Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Wednesday, August 27, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. Acting FS's transcript 2. Three lots sold for $5.67 billion at land auction 3. Concern over reported illegal teaching activities 4. Enforcement against absence of school bus escorts steps up 5. Results of food surveillance programme announced 6. Land Executives play great role in NT development 7. Speedpost extended to Estonia and Romania 1. Acting FS's transcript ********************** Following is the remarks by the Acting Financial Secretary, Mr K C Kwong at a media session at the Legislative Council today (Wednesday): FS: The auction today is the first land auction of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, so I think the interest of you all is understandable. The prices of the sites, of course, are determined by market forces, but I think it is important to remember that we should not read too much into the results of a single auction. We have to remember that in fact we have announced a series of land sales in the next few years. Between now and March 1999, we'll be putting out another 31 sites totalling 63 hectares of low-density residential land to meet market demand. Q: I like you to answer this from two points of view, first from the point of view of affordability of housing to people who live here and second, from the point of view of competitiveness for people who might want to come here and do business; are high prices from land sale a good news or bad news ? FS: Well, in fact the two questions are related. At the end of the day, it is the cost of property to the final users. And that is why in fact we are pulling all stocks out in order to implement the housing target announced by the Chief Executive and we hope that that would have a stabilising effect on housing prices. Q: What about the competitiveness in the latter part of the question ? FS: That is related. That is related to the cost and that is why I think the housing target that the Chief Executive has announced and which we are going to meet will help to ease that. Thank you. End 2. Three lots sold for $5.67 billion at land auction ************************************************* Three Government lots were sold for a total of $5.67 billion at a public auction held by the Lands Department this (Wednesday) afternoon. The first lot, located in 129 Repulse Bay Road, was sold to Gain Regent Development Limited for $5.55 billion, with bidding opened at $3 billion. It has an area of about 10,570 square metres. The developer has to complete a gross floor area of not less than 19,000 square metres on or before March 31, 2002. The second lot, situated at Nga Kau Wan, Lamma Island, was bought by T & L Securities Limited for $64 million, with bidding opened at $30 million. It has an area of about 3,920 square metres. The developer has to complete a gross floor area of not less than 1,412 square metres on or before September 30, 2000. The third lot, situated at Mei Wo Circuit, Area 41A, Sha Tin, was bought by Wealth Nice Investment Limited for $56 million, with bidding opened at $25 million. It has an area of about 1,307.2 square metres. The developer has to complete a gross floor area of not less than 313 square metres on or before September 30, 2000. All the lots are designated for private residential uses. The auction was conducted by Government Land Agent, Mr Roger Harding, in the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. End 3. Concern over reported illegal teaching activities ************************************************* The Education Department is concerned about reports on "teaching activities" being conducted at an exhibition hall in Kowloon Bay, and is taking follow-up action in conjunction with the Police, a department spokesman said today (Wednesday). Replying to media enquiries on such reports, the spokesman explained that according to the Education Ordinance, institutions which offer nursery, kindergarten, primary, secondary or post-secondary education or any other educational course for 20 or more persons during any one day or eight or more persons at any one time is a school and must be registered, as must its premises. He added that a teacher cannot teach more than 45 students at any one time except with the special permission of the Director of Education. The spokesman noted that the organisers of the reported "teaching activities" have said that all "teaching activities" at the exhibition hall will be stopped. The Education Department's follow-up actions will continue. Meanwhile, the spokesman said the department's headquarters and area staff are well familiar with the policy relating to registration and operation of schools and keep a close watch on developments. "The Government will take action against any illegal teaching activity," he said. End 4. Enforcement against absence of school bus escorts steps up ******************************************************* * The Transport Department today (Wednesday) reminds school transport operators that the six-month adaptation period for the mandatory provision of escorts on school buses with a capacity of over 16 seats has concluded. This provision, which came into force in February this year, is for school buses carrying primary school and kindergarten children. Speaking on the mandatory requirement, a spokesman for the department said: "Enforcement action against school transport operators for non-compliance with the provision will be stepped up in the new school term. "All operators concerned are required to nominate an escort for each of their school buses, and to inform the department in a prescribed form." A replacement helper may be called upon to render assistance if the nominee is not available. "Operators are thus encouraged to draw up a list of possible replacement helpers, which may include, for instance, teachers, parents or relatives of the school children. "Such short-term helpers need not be registered with the department," the spokesman said. School bus operators will not be prohibited from making a trip if an escort fails to turn up and other helpers are not available. "However, an operator should make every endeavour to find a replacement in the interest of the safety of the children on board. "Strict enforcement action will be taken against operators for repeated absence of escorts without good reasons," the spokesman stressed. A series of new measures to further enhance safety of school transport have taken effect from May 1. All buses carrying school children should display an additional "Caution: Children" rear signboard in or on the rear end of the vehicle to alert motorists on roads. Other safety measures, which apply to all school buses and nanny vans registered on or after May 1, include: * Installation of a red warning light and warning buzzer to notify the driver if the main door or the emergency exit door is not completely and securely closed; * At least one mirror should be fitted externally on the near side front of the vehicle to give the driver a full and clear view of the alighting passengers; * Installation of a public address system or other audio devices sufficient for the driver to communicate with all passengers in the vehicle; and * A new colour scheme for newly registered nanny vans. Starting from August next year, operators of school buses and nanny vans registered on or before May 1 should have these improvement facilities duly provided as they proceed for their annual examination and registration formalities. End 5. Results of food surveillance programme announced ************************************************ The Department of Health today (Wednesday) announced at a press briefing the results of its regular food surveillance programme for the first six months of 1997. The food surveillance programme is conducted by the Department's Hygiene Division to monitor that food supplied to the community is wholesome, unadulterated and properly labelled. A total of 25,409 samples were collected for chemical, bacteriological and radioactivity tests during the period. Commenting on the surveillance results, Assistant Director of Health, Dr Leung Pak-yin said: "The overall trend for January to June 1997 is similar to the corresponding period in 1996 and is within acceptable levels." Of the 16,716 samples taken for chemical analysis, only 229 (1.4 per cent) yielded unsatisfactory results. Improvements were most evident in vegetable samples containing pesticide. The unsatisfactory rate has dropped from 2.5 per cent in the corresponding period in 1996 to 1.2 per cent. Dr Leung attributed the improvement to the commissioning of the Man Kam To Control Office which enabled more sampling of vegetables, and the joint efforts with the Mainland authorities in curbing pesticide contaminated vegetables. For bacteriological analysis, 648 (7.9 per cent) out of the 8,173 samples taken were unsatisfactory. Hygienic condition of sashimi and sushi have improved. Samples of sashimi and sushi reaching acceptable levels rose to 83.2 per cent and 86.8 per cent respectively, while the figure in the corresponding period in 1996 was 76.9 per cent for both types of food. "The improvement was attributable to the two Municipal Councils' licensing control over food premises which prepare, serve and sell