Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Wednesday, March 25, 1998
CONTENTS
========
1. CE's transcript
2. CE expresses concern on livelihood matters
3. FS's transcript
4. High level leadership enhancement programme
5. Milestone reached for works on new water supply facilities
6. Elderly Commission to discuss residential care
7. Residential mortgage survey results for February 1998
8. Quarterly Report on General Household Survey on sale
9. Landmark criminal conviction lands fish-bomber in jail
10. Yuen Long's Project Polar Star follows the success of
its Youth Enhancement Scheme
11. Kwun Tong car wash helps bring workers out of their shells
1. CE's transcript
***************
Following is the transcript (English part) of the
media session given by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee
Hwa, after visiting Tsuen Wan District this (Wednesday)
afternoon:
Reporter: Mr Tung. Would you elaborate on what you would
express at the meeting next week in Guangzhou?
Mr Tung: It is a very important meeting. It's a beginning
of a very important formal relationship. Guangdong
Province and Hong Kong on many areas have a very special
relationship and what we are going to do is to through
this particular higher level liaison committee to look at,
on the one hand, what we have done already; where we are
already collaborating; can we do a better job in terms of
efficiency cost and quality of co-operations, and also to
look at what other areas we can co-operate to our mutual
benefit. So it's going to be very important that this
committee which would be looking after these things.
End
2. CE expresses concern on livelihood matters
******************************************
Effective measures have been initiated by the three
recently established District Fire Safety Committees
(DFSC) to improve building management and fire safety in
Yau Tsim Mong, Eastern and Tsuen Wan, the Chief Executive,
Mr Tung Chee Hwa, learnt today (Wednesday) during a visit
to Tsuen Wan.
Mr Tung took an MTR train from Lai King to Tsuen Wan
this afternoon. He first toured Sam Tung Uk Museum,
originally a traditional Hakka walled village built in
1786 by a Chan family. Because of its historical
significance, the village was declared a monument in 1981.
Noting that Sam Tung Uk is preserved despite rapid
developments in the district, Mr Tung said that monuments
and antiquities such as these would help Hong Kong people,
particularly the younger generation, better understand the
territory's history and Chinese culture and would enhance
their sense of belonging.
He then proceeded to Emperor Centre to inspect the
fire safety improvement measures implemented by building
tenants.
Mr Tung was told that Tsuen Wan, like other older
districts, was faced with the problems of building
management and fire safety as many of the buildings in the
district were aging.
"I am pleased to know that the Tsuen Wan District
Office has helped set up the first DFSC in the New
Territories last month to further enhance fire safety and
building management. Their work will not only reduce the
risk of fire, but will also enhance public awareness of
the importance of fire prevention," he added.
The DFSCs, chaired by respective District Officers,
pull together the efforts of local community leaders and
professionals related to building management as well as
representatives from relevant government departments.
They were tasked with enhancing community involvement
in promoting fire safety in private buildings, co-
organising publicity activities with the provisional
district boards and other bodies, and helping to stage
fire drills with the co-operation of Owners Corporations
and Mutual Aid Committees.
The Home Affairs Department will soon set up its
second Building Management Resource Centre (BMRC) in Tsuen
Wan to help owners in private buildings deal with building
management problems.
The first BMRC, located at Mau Lam Street in Yau Ma
Tei, will commence operation in April. It will offer free
preliminary professional advice from lawyers, accountants,
surveyors and property management companies. Other
relevant government departments will also provide
information on their respective services.
Before concluding the visit, Mr Tung met with Tsuen
Wan Provisional District Board members and local leaders
at a reception at the Airport Core Programme Exhibition
Centre at Ting Kau.
In response to the concern expressed by district
leaders about unemployment, Mr Tung pointed out that the
economic adjustments we were facing should be short term.
He stressed that while the Government would seek to
improve the business environment in order to attract
investments and create jobs, members of the public should
join hands with the Government to meet the challenges
ahead.
"We are fully aware of people's anxiety as Hong Kong
enters an economic downturn with unemployment picking up
as a result of the Asian financial turmoil. To ease the
problem and stimulate economic development, we have
announced in the Budget a series of tax reliefs and
pledged huge investments in infrastructural projects.
"We will adopt a pragmatic approach in assisting job-
seekers and helping them to acquire new skills," he said.
Mr Tung recalled that in the last economic downturn,
Hong Kong's unemployment rate climbed to a peak, at 3.6
per cent, around August and September in 1995.
"With the sound fundamentals of our economy and
efficient operations of our markets, together with the
resilience of our people, the unemployment rate eased
progressively and reached a low of 2.2 per cent in the
third quarter of 1997.
"Hong Kong people are known for their adaptability.
After each adjustment, new businesses are developed and
our economy is able to recover and reach new heights," he
said.
Mr Tung was accompanied by the Director of Home
Affairs, Mrs Shelley Lau, and Deputy Director, Mr Lui
Hau-tuen; Tsuen Wan Provisional District Board Chairman,
Mr Chan Lau-fong and the Tsuen Wan District Officer,
Mr William Yap.
End
3. FS's transcript
***************
Following is the transcript of a media session by the
Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, after the debate of
the revenue proposals of the 1998/99 Budget at the
Provisional Legislative Council Chamber this (Wednesday)
evening:
Mr Tsang: I am very relieved that the debate of the 1998
Budget has now come to a close. I am particularly pleased
that most of my recommendations, all my recommendations on
expenditure, and a majority of my recommendations of
revenue have been approved by the Provisional Legislature.
This also reflects that the community as a whole supports
the Budget and looks to it as a stepping stone to further
success, and an incentive to overcome whatever difficulty
that might come on our way in 1998 and in the coming year.
I am sure that Hong Kong would come out of this period of
slow growth and perhaps is one of the fastest economies in
Asia to be able to achieve a higher plateau of economic
success after this bout in 1997. I am sorry that Members
did not give approval to my recommendation of fuel duty
adjustments, but of course I respect the decision of the
Legislature and we have all to face up to the
consequences.
Reporter: What are the consequences?
Mr Tsang: Well, I am now at the end of this exercise and
perhaps at the berth of another exercise. The exercise is
to prepare for the Budget for the year 1999. I will
follow the same methodology of consulting the community
very widely. And when the new legislature goes into the
house, I would certainly consult them group by group,
member by member. I am aiming, together with my
colleagues, to produce just as good as the Budget for the
coming year as for this year. Thank you very much.
End
4. High level leadership enhancement programme
*******************************************
Commissioned by the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
Government, Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of
Government (KSG) of the USA will design and organise a
high level leadership enhancement programme for senior
officers of the HKSAR Government.
The programme is entitled the Leadership Enhancement
And Development (LEAD) Programme, and will be developed
and produced by KSG in collaboration with CSB and Civil
Service Training and Development Institute.
The LEAD Programme, which will be tailor made for the
Hong Kong civil service, will provide an opportunity for
the top echelons of HKSARG officials to explore issues
including management, leadership, policy development and
the role of top level government officials in a changing
environment.
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr W K Lam,
commented, "This programme is an important initiative for
the Government. We have high expectations of its being a
valuable capacity-building experience for Hong Kong's
senior civil servants as they prepare for the challenges
in the run-up to the 21st century."
This is the first time that the KSG has designed a
tailor-made executive programme for a government to be
held outside the States. Led by Academic Dean Mr Herman
Leonard, five members of the KSG faculty with a wealth of
experience and expertise in both public management and
executive training will deliver the LEAD Programme.
The case teaching method, which is a hallmark of the
Kennedy School's executive education programmes, will be
used on the course. New case studies are being researched
and developed by the School based on actual incidents of
government policy and decision-making in Hong Kong. In
addition to the new Hong Kong cases, relevant case studies
illustrating issues of public policy and administration in
other settings will be used during the programme.
The LEAD Programme will be a residential programme to
be held from May 24 to 29, 1998 at the Hong Kong
University of Science and Technology. It will be attended
by some 30 senior civil servants at the senior directorate
level.
End
5. Milestone reached for works on new water supply facilities
**********************************************************
The launching of the first boring machine for a 12-
kilometre aqueduct for treated water under Tai Mo Shan
today (Wednesday) marked an important milestone on the
works on new water supply facilities in the New
Territories.
The tunnel will be the deepest and longest of its
kind in Hong Kong. It is part of a $4.5 billion project
for the construction of a primary service reservoir at
Butterfly Valley, a new water treatment works at Tai Po,
1.2 kilometre of raw water tunnel from Tai Po Tau Pumping
Station to the new Tai Po Treatment Works, and 12
kilometres of treated water tunnel between Tai Po and
Butterfly Valley.
"This is indeed one of the largest and most
challenging projects undertaken by our department in
recent years," the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Hui Man-
shiu, said when officiating at the launching ceremony.
He said the facilities were required to meet expected
growth in demand for water resulting from increased
population by the turn of the century.
To ensure timely completion of the project, the
contractor responsible for the aqueduct have to employ
three hard rock tunnel boring machines for the excavation
under Tai Mo Shan.
