Minutes of the 2Nd Meeting of North District Council (2016-2019)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Minutes of the 2nd Meeting of North District Council (2016-2019) Date : 17 February 2016 Time : 9:30 a.m. Venue : North District Council Conference Room Present Chairman: Mr SO Sai-chi, SBS, MH* Members: Mr LI Kwok-fung (9:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.) Dr HO Shu-kwong, Raymond (9:30 a.m. – 2:57 p.m.) Mr LEE Koon-hung (9:30 a.m. – 12:32 p.m.) Mr LAM Cheuk-ting* Mr HAU Chi-keung (9:36 a.m. – 12:32 p.m.) Mr HAU Fuk-tat, Simon (9:30 a.m. – 12:32 p.m.) Mr YIU Ming* Mr CHAN Yuk-ming* Mr CHAN Wai-tat* Mr WONG Wang-to (9:35 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Mr TSANG King-chung, Kent (9:32 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Mr PANG Chun-sing, George, MH (9:40 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Mr TSANG Hing-lung (9:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Mr WAN Wo-tat, Warwick* Mr WAN Wo-fai, MH* Mr LIU Hing-hung* Mr LAU Ki-fung* Mr TANG Kun-nin, Tony, MH* Mr LAU Kwok-fan, MH* Mr LARM Wai-leung* Secretary: Ms CHU Wai-lin, Francoise Senior Executive Officer (District Council), North District Office Remarks: * Members who attended the whole meeting ( ) Time of attendance of Members In Attendance Mr YAU Kin-chung District Officer (North), Home Affairs Department Mr Patrick LAIDLER District Commander (Tai Po), Hong Kong Police Force Mr WONG Chung-chun, Dick Deputy District Commander (Border), Hong Kong Police Force - 1 - Mr SOH Chun-kwok District Planning Officer/Sha Tin, Tai Po and North, Planning Department Mr TAM Chung-keung Chief Engineer/New Territories East 3, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr KWUN Hing-yu, Joseph District Lands Officer/North, Lands Department Mr LUK Hing-chuen, Steve Chief Manager/Management (Tai Po, North, Shatin and Sai Kung), Housing Department Mr YAM Mun-ho District Social Welfare Officer (Tai Po/North), Social Welfare Department Ms YEUNG Min-jing, Anna Chief Transport Officer (New Territories East), Transport Department Mr YIM Ka-yee District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (North), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr WONG Shu-yan, Francis Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories North), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr WONG Yiu-wa Senior District Engineer/North East, Highways Department Mr LAU Shing-yan Engineer/North 4, Drainage Services Department Item 2 Mr CHEUNG Kin-chung, Matthew Secretary for Labour and Welfare Miss LEE Cho-yi, Joey Assistant Secretary for Labour and Welfare (Poverty), Labour and Welfare Bureau Item 3 Mr LAW Man-tim Chief Engineer/New Territories East 4, Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms CHIN Man-yi, Maggie District Planning Officer/Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long East, Planning Department Mr CHENG Kwong-lok Senior Land Executive (Projects Section), Lands Department Mr LEE Kwok-leung Manager/Clearance(2) (Clearance Office), Lands Department Item 4 Mr WONG Kin-por Chief Engineer/Boundary Control Point, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr LO Chi-fai, Steve Senior Engineer/Boundary Control Point 3, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr Simon LEUNG Chief Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company Limited Mr Gilbert WONG Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Company Limited Mr Raymond MIU Construction Manager, CRBC-CEC-KADEN Joint Venture - 2 - Item 5 Mr WAN Man-leung Principal Project Coordinator/Housing Projects, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr CHUNG Wing-hong Senior Engineer/4, Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms YIP Pui-kei, Maggie Engineer/8, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr CHAN Ying-kin Executive Director, AECOM Asia Company Limited Ms Ruby YEW Associated Director, AECOM Asia Company Limited Absent Mr CHAN Shung-fai Action Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments to the meeting and introduced the departmental representatives present at the meeting. He extended special welcome to Mr Matthew CHEUNG, Secretary for Labour and Welfare (“SLW”) who was accompanied by Miss Joey LEE, Assistant Secretary for Labour and Welfare (Poverty) to the meeting. Mr Matthew CHEUNG would present the paper on an agenda item later. 2. The Chairman reminded attendees that simultaneous interpretation service was provided at the meeting. 3. The Chairman said that Mr CHAN Shung-fai was absent from the meeting due to sickness but he had not submitted a medical certificate. Since Mr CHAN Shung-fai’s reason for absence was in compliance with the regulations set out in the North District Council (“NDC”) Standing Orders on Members’ absence from District Council (“DC”) meetings, he proposed that Mr CHAN Shung-fai’s application for absence be provisionally approved and that it would be formally approved after he had submitted the medical certificate. 