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OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 22 October 2015
The Council met at half-past Nine o'clock
MEMBERS PRESENT:
THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE JASPER TSANG YOK-SING, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ALBERT HO CHUN-YAN
THE HONOURABLE LEE CHEUK-YAN
THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN
THE HONOURABLE CHAN KAM-LAM, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG
THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-HING, B.B.S., M.H.
PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P., Ph.D., R.N.
THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P.
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THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CYD HO SAU-LAN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE LAM TAI-FAI, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, B.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG KWOK-CHE
THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-KIN, S.B.S.
THE HONOURABLE IP KWOK-HIM, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ALAN LEONG KAH-KIT, S.C.
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KWOK-HUNG
THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP
THE HONOURABLE WONG YUK-MAN
THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO
THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN, G.B.S., J.P.
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THE HONOURABLE NG LEUNG-SING, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S.
THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H.
THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S.
THE HONOURABLE GARY FAN KWOK-WAI
THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN
THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE KENNETH CHAN KA-LOK
THE HONOURABLE CHAN YUEN-HAN, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LEUNG
THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, B.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI
THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG
THE HONOURABLE DENNIS KWOK
THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG WAH-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P.
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DR THE HONOURABLE FERNANDO CHEUNG CHIU-HUNG
THE HONOURABLE SIN CHUNG-KAI, S.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE HELENA WONG PIK-WAN
THE HONOURABLE IP KIN-YUEN
DR THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH QUAT, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LIAO CHEUNG-KONG, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE POON SIU-PING, B.B.S., M.H.
THE HONOURABLE TANG KA-PIU, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE CHIANG LAI-WAN, J.P.
IR DR THE HONOURABLE LO WAI-KWOK, S.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHUNG KWOK-PAN
THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHUNG SHU-KUN, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TONY TSE WAI-CHUEN, B.B.S.
MEMBERS ABSENT:
DR THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE VINCENT FANG KANG, S.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KA-LAU
THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P.
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PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING:
THE HONOURABLE MRS CARRIE LAM CHENG YUET-NGOR, G.B.S., J.P. THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION
THE HONOURABLE JOHN TSANG CHUN-WAH, G.B.M., J.P. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY
THE HONOURABLE RIMSKY YUEN KWOK-KEUNG, S.C., J.P. THE SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE
MR YAU SHING-MU, J.P. SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT AND HOUSING
THE HONOURABLE MATTHEW CHEUNG KIN-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR LABOUR AND WELFARE
PROF THE HONOURABLE K C CHAN, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE TREASURY
THE HONOURABLE GREGORY SO KAM-LEUNG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
THE HONOURABLE RAYMOND TAM CHI-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS
THE HONOURABLE LAI TUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., I.D.S.M., J.P. SECRETARY FOR SECURITY
THE HONOURABLE EDDIE NG HAK-KIM, S.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION
DR THE HONOURABLE KO WING-MAN, B.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
THE HONOURABLE WONG KAM-SING, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
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MR ERIC MA SIU-CHEUNG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR DEVELOPMENT
THE HONOURABLE LAU KONG-WAH, J.P. SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS
THE HONOURABLE CLEMENT CHEUNG WAN-CHING, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE
MR SHIU SIN-POR, S.B.S., J.P. HEAD, CENTRAL POLICY UNIT
CLERK IN ATTENDANCE:
MR KENNETH CHEN WEI-ON, S.B.S., SECRETARY GENERAL
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL UNDER RULE 8 OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE, AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS.
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THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Members will please remain standing while the Chief Executive enters the Chamber.
(While the Chief Executive was entering the Chamber and walking towards the rostrum, a number of Members, holding up placards and cardboards, entered the Chamber, shouting loudly as they walked on)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members entering the Chamber stop the hubbub immediately.
(A number of Members returned to their seats and remained standing while holding up placards)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please be seated.
The Chief Executive will first address the Council.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, Honourable Members and fellow Hong Kong citizens, I am glad to speak in this Council in this new Legislative Session and answer the questions Members put to me.
Economic development is the foundation of a stable society and the basis to improve people's livelihood. Only when the economy flourishes and people and the Government have increasing incomes can livelihood be improved. It is particularly important to make greater efforts in respect of housing, poverty alleviation, elderly care, support for the disadvantaged and infrastructure development.
In the past year, economic growth was moderate, inflation was under control and the unemployment rate was low. Young people had better employment opportunities for the first time; the number of people in employment had reached a record high and people's income had increased significantly. For 30% of full-time employees having the lowest incomes, their incomes increased 400 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 by 7% to 8% from June to August this year as compared with the same period last year, and there was a 3% to 4% increase in real terms after deducting inflation. There was also an average 5.7% increase in the incomes of the total working population.
It is worth noting that the Government received record revenue from profits tax and salaries tax in the past year, indicating a growth in corporate profits and people's earnings, as well as reflecting our economic environment. The current relatively favourable economic environment is the fruit of our concerted efforts and I hope we would keep up the hard work and cherish what we have achieved.
On the housing front, the two-pronged approach of the current-term Government has gradually become effective. Apart from curbing external demands, investment demands and speculative demands through levying stamp duty, the SAR Government is of the view that the fundamental solution is to increase land supply significantly. Owing to the efforts made by the current-term Government to increase land supply three years ago, we now have a supply of new and relatively large number of residential flats. According to market data, the prices of first-hand and second-hand residential properties have started to come down. The Government has regularly published data on the supply of land and residential units for public reference. We will continue to embrace the challenges ahead and strive to alleviate and solve the housing problem.
The Government will continue to vigorously open up and supply additional land, as well promote large-scale infrastructure developments, including the 150 sites to be made available over the next five years as announced in the 2014 Policy Address. The work to amend the statutory plans of about 40% of such sites has already begun and some sites have been set aside for housing development.
The current-term Government is also determined to face up to the poverty problem, and a poverty line had been drawn as the basis for measuring the problem of poverty and formulating policies. The poverty situation in Hong Kong has continued to improve. In 2014, the poor population dropped to 960 000 and the poverty rate fell to 14.3%, both indicators were at six-year low. With the Government's policy intervention, 172 600 households were lifted out of poverty in 2014, and the poor population dropped below 1 million for the second LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 401 year in a row, reflecting the considerable success of various poverty alleviation measures. The Government and the community as a whole should continue to make efforts in the future.
A number of major infrastructure projects will be completed in succession, bringing convenience to the public and enhancing our competitiveness. Upon the completion of the MTR South Island Line (East), it will only take four minutes to travel from the Admiralty Station to the Ocean Park Station; the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will connect our road network to Macao and Zhuhai, and even further to Guangxi and the Vietnam border; the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link will provide a direct link between Tuen Mun and the Lantau Island through the territory's longest sub-sea tunnel. We also have the Central-Wan Chai Bypass and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link projects. Although these projects have encountered a number of technical and other challenges, they are expected to be completed in succession within three to four years.
In a volatile external economic environment, the economic prospects of Hong Kong cannot be taken lightly. In the first eight months this year, the retail sector was underperforming and the total sales value decreased by 2.2% as compared with the same period in 2014, while the total sales value of the retail sector in August was 5.4% lower than the same period last year.
The operation of the tourism industry has also aroused concern. Contrary to an increasing number of visitors in the past, the overall number of visitors from January to September this year decreased as compared with the same period last year, with a 3.5% reduction in non-Mainland visitors. The situation in September was even more worrying, with a 4.6% reduction in Mainland visitors as compared with the same period last year, and a 4% reduction in the overall number of visitors. As the tourism industry employed a large number of grass-roots people, the alarm sounded for the tourism industry may affect the employment of members of the public.
We should not underestimate the economic risks and should remain vigilant at all times. The trend of rising interest rates in the United States, the economic downturn in Europe and Japan and the slowdown economic growth in Mainland China will have impacts on different industries in Hong Kong.
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In addition to the short-term trend, we also have to face squarely some long-term economic structural problems. First, our economy needs diversified development and an impetus for innovation. The rapidly ageing population will also slow down our economic development. The Census and Statistics Department has recently published the projected statistics on elderly population in the next 50 years. In the next 15 to 20 years, the rate of increase in the elderly population will be most dramatic; 20 years later, the elderly population aged 65 and above will increase from the current 1.1 million to 2.28 million. How to sustain economic growth in an environment of ageing population is an issue that our society must face and deal with.