This is the first time such machines are used locally
for a treated water tunnel.
The aqueduct is capable of transferring 1.2 million
cubic metres of water from the new Tai Po Treatment Works
to the primary service reservoir at Butterfly Valley. A
breakthrough is expected in mid-1999.
The tunnel will be steel-lined for 100 per cent
watertightness to prevent treated water from contamination
by ingress of ground water, and to resist high internal
and external pressures. The steel lining will be
protected against corrosion by a cement mortar lining to
increase durability and minimise maintenance requirement.
Two other contracts for the construction of the
treatment works and primary service reservoir are well in
progress. All three contracts are scheduled for
completion by the end of 2000.
End
6. Elderly Commission to discuss residential care
**********************************************
The Elderly Commission will hold a meeting tomorrow
(Thursday) to discuss a wide range of issues. These
include the direction on community and residential care,
the carers' support and resource centre and an active and
productive life for the elderly.
Members will also be briefed on the Consultancy
Report on the Needs of Elderly People on Hong Kong for
Residential Care and Community Support Services.
End
7. Residential mortgage survey results for February 1998
*****************************************************
The rate of decline of new mortgage lending moderated
further in February 1998, while loan approvals continued
to increase.
Gross new loans made during the month continued to
drop in February, though at a slower rate than in January.
The amount of new loans made fell by 1.5% from $8.3
billion to $8.2 billion (compared with a fall of 15.0% in
January). The average size of new loans increased
slightly to $1.99 million in February compared to $1.95
million in January. The amount of outstanding mortgage
loans increased by 0.72% in February, compared with 0.69%
growth in January.
New loans approved during the month rose by 2.7% to
$9.4 billion. Loans approved during the month but not yet
drawn increased by 5.1% from $6.0 billion in January to
$6.3 billion in February.
The annualised rate of growth of outstanding loans in
the three months to February decreased to 7.5% from 9.6%
in January. The average change over the last 12 months
also decreased to 23.6% from 25.9% in January.
On the pricing front, mortgage rates continued to
harden in February. 72% of new loans were priced at 1% or
more above best lending rate (compared with 62% in
January).
"Although loan approvals rose in February, they are
still running at a comparatively low level. Loan growth
is therefore expected to remain moderate," said Mr David
Carse, Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA.
Gross loans for the purchase of properties in
mainland China decreased to $113 million in February from
$262 million in January. The amount of outstanding loans
decreased marginally by 0.06% to $8.0 billion.
End
8. Quarterly Report on General Household Survey on sale
****************************************************
A bilingual report on the General Household Survey
for October - December 1997 will be available for sale
this Friday (March 27).
The report consists of statistics on employment,
unemployment and underemployment for the fourth quarter of
1997. It also contains detailed analyses of the
characteristics of members of the labour force, including
their age, sex, educational attainment, activity status,
occupation, industry, hours worked per week and monthly
employment earnings.
Data on reasons for unemployment and duration of
unemployment for the unemployed are also presented.
Copies of the report are now available at $48 each at
the Government Publications Centre, Ground Floor, Low
Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong
Kong.
Meanwhile, the Census and Statistics Department will
continue to conduct the General Household Survey during
the quarter from April to June 1998.
The Survey, conducted on a continuous basis, aims to
collect information on the labour force, unemployment and
underemployment.
An official letter will be sent to the sampled
households prior to each survey month to explain the
purpose of the Survey and to seek their voluntary co-
operation.
Officers of the department will visit the households
concerned to collect the required information. When
visiting households, they will carry with them a
Government Identity Card and a certificate for conducting
the Survey. They will make such documents available for
inspection by households.
To make it more convenient for both the households
and the department, the sampled households could telephone
the department to make prior appointment for visit by the
interviewers.
End
9. Landmark criminal conviction lands fish-bomber in jail
******************************************************
A large amount of industrial explosives used in the
illegal production of fish-bombs was seized by Marine
North Division officers last October and a fisherman was
arrested. Last month, the man was sentenced to 18 months'
imprisonment for possession of explosives. This is the
first ever fish-bomb conviction under the Crimes
Ordinance.
The history of Chinese fishermen using home-made
bombs to catch fish is hundreds of years old. In 1993,
the Marine North Division seized 15 kg of explosives
destined for fish-bombing, with that figure soaring to
250 kg in 1997. The biggest seizure of fish-bombs
occurred in 1996 when Police raided an illegal fishing
operation in Kat O and confiscated 225 kg (unfortunately
no one was arrested. It raised the seizure figure for the
year to 388 kg.
Last August while on shore patrol duty, Marine North
Division officers discovered a large quantity of chemical
explosives weighing 160 kg, along with detonators and
fuses in blue plastic barrels hidden under rocks in Hoi Ha
Wan, a remote beach in Sai Kung. But instead of seizing
the find, police decided to lay an ambush for those
involved in accumulating the substance, mounting round-
the-clock land observation posts as well as tasking small
boat and Marine Launch patrols.
Then, at about 10.30 am on October 16 last year, a
boat was spotted approaching the scene, from which a man
and a woman launched a sampan to land on the beach.
Employing a video camera to record the male suspect taking
a pack of explosive material from the hidden barrels,
police officers approached the man, who quickly fled by
jumping into the sea (ditching the pack of explosive
material) and swimming back to the awaiting vessel.
Marine Police intercepted the vessel and arrested him.
"Police can use the Fisheries Protection Regulations,
the Dangerous Goods Regulations or the more severely
penalising Crimes Ordinance to prosecute an offender.
Because of the large amount of explosives seized in this
operation, as well as the rising trend in using
explosives, the case was handed over to Regional Crime
Unit, Marine Region for investigation. After a period of
examination of evidence and legal advice, the offender was
charged under the Crimes Ordinance leading to his 18-month
imprisonment," said Assistant Divisional Commander (DVC)
(Operations) Marine North Division, Chief Inspector (CIP)
Lai Yuk-wah. "Before removal, the seizure was examined at
the scene by experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Bureau."
In addition to ongoing seminars jointly organised by
Police and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department on the
dangers of fish-bombing, DVC Marine North Superintendent
Pong Wai-lung and his officers went to Kat O and Tap Mun
following the man's conviction last month, to reason with
fishermen and to distribute leaflets dissuading them from
making bombs to catch fish. Successful prosecutions
depend on enhanced communication with fishermen -
especially the law-abiding ones who don't concoct fish-
bombs.
Not an easy task.
"Using fish-bombs in these areas of the territory is
a very old tradition that is difficult to change, and hard
to convict because offenders can easily destroy the
evidence," said CIP Lai. "Before the landmark criminal
conviction, most fishermen there would never have imagined
that processing a fish-bomb could land them in jail. In
fact, most of the fishermen believe that no harm can come
of it. So we have to change their way of thinking. Apart
from educating fishermen on the danger posed to
themselves, others and the environment by bombing, we also
try to make them aware that the explosives especially, if
stolen, can be used in a much more criminal way.
"We also produced a video and powerpoint presentation
to enhance the training of officers in Marine North, East
and West Divisions," he added.
Producer of the video, Inspector Tse Chun-nam, cites
greed and money saving as the logic behind fish-bombing:
"The cost of using fish-bombs is relatively low. Bombed
fish pieces are chopped up into little bits and sold to
fish farmers."
End
10. Yuen Long's Project Polar Star follows the success
************************************************
of its Youth Enhancement Scheme
**********************************
Aimed at addressing juvenile delinquency, the Youth
Enhancement Scheme and Project Polar Star have been
mounted in Yuen Long.
Begun in January 1997, the Youth Enhancement Scheme
targeted students of four selected schools in Tin Shui Wai
Division who were arrested for criminal offences and dealt
with under the Superintendent's Discretion Scheme.
The youth scheme was initiated under the leadership
of then Divisional Commander (DVC) Tin Shui Wai, Bute
Wing-kim, in response to the increasing number of students
involving in juvenile crime in the Division.
The project, further developed by current DVC Kong
Cheuk-fai, involved police co-ordination of an individual
programme of counselling, supervision and self-discipline
training provided by respective school's discipline master
and social workers from the local branch of the
Evangelical Church of the Hong Kong Social Service Centre.
Under the project, whenever a student from one of the
targeted schools is arrested for a criminal offence, a
background report is obtained from the school with the
consent of the student's parents or guardians. Where
action by way of superintendent's discretion is considered
appropriate, an initial case conference is convened
involving the student, his parents, school discipline
master, social worker and the school liaison officer from
the District's Police Community Relations Office (PCRO).
Reasons for the student committing the offence are
investigated and any immediate social, moral or safety
aspects attended to. Then a programme, comprising home
visits, family conferences, peer counselling, monitoring
and supervision,is created for the student.
The programme, administered by the social service
centre and the respective school, lasts about six months,
depending on the subject's response.
The programme is designed to assist students overcome
the personal problems that have led to their offence and
develop their self-esteem, sense of identity and
interpersonal skills in order to achieve a high standard
of self discipline. Confidence among students is boosted
through participation in adventure leadership and
military-style training programmes. Simultaneous
counselling to both student and his parents is offered to
strengthen a positive relationship between the young
person and his family while at the same time reducing
negative peer pressure.
