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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 13 July 1995 5419 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 13 July 1995 The Council met at half-past Two o'clock PRESENT THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE SIR JOHN SWAINE, C.B.E., LL.D., Q.C., J.P. THE CHIEF SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE MRS ANSON CHAN, C.B.E., J.P. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE SIR NATHANIEL WILLIAM HAMISH MACLEOD, K.B.E., J.P. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THE HONOURABLE JEREMY FELL MATHEWS, C.M.G., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALLEN LEE PENG-FEI, C.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS SELINA CHOW LIANG SHUK-YEE, O.B.E., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE DAVID LI KWOK-PO, O.B.E., LL.D., J.P. THE HONOURABLE PANG CHUN-HOI, M.B.E. THE HONOURABLE SZETO WAH THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE ANDREW WONG WANG-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE EDWARD HO SING-TIN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE RONALD JOSEPH ARCULLI, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN GILBERT BARROW, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS PEGGY LAM, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS MIRIAM LAU KIN-YEE, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU WAH-SUM, O.B.E., J.P. 5420 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 13 July 1995 DR THE HONOURABLE LEONG CHE-HUNG, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS ELSIE TU, C.B.E. THE HONOURABLE PETER WONG HONG-YUEN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP THE HONOURABLE VINCENT CHENG HOI-CHUEN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MOSES CHENG MO-CHI THE HONOURABLE MARVIN CHEUNG KIN-TUNG, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG MAN-KWONG THE HONOURABLE CHIM PUI-CHUNG REV THE HONOURABLE FUNG CHI-WOOD THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE THE HONOURABLE TIMOTHY HA WING-HO, M.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL HO MUN-KA DR THE HONOURABLE HUANG CHEN-YA DR THE HONOURABLE LAM KUI-CHUN DR THE HONOURABLE CONRAD LAM KUI-SHING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING THE HONOURABLE LEE WING-TAT THE HONOURABLE ERIC LI KA-CHEUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE FRED LI WAH-MING THE HONOURABLE MAN SAI-CHEONG THE HONOURABLE STEVEN POON KWOK-LIM THE HONOURABLE HENRY TANG YING-YEN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN DR THE HONOURABLE SAMUEL WONG PING-WAI, M.B.E., J.P. HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 13 July 1995 5421 DR THE HONOURABLE PHILIP WONG YU-HONG DR THE HONOURABLE YEUNG SUM THE HONOURABLE HOWARD YOUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE ZACHARY WONG WAI-YIN DR THE HONOURABLE TANG SIU-TONG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHRISTINE LOH KUNG-WAI THE HONOURABLE ROGER LUK KOON-HOO THE HONOURABLE ANNA WU HUNG-YUK THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALFRED TSO SHIU-WAI THE HONOURABLE LEE CHEUK-YAN ABSENT THE HONOURABLE HUI YIN-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LEE CHU-MING, Q.C., J.P. THE HONOURABLE NGAI SHIU-KIT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES DAVID McGREGOR, O.B.E., I.S.O., J.P. THE HONOURABLE SIMON IP SIK-ON, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TIK CHI-YUEN IN ATTENDANCE THE CLERK TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR RICKY FUNG CHOI-CHEUNG PURSUANT TO STANDING ORDER 4AA, HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER FRANCIS PATTEN, ATTENDED TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL AND TO RECEIVE QUESTIONS. 5422 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 13 July 1995 PRESIDENT: Would Members please remain standing for the Governor? CLERK: His Excellency the Governor. PRESIDENT: The Governor will answer questions on the three topics which have been indicated to Members. A Member who has asked a question may for the purpose of seeking elucidation only ask a short follow-up question. A show of hands please? Mr Allen LEE. MR ALLEN LEE (in Cantonese): Mr President, the Governor has called a Summit on the drug problem in March this year. Could the Governor inform this Council what progress has been made up to the present on actions against drugs? Currently, syringes can be found everywhere in housing estates and many young people residing in these estates often smell thinner, but I fail to see any substantial action taken by the authorities concerned to tackle this problem. I think the people of Hong Kong are eager to know what substantial action the Governor will take to resolve these problems? GOVERNOR: I am grateful to the honourable gentleman for that question. He will recall that at the Summit that I called in March, we set out at the end of discussion an action programme for the Government and we have just reported on the first quarter of implementation of that programme. It covered a number of issues from preventive education and law enforcement to the importance of more research and the importance of enhancing the work of rehabilitation and treatment, which we do in the community. But in addition, we also followed up the over 40 points that were raised by those who attended the Summit and we have just given our reaction to those points and to Action Committee Against Narcotics's comments on them and we will be continuing to report quarterly to all those who attended our Summit, and to the community as a whole, on the measures which the Government is taking to implement both our original action programme and the ideas that were put forward at the Summit. Perhaps I can say two additional things. First of all, the reason, and the Honourable Member has alluded to this, for our giving this programme such priority was the alarming rise in figures of drug abuse, particularly as far as the under 21's are concerned. In the period from 1989 to 1994, the percentage increase of drug abusers in that age group was over 229%. I am pleased that the latest figures that we have had show for the first time a fall in the number of newly reported drug abusers. The first quarter figures for this year compared with the first quarter last year show a drop of just under 30%; but that is not a reason for complacency. It may prove as we get more figures during the year that that was a blip rather than the beginning of a new trend. So I do not think there is any reason at all for us to stop giving these programmes the support and attention which they deserve. HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 13 July 1995 5423 The second point I want to make concerns an idea which has been advanced, I know, by a number of legislators and was advanced at the Summit to which I referred. That is the proposal that we should establish a fund for combating drug abuse and that we should put into it the money, the proceeds of drug trafficking which are confiscated in successful convictions. I think there are some arguments against that proposition which have been put from time to time, particularly, of course, the uncertainty of that source as a main source of funding. But the proposal that we should establish a special fund for tackling drug abuse is one that we are taking very seriously in the Administration and we intend to put some proposals to this Council and to the community in the autumn. But, I repeat, we will continue to report on the implementation of both our action programme and on our reaction to the large number of proposals which were put to us during the Summit itself. MR AL LEN LEE (in Cantonese): Mr President, at present in housing estates in particular, I myself also witness many young people brazenly take drugs, smell thinner and inject drugs, and syringes can really be seen everywhere. I asked the residents how the problem should be resolved. They said that they did not see the police patrolling, especially in the evening and at night. As the residents are afraid of these young people and will stay away from them as far as possible or pretend not to have seen them, so the number of cases reported by the residents are certainly not accurate. I believe that the problem will become increasingly serious and the authorities concerned must take concrete action to tackle it. The residents feel that there are not enough policemen to carry out patrol duties, in fact no one pays any heed to them, and they are afraid of the youngsters. However, as many cases occur in housing estates, I think the Government must keep an eye on this matter. The residents feel that the youngsters behave in that way because there are not enough policemen. Could the Governor inform this Council whether that is really the case? GOVERNOR: The police were of course involved in the Summit in March. and they have been involved in all our discussions on implementing our action programme. They recognize the importance of working with the community, with the Fight Crime Committees and with schools and colleges in combating drug abuse and I can assure the Honourable Member that they give this considerable priority. They have indeed over the last year enjoyed some remarkable successes in the seizure of drugs, but I think we all recognize the importance, as the Honourable Member mentioned, of adequate police presence on the streets and in the estates. I have witnessed some of the consequences of the phenomenon to which the Honourable Member refers on visits to some housing estates — the stairwells which are used for the exchange of drugs; the places on the windows where drugs and money are left and are exchanged; the syringes which are found in the morning when other children are going to school.