We must develop new industries, enhance the product values of the existing industries and create more quality investment and employment opportunities.
The current-term Government has all along advocated the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Bureau to enhance co-operation among the Government, industry, academia and research sectors; to inject new impetus to our economy and to open up more pluralistic employment opportunities for all sectors of the public, especially young people.
Last week, I visited Israel with representatives from the Government, industry, academia and research sectors, to learn about the development of innovation and technology. Just like Hong Kong, Israel lacks natural resources and has a small population. However, with the determination and creativity of its nationals, and coupled with the support and guidance of the local government, the achievements of Israel in innovation and technology industries are evident to the world.
There is no lack of scientific research talent in Hong Kong and there are numerous examples of successful business start-up. Being a well-developed capital market and in close proximity to the production base on the Mainland, Hong Kong is well placed to engage in research and development of innovation and technology and to turn the results into products. The Government has once again submitted the funding proposal for the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Bureau to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, and I ask Members to approve the funding proposal expeditiously.
After the vetoing of the constitutional reform package in June this year, I immediately stated that the SAR Government would focus on developing the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 403 economy and improving people's livelihood. Over the past few months, I joined my team of accountability officials and other colleagues to vigorously promote Hong Kong locally, on the Mainland and in the international community, looking for business opportunities and developing new markets for Hong Kong. People from the political and business circles in various countries around the world attach great importance to our role as a "super connector", hoping to take full advantage of Hong Kong to establish contacts with the Mainland and other economies.
The SAR Government will continue to foster stronger Government-to-Government (G2G) connections, so as to timely provide opportunities for Hong Kong people and the business sector. I announced in September that the SAR Government would establish its 12th overseas office in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has overtaken the European Union and the United States to become our second largest trade partner. Indonesia makes up 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat is located in Indonesia. The establishment of an economic and trade office in Indonesia will strengthen our links with Indonesia and ASEAN, thereby creating conditions for Hong Kong businessmen to develop "One Belt One Road" together with the business community in Indonesia.
As Hong Kong is a highly externally oriented economy, we must have a fairly well-established overseas network to expand and consolidate external relations, as well as to assist Hong Kong people and businessmen in their development overseas. Hong Kong has various edges, such as a simple tax system, a sound legal system, the free flow of information and capital, a highly open economy, people proficient in Chinese and English and having long-term external links, as well as "one country" and "two systems". We must keep a firm grip on and leverage our strengths.
I would like to make concerted efforts with Members of the Legislative Council and the community as a whole and draw on collective wisdom to develop our economy and improve people's livelihood. The public consultation on the Policy Address and the Budget next year will soon be launched, and the SAR Government would like to have Members' advice on how to develop our economy, increase revenues and make our lives better.
Thank you, President. Members are welcomed to raise questions.
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MR WONG TING-KWONG (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, you have just mentioned in your speech that the economy of Hong Kong is plagued with internal troubles and external threats. Externally, the Mainland's economic development has slowed down, the global economic recovery is slow, and the United States may raise interest rates any time; internally, there are incessant political rows and never-ending activities that tarnish the image of Hong Kong, such as the Occupy Central, filibustering, anti-parallel trading activities, and the so-called "shopping tours".
With economic development being impeded, and under the internal and external threats, various trades and industries are now having a hard time. As the number of tourists drops, there is a downward trend in various aspects, such as retail sales and consumption, the local economy is likely to enter a chilly winter. General analyses predict that Hong Kong will soon hit by waves of layoffs and business closures …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, please raise your question.
MR WONG TING-KWONG (in Cantonese): Alright, what is the Government's forecast of the local economy in the coming year? What measures are in place to help small and medium enterprises overcome the imminent difficulties?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, I thank Mr WONG Ting-kwong for his question. I have already talked about the external economic environment in my opening speech and I will not repeat now. It is true that the external economic environment is rife with challenges, including the Mainland's economic slowdown and uncertainties pertaining to the economic recovery in Europe and America. However, while we see challenges, including the internal challenges mentioned by Mr WONG, we should also see opportunities and we must overcome our challenges.
Internally, as I have said in this Chamber on many occasions, we must cherish our opportunities for economic growth and refrain from doing anything that would tarnish Hong Kong's image, in particular, we should not engage in activities that damage Hong Kong's image as a hospitable city and a tourism hub, as well as make related remarks.
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We have indeed ample opportunities, one of which is Indonesia as mentioned in my opening speech. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become Hong Kong's second largest merchandise trading partner and as Indonesia makes up 40% of the population and GDP of ASEAN, we should timely strengthen our co-operation with Indonesia.
In addition, I know we are all deeply concerned about the development of the tourism industry and the recent challenges faced by the retail industry. Although the tourism industry's contribution to our GDP is of a relatively small percentage, it is very important and the Government will continue to support it. I will later talk about some specific measures already taken by the Government.
One of the important contributions of the tourism industry is that it provides a lot of employment opportunities to the grassroots. Trading and the logistics industry remain the biggest contributors to Hong Kong's GDP, accounting for 25%, this is a fact that cannot be overlooked. The financial service industry comes next, accounting for 16%. The contribution of the professional services industry is on the rise, quickly catching up with the tourism industry, and the contributions of both are now more or less the same. Hence, while we have to show concern about the problems facing the tourism and retail industries recently, we must also, at the same time, vigorously develop other industries. As a matter of fact, some emerging industries are also gaining momentum.
Here I wish to talk about Hong Kong's role as the "super connector". The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) issued a press release yesterday on the London-Hong Kong Connect. Our State President is now visiting the United Kingdom. Yesterday, at a ceremony attended by him and the British Prime Minister, they announced a number of important co-operation initiatives between the two countries, one of which being the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the HKEx with the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the LME Clear Limited, which were acquired by the HKEx in 2012 and are now HKEx's wholly owned subsidiaries, with the intent of developing a trading link between the Hong Kong Futures Exchange and LME, that is, "London-Hong Kong Connect" in short. This is a rather big seed planted in the United Kingdom which we hope will flourish in time. On the whole, we do have plenty of opportunities ahead of us.
In respect of the tourism industry, we do have challenges. But early this year, the Government had already allocated an additional $80 million in the Budget to the Hong Kong Tourism Board to hold publicity campaigns to promote 406 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015
Hong Kong as a hospitable city and a tourism hub, in an attempt to attract people to come to Hong Kong for consumption. Recently, we have allocated another sum of $10 million to set up a one-off matching fund to enhance the publicity campaigns overseas and in the Mainland. We are faced with challenges but there are also many opportunities which we must capitalize on.
Therefore, on the one hand, we cannot let down our guard but at the same time, with respect to Hong Kong's development prospect, we should not be too … or we should not underestimate Hong Kong's capability of economic development.
MR WONG TING-KWONG (in Cantonese): I would like to ask the Chief Executive: what specific short-term measures has the SAR Government put in place to help young people start their business?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): The SAR Government has adopted multi-pronged measures in this respect. We have various supporting funds and special policies targeting different areas of business start-up endeavours. The biggest problems or risks faced by young people when starting their business are rental expenses and tenancy commitment. These two problems are related to the issue that we always talk about, that is, how to provide a platform for young people in the long run to start their business.
In my recent visit to Israel, I noticed that in Tel Aviv, as the case in Hong Kong, there are facilities that allow young people to share space, they can meet together to start new business, set up new companies, and so on. Such facilities provide a base for young people, charging relatively low rent. This concept has met with great success in Israel and we also begin to see encouraging results in Hong Kong too. I think this concept is worth promoting. Young people can have a meeting place where they can encourage one another. They can also cut down on rental expenses and do not have to sign a tenancy agreement for two or three years when they first start their business, as they do not know if they can survive that long. Apart from that, young enterprising people can, by getting together, lend moral support to each other. This is a wonderful idea worth promoting in Hong Kong.