sushi and sashimi, and the efforts in promoting proper food handling procedures," Dr Leung said. All the 520 samples for radioactive examination were found to be within acceptable levels. Meanwhile, number of food complaints have dropped from 300 to 250, representing a decrease by 16.7 per cent when compared with the number of complaints received in the corresponding period in 1996. Similar to the past years, most of the justified cases were related to presence of foreign substance in food. During the same period, the Department received 151 reports of food poisoning cases affecting 820 persons, which were double the figures for the first half of 1996. However, the figures were just close to half of the total recorded in 1996. According to Dr Leung, bacterial contamination was still the major cause of food poisoning outbreaks. It accounted for 82 per cent of the cases during the period. The main contributing factors were inadequate cooking and contamination of cooked or processed food. "Since most of the food poisoning cases were due to bacterial contamination, the public are reminded to observe strict personal and environmental hygiene when preparing food," Dr Leung said. "As part of its public health education efforts, the Department's Hygiene Division will publish a Food News, and a Code of Practice for Food Handlers this month," he added. Both publications will be available for collection at the Department's Health Education Resource Centre, the District Environmental Health Offices of the two Municipal Services Departments, and the District Offices of the Home Affairs Department. End 6. Land Executives play great role in NT development ************************************************* The Director of Lands, Mr Robert Pope, today (Wednesday) commended the Land Executive grade for playing a significant role in the development of the New Territories. Mr Pope pointed out that the grade had over the years contributed towards the development of new towns, the provision of infrastructure including the new airport at Chek Lap Kok and related projects, the Route 3 and other road and rail systems. He was speaking at a ceremony for the presentation of certificates to 46 Land Executives who had completed a course on land administration organised by the Lands Department and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. "Through the hard work and perseverance of the Land Executives, difficulties encountered have been overcome, problems have been resolved, sites were delivered on time, and projects completed on schedule," Mr Pope said. "You will be proud of your contribution in such achievements, and the Department will always appreciate your efforts and dedication," he added. Land Executives are responsible for land administration matters in the New Territories including resumption of land, enforcement of lease conditions and processing of small house applications. New recruits to the grade must pass the two-year part-time course before being confirmed to the Government's permanent and pensionable establishment. End 7. Speedpost extended to Estonia and Romania ***************************************** The Acting Postmaster General, Mr P C Luk, today (Wednesday) announced that reciprocal Speedpost service would be extended to Estonia and Romania as from next Monday (September 1). "This will bring the total number of overseas destinations served by Speedpost to 82," Mr Luk said. Following are the rates and delivery standards: Speedpost Items Postage (HK$) --------------- Estonia Romania ------- ------- first 250 grams $150 $160 first 500 grams $180 $200 each additional 500 grams $55 $50 (up to total weight of eight kilograms) each additional 500 grams $55 $50 (in excess of eight kilograms) Kilopak $225 $240 SpeedpostPak Five-kilogram Option (up to five kilograms) $368 $368 for each additional 500 grams above five kilograms $35 $35 10-kilogram Option (up to 10 kilograms) $718 $718 for each additional 500 grams above 10 kilograms $35 $35 Delivery Standards ------------------ No of working days required one to one to three two Speedpost is a fast and reliable service for sending documents, samples and merchandise. Speedpost items are accepted at 49 post offices covering major business and industrial districts in Hong Kong. "Customers who regularly use Hongkong Post's Speedpost service may apply to an open account for pick- up service," Mr Luk said. He pointed out that Speedpost service was now available to 82 countries including the major trading partners of Hong Kong, and the customs documentation was simple even for samples and merchandise "Our Speedpost serves more than 1,500 cities in China, which is the widest courier service network in the country. Besides, we offer next day delivery to Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Shantou, as well as next morning delivery to Guangzhou and Shenzhen," Mr Luk said. "Our objective is to continuously provide our customers with best value international courier service. The SpeedpostPak offers a special bulk economy delivery discount and enables customers to save hundreds of dollars on every delivery. "In fact, the five-kilogram SpeedpostPak is the most cost competitive among similar courier delivery service in the market. In addition, we provide Speedpost pick-up service seven days a week, including Sundays and Public Holidays," he added. Customers who are interested in knowing more about the Speedpost service can call the Speedpost hotline at 2921 2277 or by fax at 2541 4868. End SUPPLEMENT CONTENTS ======== 1. S for Tsy's speech 2. CSSA unemployed recipients 3. Presumption against reclamation provision 4. HKEA's declaration and monitoring system well established 5. Measures to prevent industrial accidents involving students 6. Mismatched blood transfusion 7. Housing Authority drawing up programme to clear all THAs 8. Measures to encourage investment in information technology 9. Additional schools for new arrival children 10. Guests invited to the farewell and handover ceremonies 11. Precast paving units for footway 12. Coins in circulation 13. "Chevron markings" trial scheme 14. Floating-class system at S6 and S7 to be maintained 15. Collapsible iron door gates of public rental flats 16. Statistics on IIs serving prison terms in HK 17. Residential services for the elderly 18. Measures to boost tourism 19. Basic language proficiency examinations being considered 20. Careers guidance programmes to help school-leavers 21. Facilities in the Central Library 1. S for Tsy's speech ****************** Following is a speech by the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr K C Kwong, in moving the Third Readings of the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 1997 and the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1997 in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Madam President, The Inland Revenue (Amendment)(No. 3) Bill 1997 and the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 1997 have passed through Committee without amendments. I move that these two Bills be read the third time and do pass. End 2. CSSA unemployed recipients ************************** The following is a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung and a reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, at the Provisional Legislative Council meeting today (Wednesday): Question: Will the Government inform this Council of: (a) the number of persons who received assistance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance scheme on account of unemployment in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown of these persons by sex, age, job last held and family size; and (b) the measures in place to assist unemployed persons in securing employment or encourage them to take up part- time work, so as to enable them to become employed again as early as possible and thereby increasing their income? Reply: Madam President, (a) According to the administrative records of the Social Welfare Department, in the past three years the number of cases involving applicants who claimed 'unemployment' to be the principal reason for their seeking assistance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme was as follows - 1994 4,900 1995 8,800 1996 14,200 We do not have separate statistics on the number of 'unemployed' persons involved in these cases. Neither do we have information on their profiles nor the jobs in which they were previously engaged. Nevertheless, according to a sample study of CSSA recipients, the estimated profile of 'unemployed' persons as at end 1994, 1995 and 1996 is as follows - 1994 1995 1996 (i) Sex Male 91% 86% 85% Female the remainder (ii) Age 30-59 94% 93% 89% 15-29 the remainder (iii)Family Size (eligible members per household) 1-person 77% 74% 72% 2 or more the remainder persons (b) It is Government policy to help unemployed persons, especially 'unemployed' CSSA recipients who have the ability to work, to join or rejoin the workforce. Various measures are built into the CSSA Scheme for the purpose - able-bodied adult aged between 15 and 59 are required to register with the Labour Department for employment assistance : these job seekers are offered priority in their registration with the Local Employment Service. They can either choose to use the self-help mode of employment service or join