Of the 35 students taken on board during the initial
six month trial period, not a single instance of
recidivism has occurred. The scheme has been well-
received by students, their parents and community
organisations. Initial reluctance on the part of some
schools to join the scheme for fear of being labelled as
problem schools has been dispelled by the great success of
the trial period. The project is now extended to cover
all secondary schools within Tin Shui Wai police boundary.
Focusing their activities in or around the school
setting, School Liaison Officers under the PCRO and the
School Support Team under Yuen Long District's Anti-Triad
Squad are two police units currently dealing with a steady
increase in arrests involving juveniles and young people
in the District.
While both units have been fulfilling their missions,
Yuen Long Police think that it's time to divert some
resources to other settings where juveniles and young
people are constantly subject to bad influence and
negative temptation often leading to bad behaviour and
even crime. The targeted areas include public parks,
convenience stores, fast food shops, amusement game
centres, shopping arcades and other well-known haunts of
youngsters.
This is the rationale for the establishment of
Project Polar Star under the PCRO Yuen Long District.
The Polar Star team consists of a sergeant and two
police constables - one male, one female. The sergeant is
an experienced Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinator with
previous crime experience, while the constables were hand-
picked and re-deployed from the Uniform Branch of Yuen
Long District. All have received relevant basic training
in social services and counselling and are highly
motivated and innovative.
In order to achieve its objectives, the team works
late-night shifts with a "soft" approach towards its
"clients" - young people who are inexperienced, naive and
may be susceptible to bad influences from older kids. The
idea is to approach these youngsters with the offer of
positive guidance to help them get back on the right
track. Consent from the young person to become involved
in the project is essential before the case is taken up by
the team. The programme includes follow-up small-group
discussions, home visits and referral services to other
community organisations, outreach teams and related
government departments.
Team members have been instructed that in the event
of an offence being committed by anybody during the course
of their encounters with subject clients, they should take
immediate action as police officers in order to prevent,
stop or detect a crime.
It is hoped that in the long run, the project will
address the community's need to provide proper guidance to
juveniles and young people who are subject to anti-social
or criminal behaviour other than in a school setting.
Additionally, it opens an extra channel for gathering
intelligence on youth gangs leading to the
prevention/detection of juvenile crimes.
Started in January 1998, the project has made a
reasonably smooth start and has resulted in over 40
juveniles being approached with many consenting to be
helped.
One such success was a 14-year-old girl from a broken
home who stopped going to school. She spent her days
sleeping at the homes of acquaintances and her nights
hanging around fast food shops and entertainment arcades.
She often vented her frustration in a form of self-
mutilation by cutting her arms.
Team members took a "soft" approach towards the girl
and first began chatting with her at a Yuen Long fast food
shop. Eventually they gained her trust and she began to
speak openly to them. This led to a number of home
visits. Her case is now being followed up by an outreach
team of the Hong Kong Christian Service. The Project Team
has also referred the girl to the Education Department for
further schooling. She will start attending a practical
school where she can learn a subject of personal interest
in the coming school term if a place is available.
Team members have noticed a change for the better in
the girl's attitude towards her family, life and the
future.
The scheme will be on trial for a year and be
reviewed in August.
End
11. Kwun Tong car wash helps bring workers out of their shells
**********************************************************
Every weekday afternoon, come rain or shine, 40-year-
old Lau Yat-chor and his car wash team are out in the Kwun
Tong Divisional Police Station parking lot turning
officers' dingy private vehicles into clean machines.
Despite Mr Lau's disabilities (including a limited
use of his right arm) and twelve years working in a
variety of sheltered workshops for low pay, he now seems
to have found his place in the world - washing and waxing.
"I started working in Tsui Ping Workshop in 1985,"
recalled Lau Yat-chor. "I've never earned more than a few
hundred dollars a month. Although washing cars for the
Police is hard, I feel happy about it. If you don't work
hard, you won't earn a living. I can make about $2,000
per month. Adding that to my disability allowance of
$1,200 from the Social Welfare Department, I now feel
financially independent. It's enough for me. Besides,
working in the police station compound is safe and more
comfortable, and the officers treat us very kindly -
sometimes giving us tips for good service."
Lau Yat-chor is in charge of a 10-member team of car
washers and waxers from the Mental Health Association of
Hong Kong's Kwun Tong Sheltered Workshop which is
sponsored by the Government. The workshop provides
employment opportunities for ex-mentally ill and mentally
challenged adults who are unable to obtain employment in
the competitive labour market.
The team was formed about two years ago to provide
service in parking lots of the United Christian Hospital,
the Housing Department, Kowloon Motor Bus depots and some
private housing estates and public libraries.
Members of the sheltered workshop team are all
trained as car cleaners who, as part of their training
programme, were required to deliver promotional leaflets
of their wash and wax services to the public in Mass
Transit Railway stations. "That was very useful for
building up our confidence. After handing out the
leaflets all day, we lost our fear of meeting new people,"
said Mr Lau, who prides himself on his ability to type
Chinese characters. All the check lists for the car
washing service at the police station are typed by him.
Officers at the Kwun Tong Police Station saw the
workshop's advertisement and employed the car wash team in
mid-1996. At present, over 30 officers at the station
have their cars washed and waxed on a monthly basis by the
team, with many other officers bringing their vehicles in
to be cleaned regularly.
"We are very satisfied with their service and I
highly recommend colleagues to also use it," said
Divisional Commander Kwun Tong Ko Chi-ming. "Besides
getting your car cleaned, there's also the sense of
satisfaction that you're giving employment opportunities
to people with disabilities."
Said Wu Shing-choy, manager of the workshop: "The
benefit for these adults from the sheltered workshop
programme is much more than just monetary. It provides a
chance for them to come into contact with the community
again, and become part of things. There's also their
sense of pride working for the Police whom they respect."
At present the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong
has 46 workshops with three providing the car wash
service. The Kwun Tong Workshop team has the capability
of cleaning 50 cars so they are hoping to expand their
work to other police stations. The fee for their service
costs about one-third less than the market price. The
one-month package (including wash and wax) ranges from
$190 to $300, depending on the frequency of the service
per week. Officers who have their cars cleaned and waxed
on a one-time basis are charged $70.
End
PROVISIONAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING SUPPLEMENT
CONTENTS
========
1. Resume second reading of the Town Planning (Amendment) Bill
2. Committee stage amendment to Town Planning (Amendment) Bill 1998 (1)
3. Committee stage amendment to Town Planning (Amendment) Bill 1998 (2)
4. Committee stage amendment to Foreshore and Sea-bed Bill
5. Implementation details of new public rental tenancies being considered
6. Media reports on triad problem in show business
7. HK businessmen encounter difficulties in the Mainland
8. Formation of owners' corporations
9. Display of national flag at government buildings
10. Tenants Purchase Scheme
11. Tourist coach parking permits at Kai Tak Airport
12. Statistics on emmigrants and foreign workers in HK
13. Installation of flashing neon signs
14. Measures to help unemployed young persons
15. Complaints by prisoners
16. Building requirements for easy access for the disabled
17. Serious crimes in Yuen Long
18. Phone-tapping cases
19. Visa-free arrangement for HKSAR passport holders
20. Monitor of objectionable websites
21. Assistance to students looking for summer jobs
22. Communication with Chinese medicine sector
1. Resume second reading of the Town Planning (Amendment) Bill
***********************************************************
Following is the speech by the Secretary for
Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, in
resuming the Second Reading of the Town Planning
(Amendment) Bill 1998 in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Madame President,
I am grateful to Mr Yuen Mo and Members of the Bills
Committee for the time and effort in examining this Bill.
To cope with increasing pressure for development, it
is essential that the Government is able to deliver timely
the necessary land for both housing as well as key
infrastructure. It is with this objective in mind that
the Secretary for Transport and I have proposed a co-
ordinated package of amendments to various Ordinances with
a view to streamlining the existing statutory procedures.
The Town Planning (Amendment) Bill 1998 aims to
impose a statutory time-limit of nine months within which
objections to a draft plan should be fully considered.
This is also the main proposal of the Foreshore and Sea-
bed (Reclamations) (Amendment) Bill 1998 on which I would
be speaking later and that of the Roads (Works, Use and
Compensation) (Amendment) Bill 1998 introduced separately
by the Secretary for Transport.
I am grateful to the Bills Committee for agreeing
with the objective of time-limiting the period for
consideration of objections and sharing our view that the
Bill is essential.
During discussions at the Bills Committee, Members
expressed concerns over one provision of the Bill which
gives the Chief Executive a discretionary power to extend
the nine-month period, if necessary. The rationale behind
the extension provision is to cater for exceptionally
complicated cases such that no objectors would be deprived
of a fair hearing because of a lack of sufficient time.