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MR SIN CHUNG-KAI (in Cantonese): President, Chief Executive C Y LEUNG, former Chief Executive Donald TSANG was handed two charges of misconduct in public office by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for allegedly failing to declare or disclose to, or by concealing from the Executive Council the relevant interests. During your term of office as the Chief Executive, you have accepted a payment of £4 million from UGL, and by Mainland standard, you have to be placed under investigation in a specified place and at a specified time. Given that Donald TSANG was handed the charge of misconduct in public office for failing to declare interest, the ICAC may likewise charge you with at least two counts of the same offence: first, failing to declare to the Chief Justice an amount receivable of £4 million before taking office; second, failing to declare interest to the Executive Council concerning that £4 million ($50 million). May I ask if you think you should turn yourself in to the ICAC right away?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, Mr SIN Chung-kai's question illustrates that either he has ignored or is completely ignorant of the statements previously issued by me, the SAR Government and the Australian firm UGL. On this matter, I have explained on various occasions in the past and thus have nothing to add now.
MR SIN CHUNG-KAI (in Cantonese): President, he has not answered my question. Can he state in concrete terms whether he has declared interest to the Chief Justice? Has he declared the receipt of £4 million to the Executive Council?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, I have explained the matter time and again and have nothing to add.
MR SIN CHUNG-KAI (in Cantonese): But he has never publicly stated whether …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr SIN, please sit down. You have raised your question and the Chief Executive has replied.
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MR ALBERT CHAN (in Cantonese): President, the Chief Executive has not answered Mr SIN's question …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Albert CHAN, it is not your turn to speak now, please sit down.
MR SIN CHUNG-KAI (in Cantonese): President, my question is whether he will turn himself in?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr SIN, the Chief Executive has already answered your question.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): President, it is said that when the Chief Executive enters the Chamber, all Legislative Council Members must stand up, an act that exemplifies the Chief Executive's superior status. I must make it clear that when LEUNG Chun-ying entered the Chamber just now, many pro-democracy Members, including me, have remained seated, and this serves as a powerful disproof. End of my comment. I know that I must state my question.
President, I wonder whether XI Jinping has, in his visit to the United Kingdom, mentioned to the Queen of the United Kingdom that in Hong Kong, following the assumption of office of LEUNG Chun-ying, he has initiated "Mainlandization" in the areas of culture, economy and even history, with the intention of obliterating our spiritual heritage. Even posting boxes are not spared. I wonder whether the Queen knows that the crown marking and the cypher "ER" on the old posting boxes of Hong Kong must now be covered up. President, the greatest concern of Hong Kong people facing the LEUNG Chun-ying administration nowadays is that "brazen officials are invincible". Will LEUNG Chun-ying go one step further? He has already changed the English version of "港人治港" into "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" instead of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong". Will he change the English name "Hong Kong" into "Xianggang" based on the Pinyin system of the Mainland? Will he undertake that he will not change the names of Queen Mary Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital into "Loving Country Hospital" or "People's Hospital"?
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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms MO, you have already stated your question. Please sit down.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, my high school alma mater is King's College. Before the reunification and before the passage of the Basic Law, I had already indicated explicitly and publicly that the name King's College did not need to be changed. And no change was made subsequently. I have no plan whatsoever to advise King's College to change its name. Well, the emblem of King's College was not based on my advice, but the crown on the emblem was changed. As for "Hong Kong" and "Xianggang", will Ms Claudia MO please take a look at the Basic Law, in which the English name of Hong Kong is "Hong Kong".
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): President, in Hong Kong we are subject to the order from Beijing in all matters. LEUNG Chun-ying is very subservient to Beijing, and we all know that his real master is Beijing …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Please state your supplementary question.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): … There is a saying that in Hong Kong, the real colonialists, represented by LEUNG Chun-ying on behalf of Beijing, are obliterating all upward mobility opportunities, in respect of education or employment, for young people. Discontented young people, if they have money, can emigrate …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms MO, please state your supplementary question and do not make any further comments.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): My question is as follows: If LEUNG Chun-ying truly intends to implement in Hong Kong the "decolonization" order from Beijing, he should refrain from adopting the practice of the colonial era in university campuses and abolish the so-called appointment orders, so as not to turn university campuses into "LEUNG's fan clubs".
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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, do you have any response?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the entire SAR Government and I serve Hong Kong society in accordance with the responsibilities accorded to us and powers vested in us by the Basic Law. The Basic Law of the SAR stipulates that Hong Kong enjoys "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and "a high degree of autonomy". We will unswervingly implement policies in accordance with the Basic Law.
As for upward mobility opportunities for young people in Hong Kong, I believe anyone who cares about the future of Hong Kong will acknowledge that as Hong Kong is a society that covers an area of some 1 100 sq km and has a population of some 7.2 million people, we have a lot of opportunities outside Hong Kong, either in foreign countries or in the Mainland. We must grasp such opportunities. For this reason, the situation of young people going to the Mainland is not as creepy and horrible as depicted by Ms Claudia MO. In fact …
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): I did not say that young people going to foreign countries is creepy and horrible. I only said that he wanted young people in Hong Kong to emigrate if they have money …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms MO, this is not a debate session. Please sit down.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): But he should not fabricate some remarks and claim that they were made by another person …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms MO, you have already elucidated. Please sit down.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): "Brazen officials are invincible".
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I do not think we should stir up antagonism in all issues relating to Hong Kong and the Mainland. As a matter of fact, we have tackled a lot of problems on our own initiative. Neither do I agree with Ms Claudia MO's remark that the SAR Government follows the order from Beijing in all matters. Over the past three years, some major measures proposed by the current-term Government, though leading to discontent among some Mainland residents, have still been implemented by the SAR Government. For example, we had rolled out "harsh measures" to curb external demands, which mainly came from Mainland residents; we had stopped allocating quotas for "doubly non-permanent resident pregnant women" to give birth in Hong Kong; we had implemented the "powdered formula restriction order"; and we had shelved the implementation of multiple-entry Individual Visit Endorsements for non-permanent residents of Shenzhen. Such important measures had been implemented by the current-term SAR Government after its assumption of office, with the aim of safeguarding the interests of local residents in view of inadequate resources. Such measures had not been implemented by the SAR Government under the direction of the Central Government. Contrary to what Ms Claudia MO said just now, the SAR Government does not follow the order from Beijing in all matters. These measures had been implemented by the SAR Government on its own initiative, and had won the support and understanding from the Mainland and the Central Authorities. For this reason, I hope Ms Claudia MO can seek truth from facts, instead of merely chanting slogans. She should review what had happened in the past.
MR CHAN HAK-KAN (in Cantonese): President, just now the Chief Executive said that the tourism industry was very important, but unfortunately, two days ago a tourist was beaten to death because of a shopping dispute, and this has sounded the death knell for Hong Kong's reputation as a hospitable city. As we can see, the phenomenon of varying standards in the tourism industry is actually a long-standing problem. While the Administration once indicated the intention of establishing a Travel Industry Authority (TIA), it has been all talk so far, with no sight of the Government taking any action. May I ask the Chief Executive when the bill on the TIA will be introduced into this Council for the legislative work?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the tourism industry is very important to Hong Kong. Apart from contributing to Hong Kong's GDP, the tourism industry has a very important social function, which I have mentioned time and again and would like to stress here as well, and that is, the industry provides a large number of employment opportunities for a lot of grass-roots people, including not only grass-roots employees in the tourism industry itself, but also those engaged in its peripheral industries. Regarding the incident referred to by Mr CHAN just now, the SAR Government, the Police and our offices in the Mainland all take a serious view of it. We must uphold Hong Kong's image as a tourism capital and a hospitable city.
Over the years, the tourism industry has been plagued by many problems, which have affected not only the reputations of the firms to which the relevant persons belong, but also the reputation of Hong Kong as a whole in terms of its repute in the Mainland and around the globe. Therefore, we must take a serious view of such problems. As far as this incident is concerned, we will definitely take action on the regulatory front. I will answer the question about the TIA in a moment, but before that, I wish to say here that each and every one of us must do our work properly in this regard. In addition to the incident that occurred a few days ago, we should also pay attention to the frequent occurrence of protests in the Northwest New Territories which has come to our knowledge.
Moreover, given the multitude of problems in the past, the industry should also exercise a high degree of self-discipline pending the establishment of the TIA. After the occurrence of some incidents, despite the enforcement actions taken by the regulatory authorities or law-enforcement agencies, damage has been done to Hong Kong's image. I hope that the industry can do a good job of internal management and self-discipline, so as to prevent such a situation. Apart from the problem of coerced shopping, cases of inflating the selling prices of dried seafood or valuable Chinese herbal medicines by changing the pricing unit from catty to tael, which occur from time to time, should also be a cause for concern.