the Job Matching Programme which provides in-depth interviews and counselling as well as job matching and placement services. For disabled 'unemployed' CSSA recipients who wish to seek open employment, the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department provides specialised placement services. In addition, CSSA recipients are advised to join the wide range of courses offered by the Employee Retraining Board (ERB), if it is considered useful in helping them find employment. CSSA recipients are offered priority in suitable courses to enhance their employability. To provide further incentive, 'unemployed' CSSA recipients will have the retraining allowances that they may receive disregarded for the purpose of assessing their CSSA entitlement. All training bodies also provide placement services for retrainees. We are considering further measures to motivate 'unemployed' CSSA recipients obtain employment. This may take the form of an intensive and targetted approach to selected 'unemployed' CSSA recipients with a view to identifying their aptitude, skills, training/retraining needs and, with the support of counselling, job placement and retraining services, assisting them in rejoining the workforce and eventually getting off the welfare net. End 3. Presumption against reclamation provision ***************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Miriam Lau and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Patrick Lau, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: In order to relieve existing traffic congestion along the waterfront in the northern part of Hong Kong Island, the Government has planned to construct the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and the Island Eastern Corridor Link. However, the recently enacted Protection of the Harbour Ordinance provides that there shall be a presumption against reclamation in the central harbour. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the specific impact of the Ordinance on these two road projects; and (b) whether the Government will proceed with the construction works of these two projects notwithstanding the provision in the above-mentioned Ordinance regarding the presumption against reclamation in the central harbour? Answer: Madam President, Parts (a) and (b) of the Question are inter-related and I will deal with them together in my reply. As the Honourable Member rightly pointed out, the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link road projects together will form a strategic corridor to channelise the east-west traffic on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island and help relieve the existing traffic congestion around the entrance of the Cross Harbour Tunnel. They are also essential to the existing and future developments on the whole Central and Wan Chai Reclamation. The Central-Wan Chai Bypass will fall within Central Reclamation Phase I, Central Reclamation Phase III and part of Wan Chai Reclamation Phase II. The Island Eastern Corridor Link will be located in the eastern part of Wan Chai Reclamation Phase II as an extension of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, linking with the Island Eastern Corridor. At present, only Central Reclamation Phase I has been completed. Construction of the two planned roads and the other reclamations just mentioned will involve "work over and upon any foreshore and sea-bed" in the central harbour and hence are "reclamation" as defined by the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance. The Ordinance establishes a principle of a presumption against reclamation in the central harbour and a public law duty requiring all public officers and public bodies to have regard to the principle for guidance in the exercise of their powers. It is however silent on implementation, such as who and how to judge whether the principle is applied or not, and what the sanctions are. Such ambiguities create uncertainties on the operations of public officers and public bodies including Government and possibly ExCo, the Finance Committee of the Provisional Legislative Council, Town Planning Board and public corporations like the utilities companies and the public transport companies. The Administration is therefore not yet in a position to take any decision on the construction of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and the Island Eastern Corridor Link before completing the review on the impact of the Ordinance on reclamation and infrastructural projects in the central harbour taking account of the recommendations of the Territorial Development Strategy Review. End 4. HKEA's declaration and monitoring system well established ********************************************************* Following is a question by the Hon Yeung Yiu-chung and a reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: A Subject Officer of the Hong Kong Examinations Authority (HKEA) was found guilty of stealing the examination papers for his son who was a candidate for this year's Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. The officer concerned was now awaiting sentencing by the court. The incident has aroused wide public concern and caused negative impact on the credibility of the HKEA. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council what measures will be adopted by the HKEA to step up the regulation of, as well as improve, the HKEA's monitoring system? Reply: Madam President, The Hong Kong Examinations Authority is an independent statutory body responsible for, amongst other things, the administration of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE). The HKEA has a full time Secretariat headed by the Secretary. The work of the Secretariat is monitored and regulated by the Main Board of the HKEA consisting of 24 external members from the education and other professions appointed in accordance with the Hong Kong Examinations Authority Ordinance. Over the years, the HKEA has maintained a high level of credibility in respect of the two public examinations. The HKEA has a well established declaration and monitoring system covering all persons who have access to confidential information related to the HKCEE and HKALE, including HKEA staff, setters, moderators and examiners. Every year, these persons are required to declare whether they have any close relatives taking the examinations of the HKEA. Setters, moderators and examiners who have close relatives taking the HKCEE or HKALE are not allowed to be involved in the related examination papers. In the case of staff members having close relatives taking the HKEA's examinations, redeployment of duties will be arranged as far as possible. As a rule, the results of candidates who are associated with HKEA's staff are checked before the publication of the results of the HKCEE and HKALE. Where necessary, reference is made to the school results of the candidates. The HKEA places great emphasis on the security of its operations. The internal operational procedures are regularly reviewed, and the Corruption Prevention Department of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was invited in the past to examine various aspects of the HKEA's operations. The general security system has been considered to be basically sound. In view of the recent incident, the main Board of the HKEA has invited the ICAC again to assist in re- examining the security system concerning storage and safekeeping of confidential documents. The ICAC will make recommendations for upgrading the security system for consideration by the HKEA Main Board at its meeting in October. Subject to the approval by the Main Board, the recommendations will be implemented prior to the completion of moderation work for the 1998 HKCEE and HKALE. End 5. Measures to prevent industrial accidents involving students ***************************************************** ** Following is a question by the Hon Choi Kan-pui and a 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 number of industrial accidents involving students undertaking summer jobs, and the number of casualties thereof, in each of the past three years; (b) the types of trades in which the above-mentioned industrial accidents occurred; and (c) whether the authority concerned has conducted any investigations into the causes of industrial accidents involving students undertaking summer jobs; and what measures will be adopted by the authority concerned to prevent the occurrence of such incidents? Reply: Madam President, (a) In the years 1994, 1995 and 1996, the number of industrial accidents involving students undertaking summer jobs was 17, 23 and 9 respectively. All of them involved only minor injuries, and no fatality was reported. (b) These accidents occurred in the catering, manufacturing, storage/warehouse and food production industries. (c) As with other industrial accidents, these cases were examined by the Labour Department. It was found that most of these accidents were caused by unsafe handling of hot or corrosive substances, hand tools or machinery. Others resulted from falls or the workers being struck by objects. The Labour Department, the Education Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council have been taking various measures to promote the awareness of safety at work among secondary school students so as