This is a principle of natural justice that needs to be
protected. Some Members, however, were worried that this
might open up a leeway for objectors to get round the
nine-month statutory limit, thus undermining the
fundamental objective of the Bill. Having fully
considered the legal implications and taken into account
Members' concerns, we agreed to accept Members' suggestion
of imposing a statutory limit of six months on the
extension. With the support of the Bills Committee, I
shall move a committee stage amendment to the Bill to give
effect to this additional time-limit.
Unlike the other two Ordinances, the Town Planning
Ordinance stipulates more elaborate procedures for hearing
objections. To enable the Town Planning Board (TPB) to
fullfil the nine-month requirement, we have also proposed
that the TPB be empowered to set up Committee(s), if
necessary, to expedite hearings of objections. There have
been considerable discussions at the Bills Committee on
this proposal.
Let me clarify that all objections to draft plans
would be first considered by the full TPB. Subject to the
circumstances of each case, the Board may decide to hear
the objections itself or to delegate its authority to the
proposed ad hoc Committees, set up from among its own
Members. The Board would have flexibility in determining
the number of Committees to be set up and in appointing
Members with relevant background to hear particular cases.
The power of delegation is discretionary, not mandatory,
and there should therefore be no question of small
Committees usurping the power of the TPB. I am glad that
Members of the Bills Committee have agreed that this is
both an efficient and pragmatic means to enable the TPB to
complete consideration of objections within nine months as
far as practicable.
Some Members have also commented on the piecemeal
nature of this Bill. Let me reassure this Council that
the Government is firmly committed to overhauling the Town
Planning Ordinance and would revert to this Council with a
comprehensive package of proposals as soon as possible.
This Bill is essential now as it ties in with similar
amendments to other Ordinances I mentioned earlier to
expedite statutory procedures that are essential to the
future development of Hong Kong. I am grateful for the
Bills Committee's understanding of this point.
In the course of the examination by the Bills
Committee, we discovered two minor drafting errors in the
Bill. Members of the Bills Committee agreed that they do
not involve any policy issue and supported our proposed
drafting amendments. With the Bills Committee's support,
I shall move two separate Committee Stage Amendments to
rectify the drafting errors and I shall explain in my
later speech these drafting amendments in greater detail.
I urge Members to vote in support of the Bill.
Thank you, Madam President.
End
2. Committee stage amendment to Town Planning (Amendment) Bill 1998 (1)
********************************************************************
Following is the speech by the Secretary for
Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, during
the committee stage amendment to the Town Planning
(Amendment) Bill 1998 in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Madam President,
I move that Clauses 2 and 3 of the Bill be amended as
set out in the paper circulated to Members.
Let me first deal with the two Amendments which, as I
said earlier, involve no policy issues and are aimed to
remove minor drafting errors in the Bill.
Clause 2 of the Bill provides for the setting up of
Committee(s) to assist the Town Planning Board (TPB) in
hearing objections. It also provides that the
Committee(s) could exercise the new duties proposed in
Clause 3 of the Bill, namely, under the new section 6A,
the power to hear objections either individually or
collectively; and under the new section 6B, the power to
proceed with hearings if the objector chooses not to
attend the hearing. Clause 2 of the Bill refers to S.6A
but has, however, omitted the reference to S.6B. My first
committee stage amendment therefore aims to rectify this
by adding a reference to "section 6B" in Clause 2.
Our policy intention is that the proposed
Committee(s) could exercise its new delegated duties under
sections 6A and 6B mentioned above in respect of both
initial hearings to consider objections (under S.6(6) of
the Ordinance) and also subsequent hearings to hear
objections to amendments made by the TPB to draft plans
for the purpose of meeting the original objection (under
S.6(8) of the Ordinance). Clause 3 of the Bill, as
currently drafted, could possibly be interpreted that the
new duty under S.6A and S.6B applies only to the initial
hearing but not the subsequent hearing. My second
Committee Stage Amendment proposes a slightly reworded
Clause 3 to remove this ambiguity.
Madam President, I beg to move.
End
3. Committee stage amendment to Town Planning (Amendment) Bill 1998 (2)
********************************************************************
Following is the speech by the Secretary for
Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, during
the committee stage amendment to the Town Planning
(Amendment) Bill 1998 in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Madam President,
I move that Clause 4 be amended as set out in the
paper circulated to Members.
The Amendment was made, as suggested by the Bills
Committee, to time limit the extension period for
consideration of objections by the Chief Executive to 6
months. I would be moving a similar committee stage
amendment in respect of the Foreshore and Sea-bed
(Reclamations) (Amendment) Bill later.
Madam President, I beg to move.
End
4. Committee stage amendment to Foreshore and Sea-bed Bill
*******************************************************
Following is the speech by the Secretary for
Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, during
the committee stage amendment to the Foreshore and Sea-bed
(Reclamations) (Amendment) Bill 1998 in the Provisional
Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Madam President,
I move that the clause 2 be amended as set out in the
paper circulated to Members. The amendment is to time-
limit the extension period for consideration of objections
by the Chief Executive to six months.
Madam President, I beg to move.
End
5. Implementation details of new public rental tenancies being considered
**********************************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Bruce Liu and a
reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in
the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
The Government states in the "White Paper on Long
Term Housing Strategy in Hong Kong" that it will not
permit public rental tenancies to be passed on
automatically from one generation to the next. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the estimated number of public housing
tenants who will be affected by the policy;
(b) whether the policy will apply to those tenants
who are allocated public rental flats upon the clearance
of their cottages; and
(c) whether, when it has decided to offer for sale
the flats occupied by those tenants who are affected by
the policy and thus required to vacate their flats, the
authority will consider allowing the relevant tenants to
purchase their flats before or within a short period of
time (such as two months) after the deadline for moving
out?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Government has decided that adult members of a
family where the principal tenant and the spouse are both
deceased will be required in future to undergo means
tests, covering both income and net assets, before the
grant of a new tenancy is considered. Families which pass
these means tests will be regranted the tenancies.
Families which fail these means tests will be required to
vacate the public rental flats. Those which still have a
temporary need for housing (for example, time required to
find suitable accommodation) may be allowed to stay for a
limited period of one year, but they will be required to
pay market rent during this period. Since the
implementation details of this new policy are being
considered, it is not yet possible to estimate the number
of households which will be affected.
As regards Part (b) of the question, former residents
of Cottage Areas who are rehoused in public rental housing
flats will be subject to the new policy in the same way as
other public rental tenants.
As regards Part (c) of the question, whether
households which are unable to pass the means tests for
the regrant of tenancies and are given a deadline for
moving out will be allowed the option of buying the rental
flats they have been living in is a matter which will be
considered when the implementation of the Tenants Purchase
Scheme is reviewed by the Housing Authority in the middle
of this year.
End
6. Media reports on triad problem in show business
***********************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Ma Fung-kwok and a
reply by the Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and
Sport, Mr Chau Tak-hay, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Recently, there have been reports by overseas media
that Hong Kong's entertainment business is manipulated by
triad societies, that some local actors/actresses who are
cast in movies produced by triad members are also involved
in triad activities, and that Hong Kong's triad societies
have even extended their influence to the entertainment
business overseas. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council:
(a) whether, as far as the authorities know, triad
societies are active in Hong Kong's performing arts
circle; of the measures in place to counter triad
societies' activities;
(b) whether it has clarified or responded to the
reports of the overseas media; if so, what the details
are; if not, why not; and
(c) how it will assist local artists who, as a
result of those reports, are treated unfairly in overseas
countries (such as being treated impolitely while
undergoing immigration procedures)?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) There is no evidence of a serious Triad problem
in the performing arts circle in Hong Kong. According to
Police record, there is only one Triad-related crime
reported to the Police Force in 1996 involving a person in
the performing arts circle. Since 1997, there has been no
such case reported to the Police.
The Police have comprehensive measures to combat the
influence of Triads -
(i) establishing dedicated units (Organised Crime
and Triad Bureau (OCTB) and Criminal Intelligence Bureau
(CIB)) in the Police Force to take proactive action
against Triads;
(ii) strengthening the Police's capability over the
past three years in tackling Triads by creating 277 Police
posts devoted to proactive anti-Triad duties;
(iii) establishing the Police Central Witness
Protection Unit to protect high risk witnesses to
encourage them to come forward to report criminal cases
including those with Triads involved;
(iv) launching a comprehensive publicity package to
reveal the truth and evils of Triad life;
(v) liaising with shops and business through the
Crime Prevention Bureau to encourage them to report Triad
activities;
(vi) keeping our legislation under constant review
to ensure there are adequate legal power for the Police to
deal with the Triads. In particular, the Organised and
Serious Crimes Ordinance, fully implemented in 1995, has
enhanced the Police's ability to investigate organised and
serious crimes, including Triad-related offences. It also
empowers the Police to apply to the court for heavier
sentences and confiscation of proceeds arising from
certain crimes including money laundering; and
(vii) maintaining close co-operation between the
Police Force and overseas Police to tackle Triad
activities.