As for the TIA, the Government has announced that it will be established to deal with the regulatory and licensing work currently undertaken by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and the Travel Agents Registry, and the targets of regulation include travel agents, tour escorts and tourist guides. We are pressing ahead with the legislative drafting work. Given the rather voluminous LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 413 contents of the new legislation being drafted, which is to replace the existing Travel Agents Ordinance, the time needed will be longer than originally anticipated. The Tourism Commission will continue to work with the Department of Justice to get this task done properly. We will act expeditiously. Once the drafting of the relevant bill is completed, we will introduce it into the Legislative Council for passage.
MR CHAN HAK-KAN (in Cantonese): President, if the legislative drafting work concerning the TIA is rather complicated and time-consuming, will the Government, in the short run, take reference from the practices of some overseas cities which mainly rely on tourism and have laws in place to regulate the tourism industry? Can these relevant tasks be done first in the short run?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): In my view, we should avoid rolling out too many new measures or items of legislation for now. In the meantime, we should focus our energy on the proper conduct of the legislative drafting work concerning the establishment of the TIA. Once the relevant bill is ready, we will introduce it into the Legislative Council.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, are you okay? You are so rotten and muddled!
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, please ask your question.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): Sometimes when I hear such answers, those words just keep pouring out …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I would like to remind Members that they should not use offensive language about the Chief Executive. Mr LEUNG, please continue with your question.
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MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): I just said he was "rotten", which is a fair comment. I only used the term "rotten" and I did not use foul language …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, you still have not raised your question directly.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): President, let us cut the chit-chat. The Chief Executive has treated me unfairly. I wanted to go over to his place, but he did not invite me. Now he is compelled to answer my question in this Council, buddy. I just cannot help laughing out loud. Have you ever met such an impolite Chief Executive? He wanted to embarrass me. I am a Member, yet he did not invite me …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, you still have not asked your question directly.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): I got it. Chief Executive "689", some reporters asked me what I intended to do with you. I told them that I was a fair person, and I would treat Mr LEUNG fairly. Hence, you need not be frightened. We are not at war, and there is no need to call the Police. I am being fair today for I will not ask any new questions. Buddy, I will only ask follow-up questions about his empty promises and his assumption that things said are done …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, please ask your question.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): I have some questions for him, and he can choose the easiest one to answer. I once asked him the nature of business of his British Virgin Island (BVI) company, he refused to answer. When other people asked him whether he had declared interest in relation to UGL, he likewise did not answer. A year ago, he came to the Legislative LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 415
Council. He was supposed to answer questions from Members on the UGL incident, yet he told us that there was evidence to suggest that foreign forces were involved in Occupy Central and it was a colour revolution. He also said that the details would be disclosed in due course. But it has been a year since then, and when will he disclose the details? Regarding the implementation of universal retirement protection, I have tried to press him to make good on his promises on behalf of the elderly over the past three years. As for enacting legislation on standard working hours, I have also tried to press him to make good on his promises on behalf of Miss CHAN Yuen-han over the past three years. Chief Executive, please pick the easiest question to answer … The follow-up questions can go on and on, buddy. President, having served as a Member for a long time, I have put five follow-up questions to him, yet he refused to answer these questions both inside and outside the Legislative Council. He only said that written replies had been given. If written replies should suffice, we might as well put a mannequin here …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, you have already asked your question. Please sit down.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): … how dare him talk about giving written replies … If that will do, we might as well just put a LEUNG Chun-ying mannequin here …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, stop speaking immediately and please sit down.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): Let me repeat the questions, in case he did not get them the first time. One question is about the UGL corruption incident and his BVI company; one about foreign forces and the colour revolution, as well as his undertaking to disclose the details in due course; one about the absence of a timetable for the implementation of universal retirement protection over the past three years; one about legislating for standard working hours and Miss CHAN Yuen-han …
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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, you need not repeat the questions.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): No, there are five questions for him to choose from, and he may not get them all …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): You have already spoken for almost three minutes. Please sit down.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): There are five questions altogether, and he can choose to answer any one of them.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, sit down immediately and stop speaking.
(Mr Albert CHAN rose to his feet holding up a placard)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Albert CHAN, please put the placard down.
MR ALBERT CHAN (in Cantonese): … I am afraid he might not see it …
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung has raised several questions just now, but I am not sure if there are five questions altogether. Actually, as far as these questions are concerned, my colleagues in the SAR Government and I have time and again given an account to the Legislative Council and the society at large.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): Can he get away like that? He has practically said nothing in reply to my questions. Impolite public officers should also be evicted from the Chamber. Why are we the only ones who were LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 417 evicted? He draws a monthly salary close to $300,000, yet he cannot even answer one of my questions. Even Andrew FUNG who only draws a monthly salary of $100,000-odd must answer our questions, buddy. I give him a choice of five questions, and he is free to answer any one …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG, what you said has already violated the relevant provisions about raising questions. Please sit down and stop speaking.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): President, then I have no choice but to give him this "clock", buddy …
(Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung walked hastily towards one isle in the Chamber while holding a placard, and security personnel went forward to stop him)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, leave the Chamber immediately!
(Mr Albert CHAN and Mr CHAN Chi-chuen walked hastily towards the other isle in the Chamber, and each hurled a placard forward respectively)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Albert CHAN and Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, leave the Chamber immediately!
(Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung shouted loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN and Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, leave the Chamber immediately!
(Mr WONG Yuk-man shouted loudly in his seat)
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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Yuk-man, do not shout loudly in your seat.
(Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN and Mr CHAN Chi-chuen left the Chamber with the assistance of security personnel)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Members may now continue to raise questions.
MR CHAN KAM-LAM (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, the number of serious medical incidents that occurred in public hospitals seems to have risen over the past few months. While some incidents might be caused by procedural problems, some might be attributed to human errors. Quite a number of people opine that public hospitals have the long-standing problem of shortage of healthcare manpower, and the remuneration of doctors in the public sector is not at all attractive. Yesterday, as we can see, doctors who were deeply dissatisfied with the Hospital Authority's failure to grant salary increment to them in accordance with the Civil Service Pay Adjustment Mechanism (Mechanism) attended a mass rally. The failure to grant salary increment to doctors according to the Mechanism has already severely hit the morale of doctors and nurses in public hospitals. In future, it will be difficult to attract doctors to join the public sector. Over the past few years, the community and the healthcare industry have divergent views on recruiting overseas healthcare personnel to practise in Hong Kong. The progress of vetting the registration of doctors and the number of applications approved failed to solve the problem of shortage of healthcare personnel in public hospitals. In this regard, will the Government hold a serious discussion with the Medical Council of Hong Kong (Medical Council) on the future manpower demand of healthcare personnel, so as to reach a consensus, and on the basis of this consensus, increase the number of healthcare manpower; and at the same time, will the Medical Council expedite the recruitment of overseas doctors and enhance the training of healthcare personnel, so as to alleviate the pressure of practising healthcare personnel?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the provision of healthcare services has been one of the major initiatives of the Government. With rising and ageing population, the demand for healthcare services will definitely be on the rise. Quite a few public hospitals and various medical institutions are facing LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 419 the problem of insufficient manpower. We are now examining the situation of Hong Kong. When people go to public hospital during visit hours, they always notice the tremendous workload of healthcare personnel who are very often overburdened. In this connection, the Government has set up the Steering Committee on Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development (Steering Committee) to conduct a comprehensive review. Chaired by Secretary for Food and Health Dr KO Wing-man, the Steering Committee will conduct a comprehensive review on areas including increasing the number of healthcare training places, making optimum use of talent from outside Hong Kong as just mentioned by Mr CHAN, enhancing staff recruitment, improving terms of employment to retain staff, increasing on-the-job training opportunities, and so on. With a multi-pronged approach, we hope to cope with the current situation more adequately and meet any increased demands that may be brought about by our ageing population in the future.
MR CHAN KAM-LAM (in Cantonese): President, there are views that the Medical Council should have more lay members, so as to gauge extensively the public's opinions on the inadequacy of the Medical Council's healthcare services management. May I know if the Chief Executive will consider changing the composition of the Medical Council?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the issue of how to make optimum use of doctors and other healthcare personnel from outside Hong Kong has already been listed in the areas of review of the Steering Committee. If we consider that the recruitment of more overseas talent can solve the manpower shortage problem, we will act accordingly and the issue of the composition of the Medical Council will be considered later.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): President, three years ago, I strongly condemned "689" in this Chamber for being a despicable liar who had no integrity and I said that he was not qualified to govern Hong Kong …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, please do not make comments.
