Hansard, I Would Like to Repeat the Views Expressed in My "Letter to Hong Kong" Which Was Broadcast at RTHK Radio III Last Sunday
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 8499 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Wednesday, 10 July 2002 The Council met at half-past Two o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE MRS RITA FAN HSU LAI-TAI, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH TING WOO-SHOU, J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN, G.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE DAVID CHU YU-LIN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CYD HO SAU-LAN THE HONOURABLE ALBERT HO CHUN-YAN IR DR THE HONOURABLE RAYMOND HO CHUNG-TAI, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEE CHEUK-YAN THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LEE CHU-MING, S.C., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ERIC LI KA-CHEUNG, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE DAVID LI KWOK-PO, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE FRED LI WAH-MING, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE LUI MING-WAH, J.P. 8500 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 THE HONOURABLE NG LEUNG-SING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARGARET NG THE HONOURABLE MRS SELINA CHOW LIANG SHUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG MAN-KWONG THE HONOURABLE HUI CHEUNG-CHING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN KWOK-KEUNG THE HONOURABLE CHAN YUEN-HAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE BERNARD CHAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN KAM-LAM, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS SOPHIE LEUNG LAU YAU-FUN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE SIN CHUNG-KAI THE HONOURABLE ANDREW WONG WANG-FAT, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE PHILIP WONG YU-HONG THE HONOURABLE WONG YUNG-KAN THE HONOURABLE JASPER TSANG YOK-SING, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE HOWARD YOUNG, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE YEUNG SUM THE HONOURABLE YEUNG YIU-CHUNG, B.B.S. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 8501 THE HONOURABLE LAU CHIN-SHEK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU KONG-WAH THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MIRIAM LAU KIN-YEE, J.P. THE HONOURABLE AMBROSE LAU HON-CHUEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHOY SO-YUK THE HONOURABLE ANDREW CHENG KAR-FOO THE HONOURABLE SZETO WAH THE HONOURABLE TIMOTHY FOK TSUN-TING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAW CHI-KWONG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE TANG SIU-TONG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LI FUNG-YING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE HENRY WU KING-CHEONG, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL MAK KWOK-FUNG THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP THE HONOURABLE LEUNG FU-WAH, M.H., J.P. 8502 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 DR THE HONOURABLE LO WING-LOK THE HONOURABLE WONG SING-CHI THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE THE HONOURABLE IP KWOK-HIM, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU PING-CHEUNG THE HONOURABLE AUDREY EU YUET-MEE, S.C., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, J.P. PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING: THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL SUEN MING-YEUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION, SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, PLANNING AND LANDS, AND SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS THE HONOURABLE ANTONY LEUNG KAM-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE ELSIE LEUNG OI-SIE, G.B.M., J.P. THE SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE THE HONOURABLE HENRY TANG YING-YEN, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH WONG WING-PING, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE AND SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR SECURITY LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 8503 THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK MA SI-HANG SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE TREASURY THE HONOURABLE STEPHEN LAM SUI-LUNG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS CLERKS IN ATTENDANCE: MR RICKY FUNG CHOI-CHEUNG, J.P., SECRETARY GENERAL MR LAW KAM-SANG, J.P., DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL MR RAY CHAN YUM-MOU, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL 8504 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 TABLING OF PAPERS The following papers were laid on the table pursuant to Rule 21(2) of the Rules of Procedure: Subsidiary Legislation/Instrument L.N. No. Airport Authority (Permitted Airport-related Activities) Order ..................................................... 127/2002 Other Papers No. 100 ─ Hong Kong Trade Development Council Annual Report 2001/02 No. 101 ─ Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 38 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits and Supplemental Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 37 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits (July 2002 - P.A.C. Report No. 38) No. 102 ─ Clothing Industry Training Authority Annual Report 2001 Committee on Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Progress Report for the period July 2001 to June 2002 Report of the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services 2001/2002 Report of the Panel on Transport 2001/2002 Report of the Panel on Planning, Lands and Works 2001/2002 Report of the Panel on Economic Services 2001/2002 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 8505 Report of the Panel on Environmental Affairs 2001/2002 Report of the Bills Committee on Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2001 Report of the Bills Committee on Import and Export (Electronic Transactions) Bill 2001 Report of the Bills Committee on Public Officers Pay Adjustment Bill Report of the Bills Committee on Drug Trafficking and Organized Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2000 Report of the Bills Committee on United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Bill Report of the Bills Committee on Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2002 ADDRESSES PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Addresses. Mr Eric LI, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, will address the Council on the Committee's Report on Report No. 38 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits and Supplemental Report No. 37 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits. Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 38 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits and Supplemental Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Report No. 37 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits (July 2002 - P.A.C. Report No. 38) MR ERIC LI: Madam President, on behalf of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), I have the honour to table our Report No. 38 today. 8506 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 The Director of Audit's Report No. 38 was submitted to you on 3 April 2002 and tabled in the Legislative Council on 24 April 2002. The Report tabled today contains the conclusions reached by the PAC on the Director of Audit's Report. At the time when PAC Report No. 37 was finalized, the PAC's deliberations on the subject of "Mechanized street cleansing services" were continuing. A full report on this chapter was therefore deferred. The PAC has now concluded our deliberations and the supplemental report on this chapter is also tabled together with our Report No. 38 today. In line with our usual practice, we have selected for detailed examination only those chapters in the Director of Audit's Report No. 38 which, in our view, referred to more serious irregularities or shortcomings. The Report tabled today covers our deliberations on four of the five subjects selected. We have decided to defer a full report on the subject "Residential services for the elderly" to allow ourselves more time to examine the complex issues involved, such as the provision of infirmary services and the allocation of financial resources between the Hospital Authority and the Social Welfare Department following any delineation of their responsibilities in this regard. The PAC will endeavour to finalize our report to the Council at the earliest opportunity. Pursuant to the implementation of the accountability system for principal officials, the statutory functions exercisable by the Bureau Secretaries who had appeared before the PAC at the public hearings were transferred to the relevant new Directors of Bureaux with effect from 1 July 2002. In our Report, the titles of the Bureau Secretaries current at the time of the public hearings are used. To facilitate readers of the Report, we have added a footnote against the title of the Bureau Secretary when it first appeared in a chapter, to highlight the transfer of statutory functions under the accountability system. I now turn to the substantive issues covered in this Report. The PAC's report on the subject of "Mechanized street cleansing services" had been deferred as we needed time to examine the many tiers of staff in the chain of command in the Environmental Hygiene (EH) Branch of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) involved in providing mechanized street cleansing services, and how such a bloated structure operated in the provision of the services. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 10 July 2002 8507 Having deliberated the issues, the PAC is gravely concerned and finds it unjustified that a hierarchy of 10 tiers of staff, from the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene to Ganger, is involved in supervisory duties over the delivery of mechanized street cleansing services. Despite the elaborate system of supervision in its EH Branch, the FEHD still found it necessary to set up an additional Quality Assurance Section. We consider the present multi-layered bureaucratic structure of the EH Branch an obstacle to the provision of efficient mechanized street cleansing services. We are seriously dismayed that although the Secretary for the Civil Service had issued a circular in November 1998 urging all Heads of Departments to review immediately the existing systems on staff supervision, there is still slackness in the FEHD's management of outdoor staff.