to prevent the occurrence of accidents: (i) Pamphlets prepared by the Labour Department about work safety with particular reference to summer jobs are distributed to secondary schools through the Education Department. In distributing the pamphlets, the Education Department requests teachers to advise students not to take up hazardous summer jobs, such as working at construction sites, operating heavy machinery and lifting appliances, working at height, using chemicals or doing work involving heat treatment or the use of fire. Students intending to work in the catering industry are also advised to be careful with the use of food making machines, stoves, knives and chemical cleaning agents. (ii) Secondary schools are encouraged by the Education Department to organise activities such as talks and exhibitions to remind students not to take up hazardous jobs. Press briefings are held by the Labour Department before the commencement of summer vacation to advise students to stay away from potentially dangerous jobs and to remind them of work safety rules. Factory Inspectors of the Labour Department are invited to the schools to give talks and video shows on industrial safety. (iii) Safety slogan or cartoon competitions are organised to reinforce students' safety awareness. This year, an Occupational Safety Charter Maxim Design Competition was held in May. It was jointly organised by the Labour Department, the Education Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, Radio Television Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters. (iv) Factory inspectors of the Labour Department pay more attention to summer job workers during their inspections over the summer holidays. In May this year, the Labour Department launched a safety campaign in the catering industry. In view of the fact that most industrial accidents involving summer job students happen in the catering industry, the Department chose "summer job safety" as one of the main themes of the campaign. (v) Activities are also organised by the Occupational Safety and Health Council to promote work safety among students. Every year, the Council organises and broadcasts promotional programmes on summer job safety and health before the summer vacation. It has also prepared teaching kits on occupational safety and health for distribution to all secondary schools. Up to now, three modules have been completed, covering general awareness of occupational safety and health, summer job safety and chemical safety. End 6. Mismatched blood transfusion **************************** The following is a question by the Hon Chan Kam-lam and a reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, at the Provisional Legislative Council meeting today (Wednesday) : Question : It was reported that another incident of mismatched blood transfusion occurred recently in a public hospital. In this connection, does the Government know: (a) of the time when the hospital concerned knew of the above incident; (b) of the follow-up actions (such as notifying the family of the victim, giving a public account of the incident, conducting an investigation and finding out who should be held responsible... etc.) taken by the hospital; (c) whether any measures have been taken by the Hospital Authority following the incident to strengthen the monitoring of blood transfusion procedures of public hospitals; (d) whether the Hospital Authority will review the existing guidelines on blood transfusion issued to public hospitals; and (e) of the proceedings and findings of the investigations held after the occurrence of the previous two incidents of mismatched blood transfusion; whether disciplinary actions have been taken against any medical staff and, if so, what such actions are? Reply : Madam President, (a) The incident of mismatched blood transfusion occurred on 9 August 1997. A traffic accident victim in critical condition was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) for emergency treatment at about 10 p.m. on that day. The patient was given a transfusion of five packets of blood in the A&E department. At 11:40 p.m., he was sent to the Intensive Care Unit for emergency treatment and was given another six packets of blood. At 1 a.m. on 10 August, the rescue team discovered that four packets of the wrong group of blood had been used for transfusion. Remedial measures were immediately taken. (b) Upon the death of the patient at 3:55 a.m., the hospital briefed the patient's family on the emergency treatment rendered, and the unfortunate incident of giving the deceased the wrong group of blood, and explained that the case would be submitted to the Coroner for investigation. On the other hand, the hospital management immediately launched a preliminary investigation into the circumstances leading to the mistake and reviewed the procedures for urgent blood transfusion in the hospital. In response to media enquiry, the Hospital Authority (HA) confirmed on 12 August that a mismatched blood transfusion occurred in the course of emergency treatment. Two days later, HA announced the findings of the preliminary investigation and the new measures for improving the procedures for urgent blood transfusion in order to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. The case was also referred to the Coroner for investigation. Upon the release of the findings of the investigation, HA will initiate discussion of the issue of liability with the deceased's family. (c) Upon completion of the preliminary investigation, the hospital management of QMH have implemented the following measures to improve the procedures for urgent blood transfusion: (1) To remind staff to adhere to the established transfusion procedures and strengthen staff training in this respect; and (2) To store only Group O blood in the Intensive Care Unit for emergency use as it is universally- compatible for blood transfusions. In addition, HA has set up a special review panel comprising medical experts to inquire into the incident in QMH and thoroughly review the professional standard of blood transfusion. Findings of the investigation will be announced to the public. (d) HA has constantly reviewed the guidelines on blood transfusion procedures. At the end of last year, HA established a working group to review in detail the entire blood transfusion process, including the procedures for the collection, testing, delivery and transfusion of blood. The working group's recommendations, including guidelines for improving blood transfusion procedures, have been communicated to all hospitals on 1 August 1997 for implementation. HA will gain experience from this incident and will improve its services. The recommendations of the special review panel will be incorporated into the guidelines upon completion of the review. (e) Two other incidents of mismatched blood transfusion occurred in Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in 1996 and in Ruttonjee Hospital (RH) in 1995. Both incidents were thoroughly investigated by the hospital management. It was found that both incidents were caused by human error. A written warning was issued to a doctor and verbal warning to a nurse in QEH. In the case of RH, a written warning was issued to a medical technologist who was also suspended from performing duties in the blood bank for three months. End 7. Housing Authority drawing up programme to clear all THAs ****************************************************** ** Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: In connection with the Government's decision to clear all the remaining 13 Temporary Housing Areas (THA) by the end of March 2000, will the Government inform this Council: (a) whether a timetable has been drawn up for clearing the above-mentioned 13 THAs; if so, what the details are; (b) of the number of residents currently residing in the above-mentioned THAs; and (c) of the Government's plan on the proposed usage of the sites following the clearance of the THAs; and of the number of THA sites cleared which will be used for the construction of public rental housing flats, Home Ownership Scheme flats and Sandwich Class Housing Scheme flats, together with the estimated number of flats to be provided and the timeframe for the provision of these flats? Reply: Madam President, The Government has proposed in the Long Term Housing Strategy Review Consultative Document published earlier this year to phase out all old-style Temporary Housing Areas (THAs) as soon as possible. The Housing Authority is drawing up a programme to clear the remaining 13 THAs and to make appropriate arrangements to rehouse 11,900 residents. The Yen Chow Street THA will be the first one to be cleared in December this year, and notices have been issued. Timing for clearing the other 12 THAs is being worked out by the Housing Authority. As regards Part (c) of the Question, a list of the 13 THA sites, together with their tentative future use, is at Annex. Honourable Members will see that at present, only the Kwai Lok THA site has been earmarked for housing development, that is, the construction of about 700 Private Sector Participation Scheme flats for sale to low-income families. We are examining the possibility of rezoning some of the other sites for public housing. Annex Tentative future use of Temporary Housing Area sites ---------------------------------------------------- THA Tentative use --- ------------- Kowloon ------- 1.Fat Tseung Street Government, Community and open space 2.Kai Lok School and open space 3.Kai Wo School 4.Kai Yiu District open space 5.Lung Ping Road Hospital 6.Yen Chow Street District open space Tsuen Wan/Kwai Tsing -------------------- 7.Hing Shing Industrial and open space 8.Kwai Shun Indoor recreation centre 9.Kwai Lok Private Sector Participation Scheme flats 10.Tsing On Open space Sai Kung -------- 11.Sha Kok Mei Residential, school, indoor recreation centre and open space 12.Tseung Kwan O Village housing Yuen Long --------- 13.Long Bin Open space End 8. Measures to encourage investment in information technology **************************************************** ***** Following is a question by Dr the Hon Yeung Chun-kam and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Economic Services, Ms Maria Kwan, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: In his speech delivered at the ceremony to celebrate the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held on 1 July this year, the Chief Executive mentioned that the world was entering an information era and that positive measures must be adopted to encourage investment in the information industry and related infrastructure, as well as nurture expertise in this area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of: (a) the details and scope of "investment in the information industry and related infrastructure" mentioned by the Chief Executive; and (b) the specific measures which the Government will adopt to encourage investment in the information industry and related infrastructure? Reply: Madam President, The Information Industry can broadly be taken to include content provision, information conveyance, information utilisation, and support for these services. Investments in the information infrastructure could cover the following areas: (a) the physical infrastructure, such as the telecommunications networks; (b) the applications and services that use the physical infrastructure for information conveyance, such as video- on-demand, home-banking, home-shopping, tele-medicine etc.; and (c) the supporting services which facilitate further development of the information industry, such as equipping the workforce with the necessary skills to support and service the information infrastructure. The Government seeks to provide an appropriate environment to encourage investments in the information infrastructure. Investments in the Hong Kong telecommunications infrastructure, the vital support for the information infrastructure, is estimated to total some $18.9 billion for 1997-2000. The Industry Department and seven of the Government overseas Economic and Trade Offices are actively engaged in encouraging foreign investors to invest in the information technology (IT) and telecommunications sectors in Hong Kong. The Industry Department is also nurturing expertise in IT in many ways. With the establishment of the Industrial Support Fund in 1994, it has supported 26 projects in the IT sector and four projects on telecommunications at a cost of $71 million and $96 million respectively. The Applied Research Council, established by Government to provide loans to private sector technology ventures, has so far supported nine ventures in the IT/telecommunications field. The Hong Kong Productivity Council has also been active in promoting the application of IT in Hong Kong industries through the provision of training and consultancy services to clients in the manufacturing and services sector. As part of the overall package to encourage investment in industry, Government has also established three industrial estates which offer land at development cost for industries, including IT, which meet the criteria for allocation. The IT industry also benefits from office accommodation and other services provided by the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre. The Government is actively planning for a science park. The Office of the Telecommunications Authority has established an Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee (IIAC) in March 1997 to map out a blue print of a physical infrastructure and regulatory environment in which investors may compete fairly and earn a reasonable return on investment. Three task forces and nine working groups have been set up under the IIAC to tackle individual issues on a more detailed and technical level. By March 1998, the IIAC will produce a report setting out its recommendations. The Chief Executive has also announced that the Government proposes to set up an Information Infrastructure Coordination Office (IICO). This initiative illustrates the importance which the Government attaches to promoting the development of information infrastructure in Hong Kong. Details concerning the IICO including its responsibilities and its logistics are still being finalised. The Government is intending to make further announcements in the near future on this. End 9. Additional schools for new arrival children ******************************************* 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: The Chairman of the Land and Building Advisory Committee indicated the other day that, based on the information available, it is estimated that there is now a shortage of 10 hectares of land earmarked for the construction of schools to meet the educational needs of the 66 000 mainland-born children of Hong Kong permanent residents when they come to settle in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the plans to solve the problem of land shortage mentioned above, and the earliest possible time that the Government is expected to provide the land required; (b) whether the shortage of land will further delay the implementation of such measures as the introduction of whole-day primary schooling and the reduction of floating classes; and (c) in the event that the Government fails to provide sufficient land in the next five years for the construction of the number of secondary and primary schools required, what measures will be adopted to solve the education problem of school-age new arrivals from the mainland? Reply: President, (a) & (c) To meet the educational needs of new arrival children, the Government has added 7 primary and 9 secondary schools to the School Building Programme. These schools will be completed between the 1997/98 and 1999/2000 school years. In view of the possible increase in the number of new arrival children up to 66 000, apart from accommodating the children in existing vacancies, we will operate additional classes and build another 6 primary and 10 secondary schools before the 2001/02 school year. We have selected 16 sites from our current stock of school sites for the 16 additional schools. (b) The provision of school places for new arrival children will not delay the implementation of our announced plans. These plans include having 40% of government and aided primary school pupils studying on a whole-day basis from the 2001/02 school year, and the elimination of floating classes in Secondary 1 to 5 before the 2000/01 school year. In fact, we are considering measures to speed up the implementation of whole-day primary schooling. End 10. Guests invited to the farewell and handover ceremonies ****************************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Chim Pui-chung and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: Will the Government inform this Council the lists of all the guests invited to attend the farewell ceremony held on June 30, 1997 and the ceremony of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong held at midnight on the same day? Reply: Madam President, Several thousand guests were invited to attend the farewell ceremony and the Handover ceremony. It is not possible to list all the names in this reply. However, the Hon Chim Pui-chung may wish to know that these guests included representatives from over 40 foreign governments and over 40 international organisations, representatives of the executive, legislature and judiciary, local guests from a broad cross section of the community, overseas guests with close connection with Hong Kong and media representatives from all over the world. End 11. Precast paving units for footway ******************************** Following is a question by the Hon Tang Siu-tong and a written reply by the Secretary for Works, Mr Kwong Hon- sang, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: In order to facilitate the installation and maintenance of public utilities such as water mains and electric wires, a large number of pavements in the territory are paved with floor slabs which are not secured with concrete. However, after continuous periods of heavy rain, the road surface of these pavements becomes rugged as a result of the mud being washed away, thus causing inconvenience and potential hazard to the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the existing arrangements adopted by the relevant department to maintain this type of pavements; (b) of the remedial and improvement measures taken by the relevant department to tackle the problem of rugged road surface of these pavements; and (c) whether the Government has any plans to replace the method of constructing pavements mentioned