(b) The government policy on media reports is that
we shall respond in the first instance against inaccurate
or blatantly biased reporting, whether from locally or
overseas, if it concerns the policies of the SAR
government or damages the image of the SAR government or
Hong Kong as a whole. We have not responded to the recent
report by the overseas media about the local entertainment
business because the affected parties have already made a
strong rebuttal and initiated appropriate legal action.
The newspaper concerned has subsequently clarified the
case and published a notice of apology. The declaration
made by the film industry which attracted wide media
coverage has also effectively clarified the matter.
(c) It is difficult for me to answer this question
since it does not clearly specify what "treated unfairly"
actually refers to. Whether assistance can be provided
has to depend on what the unfair treatment is and how one
has been unfairly treated. Generally speaking, local
residents can seek assistance from the PRC Embassies and
Consulates overseas when they encounter problems in
foreign countries (such as arrest or detention). If local
artistes are, as mentioned in the question, being treated
impolitely while going through immigration procedures, we
need to know what "impoliteness" really refers to before
we can advise whether we are in a position to assist, and
it is hard to give a general response in such a context.
The most direct way is for the affected parties to lodge a
complaint to the authorities concerned on the spot.
End
7. HK businessmen encounter difficulties in the Mainland
*****************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon James Tien Pei-
chun and a reply by the Secretary for Constitutional
Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the total number of requests for assistance
received by the authorities from Hong Kong businessmen in
connection with legal problems encountered while they were
doing business in the Mainland or complaints about
individual Mainland officials' unlawful practices, since
Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland; and
(b) regarding the answer, given by Secretary for
Constitutional Affairs on November 12 last year to a
question raised in this Council, that the authority was
discussing with the Central People's Government the offer
of assistance to Hong Kong businessmen who encountered
difficulties involving law and administrative regulations
in the Mainland, of the substantial progress that has been
made so far in the discussion?
Reply:
Madam President,
Up to mid March this year since the reunification, we
have received a total of 15 cases from Hong Kong
businessmen who have encountered legal problems while
doing business in the Mainland or complained about the
unlawful practices of individual Mainland officials.
Besides, seven cases were received before the
reunification.
As a general rule, legal problems should be resolved
through legal channels. Parties concerned may consider
hiring lawyers for professional legal advice. As far as
we know, apart from lawyers in the Mainland, there are
also practising Mainland lawyers who have been registered
in Hong Kong. Moreover, the 11 branch offices set up by
the Trade Development Council in the Mainland also provide
Hong Kong businessmen or companies with information and
advice on problems they encountered in doing business in
the Mainland or the implementation of PRC laws and
regulations relevant to trade and industry.
We can understand that Hong Kong businessmen would
wish to look to the HKSAR Government for assistance when
they encounter difficulties in the Mainland. At the same
time, we recognize that problems encountered in the
Mainland should be tackled in accordance with the
administrative, legal and judicial systems there. Under
the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", the SARG
should not intervene in such issues which should be
resolved under the Mainland's administrative, legal and
judicial systems. That said, we still explore with the
Central People's Government (CPG) to see if it is possible
to offer further assistance to Hong Kong businessmen
within the parameter of that principle. For example, to
provide the concerned parties with information on avenues
for redress in the Mainland for different kinds of
difficulties. We have been liaising with the CPG since
last September and contacts have been maintained on a
monthly basis, in the form of correspondence or face-to-
face discussions. The issue is still under careful
consideration and a final decision is yet to be reached.
We will follow through with the exploration.
End
8. Formation of owners' corporations
*********************************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Kam-lam and
an oral reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr David
Lan, in the Provisional Legislative Council today
(Wednesday):
Question:
Since many owners of private buildings hope that the
Home Affairs Department (HAD) would assist them in forming
owners' corporations, will the Government inform this
Council:
(a) of the policies of principles which the HAD
refers to for determining whether to assist individual
owners in obtaining the title records of other units in
their buildings; whether such assistance will be given to
only one owner in a building;
(b) whether the authority will require the owner who
has obtained the title records with its assistance to
convene a general meeting of owners or take actions to
form an owners' corporation within a specified period of
time; if so, what the details are; and
(c) whether it has devised any monitoring measures
to ensure that the title records will not be used for any
other purposes; if not, how the authority protects the
privacy of owners of private buildings?
Reply:
Madam President,
First of all, I have to thank the Hon Chan Kam-lam
for raising this question. I would like to take this
opportunity to explain how the Government provides
services to assist the formation of owners' corporation
(OC).
(a) Government's policy is to encourage owners of
private buildings to form OCs under the Building
Management Ordinance (BMO) and to manage their buildings
effectively. The procedure to form an OC normally
requires that a meeting of owners has to be convened for
the appointment of a management committee by resolution to
follow up the matter. The BMO provides that the
management committee shall be appointed by a resolution of
the owners of not less than 50% of the shares in the
building. The management committee shall within 28 days
of such appointment apply to the Land Registrar for
registration. By then, an OC is formally established.
On the technical details, the BMO also provides that
notice of a meeting convened for this purpose shall be
served upon each owner not less than 14 days before the
date of the meeting. As it may not be possible for the
convenor to know every owner in the building and as some
owners may not be living in the building concerned, he/she
usually has to approach the Land Registry for copies of
the title records to facilitate the issue of the notice.
These records also enable the convenor to count the
percentage of shares held by the owners present at the
meeting to see if the BMO requirement of not less than 50%
of the shares is met.
In line with the Government's policy to encourage the
formation of OCs, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) has
introduced a range of measures to provide the owners with
assistance and guidance. One of these measures is the
issue of certificate of registration to owners so as to
enable them to obtain copies of title records from the
Land Registry free of charge under Section 4 of the Land
Registration Fees Regulation. This is to facilitate the
convenor to serve a notice of meeting upon each and every
owner as soon as possible and count the percentage of
shares of the owners present at he meeting. The Land
Registry would subsequently recover the required fees from
HAD.
Generally speaking, HAD would issue the certificate
to owners' representative who intends to form an OC. As a
large amount of personal property information is involved,
HAD would normally only issue one certificate to the
owners' representative of the same building. If more than
one owners' representatives request HAD to issue a
certificate at the same time, we would coordinate and
encourage them to jointly use the title records obtained
from the Land Registry and convene a meeting of owners
together. This could enhance their cooperation.
Moreover, for the optimum use of resources and for
financial reasons, we would not issue more than one
certificate to the owners of the same building. However,
in exceptional cases, special consideration would be given
to the issue of another certificate at our discretion.
(b) The arrangement for HAD to issue certificate to
owners' representative for free access to the title
records kept in the Land Registry is an administrative
measure aiming to facilitate and encourage owners to
convene a meeting for OC formation. After the issue of
the certificate, we have no statutory power to require the
recipient to convene the said meeting or to take action to
effect OC formation within a specified period of time.
Notwithstanding this, HAD staff have the responsibility to
follow up the matter and liaise with the owners'
representative concerned so as to encourage him to convene
such a meeting as soon as possible.
(c) Title record is part of the land registration
record kept by the Land Registry under the Land
Registration Ordinance. It is also a kind of statutory
public register. Under the Ordinance, any person may,
upon payment of the prescribed fee, inspect a title record
and require a copy of it.
Since a title record may contain owner's personal
data which are covered by the Personal Data (Privacy)
Ordinance, the owner who has obtained such information has
the obligation as a data user to comply with the
provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. For
example, he shall not use the personal data thus obtained
for purposes other than OC formation, otherwise he commits
an offence. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for
Personal Data has the statutory power to enforce the
Ordinance.
To ensure that no personal data will be abused, HAD
will, upon the issue of the certificate, require the
owners' representative to sign an undertaking to guarantee
that the title records thus obtained will not be used for
purposes other than OC formation. Hence, I believe that
the legislation and measures mentioned above are already
adequate for the protection of personal privacy.
In most cases, owners who have obtained copies of
title record free of charge with the assistance of HAD
manage to form their OCs and keep them functioning
properly according to the law.
As the assistance we offer to owners has all along
been well received, we will continue to provide such
assistance in future.
Thank you, Madam President.
End
9. Display of national flag at government buildings
************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Ip Kwok-him and a
reply by the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs,
Mr Michael Suen, in the Provisional Legislative Council
today (Wednesday):
Question:
The administrative guidelines issued by the
Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for
Administration's Office on July 3, 1997 specify the
locations and occasions where the display of the national
flag is required. People who hope to fly or display the
national flag at other Government buildings and offices
have to seek prior approval of the Director of
Administration. In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council:
(a) of the principles according to which the
Director of Administration considers whether or not to
approve the applications for flying or displaying the
national flag at Government buildings and offices other
than those specified in the Guidelines; and
(b) of the rationale for those principles?
Reply:
Madam President,
The administrative guidelines issued by the
Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for
Administration's Office require the following Government
buildings and offices to fly the national flag on
specified days. The details are as follows -
Organisations and locations which are required to fly
the national flag daily include -
(i) the official residence of the Chief Executive;
(ii) all border control or check points of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region;
(iii) the Hong Kong International Airport; and
(iv) Government House.
