate a motion on promoting the development of leisure agriculture and fishery trades. The motion, to be proposed by Hon Wong Yung-kan, says: "That, being affected by the policies implemented by the SAR Government, the room for survival of the trades which rely on the production of agricultural and fishery products has been shrinking; at the same time, with changes in people's travel patterns, many places have put emphasis on upgrading their traditional agriculture and fishery industries and developing them into leisure tourism industry, which enriches the tourism resources of these places, and creates a way out for the agriculture and fishery industries to transform; yet, the SAR Government does not attach importance to the need of the agriculture and fishery industries in Hong Kong to transform, and there is a lack of a comprehensive development policy in this regard, resulting in the development of the local leisure agriculture and fishery trades still lagging far behind; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to formulate a comprehensive policy on the development of leisure agriculture and fishery trades to develop the trades into a tourism project with local characteristics; the relevant measures should include:
(a) under the principle of sustainable development and through appropriate tourism regulation and ecological management as well as the provision of resources, conserving natural landscape with ecological values as well as rural areas and fishing villages with traditional cultural characteristics, so as to balance the needs for conservation and tourism development;
(b) reviewing the current restrictions relating to the transformation of the agriculture and fishery industries to engage in tourism business, so as to give the industries more room for transformation and development;
(c) drawing on overseas experiences, enhancing the facilities of local live and fresh food wholesale markets and typhoon shelters, injecting tourism elements into such facilities to provide more diversified leisure agriculture and fishery projects; and
(d) allocating more resources to training talents and stepping up the promotion of local leisure agriculture and fishery trades, so as to attract more tourists."
Hon Wong Kwok-hing will move an amendment to Hon Wong Yung-kan's motion.
Meanwhile, Hon Albert Chan will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to resolve that the Public Revenue Protection Order 2009, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 27 of 2009 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on March 4, 2009, be repealed.
On Government motion, the Chief Secretary for Administration will move a resolution under the Matrimonial Causes Ordinance to resolve that the Matrimonial Causes (Fees) (Amendment) Rules 2009, made by the Chief Judge on February 24, 2009, be approved.
In addition, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will move a resolution under the Public Finance Ordinance to give the Authority a sum not exceeding $61,075,637,000 to be charged on the general revenue for expenditure on the services of the Government in respect of the financial year commencing on April 1, 2009.
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will also move a resolution under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance to resolve that the Resolution made and passed by the Legislative Council on May 14, 1997, as amended --
(a) by section 3 of the Revenue (No. 2) Ordinance 2000 (27 of 2000);
(b) by the Resolution made and passed by the Legislative Council on March 19, 2003 and published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 77 of 2003; and
(c) by the Resolution made and passed by the Legislative Council on March 8, 2006 and published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 53 of 2006,
be amended by repealing "2009" and substituting "2014".
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 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, March 16, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:01
NNNN