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MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): His deeds over the past three years have proven that my comments made three years ago are objective and fair. President, God have pity on us! How unfortunate we are to have a traitor to Hong Kong called "689" …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Let me remind Members again …
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): I am about to state my question, do not interrupt, buddy, I have only spoken for 30 seconds or so. Jasper TSANG, what are you doing?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Please raise your question.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): Your brother had been discredited. Over the past three years, he acted against public aspiration, causing widespread indignation and discontent, and he is abominated by all people. Not only does he not feel shameful, he is vengeful and takes pleasure in instigating fights. Even your brother, who is a member of the Communist Party of China, had been purged by him.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, if you do not raise your question now, I will stop you from speaking.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): The Civil Service is in dissension and discord; the people of Hong Kong are boiling with resentment. Everyone has the reason to put him to death. President, don't you think I speak elegantly?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, please raise your question immediately.
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MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): My question is: why does he bad-mouth Hong Kong every time he visits the Mainland? Let me give an example. When he was in Shenzhen on 30 January this year, he said that he admired Shenzhen's development and he wished that Hong Kong could be half as good. Why did he bad-mouth Hong Kong? Ask him to answer the question.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, you have raised your question. Please sit down.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): I have not finished. Come on, buddy. I have only spoken for a minute or so while the others have spoken for four minutes …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, each Member can only raise one question.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): Recently, many Members like to say, "My voters ask me to raise this and that question". LEUNG Chun-ying also once said that a five-year-old asked him a question on housing. Since I am an elected Member, many voters have exerted pressure on me. They asked me to put a question to him and the request was made long ago. Their question is: "When will you die?" Ask him to reply.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, sit down immediately.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, three years ago …
(Mr WONG Kwok-kin raised his hand in indication)
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MR WONG KWOK-KIN (in Cantonese): President, a point of order.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, what is your point?
MR WONG KWOK-KIN (in Cantonese): Has Mr WONG Yuk-man used offensive language about the Chief Executive? President, I heard you say earlier that Members should not use offensive language about the Chief Executive in this Question and Answer Session. Please rule whether the language used by Mr WONG just now is offensive.
(Mr WONG Kwok-kin and Mr WONG Yuk-man stood up and spoke loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Please sit down and stop speaking, both of you.
(Mr WONG Yuk-man continued to speak loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Yuk-man, please stop speaking. I think the Chief Executive can most certainly respond to Mr WONG's remarks.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, as the saying goes, "Beware of heartbreak with grievance overfull"1. I do wish Mr WONG good health and longevity.
The work of the SAR Government over the last three years is evident to all. When I prepare my policy address every year, I bear the following considerations in mind. First, the pledges I made to all of you in my election manifesto and second, the new circumstances as arisen in society. In the 12 months after the announcement of the last policy address, the entire team in the SAR Government has been making every effort to make good progress. In my opening remarks, I have spoken about the current economic situation, the overall business
1 A line from the poem "Reply to Mr LIU Ya-tzu" written by MAO Zedong,
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): President … I speak more clearly than him …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, sit down immediately.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): … LEUNG Chun-ying speaks as if he has something in his mouth. I asked him why he bad-mouthed Hong Kong time and again in the Mainland. He should answer the question, shouldn't he? He would certainly feel displeased if people bad-mouthed Hong Kong in other countries, why then did he bad-mouth Hong Kong time and again when he visited the Mainland? Please explain.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, if you do not stop speaking, I will ask you to leave this Chamber.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): Such acts would make him a traitor to Hong Kong, buddy.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Yuk-man, leave this Chamber immediately!
(Mr WONG Yuk-man continued to speak loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Yuk-man, leave this Chamber at once.
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MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): I have neither acted violently nor hurled any bananas, why should I leave?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): You have violated the Rules of Procedure a number of times already.
(Mr WONG Yuk-man kept speaking loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Yuk-man, leave this Chamber immediately.
(Security personnel tried to assist Mr WONG Yuk-man to leave the Chamber, but Mr WONG refused to leave and continued to speak loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Meeting suspended.
10.16 am
Meeting suspended.
(Mr WONG Yuk-man left the Chamber with the assistance of security personnel)
10.17 am
Council then resumed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members continue to put questions to the Chief Executive.
(Mr IP Kwok-him was not in his seat)
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MR KENNETH LEUNG (in Cantonese): Mr LEUNG Chun-ying, you talked a lot about economic issues, yet what you said and did were actually too trivial to mention. Article 151 of the Basic Law provides that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may on its own, using the name "Hong Kong, China", maintain and develop relations and conclude and implement agreements with foreign states and regions and relevant international organizations in respect of economic, trade, financial and monetary, shipping affairs, and so forth. In this connection, I would like to ask Mr LEUNG Chun-ying that during your tenure ― that is, before you seek re-election as the Chief Executive ― will you help Hong Kong become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), facilitate the AIIB to establish its branch office in Hong Kong, as well as help Hong Kong join the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): Let me reply in brief, President. These questions have all been answered in the past, and I will reiterate briefly. We will make the best endeavour to strive for all such opportunities. The AIIB is an important initiative of our country. As the international financial centre of our country as well as the Chinese financial centre in the international arena, Hong Kong has both the conditions and the capability to contribute to our country and the whole world. We will strive with our best for all these new facilities and measures. In fact, as Mr Kenneth LEUNG has said just now, when I am in Hong Kong talking to some friends from overseas, or when I pay visits abroad, I often mention that we have several major competitive edges, and one of which is that we may use the name "Hong Kong, China" to conclude agreements in the international arena and join international organizations. However, I would also like to raise one point. While the SAR Government and I have been making incessant efforts, I also hope that the community as a whole would give support. If our society often gives others an impression that there are always factors of instability, I am afraid it is of no proactive help to our efforts in this regard.
MR KENNETH LEUNG (in Cantonese): President, I do not concur with the Chief Executive's remark that we have factors of instability. Hong Kong people are certainly not the cause of instability. Yet, the Chief Executive has not told me his views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement from the strategic or economic perspectives. Can he give his views?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): We would be happy to actively participate in any organization which is multilateral and tasked to promote economic and trade development. Certainly, such work cannot be done with the subjective wish of one party.
MR IP KWOK-HIM (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, while the international community has been concerned about the flood of refugees into Europe, Hong Kong has in fact been beset by the increasing number of non-refoulement claims in recent years as well. There are already over 10 000 backlog cases now. Over 400 applications were received respectively in July and August alone. Mr CHAN Kwok-ki, the Director of Immigration also said earlier that the mechanism has been abused as many claimants were not bona fide refugees, and they made the claim simply for seeking better jobs to improve their living. In fact, members of the public do see bogus refugees. Besides, there are also some people who take advantage of non-refoulement claims to stay in Hong Kong and work illegally, some have even committed crimes, causing many law and order problems.
Chief Executive, members of the public would ask why we let this mechanism be abused instead of exploring ways to plug the loophole. Looking around our neighbouring areas which also have the regime for non-refoulement claims, they do set statutory time limits or cap the expenditure on publicly-funded legal assistance …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr IP Kwok-him, please raise your question.
MR IP KWOK-HIM (in Cantonese): … will the SAR Government do the same too?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention) has applied in Hong Kong since 1992, and the SAR Government is obliged to implement it. In implementing the Convention, we also have to enforce the rulings made by the Court of Final Appeal and other courts at all levels since 2004 as Hong Kong is a society that upholds the rule of law.
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Over the said period, there is indeed an increasing number of people, especially those from Southeast Asia and the South Asian regions, who lodged non-refoulement claims in Hong Kong. We make our efforts on two fronts. On the one hand, we have a unified screening mechanism. Since its implementation, the Government has been exploring ways to improve the screening procedures under the existing law. Let me reiterate, as Hong Kong is a society that upholds the rule of law, the SAR Government must act in accordance with the law. The question raised by Mr IP Kwok-him just now has indeed touched on a key point, that is, many non-refoulement claimants know that they will eventually be repatriated because their claims will not be substantiated. However, since the screening takes time, the claimants can then stay in Hong Kong during the period. Therefore, we must focus on solving this problem.