Organisations and locations which are required to fly
the national flag on working days include -
(i) the office of the Chief Executive;
(ii) Central Government Offices;
(iii) the Executive Council;
(iv) the Court of Final Appeal;
(v) the High Court;
(vi) the Legislative Council; and
(vii) the overseas Hong Kong Economic and Trade
Offices.
Organisations and locations which are required to fly
the national flag on National Day, Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region Establishment Day and New Year's Day
include -
(i) the aforesaid organisations and locations;
(ii) major Government composite buildings and
departmental headquarters of major departments; and
(iii) the departmental headquarters of disciplined
services.
The requirements in the Guidelines basically follow
the principles of the Law of the People's Republic of
China on the National Flag, but have been adapted to take
into account the specific circumstances of Hong Kong.
Approval can be sought from the Director of Administration
for flying or displaying the national flag at Government
buildings and offices other than those specified in the
Guidelines. Director of Administration will consider the
applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into account
factors such as the usage of the building and the
facilities and location for flying the flag so as to
ensure that the venue and location for displaying the flag
will be appropriate. Given that the present arrangements
have been practised for some time, Director of
Administration will summarise our experience and review
the arrangements with a view to making appropriate
adjustments where necessary.
End
10. Tenants Purchase Scheme
***********************
Following is a question by the Hon Kan Fook Yee and a
written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic
Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today
(Wednesday):
Question:
It is learnt that, having made allowance for the
special credit of 60% that a household may enjoy for
purchasing its housing unit in the first year, the average
sale price of the public housing units under the Tenants'
Purchase Scheme phase I is about $3,560 per square metre.
Compared to the cost (including interest, the cost of
project management and land formation) of about $6,000 per
square metre, the Housing Authority (HA) will incur a loss
of $2,440 on the sale of each square metre. In this
connection, does the Government know:
(a) of the HA's measures to cope with the loss
resulting from the sale of public housing units; and
(b) whether the HA will continue to sell public
housing units at a loss in future?
Reply:
Madam President,
There is no loss to the Housing Authority resulting
from the Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS). The basic sale
price of a flat under TPS is determined by reference to
the "adjusted replacement cost" approach. In practice,
this results in an initial discount equivalent to about
70% of market value, which discount is repayable on resale
of the flat in the open market. Flexibility is available
for the buyer to make a larger initial payment, and
consequently a lower premium payment is required in the
future.
As an incentive, the actual sale price is further
adjusted downwards by granting a "special credit" (further
discount) of 60% of the basic sale price to a tenant who
purchases in the first year after the flat is offered for
sale. This "special credit" is not repayable on resale.
In assessing the financial implications of the sale
of public rental flats, it is not appropriate simply to
compare directly the quoted sale price of flats with the
cost of constructing new flats. It is more meaningful to
assess the overall financial implications for the Housing
Authority and the Government of implementing the TPS
instead of continuing to rent out these flats.
The sale of flats under the TPS will generate
substantial initial proceeds as well as long term premium
payment. On the other hand, continuing to rent out the
flats would involve substantial net loss because rents
collected are insufficient to cover maintenance and
management costs. It is clear that the sale of public
rental flats, even at a low price initially, is a
financially sound and cost effective policy.
End
11. Tourist coach parking permits at Kai Tak Airport
************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Howard Young and a
written reply by the acting Secretary for Economic
Services, Mr Leo Kwan, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In connection with tourist coach parking permits for
use at Kai Tak Airport, will the Government inform this
Council:
(a) of the arrangements for such permits when the
airport ceases to operate at midnight on 5 July this year;
(b) whether existing permits which expire in or
after July this year will still be valid for use at the
new airport; and
(c) whether, after the new airport has started
operation, the authority will introduce new procedures and
conditions for the renewal of such permits; if so, what
the details are?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Civil Aviation Department currently issues
permits to tourist coaches for their use of the coach
loading bays at the terminal at Kai Tak and the coach
holding area at the Eastern Road to the east of the
Airport. These tourist coach permits will no longer be
valid when the Kai Tak Airport ceases operation.
(b) Tourist coach permits issued for Kai Tak will
not be valid for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The
Airport Authority will be responsible for the management
of the staging facilities for tourist coaches and the
issue of permits for the use of such facilities at the new
airport.
(c) Arrangements for the use of tourist coach
staging facilities at the new airport are being worked out
by the Airport Authority. The Authority, in consultation
with the travel and hotel industries, is now finalising
the arrangements. The travel and hotel industries will be
informed of the new arrangements once they are finalised.
End
12. Statistics on emmigrants and foreign workers in HK
**************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Hui Yin-fat and a
written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai,
in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the respective numbers of Hong Kong permanent
residents who emigrated to other countries, and those with
the right of abode in foreign countries who returned to
Hong Kong for settlement; and
(b) the respective numbers of overseas nationals who
left Hong Kong on expiry of employment contracts, and
those who came to the territory to take up employment and,
among them, the respective numbers of those employed as
domestic helpers, in each of the past five years?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a)(i) The estimated number of emigrants in the past
five years are as follows:
Year Estimated number of emigrants holding
Hong Kong travel documents
1993 53,400
1994 61,600
1995 43,100
1996 40,300
1997 30,900
The estimate covers both Hong Kong permanent residents as
well as other persons holding Hong Kong travel documents.
(ii) When permanent residents enter or depart Hong
Kong, they are only required to show their Hong Kong
identity cards without having to reveal their purpose of
leaving or entering Hong Kong. Hence, it is not possible
to identify "emigrants" from amongst those Hong Kong
permanent residents who are leaving the territory; nor is
it possible to identify "returned emigrants" from other
Hong Kong permanent residents entering Hong Kong with
their identity cards.
(b) The Immigration Department does not keep
statistics on foreign nationals who left Hong Kong on
expiry of their employment contracts.
As regards the number of foreigners who had been
issued with employment visas to work in Hong Kong in the
past 5 years, the relevant statistics are as follows:
No. of employment visas issued
Year Professionals and Workers under Domestic
people with the various Helpers
special skills Importation of
Labour Schemes
1993 14,871 18,066 37,793
1994 16,231 7,329 38,363
1995 16,038 15,604 34,362
1996 14,384 5,318 32,864
1997 16,561 7,456 45,327
End
13. Installation of flashing neon signs
***********************************
Following is a question by the Hon Howard Young and a
written reply by the acting Secretary for Economic
Services, Mr Leo Kwan, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council whether,
after the airport is moved to Chek Lap Kok, it will
consider allowing the installation of flashing light neon
signs on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New
Territories; if so, what the details are; if not, why not?
Reply:
Madam President,
At present, the exhibition of animated or occulting
signs, which include any sign whose light is cut off from
view at regular or irregular intervals and any sign which
emits light suddenly or intermittently, is prohibited in
various manner under a number of Ordinances. The main
purpose is to ensure aircraft, vessel and road traffic
safety.
As far as civil aviation is concerned, the Air
Navigation (Hong Kong) Order provides for the prohibition
of any light which may be mistaken for an aeronautical
light or cause glare to pilots and endanger the safety of
aircraft. The Hong Kong Airport (Control of Obstructions)
Ordinance (Cap. 301) further empowers the Director of
Civil Aviation to restrict the use of any light exposed to
the sky in the interests of aircraft safety, and prohibits
the display of occulting lights over a specified intensity
in Kowloon and New Kowloon.
In addition, the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance
(Cap. 313) controls, inter alia, the display of lights or
illuminated signs which may or are likely to interfere
with or cause confusion to the navigation of vessels.
Furthermore, Section 5 of the Advertisements By-laws made
under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance
(Cap. 132) specifies that no occulting signs may be
exhibited on any premises. Currently, applications for
large advertising signs (whether static or animated) which
may affect drivers are normally referred to the Transport
Department for comment. From a traffic safety and traffic
management viewpoint, the total prohibition in Section 5
of the Advertisements By-laws provides an ultimate
sanction against occulting signs which could be
potentially distracting to motorists and/or pedestrians,
although Transport Department would adopt a flexible
approach and examine each case on its merits.
In the light of the imminent closure of the Kai Tak
Airport, the Civil Aviation Department is reviewing
whether there is a continued need to control occulting
lights in Kowloon. From an aircraft safety point of view,
it is likely that the Civil Aviation Department would have
no objection to relaxing the present control relating to
Kowloon and New Kowloon, although there may be a need to
restrict occulting lights in other areas in close
proximity to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok and under the
new approach and departure paths. Whether and to what
extent the total prohibition on occulting signs could be
relaxed would however depend on other considerations
including marine and road traffic safety as well as
possible nuisance to residents. These are being examined
by the relevant Bureaux and Departments.