4. The meeting provisionally approved Mr CHAN Shung-fai’s application for absence. His application for absence would be formally approved upon receipt of the medical certificate. (Post-meeting note: Mr CHAN Shung-fai submitted the medical certificate after the meeting on the same day. His application for absence was formally approved according to the decision made at the meeting.) (Mr Kent TSANG, Mr WONG Wang-to and Mr HAU Chi-keung joined the meeting at this juncture.) - 3 - Action Item 1Confirmation of Minutes of the Last Meeting 5. The meeting confirmed the minutes of the 1st meeting held on 7 January 2016. Discussion Items Item 2Public Engagement Exercise on Retirement Protection (NDC Paper Nos. 19/2016 and 37/2016) 6. The Chairman invited Mr Matthew CHEUNG, SLW, to present the contents of the consultation document on retirement protection. 7. Mr Matthew CHEUNG said that he attended the meeting to listen to the views of all parties because he knew that the public was concerned about the issue. The four major areas of the policy focus of the current-term Government were housing, environment, elderly care and poverty alleviation. The Government had always attached high importance to and would devote more efforts to address elderly issues, especially ageing population and the challenges that it brought about. Apart from attaching importance to the issues, the Government hoped to collect people’s opinions on retirement protection, especially those of the local community, through the public consultation on retirement protection. (Mr George PANG and Mr TSANG Hing-lung joined the meeting at this juncture.) 8. Mr Matthew CHEUNG presented the consultation document on retirement protection (NDC Paper No. 19/2016) by PowerPoint which was set out in NDC Paper No. 37/2016. 9. Dr Raymond HO raised the following views and suggestions: (a) It was an important issue whether a universal retirement protection scheme or a targeted retirement protection scheme should be implemented in Hong Kong. The Government should give the public a full picture of the universal retirement protection scheme, including future tax income and the tax burden of the younger generation, instead of simply using data to show that the implementation of a universal retirement protection scheme would result in government deficit. He believed that different parties in society would readily discuss the provision and use of resources on retirement protection; (b) The middle-class and below would not be greatly benefited from the retirement protection scheme with the monthly payment of $3,500 from the Government in addition to their own pensions; (c) At present, the price of a columbarium niche was over $219,000. It was so sad that the elderly could not enjoy a comfortable retirement life with their “funeral savings”; (d) The retirement protection system was particularly significant for the North District as the problem of poverty was not minor compared to other districts and the elderly population of the North District was on the rise. Therefore, he proposed that the NDC establish a concern group to follow up the matters related to retirement protection. - 4 - Action 10. Mr WONG Wang-to raised the following questions and views: (a) He was glad that the current-term Government addressed the problems that Hong Kong would face in the future and put forward various proposals as a spur to more discussion and study by all sectors on the future retirement scheme in Hong Kong; (b) He was from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (“FTU”). The consultation document had only raised open questions on the improvement proposals on the four pillars of retirement protection without providing any practical improvement proposals. For example, an additional support would be provided under the zero pillar. There were no specific proposals to enhance the social security system; (c) As stated by the SLW, the offsetting arrangement of the Mandatory Provident Fund (“MPF”) scheme under the second pillar had exploited workers. The seriousness of the problem was evidenced by the document which showed that the MPF offsetting amount in 2015 alone was over $5 billion. The FTU agreed that MPF offsetting was a complicated problem, yet it seemed that the Government had not made its best endeavours to solve the problem. He wondered whether the Government could abolish the MPF offsetting mechanism gradually in the coming decade and hoped that the SLW would relay his opinions to the bureau or discuss it with the Secretaries of Department; (d) To address the concerns related to the third and the fourth pillar, he hoped that the SLW would study with relevant government departments methods to solve problems brought about by ageing population, such as increasing the supply of residential care places, strengthening the healthcare system and equipment and shortening the waiting time for consultation at hospitals. The ultimate aim was to squarely face the unsolved problems relating to retirement protection. 11. Mr LARM Wai-leung raised the following views: (a) Although government officials, Members and the local community had repeatedly stressed the need to take care of the elderly, there was a lack of hardware facilities in Hong Kong in the past five to eight years.