above? Reply: President, (a) Currently, it is Highways Department's practice to conduct road inspections (including footways) through either routine inspection by car to be undertaken at least once every 1 to 7 days depending on road types, or detailed road inspection on foot to be undertaken at intervals not exceeding 6 months. Should any defects be identified or reported, the Department would arrange for them to be repaired as soon as possible. (b) Under normal conditions, the sand underneath the footway paving units should not be washed away. According to our experience so far, defects do occur as a result of inferior workmanship involving improper preparation of the bedding layer and unsatisfactory jointing. Such workmanship related defects normally show up within the maintenance period following the completion of works. Once identified, they can be easily and relatively quickly rectified and the costs involved will be borne by the contractor. Generally speaking, block pavements which are properly constructed and have been performing well throughout their maintenance period do not create much problem afterwards. We will closely supervise the construction to ensure that they are properly constructed. (c) There are many advantages of using precast paving units for footway : (i) Easy to lay and can be walked on instantly without having to wait for the concrete to harden. (ii) Quick to remove without the use of noisy jackhammers, thus making it possible to do trenchwork at night time. The paving units can easily be re-installed and can be re-used, wherever practicable, in subsequent pavement reinstatements. (iii) Less construction waste than concrete as there is only about 10% breakage from past experience. (iv) Aesthetically more pleasing, particularly when different colours and patterns are laid according to the landscape architects' design. In view of these merits, we will continue to use this type of pavement construction at suitable locations. However, Highways Department is constantly reviewing the performance of the products used, including their design and the method of construction, and will work towards developing the best model that is suitable for use in Hong Kong. End 12. Coins in circulation ******************** Following is a question by the Hon Ngan Kam-chuen and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Financial Services, Mrs Rebecca Lai, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: Currently there is a shortage of coins in circulation, in particular coins of 10-cent and 20-cent denominations, and certain shops have adopted the practice of using small-denomination stamps in place of coins for giving changes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the current quantities of coins of 10-cent and 20- cent denominations in circulation respectively; (b) what means does the relevant authority have to resolve the problem of shortage of coins; and (c) whether the use by shops of small-denomination stamps in place of coins for the purpose of giving changes constitutes an offence; if so, of the penalty of such an offence? Reply: (a) 1,179 million pieces of 10-cent coins and 860 million pieces of 20-cent coins are in circulation at present. (b) From March to June 1997, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) put a net total of 27 million additional pieces of 10-cent, 22.5 million pieces of 20-cent and 14 million pieces of 50-cent coins into circulation from its stock. As of June, the total number of coins in circulation were increased by 17% when compared to the same period last year. Starting from 28 July, the HKMA has been puting 100 million pieces of new coins into circulation. The HKMA has also ordered an another lot of 167 million pieces of coins which will be put into circulation from late August onwards. (c) The use of stamps as change is considered a private arrangement between the seller and the buyer. The buyer is not obliged to accept stamps as change. A seller, who merely offers to settle the change due to the buyer by using stamps, is not committing an offence. End 13. "Chevron markings" trial scheme ******************************* Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Miriam Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Nicholas Ng, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question : Regarding the "chevron markings" trial scheme implemented by the Transport Department at the section south of Lam Kam Interchange on Tolo Highway in July last year, will the Government inform this Council : (a) of the effectiveness of the trial scheme; (b) whether the Transport Department will consider implementing the "chevron markings" scheme on Tolo Highway on a full-scale basis, as well as extending the scheme to other expressways which are regarded as traffic accident black spots such as Tuen Mun Road; and (c) given that a number of recent traffic accidents were caused by tail-gating, whether any other measures, apart from adopting the "chevron markings" trial scheme, are put in place to increase drivers' awareness of keeping a safe distance from other vehicles? Reply : Madam President, The "chevron markings" trial scheme was launched in mid-1996 on a section of the Tolo Highway to help drivers learn and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Transport Department is conducting a study on the effectiveness of the trial scheme. In the light of the outcome of the study, expected to be available next month, we will decide on the way ahead for the scheme. Drivers are advised in the Road Users' Code to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front by using a simple "two-second" rule. Additionally, there are on- going publicity activities to enhance drivers' awareness in this respect. Such activities include road safety campaigns where road safety messages including keeping safe distance are disseminated. This message was included in the 1996 Road Safety Quarterly which is widely distributed to road users through concerned government departments, Hong Kong School of Motoring, Hong Kong Automobile Association, and Institute of Advanced Motorists. Transport Department also made use of the electronic display board at the Aberdeen Tunnel toll plaza area to advise motorists of safety messages. "Keep your distance" was adopted as the message for display for three months in 1996 and it will be displayed again soon for another three months. We will continue to reinforce drivers' awareness of the above message in future campaigns and publicity materials. End 14. Floating-class system at S6 and S7 to be maintained *************************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Yeung Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: As most of the secondary schools in Hong Kong adopt the floating-class system at the sixth and seventh-form levels, will the Government inform this Council whether there are plans to abolish the floating class system; if so, of the specific timetable for the implementation of such plans? Reply: President, The Government plans to phase out floating classes in Secondary 1 to 5 by the commencement of the 2000/01 school year, through provision of additional classrooms, restructuring of class structure, and building 8 additional secondary schools. As for Secondary 6 and 7, lessons for many subjects are conducted in special rooms. We therefore consider it acceptable to have floating classes in Secondary 6 and 7. If we have to fully eliminate floating classes in Secondary 6 and 7, we need to build another 41 secondary schools. In view of the overall shortfall of school sites, we think the reserved school sites should be used to meet more pressing needs, including the provision of school places for new arrival children from the Mainland, and the implementation of whole-day primary schooling. Hence, we do not have plans to fully eliminate floating classes in Secondary 6 and 7 in the near future. End 15. Collapsible iron door gates of public rental flats ************************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Tang Siu-tong and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: Recently many public housing tenants have complained about the design of their iron door gates being far too simple and that the gates can be easily forced open, resulting in frequent occurrence of burglary cases. The Housing Department has undertaken to study the problem and make improvements in this regard. In this connection, does the Government know: (a) of the findings of the study undertaken by the Housing Department; (b) whether the Housing Authority will replace these iron gates free of charge for these tenants in order to step up security; and (c) whether the Housing Authority has any established guidelines for determining the adoption of door gate design? Reply: Madam President, The Housing Department conducted a study recently to identify measures to strengthen the collapsible iron door gates of public rental flats in Harmony blocks, and concluded that altering or replacing certain components of the locks would effectively strengthen the gates and make unlawful entry more difficult. The Department will complete all necessary strengthening work before the end of 1998, and will bear the cost. The Department considers it unnecessary to replace existing gates. The Department