End
14. Measures to help unemployed young persons
*****************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Ip Kwok-him and a
written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower,
Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council
today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the age and academic qualifications of the job-
seekers registered with the Labour Department during the
first two months of the year;
(b) the current unemployment rates and average
duration of unemployment among young people in the 15 to
19 and 20 to 29 age groups;
(c) the percentage of first-time job-seekers among
the unemployed people in the two age groups mentioned
above; and
(d) the measures in place to solve the unemployment
problem of young people?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) During the first two months of 1998, the Local
Employment Service of the Labour Department registered a
total of 20,035 job seekers. The majority of registrants
have completed at least lower secondary education. The
detailed breakdown of these job-seekers by age and
educational standard is as follows:
Breakdown by age
Age group Jan - Feb 1998
15 - 29 5,467
30 - 39 4,686
40 - 49 6,242
50 and 59 3,069
60 and above 386
Others* 185
Total 20,035
Breakdown by educational standard
Educational standard Jan - Feb 1998
No schooling 779
Primary 6 or below 5,702
Secondary 1 - 3 5,782
Secondary 4 - 5 5,387
Secondary 6 - 7 896
Technical or vocational training 215
Tertiary 1,065
Others* 209
Total 20,035
* incomplete records
(b) During the period from November 1997 to January
1998, the unemployment rates of persons aged 15-19 and 20-
29 were 9.6 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively. The
median duration of unemployment of the unemployed aged 15-
19 was 61 days while that of the unemployed aged 20-29 was
66 days.
(c) During the period from November 1997 to January
1998, first-time job-seekers accounted for 31.7 per cent
of the unemployed aged 15-19 and 9.9 per cent of those
aged 20-29.
(d) In tackling unemployment, the Government's prime
tasks are to help the unemployed re-enter the workforce as
soon as possible, and to equip them with the necessary
skills to stay competitive in the workforce and to secure
and hold down a job. We are in the process of
implementing a series of measures to help the unemployed
to find jobs, receive retraining and reskill themselves.
These services are available to unemployed workers of all
age groups, including those in the 15-29 age group.
As regards matching the unemployed young people with
job vacancies, the Local Employment Service (LES) of the
Labour Department provides a semi self-help mode of free
employment and counselling services to all job seekers
irrespective of age. These unemployed job seekers can
also join the Department's Job Matching Programme which is
specifically designed for the unemployed. They will be
provided with in-depth interviews and counselling as well
as active job matching and placement. To further enhance
the effectiveness of these employment services, the LES
will be fully computerised next month, so that job seekers
can have direct access to the most up-to-date vacancy
information throughout the whole territory and perform job
matching through self-served computer terminals.
The Labour Department also provides careers advisory
and guidance service specifically for teenagers at two
careers information centres and through the organisation
of a variety of programmes such as the Education and
Careers Expo.
On the vocational training front, the Vocational
Training Council, the Construction Industry Training
Authority and the Clothing Industry Training Authority
offer a wide range of skills training and skills upgrading
courses aimed at preparing those with secondary
educational standard for employment. All unemployed young
persons may apply for these training courses with a view
to acquiring the necessary skills to re-enter the
workforce.
End
15. Complaints by prisoners
***********************
Following is a question by Dr the Hon David Li and a
written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai,
in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of complaints made by
prisoners to the Office of The Ombudsman and the major
nature of complaints, in each of the past three years;
(b) whether any of the complaints are related to
activities of the triad societies in prisons; if so, of
the number of substantiated or partly substantiated
complaints and the follow-up actions taken by the relevant
authorities; and
(c) whether there are indications that activities of
triad societies are prevalent in prisons; if so, of the
measures in place to ensure the safety of prisoners?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The number of complaints received by the Office
of The Ombudsman against the Correctional Services
Department in the past three years is as follows:
1995 56
1996 205
1997 289
The Office does not have a breakdown of how many of
the above complaints were made by prisoners. However, it
believes that most of the complaints were from prisoners.
The major grounds of these complaints were:
-- Treatment by prison staff and prisoners' welfare,
including prison conditions or facilities, food and diet,
mail handling, extra visits, access to telephone, access
to medical service and standard of care;
-- Discipline, segregation, protection and control;
-- Prison transfer and labour allocation; and
-- Handling of complaints and access to visiting
justices and The Ombudsman.
(b) Complaints relating to triad activities are
outside the remit of The Ombudsman. Prison inmates
complaining about crimes or corruption including triad
activities would be advised to report the matter to the
Hong Kong Police Force or Independent Commission Against
Corruption. The Office of The Ombudsman has not kept
separate statistics of the number of complaints relating
to triad activities. However, from past experience, the
Office received only very few such complaints.
(c) There is no indication that triad activities are
prevalent in penal institutions. The Correctional
Services Department maintains a sound and effective penal
management system to prevent illicit activities, including
triad activities among prisoners. Those who have offended
the good order and discipline in prison will be subject to
disciplinary action under the Prisons Ordinance.
End
16. Building requirements for easy access for the disabled
******************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Choi-hi and a
written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare,
Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Provisional Legislative Council
today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) how it knows the exact number of disabled
persons in Hong Kong (including those who are not
recipients of government allowances and those who have not
taken the initiative to seek assistance from the
Government) and the accurate information about them; and
(b) whether it has required new buildings in the
territory to provide easy access for the disabled, or
existing buildings to be fitted with such facilities
within a certain period; if so, what the details are?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Central Registry for Rehabilitation (CRR) in
the Health and Welfare Bureau maintains a databank of
disabled persons' particulars. The CRR is a voluntary
reporting system and information is provided primarily by
government departments, non-governmental organisations and
the Hospital Authority with the written consent of the
disabled persons or their guardians. At the start of
1998, the CRR contained the records of approximately
130,000 disabled persons. A disabled person in the CRR is
defined as a person with one or more types of disability,
namely, mental handicap, visceral disability, mental
illness, autism, maladjustment, physical handicap, hearing
impairment, visual impairment and speech impairment.
With a view to obtaining more accurate information on
the disabled population in Hong Kong, we are considering
the feasibility of including "disabilities" as one of the
data topics in the 2001 Population Census. But a number
of technical problems including clear and easily applied
definitions of disabilities and verification of the
reported data have to be resolved first. Even if
information on disability is to be collected in the
Census, there is still no guarantee that we will have the
exact number of, and accurate information about, disabled
persons in Hong Kong as such information can only be
collected on a voluntary basis and many disabled persons
and their carers are unwilling to disclose their
disablement.
(b) Regulation 72 of the Building (Planning)
Regulations, which was substantially upgraded in 1997,
prescribes detailed design requirements for buildings to
which persons with a disability have access or may
reasonably be expected to have access, so as to facilitate
use of these buildings by such persons. These buildings
include commercial buildings, domestic buildings, places
of public entertainment and hotels, etc.
The Building Authority will not approve building
plans for new buildings or existing buildings undergoing
substantial alterations unless he is satisfied that the
design requirements prescribed in the Regulation as are
reasonable in the circumstances, will be provided.
Existing buildings to which no alterations or additions
are proposed are not required to be upgraded to comply
with the new requirements under the Regulation.
End
17. Serious crimes in Yuen Long
***************************
Following is a question by the Hon Tang Siu-tong and
a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter
Lai, in the Provisional Legislative Council today
(Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of serious crimes which occurred
in Yuen Long in each of the past three years; how these
figures compare with those in other districts;
(b) of the ages of those people involved in
committing the above crimes;
(c) whether it has reviewed the adequacy of the
existing police manpower in Yuen Long in maintaining
public order in the district; and
(d) of the measures in place to lower the crime rate
in Yuen Long?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Police Force keep statistics on violent
crimes, instead of serious crime, which include rape,
indecent assault, murder and manslaughter, attempted
murder, wounding, serious assault, assault on Police,
kidnapping and child stealing, cruelty to child, criminal
intimidation, robbery with genuine firearms/pistol like
object, other robberies, aggravated burglary, blackmail
and arson. These crimes are, of course, serious in
nature.
The number of violent crimes that occurred in Yuen
Long for the past three years is as follows:
1995 1996 1997
1082 1230 971
The violent crime rate, that is, the number of
violent crimes per 100,000 population, in Yuen Long for
the past three years is compared with the overall violent
crime rate of Hong Kong as follows:
1995 1996 1997
YL HK YL HK YL HK
Violent crime rate 329 278 351 241 290 212
YL: Yuen Long
HK: Hong Kong
(b) Of those violent crime cases in Yuen Long
mentioned at (a) which are detected, the age distribution
of the arrested persons is as follows:
Age 1995 1996 1997
7-15 37 (11%) 94 (21%) 127 (28%)
16-20 70 (21%) 94 (21%) 108 (23%)
21 or above 224 (68%) 264 (58%) 225 (49%)
Total: 331 (100%) 452 (100%) 460 (100%)
(c) The Police Force constantly review the
deployment of manpower in the light of the crime situation
of each district. It is considered that the present
Police manpower in Yuen Long is adequate in maintaining
public order in the district.
(d) The Police Force have implemented the following
special anti-crime measures in Yuen Long:
(i) two additional squads, viz. Anti-Triad Squad
and Special Duty Squad, were created in 1997 and an
additional Crime Squad was set up in 1998;
(ii) a Polar Star Team was set up in February 1998
to conduct regular visits to haunts of youngsters like
convenience stores, amusement games centres and shopping
arcades with a view to steering them away from crime.
