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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (November 11) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on re-formulating the special education policy.
The motion, to be moved by Ms Cyd Ho, states: "That, pursuant to the directive of the Education Bureau, students with special education needs have to leave school once they reach the age of 18, and this measure reflects the Administration's failure to keep abreast of the latest development of special education; this Council urges the Administration to re-formulate the special education policy, which includes:
(a) to abandon the mindset of addressing special education from the welfare perspective;
(b) to redeploy resources to commission tertiary education institutions to conduct research on the local needs for special education, which will serve as the basis for re-formulating the policy;
(c) to comprehensively assess the number of students with special education needs in the territory;
(d) to review the facilities of special education schools and upgrade them according to the latest service needs and actual operation of such schools;
(e) to ensure that each student with special education needs has the opportunity to study in a school which offers the new senior secondary school curriculum, and provide subvented education to mentally handicapped students until they are 22 years old;
(f) to review the programme contents of teacher training and continuing education for professionals, and provide suitable manpower training in accordance with the needs of special education schools and inclusive education; and
(g) to conduct assessments on special education needs for all young children in the territory, and provide as early as possible suitable treatment and support services to students with such needs."
Miss Tanya Chan will move an amendment to Ms Cyd Ho's motion.
Members will debate another motion on requesting the Government to provide support services for men in Hong Kong. The motion, to be moved by Mr Wong Kwok-hing, says: "That, with the transformation of Hong Kong's economic structure and the change in the concept of family, both men and women in Hong Kong are facing the same difficulties in matters such as finance, health, marriage and family role, etc; however, as there is no men's policy in Hong Kong and due to the influence of traditional concepts, the quality and quantity of the social welfare and social services which are targeted at men's needs have failed to meet the demand, and as a result, men facing difficulties are often afraid to seek assistance, do not know how to seek assistance or have nowhere to turn to for assistance; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to:
(a) study the formulation of a men's policy which is forward-looking, comprehensive and has continuity;
(b) recognising men as a social group in need of services, set up a Men's Commission to specialise in studying, exploring and addressing men's problems;
(c) face up to the problem of employment difficulties encountered by men, strengthen efforts to develop job types other than those in the service industry, enhance employees retraining services which are specifically targeted at the employment difficulties faced by men, and encourage and facilitate men to get employment or start their own business;
(d) support divorced men on all fronts to cope with difficulties arising from mental stress, housing problem and breakdown of relationships with their children, and set up crisis centres for men which have the functions of providing temporary accommodation and counselling services;
(e) set up men's specialist clinics modeled on gynaecological clinics, so as to provide treatment and health care services in respect of illnesses suffered by men only (such as prostatic disease) and provide health checks for men;
(f) encourage men to consult professionals when they are troubled by family matters, set up a special hotline for men operated by trained personnel who understand men's needs to answer calls for assistance or complaint calls, and promote the provision of courses on counselling for men in the community;
(g) give focused attention to the problem of suicide among middle-aged men, and enhance support for men who are at high risk of committing suicide and inflicting injuries to themselves;
(h) improve the implementation of divorced men's right of access to or joint custody of their children;
(i) enhance support for fathers to meet their needs in parenting their children and balancing work and life pressure, facilitate the provision of support for families on various fronts, and promote the introduction of paid paternity leave and family leave, etc; and;
(j) promote in-depth study of the existing education system, with a view to enhancing its constructive effects on the development of both sexes and bringing about positive social impact."
Meanwhile, Ms Miriam Lau will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Estate Agents (Licensing) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2009, laid on the table of the Legislative Council on October 14, 2009, to the meeting of December 2, 2009.
On Government motion, Secretary for Home Affairs will move a resolution under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to the Legal Aid in Criminal Cases (Amendment) Rules 2009, which was made by the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee on October 13, 2009.
On bill, Members will resume Second Reading debates on the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2009 and the Bunker Oil Pollution (Liability and Compensation) Bill. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second readings, they will then go through the Committee Stage and be read the third time.
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, November 9, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:30
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