This mechanism was launched last March. Subsequently, the Security Bureau has also proposed several administrative measures, which included arranging for early screening interview, providing screening bundles to claimants, and shortening the time needed for a claimant to request provision of documents from the Government, with a view to implementing the measures as soon as possible. We anticipate that the processing time of each claim will be shortened from the current 25 weeks to 15 weeks. This is our effort on the one hand.
The other aspect of work is carried out on the diplomatic level. I have talked with the consuls-general to Hong Kong on this matter, hoping that co-operation will be provided by the home countries of the claimants during the repatriation process, so that once a decision is made, the claimants can be returned to their homeland as early as possible.
The SAR Government and the Security Bureau attach great importance to this issue. We do not want anyone to abuse the kindness of Hong Kong, because by implementing the United Nations Convention and enforcing the precedents of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong, we hope to take in those foreigners who are really subjected to torture. However, in dealing with cases of abusing the mechanism, we must shorten the processing time and return the claimants as early as possible.
MR IP KWOK-HIM (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, actually it has been reported by the media that some individual legal professionals are very keen on helping those who claim to be refugees and lodge non-refoulement claims, and 428 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 most of such claimants have also applied for legal aid in Hong Kong to lodge their non-refoulement claims and seek review of the decision. Will the Government consider taking the initiative to find out if the legal expenses in this area have been abused? I recall that in a certain inbounding flight to Hong Kong, there were people ― a whole bunch of people ― who indicated their wish to lodge non-refoulement claims, and they applied for legal aid subsequently. Is there a malicious incentive under the current legal aid system which encourages and induces more people to apply for assistance, thus imposing a heavy burden on the public coffers?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, there might be abuses or even loopholes in this regard. I know that applications for legal aid are currently processed by professional counsels in the Legal Aid Department (LAD), who are also responsible for assignment of lawyers. In order to be qualified, all applicants must satisfy, among others, the merits test as provided by the Legal Aid Ordinance. I would not rule out the existence of abuses. Thank you Mr IP Kwok-him for your reminder, I will follow up the matter with the LAD to ensure that legal aid services and the money of Hong Kong taxpayers will not be abused on non-refoulement claims and other issues.
MR WONG KWOK-HING (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, everyone knows that Hong Kong's population is ageing, and retirement protection is a matter of concern to all Hong Kong people, particularly wage earners. When you ran in the Chief Executive Election, you pledged to abolish the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) offsetting mechanism. Recently, it has been rumoured that the Chief Executive may include relevant contents in the forthcoming policy address consultation. All wage earners in Hong Kong are very glad to hear this. Of course, I also understand that there are opposing voices in the business sector, but as the Chief Executive has said, the Government must be appropriately proactive in its governance. Therefore, may I ask the Chief Executive … Some academics have suggested that actually, to alleviate the impacts on all fronts in the event that the offsetting mechanism is abolished, the Government only needs to spend $3 billion a year, which is an easy solution to the issue. Besides, a feasible approach of "tackling the simple issues before the difficult ones" is for the Government to take the lead by abolishing the offsetting arrangement relating to the Government's contract staff and outsourced service staff first …
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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, please ask your question.
MR WONG KWOK-HING (in Cantonese): So, Chief Executive, may I ask you how you will honour your pledge to abolish the MPF offsetting mechanism during the remainder of your term to benefit all wage earners in Hong Kong?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, regarding all the pledges that I made to the public in my election manifesto, our resolve remains unchanged, and we will progressively deliver on the pledges made to the public in the manifesto.
Over a period of time in the past, I have had ongoing discussions on this issue with the Secretaries of Departments, Directors of Bureaux and colleagues of the relevant departments of the SAR Government. We hope that we can present our ideas to society after we have made good preparations. However, in the process, I have come to know that since the rumour mentioned by Mr WONG Kwok-hing just now was reported ― it was definitely not the SAR Government which spread this rumour ― there have been different responses from employers and employees in society, and some of the responses are even rather strong. In my view, when it comes to such issues involving labour relations, say, the MPF offsetting mechanism or the issue of labour importation, I genuinely and sincerely hope that both employers and employees can keep the big picture in mind and show mutual accommodation and understanding for each other in the overall and long-term interests of Hong Kong. All these are thorny issues, but the SAR Government is willing to rise to the challenge and bring up these issues for public discussion. As to whether we can accomplish this task in the end, or, if we manage to do so, whether it will give rise to many social disputes and cause us to incur any costs other than money, financial burdens, and so on, it all depends on the attitudes of employers and employees. It is not only about stances but also about attitudes. I do hope that both employers and employees can show mutual accommodation, understanding and empathy for each other, not just on this issue but on all matters involving the interests of employers and employees alike.
MR WONG KWOK-HING (in Cantonese): President, I would like to follow up the reply given by the Chief Executive just now, as he has sidestepped the thrust of my question: can the Government take the lead to be a good employer? Without doubt, everyone knows that employers and employees have different 430 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 opinions on the abolition of the MPF offsetting mechanism, but as the Chief Executive has said, the Government should be appropriately proactive. If the Government takes the lead to be a good boss for its contract staff and outsourced service staff, other employers will certainly follow suit. So, Chief Executive, can you give a direct answer to this supplementary question put by me? In addition, you said just now that you and the officials would make good preparations. How long do you need to make the preparations? What is your timetable? When will you finish with the preparations? There is only one year to go before the current term of the Legislative Council comes to an end.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, please let the Chief Executive answer.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, at this stage, we cannot make any promise or give Honourable Members any explicit or implicit indication as to what approach the Government is going to take, but we will consider all feasible methods with a liberal and open attitude. I hope that during this process, both employers and employees, as well as the community as a whole, can put forward more proposals. We hope that instead of clinging to the stances of employers and employees, or standing in their own positions, all parties can move as much to the middle ground as possible and give more thought to practicable proposals, because this issue has indeed vexed Hong Kong society for quite a long time, and has often been a cause of discord between employers and employees. There are of course other matters and problems that we need to resolve, and so we hope to hear more views from the community. Let me repeat: I hope that all parties can keep the big picture in mind. We really want to accomplish this task, but it is essential that employers and employees should co-operate.
(Mr WONG Kwok-hing rose to indicate his wish to ask a further question)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, you may not ask a further question.
IR DR LO WAI-KWOK (in Cantonese): President, a delegation of accountability officials led by the Chief Executive visited Zhuhai in mid-August. During the visit, they visited the construction site of the Hong LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 431
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HZM) Bridge. As the representative of the engineering sector in the Legislative Council, I am certainly gravely concerned about the progress of the works of the Hong Kong Section of the Bridge. President, I would like to ask the Chief Executive whether the authorities have made realistic assessment of the completion and commissioning dates of the Bridge? What major difficulties are involved and what measures will be taken to ensure the smooth delivery of the remaining works?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the HZM Bridge is a megaproject of very complex nature. Despite the tremendous scale and complexity involved, we still carry out the project because its benefits to the economy and society are also tremendous. I had conducted site inspection of the works twice. You have to be present at the site to fully appreciate its complexity ― I am not suggesting that Ir Dr LO has not visited the site. I believe that we are all aware of the terrain and geological conditions of the Pearl River Estuary. It is a highly challenging task to construct a long span bridge under those conditions, having to reserve a navigation channel for marine vessels and also having to align and connect it with a tunnel. Talking about the enormous scale and complexity of the project, I recall having watched a television programme produced overseas featuring highly complex and massive works projects around the globe, and one of them is the HZM Bridge.
The project is scheduled to be completed in late 2016, that is, next year. While the difficulties encountered during the construction stage have been overcome recently, we cannot rule out the emergence of new obstacles in the future, hence the Highways Department is still assessing the projected completion date and there is no concrete answer yet.