has established criteria for door gate designs, including robustness, durability and ease of operation. End 16. Statistics on IIs serving prison terms in HK ******************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Elsie Tu and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: With regard to illegal immigrants serving prison terms in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the number of illegal immigrants who were sentenced to serve prison terms for entering and taking up work in Hong Kong illegally in each of the past three years; (b) of a breakdown of the above illegal immigrants who are currently serving prison terms according to: (i) nationality; (ii) age (below and above the age of 18); (iii) duration of prison terms (serving less than 15 months, 15 months and above); (c) of the proportion of the above illegal immigrants currently serving prison terms to the total prison population; and (d) whether the above illegal immigrants below the age of 18 serving prison terms are placed in juvenile or adult prisons? Reply: Madam President, (a) The number of illegal immigrants who were prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms for entering and taking up work in Hong Kong illegally from 1995 to 1997 (Jan - Jul) is as follows- Year Number 1995 577 1996 525 1997 (Jan - Jul) 257 (b) The breakdown in respect of the 484 (as of 15 August 1997) illegal immigrants serving prison sentence for entering and taking up work in Hong Kong is as follows :- (i) By nationality Number Mainland Chinese 455 Vietnamese Migrants 29 (ii) By age Number below 18 16 aged 18 and above 468 (iii)By sentence Number less than 15 months 159 15 months and over 325 (c) The proportion of the above category of prisoners to the total penal population is 5%. (d) The above prisoners below the age of 18 are placed in young offender institutions. End 17. Residential services for the elderly ************************************ The following is a question by the Hon Hui Yin-fat and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok , at the Provisional Legislative Council meeting today (Wednesday) : Question : The Director of Social Welfare recently announced that in the consultancy report on residential services for the elderly soon to be released, the Government recommends promoting the concept of "providing the elderly with a sense of belonging" so as to avoid as far as possible relocating the elderly from the districts in which they reside, thus enabling them to enjoy life in their old age in familiar surroundings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council : (a) whether a public consultation exercise will be conducted after the release of the above report; if not, why not (b) how the concept of "providing the elderly with a sense of belonging" is embodied in the present and future allocations of resources for residential services for the elderly, and whether the Government will make any pledge to achieve this objective; (c) whether the recommendations of the above report will include : (I) shortening the waiting time for the allocation of residential places in various elderly institutions; (ii) requesting the elderly in a better health condition to move out of the elderly hostels and homes so as to make available residential places for accommodating those with poorer health; if so, whether the consent of the elderly persons concerned will be sought prior to requesting them to move out. (d) Whether the Government will consider extending the concept of "providing the elderly with a sense of belonging" to cover the single and two-person elderly households affected by the Comprehensive Rehousing Programme of the Housing Authority, in order that these elderly persons can be rehoused in the same locality; if not, why not? Reply : Madam President, (a) As the consultancy study has yet to be completed and Government has to consider carefully the viability and practicability of the consultants' recommendations, no decision has been made at this stage on how the public would be consulted. (b) To provide the elderly people with a sense of belonging, Government provides community support services to assist them to live in the community for as long as possible. We are also providing resources, subject to availability, to encourage residential care homes to continue to care for elderly residents whose health conditions deteriorate. An infirmary care supplement has been introduced since 1996 to enable residential care homes to employ additional staff to care for elderly residents with deteriorating health. In 97/98, a total of 26.493M has been allocated to 44 homes/hostels to enable them to employ additional personal care workers, nurses and workman II to provide better care for their residents. To enable the elderly in residential care to grow old with minimal disruption, arrangements are in place to facilitate internal transfer of residents within the same home if different levels of care services are provided within the same premises. The Wong Chuk Hang Complex for the Elderly consisting of a Care and Attention Home, a Long Stay Care Home and an Infirmary is one example that provides continuous care to elderly in the same residential setting. (c) Since the consultancy has yet to be completed, it is difficult to speculate on the final recommendations of the study. The public would be consulted on the recommendations which would have an impact on future provision of services for the elderly. (d) Under the existing policy, elderly persons affected by the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme (CRP) are rehoused in the same locality as far as practicable. Over the last three years, about 95% of the 5,050 single and two-person elderly households affected by the CRP were rehoused to public rental flats within the same district. The remaining elderly households bought Home Ownership Scheme flats, chose to receive singleton or doubleton allowances, or moved to rental flats in other localities of their choice. End 18. Measures to boost tourism ************************* Following is a question by the Hon Kennedy Wong Ying- ho and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Economic Services, Ms Maria Kwan, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question : Tourism has all along played an important role in the economy of Hong Kong. However, the tourism industry has recently experienced a downturn, with the hotel occupancy rate standing at only 50% in July and August this year. In this regard, will the Government inform this Council whether it will adopt measures to assist the tourism industry in overcoming the present downturn in the industry; if so, what the details are ? Reply: Madam President, The preliminary figure for the hotel occupancy rate for July 1997 is 58%. This is lower than the rate for the corresponding period in recent years. The hotel occupancy rate for August this year is not yet available. However, the latest forecast of the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) shows that the number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in 1997 will increase by 3% when compared with that in 1996, and will reach a new record of over 12 million. To maintain Hong Kong's attractiveness as a tourist destination, the HKTA has since May this year launched a "100 Days of Wonders" promotion aimed at boosting the number of visitor arrivals between July and October, particularly from shorthaul markets such as the South East Asian countries. Furthermore, HKTA has been arranging a series of familiarisation programmes for the travel trade and media of all key markets to visit Hong Kong. This will help to promote Hong Kong to potential visitors in those markets. As a continuing effort, the HKTA also started this year a series of international events under the umbrella of the five-year Spotlight Hong Kong Programme. Both the Government and the HKTA will continue to make efforts to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism industry. The planned commissioning of the new airport in April 1998 will remove the existing constraint in airport capacity. Moreover, a $50 million Tourist Development Fund was established in mid-1996. It is being used to finance feasibility studies on new tourist attractions such as the Millennium Fair (Hong Kong Exposition) and the Tsing Yi/Ma Wan Film City, and to make improvements to existing tourist facilities such as providing better signage and information kiosks at major tourist spots. End 19. Basic language proficiency examinations being considered ****************************************************** ** Following is a question by Dr Hon David Li Kwok-po and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question : It is reported that more than 40 per cent of the students who sat for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination this year failed in the Chinese Language and English Language subjects. As a result, the Hong Kong Examinations Authority will consider introducing easier language examinations for the academically weak students. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of the reasons for the Hong Kong Examinations Authority's intention to introduce easier language examinations instead of adopting measures to improve the language proficiency of students? Reply: Madam President, We are aware that a considerable number of Secondary 5 students are unable to achieve grade E or above in the subjects of English Language and Chinese Language in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). Although these students have failed in the HKCEE language examinations, many of them may possess basic practical language skills which are adequate for the purpose of junior-level employment or admission to certain vocational courses. It was recommended in the draft Education Commission (EC) Report No. 7, published in November 1996 for public consultation that the Hong Kong Examinations Authority (HKEA) should consider proposals to assure the minimum attainment of students, e.g. by the introduction of modular examinations. Against this background, the HKEA is now studying the feasibility of introducing basic language proficiency examinations for Chinese and English. These examinations will not be part of the HKCEE system and will be taken by senior secondary students and the general public on a voluntary basis. The standards of these tests would be somewhere between Secondary 3 and Secondary 5, with emphasis on practical skills which are primarily geared to employment purposes. The HKEA is currently consulting appropriate employers' associations, the Administration, the Employee Retraining Board and the Vocational Training Council to find out whether there is any need to certify young people's basic language proficiency. The EC and the Administration have yet to take a final view on the desirability of the proposed examinations. In the meantime, the Education Department and the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) will continue to implement the various recommendations of the Education Commission Report No. 6 to upgrade the English and Chinese standards of students. These include extra teacher support for schools adopting mother-tongue teaching; extension of the Chinese and English Extensive Reading Schemes to all levels of primary and secondary schooling over a period of 4 years; employment of native speaking English teachers; provision of intensive English courses for both Chinese and English- medium sixth form students; development of language benchmarks for all teachers; improving support services for language teaching; reviewing the workload of language teachers and supporting language improvement projects through the Language Fund. End 20. Careers guidance programmes to help school-leavers ************************************************** Following is a question by the Hon Kennedy Wong Ying- ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Wednesday): Question: Among the 131,000-plus candidates who sat for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination this year, only 24,000 of them can proceed to Form Six while the rest may have to take up employment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) how it will help young people to prepare themselves for the challenge of joining the workforce in view of increasing competition in the society; and (b) whether it has formulated any long-term training programmes for young people? Reply: President, First of all, I should like to clarify that the majority of the Secondary 5 leavers who cannot get subsidised Secondary 6 Places do continue their studies in various ways. From past figures, we estimate that only less than 18% would join the labour force. Turning now to the specific question: (a) Most secondary schools have careers teams to provide careers guidance to individual students and to conduct careers guidance programmes for small groups as well as on a whole-school basis. Such guidance will help students understand their interests, abilities, needs and priorities so that they can be better prepared for further education, vocational training and employment. Activities conducted by careers teams include: * administering aptitude tests to help students understand their interests and abilities; * organising careers talks to enable students to know more about various trades and job opportunities; and * arranging visits and holding board exhibitions to introduce students to different jobs and their entry requirements. The Education Department (ED) also visits secondary schools to advise on careers guidance programmes. (b)(i) The Vocational Training Council offers a variety of training programmes to Secondary 3 and Secondary 5 school leavers. These include full-time technical education in technical colleges and technical institutes, full-time industrial training in training centres, and placement with employers in technician apprenticeship or traineeship. (ii) In September 1997, the two technical colleges and the seven technical institutes will be offering a total of 1,784 higher diploma places and 4,880 diploma places. In addition, a total of 1,246 full-time places will be made available at training centres throughout 1997-98. (iii)To promote these services and programmes, the VTC holds school talks and exhibitions every summer. This year 13 exhibitions were held and a total of 255 talks were given to secondary schools. End 21. Facilities in the Central Library ********************************* The following is a question by the Hon Hui Yin-fat and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and Sport, Mrs Rita Lau at the Provisional Legislative Council meeting today (Wednesday): Question: It is learnt that in its proposal to the Provisional Urban Council to cut the construction costs of the Central Library, the Architectural Services Department (ASD) has suggested deleting two lifts specially for the use of the disabled. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the facilities included in the architectural design of the Central Library which are provided for the use of those who are physically handicapped, and those who have visual or hearing impairment; (b) of the reasons for the deletion of the two lifts, and whether there are no other alternative options; (c) what effects the deletion of the two lifts will have on the disabled using the Central Library; (d) what other facilities can replace the functions of the two lifts or remedy the inconvenience caused to the disabled using the Library; and (e) whether the ASD's proposal is in breach of the provisions in the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 487) governing the provision of facilities for the disabled? Reply: Madam President, On the basis of the information provided by the Urban Services Department, the answers to the Hon. Hui Yin-fat's question are as follows:- (a) When preparing the architectural design of the Central Library, due consideration has been given to the needs of the physically handicapped, the visually and hearing impaired. The facilities which will be installed in the Central Library to cater for their special needs include:- 1. The Library has four external and three internal lifts for public use. Another two are designated for staff use. All nine lifts are equipped for use by the physically handicapped and the visually impaired. 2. To facilitate people with visual impairment to use the Library facilities, all the lifts in the Library will be provided with Braille buttons and a Cantonese- English PA system for the announcement of information concerning the direction of the lift, the floor number and the main facilities on the floor where the lift stops. The Braille system will also be adopted for all the signs and directional placards in the Library. To help people with low vision to identify floor locations, different colours will be used in carpet pattern and wall decoration for each floor. As for books and audio-visual equipment, optacon and TV magnifier, among others, will be specially provided for people with low vision. 3. For the convenience of the disabled, toilets and drinking fountains designed for wheelchair-bound users are provided on each floor. In addition, special reading desks and computer tables are also provided on each floor for their use. To make the Library more accessible to the disabled, two parking spaces in the Library carpark will be reserved for people with a disability. (b/c/d) The provision of two external lifts, one at the carpark and the other at the vicinity of the loading/unloading area, has been included in the original design of the Central Library. This aims at facilitating access by people with a disability, especially the wheelchair-bound who travel to the Library by vehicle. Around March and April this year, the former Urban Council decided to provide two additional external lifts, one in the east and the other in the west wing of the Library, to further improve accessibility for the public and people with a disability to the Library. The provision of these two lifts is not included in the original construction cost estimate. If the cost is to be reduced, one possible option is to delete this item. However, the special meeting of the Provisional Urban Council held on 8 August, 1997, Councillors finally decided to keep the plan of providing two additional lifts. (e) As mentioned above, the Architectural Services Department has given full consideration to the Disability Discrimination Ordinance when preparing the Library design to ensure that it fully meets the relevant requirements and has not breached any legal provisions. End