Cases will be referred to social workers of the Social
Welfare Department or non-government organisations for
follow-up action if necessary; and
(iii) special operations are conducted from time to
time to combat crimes, for example, anti-street violence
operations in bar areas between 11 pm to 5 am, anti-
dangerous drugs, anti-gambling and anti-vice operations in
crime blackspots in the district.
These measures have proved to be effective. As shown
in (a), when compared with 1996, the violent crime rate in
Yuen Long in 1997 had decreased by about 17% though it was
still higher than the overall violent crime rate of Hong
Kong. There is therefore no room for complacency and the
Police Force will continue their efforts in combating
crimes in Yuen Long.
End
18. Phone-tapping cases
*******************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Choi-hi and a
written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai,
in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the number of phone-tapping cases reported to
the police in each of the past five years, together with
the targets of tapping (for example, government
departments, business establishments, households and so
on);
(b) the actions taken by the police to follow up
those cases; and
(c) the measures in place (such as conducting
regular checks) to ensure that the telephones of
government departments are not tapped?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Police Force do not keep statistics on the
number of phone-tapping cases reported to them.
(b) As with other cases, the Police Force, after
receipt of reports of phone tapping cases, will try their
best to search for clues, collect evidence and make
enquiries with a view to detecting and prosecuting the
offenders.
(c) We do not divulge details of security measures
in the Government.
End
19. Visa-free arrangement for HKSAR passport holders
************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Kennedy Wong and a
written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai,
in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
It is learnt that discussions between the Government
and other countries on visa-free entry arrangement for
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport (HKSAR
Passport) holders are conducted at political and technical
levels respectively. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council, among the countries that
have not granted visa-free entry for HKSAR Passport
holders, which countries are still holding discussions
with the Government at the political level, and which
countries have already resolved the political issues and
are in the process of working out of the solutions to
technical problems?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Government is committed to promoting travel
convenience for Hong Kong residents. It has been making
and will continue to make every effort to negotiate for
visa free access for Hong Kong travellers.
At present, forty five countries and territories have
granted visa free access to Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region passport holders. For those
countries and territories which still require a visa for
entry, we have to give priority of negotiations to those
which are popular destinations for Hong Kong travellers
and are important trading partners of Hong Kong.
As member states of the European Union and Schengen
Convention are aiming to adopt a common visa policy, and
these countries are both important tourist destinations of
Hong Kong travellers as well as important trading partners
of Hong Kong, we are currently devoting much of our
resources to lobbying these countries for visa free
access.
Discussions on visa free access often involve many
complex issues and can be protracted. Such discussions
usually involve both the political and technical levels.
It would not be possible to give two separate lists of
countries according to the level of discussions we are
engaged in at any point in time.
End
20. Monitor of objectionable websites
*********************************
Following is a question by the Hon Ma Fung-kwok and a
written reply by the Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture
and Sport, Mr Chau Tak-hay, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
It is reported that the Television and Entertainment
Licensing Authority (TELA) has drawn up a list of
objectionable websites early this month. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the criteria and information used by the TELA
as the basis for defining the meaning of "objectionable"
and compiling the list;
(b) of the TELA's plan for updating the list;
(c) whether the TELA has consulted the Hong Kong
Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) when
drawing up the list; if so, of the views of the HKISPA on
the list; and
(d) whether any understanding has been reached
between the TELA and the HKISPA on how to deal with
objectionable websites; if so, what the details are?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Television and Entertainment Licensing
Authority (TELA) has indeed been monitoring objectionable
websites on the Internet, but has not, as alleged by the
report, taken action to compile a list of objectionable
websites. TELA was acting on complaints received that
there are publications on the market which carry
information on obscene and indecent websites. After
consulting the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers
Association (HKISPA), TELA extracted information on such
websites from the aforesaid publications and passed it to
five Internet service providers (ISPs) which provide
special Internet service for youngsters for reference.
This is to facilitate consideration by ISPs concerned as
to what appropriate follow-up action to take having regard
to the Code of Practice on regulation of transmission of
obscene and indecent material on the Internet promulgated
by the HKISPA.
(b) The information on obscene and indecent websites
passed by TELA to certain members of HKISPA in response to
the complaints received was extracted from publications
which were the subject of the complaint. Such information
was not compiled by TELA. As vast volumes of information
is transmitted through the Internet at extremely high
speed, it is neither feasible nor practicable to compile a
comprehensive list of objectionable websites, and TELA has
no intention to do so. TELA will continue to refer
information on objectionable websites to HKISPA for
follow-up action upon receipt of complaints.
(c) Upon receipt of the complaint, TELA consulted
HKIPSA and had the support of the association in passing
the extracted information on objectionable websites to
those ISPs which provide special Internet service for
youngsters for their reference.
(d) TELA and HKISPA share common goals in handling
obscene and indecent websites, namely to protect
youngsters from the harmful effects of obscene and
indecent material and uphold public morals. With
government assistance, HKISPA formulated in October 1997
its Code of Practice on self-regulation of obscene and
indecent material on the Internet, including the
transmission of such material and complaint handling
procedures. Should HKISPA and any of its members
encounter difficulties in the self-regulation process,
they can seek assistance from TELA.
End
21. Assistance to students looking for summer jobs
**********************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Kennedy Wong Ying-
ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and
Manpower, Mr W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In Hong Kong, students aged over 16 who wish to find
short-term summer jobs to gain some working experience
always encounter certain difficulties during the job-
seeking process. In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council whether it will allocate additional
resources and take measures to help such students solve
the problems encountered while looking for summer jobs; if
so, what the details are?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Local Employment Service (LES) of the Labour
Department provides free employment and counselling
services to all job seekers, including students looking
for summer jobs.
In order to assist students to secure summer jobs,
the LES will employ more temporary staff during the summer
months to strengthen the placement service for these job
seekers. At the same time, LES officers will actively
contact employers with a view to canvassing more suitable
vacancies for summer job seekers. To further enhance the
effectiveness of the service, the operation of the LES
will be computerised with effect from April 1, to enable
job seekers to gain access to all the up-to-date vacancy
information kept by the LES offices and perform job
matching through self-served computer terminals.
Recognising that actual working experience is an
important part of careers education for secondary school
students, the Education Department has been subsidizing
the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance
Masters in the implementation of the Summer Work
Experience Scheme during the summer vacation for secondary
five school leavers each year. The aim of the Scheme is
to provide students with opportunities to experience full-
time employment, to gain an understanding of the work they
are undertaking, to realise their potential and thus to
give a purposeful direction to their studies and careers
ambitions. In the coming summer, we expect that 30
organisations will participate in, and 130 students will
benefit from, the Scheme.
To help students solve the problems they encounter
during the job-seeking process, officers of the Careers
and Guidance Services Section of the Education Department
pay visits to schools and advise the Career Teams of
secondary schools to organise careers programmes on
"Interview Techniques", "Employment Traps", etc. for their
students and to provide them with adequate careers
resource information.
Apart from the above, the Labour Department, in
conjunction with the Education Department and the
Occupational Safety and Health Council, has also been
promoting the awareness of "employment traps" and work
safety amongst students seeking summer jobs mainly through
the publication of posters, booklets and leaflets for
distribution to secondary schools and other outlets.
End
22. Communication with Chinese medicine sector
******************************************
Following is a question by Prof the Hon Ng Ching-fai
and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and
Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Provisional Legislative
Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
At the meeting of this Council's Panel on Health
Services on March 9 this year, the authorities indicated
that they would continue and strengthen the communication
with members of the profession and the trade in the course
of drafting the bill to regulate Chinese medicine. In
this regard, will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the details of the communication being planned
(including the date, the contents and the communication
targets); and
(b) the month in the 1998/99 legislative session in
which it plans to introduce the bill to the Legislative
Council?
Reply:
We shall be meeting, starting from the end of March,
representatives from the Chinese medicine sector,
including the Preparatory Committee on Chinese Medicine,
the Chinese medicine practitioners associations and
Chinese medicines trade associations. We shall explain to
them our proposed regulatory system drawn up after the
public consultation exercise, as well as other details,
including:-
- the proposed establishment of a Chinese Medicine
Council to take up the overall administration of Chinese
medicine practitioners and Chinese medicines; and the two
committees to be set up under the Council to regulate the
Chinese medicine profession and Chinese medicines;
- the proposed system of accreditation and
regulation, involving examination, registration and
discipline, to be established for Chinese medicine
practitioners, the registration criteria for existing
practitioners and the transitional arrangements; and
- the proposed control mechanism, including
registration of proprietary Chinese medicines, licensing
of Chinese medicines traders, and the labelling and
packaging requirements of Chinese medicines, etc.
We plan to introduce the draft legislation for the
regulation of Chinese medicine in the first quarter of
1999. We will continue, during the drafting process, to
liaise with and maintain a dialogue with the Chinese
medicine sector, and listen to their views.
End