IR DR LO WAI-KWOK (in Cantonese): President, talking about the HZM Bridge, the Chief Executive brings up the development of a "bridgehead economy" from time to time. Of course, the development of a "bridgehead economy" does not confine to the HZM Bridge project alone. Does the Chief Executive have any confidence that some of the facilities supporting the "bridgehead economy" will be completed before his term of office is over and what facilities will be completed?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): One of the places that "bridgehead economy" can be developed is the artificial island constructed for the HZM Bridge on the Hong Kong side. In fact, it has great potentials for development. Take the artificial island at the bridgehead of the HZM Bridge on Hong Kong side as an example. Although the island is rather big, about 1 sq km if I remember correctly, there were basically no commercial facilities on it before the current-term Government took office; and even if such facilities existed, they were just small convenient stores. The island is only used for the passage of vehicles. I believe Members are aware that we are going to change the planning to fully utilize this land, incorporating it into the development plan of Chek Lap Kok Airport's North Commercial District and Lantau. All these are part of a "bridgehead economy" and the SAR Government will continue to work hard in the planning. I am very optimistic about the social and economic benefits that the HZM Bridge will bring, including the effect of a "bridgehead economy" just mentioned by Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok. As we all know, the Lantau Development Advisory Committee and Secretary Paul CHAN have made great efforts in studying this issue and consulting the public. It is hoped that the HZM Bridge will be completed expeditiously so that the "bridgehead economy" can be developed as soon as possible.
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): President, Mr LEUNG, since you have been in office for more than three years, it is now time to "foot the bill". You failed to promote constitutional reform, but economic performance has been outstanding as you have just said. You are lucky, but Hong Kong people are not as lucky as you because people's livelihood has not improved at all. There are mounting social grievances because your so-called economic development has failed to improve people's livelihood. Why is that so? Because your policies are heavily tilted towards the business sector and you dare not formulate policies to improve people's livelihood.
Now I am going to appeal to the Chief Executive to make good on two promises: firstly, he has promised to abolish the offsetting mechanism between MPF contributions and severance payment step by step, as pledged in his election manifesto; secondly, to enact legislation for standard working hours, which is another pledge in the manifesto. It has been more than three years, but what has he done? He has been stalling all the time. Does he intend to wait until the end of this Legislative Council Session? By then he can say that time has run out. The fact is we are already running out of time. As the President may be aware, our term of office has only eight months left. If the proposed LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 433 legislation in question has yet to be tabled, it is impossible to have the legislation enacted within the current term of the Legislative Council.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEE, please stop expressing your opinions. Have you raised your question?
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): President, I am only asking him to make good on his promises. Mr LEUNG, will you enact legislation for the abovementioned two issues right away? You mentioned earlier that "employees on one side and employers on the other", which side are you on then?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEE, you have raised your question, please sit down.
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): Does he not have any stance? He must deliver on his promises. If the Government has legislative power and he stands by his manifesto, they should table the legislation instead of putting the blame on employers and employees. There is not much time left and I just want to raise a very simple question: Will he introduce the two bills right away, one on the offsetting mechanism between MPF contributions and severance payment and another on the formulation of standard working hours?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, I want to reiterate that our economic development does benefit the public and in respect of the income growth rate, more grass-roots people have benefited. Let me repeat some figures. The income of full-time employees at the lowest three decile groups for the period from June to August 2015 has increased by 7% to 8% over the corresponding period last year, which is higher than inflation. Concerning the 10 decile groups, where full-time employees are divided into 10 equal groups, the three lowest income deciles (30% of the population with the lowest income) have benefited the most from last year's vibrant economic development, with an increase in income by 7% to 8%, or 3% to 4% in real terms after discounting inflation. Also, the income of the entire employed population has recorded an average increase of 5.7%.
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Economic development does not only bring benefits to enterprises and the SAR Government will not skew to any side. Instead of being an entrepreneurial or grass-roots government, it has strived to achieve overall development in Hong Kong so as to enable everyone to share the fruit of prosperity. We did it in the past period of time, and as a result of policy intervention, the hard work of the Commission on Poverty chaired by Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie LAM and the efforts made by the current-term Government over the past three years, the proportion of the poor in the population has dropped. I think Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, other Members present at the meeting and the community at large cannot deny this fact. With the support, co-operation and concerted effort of all sectors, the SAR Government has achieved success in these regards. It would not have worked so hard if it really skews towards the business sector. What is more, sometimes it has even taken the risk to rezone land and increase land supply. If there had not been a significant increase in land supply, landowners such as property developers would have reaped the greatest benefit. Therefore, instead of saying subjectively that the SAR Government should do so and so, we must look at the relevant incidents. I will gradually deliver on the promises made in the election manifesto or annual policy address.
There are, of course, some knotty problems, including the offsetting mechanism and standard working hours just mentioned by Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, which take time to resolve. On the offsetting mechanism, I have given a reply to Mr WONG Kwok-hing just now. As for standard working hours, I wish to tell Mr LEE Cheuk-yan that the SAR Government has neither stalled nor asked the Standard Working Hours Committee to slow down its work. On the contrary, we are eager to receive the Committee's report as early as possible. Since the formulation of standard working hours is another unprecedented initiative, we have therefore established the Committee to discuss with people from all walks of life as well as study overseas practices, their effectiveness and implications. The Committee planned to submit the report in the first quarter of 2016, and the Government would study the report once it is available before making a decision.
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): President, I am pretty scared because he said more time is needed to get the job done. Does this imply that he will seek for another term? This is terrifying as we are already running out of time. He said more time is needed to implement the abovementioned two proposals, namely the abolition of the offsetting mechanism between MPF contribution and severance payment and the formulation of standard working hours. But how LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 435 much more time does he need? We are running out of time and this is our one last Legislative Session. He does not have much time either, only one year and a half …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Please raise a simple supplementary question.
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): … Is he seeking for re-election? President, a pretty bizarre way is to delay the delivery of manifesto pledges and then ask the public for more time. Does this imply that he is seeking for another term? I beg him not to terrify me, or use this way to stall and dupe the public in an attempt to seek for re-election.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEE, please stop making comments.
MR LEE CHEUK-YAN (in Cantonese): My question is very simple. He said more time is needed to get the job done, so is he using this as an excuse to run for re-election?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr LEE, please sit down. Chief Executive, do you have a reply?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, concerning this rather controversial issue, so long as we can forge a consensus in society, engage in more down-to-earth discussions and refrain from expressing positional or conspiracy opinions, I believe we can continue to move forward, building on the consensus reached, regardless of who will be elected the Legislative Council Member or the Chief Executive, or who will make up the future Government. In the remaining term of office, be it the term of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive or the current-term Government, it is hoped that future proceedings relating to issues of public concern can be conducted in a more efficient and timely manner.
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MR CHUNG KWOK-PAN (in Cantonese): President, just now some Members of the labour sector have asked the Chief Executive to make good on his promises. On behalf of the business sector and the medium and small enterprises, I will also ask the Chief Executive to make good on his promises. Let me quickly mention a few points made by the Chief Executive in his election manifesto some years ago. He said, "We have wholesale businesses that are unique to certain districts, for example, electronic products in Sham Shui Po, and apparel and textiles in Cheung Sha Wan. We will take steps to promote them, introducing tourists to visit the wholesale markets and in so doing bring vitality to such neighbourhood businesses". He also said, "We will support Hong Kong manufacturers in restructuring their business model to tap the domestic market on the Mainland, especially in areas such as garments, toys, jewellery, electronics, watches and clocks, where our manufacturers have traditionally excelled … We will strive to set up permanent exhibition venues in major Mainland cities to display Hong Kong made products and actively consult with Mainland authorities to help Hong Kong enterprises on the Mainland to resolve the problem of increased taxation costs arising from business restructuring". In addition, he mentioned a most important point and I quote, "We will conduct reviews on regulations and administrative procedures that are not conducive to a favourable business environment for the SME's and small merchants … A business impact assessment should be performed before the establishment of new regulations".
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr CHUNG, please raise your question.
MR CHUNG KWOK-PAN (in Cantonese): President, I will ask my question now. The tasks mentioned above are neither complicated nor controversial, but the Chief Executive and the SAR Government have not accomplished any tasks over the past three years. On behalf of the business sector, may I ask the Chief Executive when he will make good on his promises?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, regarding the series of issues raised by Mr CHUNG Kwok-pan, the SAR Government has put forward and implemented some initiatives in a number of places. For example, the manufacturers of Hong Kong are establishing a Hong Kong commercial centre or Hong Kong business centre in Wuhan, China to showcase Hong Kong products. This is one of the areas of work mentioned by Mr CHUNG. In this regard, I LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 22 October 2015 437 have personally introduced the work concerned on the Mainland, in the hope that the relevant local government on the Mainland will support us.
In relation to matters concerning individual industries and the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the Government has established the Advisory Group on Implementation of Fashion Initiatives to advise on the implementation of measures to promote the development of the fashion industry on a pilot basis in the next three years. Besides, the Government will continue to operate a dedicated fund amounting to a total of $1 billion to assist enterprises to promote sales in the Mainland market through developing brands, upgrading and restructuring their business operations and promoting domestic sales, as well as to implement various other measures. These measures may be nothing new, but they have been incorporated in various aspects of the SAR Government's work on economic development.
MR CHUNG KWOK-PAN (in Cantonese): President, just now the Chief Executive mentioned the Wuhan project proposed by the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (Association). I happen to be one of the General Committee Members of the Association. The project is at a very initial stage and a decision has yet to be made on the place to launch the project. Hence, regarding the measures mentioned by the Chief Executive that have been implemented in the past three years, such measures have been implemented due to the initiative taken by the business sector and it has nothing in particular to do with the SAR Government. Lastly, let me remind the Chief Executive, if any new policies are to be introduced, I hope the Chief Executive would remember his promise to assess if problems will be caused to the business of SMEs. The MPF offsetting mechanism is a very big issue. The Chief Executive must assess the impact and should not make any promises lightly.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, we show great concern about SMEs. As I have said many times in the past, SMEs contribute to a very large proportion of Hong Kong's GDP, and we are willing to do anything that can be conducive to SMEs. Concerning the specific project in Wuhan, I will leave it to the Association to brief Members in due course. All I can say is that I have been liaising closely with the Association and the municipal government on the Mainland during the process and I am optimistic about the project.
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MR IP KIN-YUEN (in Cantonese): President, there is a person who is opposed by 85% of the teaching staff of a university, and the students' union is going to hold a referendum to express objection; furthermore, it is known to all that the person concerned has all along shown dislike of the university and has maintained an extremely bad relationship with the university.
I would like to ask the Chief Executive: if a person who cannot gain the trust of the teaching staff and the students of the university, and has all along maintained a bad relationship with the university, is he suitable to chair the Council of that university? Everyone knows that I am referring to Mr Arthur LI, but my question does not target him as a person. Instead, my question applies to anyone who demonstrates all the features above. Chief Executive, please answer.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, in appointing any persons to any committees, including the Councils or Courts of universities, the SAR Government has all along upheld the principle of making appointment on the basis of merit. I hope that on the issue of "merit", people should try their best to be objective, avoid some subjective ideas and groundless assumptions. I hope we will judge a person objectively and pragmatically.
MR IP KIN-YUEN (in Cantonese): President, the Chief Executive has just evaded the thrust of my question. It is clear to us that he considers all the problems deriving from the features mentioned by me just now insignificant. That is because he makes appointments on the basis of merit, and will take other aspects into account.
Please understand, if the person to be appointed wins public endorsement, the Council can regain people's trust. Conversely, if the appointee is neither broadly endorsed nor widely accepted, the appointment will cause confrontation and dissension among the Council, the community as a whole and the university.
I would like to ask the Chief Executive: in considering the candidate for appointment, will he take into consideration the likelihood of causing confrontation and dissension? Does he consider this situation insignificant, and confrontation or dissension not a cause for concern?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, neither I nor the SAR Government hopes to create any disharmony on personnel matters. Recently, there are some open discussions about personnel matters ― Mr IP Kin-yuen has also participated in such discussions ― comments are made on the suitability of a particular person for a certain position. I think this culture is undesirable. This approach must not be adopted in making appointment, be it in the public or the private sector, because it is inappropriate to discuss openly why a certain person is not suitable for a certain position or why a certain person must be the suitable candidate for a certain position. In making appointment, we must avoid politicization.
MRS REGINA IP (in Cantonese): President, a moment ago, the Chief Executive cited loads of figures to prove that Hong Kong's economy is doing quite well. But according to many other data, Singapore is faring so much better than Hong Kong in terms of economic growth. Incidentally, this point was also mentioned by Chairman CHEN Zuoer when attending a forum last month.
Singapore can achieve robust economic growth because it managed to break two bottlenecks of development, namely, land and labour. In respect of land, the Chief Executive has already mentioned that Secretary Paul CHAN will launch an extensive programme for land development and will study the feasibility of reclamation projects. Then what about labour? At present, a number of infrastructure projects are beset by delays and cost overruns, with labour shortage being one of the major contributing factors. In this regard, the number of workers imported for various major infrastructure projects now under construction is much lower than that for the previous new airport core projects. As such, what measures will be taken by the Chief Executive to tackle this problem?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the construction industry is not the only industry with development constrained by labour shortage; other industries have been affected as well. Labour and land shortages are the major factors hindering Hong Kong's economic growth as well as social development. We must tackle the problems in both aspects.
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The labour shortage problem in the construction industry has also aggravated the problem of land shortage. Hence, the SAR Government is also gravely concerned about the situation. Although the SAR Government has strived to address the problem of labour shortage in the construction industry, significant results have yet to be seen. We will continue to keep this matter in view.
As I said when answering Mr WONG Kwok-hing's question about the MPF offsetting arrangement, I hope both employers and employees can, in dealing with topical issues, such as standard working hours and the MPF offsetting arrangement, as well as in dealing with issues that are closely related to the interests of employers and employees, including the labour shortage problem just mentioned by the Member, adopt the objectives of serving the overall and long-term interest of Hong Kong and foster mutual understanding and mutual accommodation. In my opinion, employers and employees should or could be more flexible when handling these matters.
MRS REGINA IP (in Cantonese): President, notwithstanding the good intention expressed by the Chief Executive just now, no concrete measures has been proposed. Earlier, the Chief Executive also remarked that employers and employees were often caught in a deadlock, and the employee representatives of the Standard Working Hours Committee have threatened to walk out. I would like to ask the Chief Executive if he can share with us his concrete ideas, say, in the context of next year's Policy Address?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, we will continue to work on the relevant issues through various means. As a matter of fact, regarding the several issues of grave concern to employers and employees that I mentioned just now, including the labour shortage problem, the SAR Government has been working continuously on elucidation and lobbying for quite some time in the past.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Last question.
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PROF JOSEPH LEE (in Cantonese): President, coincidentally and luckily, I am again the last one to raise a question this time around.
Yesterday happened to be the Chung Yeung Festival, and I met the five-year-old again when I was purchasing flowers. He is now six years old. He asked me: "Mr LEE, the cast-iron posting boxes that we have been using will soon disappear. Does this mean that Hong Kong will erase part of our history, as what Japan has done?" He continued to ask: "In that case, will the Government House, constructed by the British, be demolished, such that we will no longer have the chance to appreciate azaleas? The University of Hong Kong was also established by the British, will its business be interfered with incessantly?" I hardly knew how to answer him, but the conversation reminded me of one thing, and I would like to take the opportunity today to put a question to the Chief Executive. Chief Executive, as you have observed, China and the United Kingdom have entered a golden era in the areas of international diplomacy, economic development, and so on. Such has been covered by the media. If Hong Kong adopts such an unnecessary practice as removing objects related to the United Kingdom, Chief Executive, is it an incorrect practice as far as politics and even international diplomacy are concerned? How will you give an account when you report to President XI on your work?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President, the question put by Mr IP Kin-yuen is actually not a new one. It was discussed before the reunification, and the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the National People's Congress also held discussions over it. Before the reunification (Someone present at the meeting made a correction, saying that it was Prof Joseph LEE who asked the question) … I am sorry, it should be Prof Joseph LEE. Before the reunification, changes had been made to all government articles, instruments and even signage with the crown marking or sovereignty symbol, such as badges of the Police. For this reason, that is not a new practice.
PROF JOSEPH LEE (in Cantonese): President, in history my name is Prof Joseph LEE. The Chief Executive has not answered my question. My question is as follows. If this practice is incorrect as far as international diplomacy or politics is concerned, how will the Chief Executive give an account when he reports ― he will certainly make no mention of Joseph LEE ― his work to President XI?
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I believe this question will not fall within the scope of work on which I will report to President XI.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Today's Chief Executive's Question and Answer Session ends here.
The Chief Executive will now leave the Chamber. Members will please stand up.
(Some Members shouted loudly)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The meeting has not yet ended. Will Members please remain silent.
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now adjourn the Council.
Adjourned accordingly at 11.00 am.