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OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

The Council met at Eleven o'clock

MEMBERS PRESENT:

THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, S.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, B.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, G.B.S., J.P.

DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-KIN, S.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S.

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THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, S.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S.

THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, B.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, S.B.S., M.H., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, B.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG WAH-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH QUAT, B.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG-KONG, G.B.S., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE POON SIU-PING, B.B.S., M.H.

DR THE HONOURABLE CHIANG LAI-WAN, S.B.S., J.P.

IR DR THE HONOURABLE LO WAI-KWOK, S.B.S., M.H., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHUNG KWOK-PAN

THE HONOURABLE JIMMY NG WING-KA, B.B.S., J.P.

DR THE HONOURABLE JUNIUS HO KWAN-YIU, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE HOLDEN CHOW HO-DING

THE HONOURABLE SHIU KA-FAI, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE WILSON OR CHONG-SHING, M.H.

THE HONOURABLE YUNG HOI-YAN, J.P.

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DR THE HONOURABLE PIERRE CHAN

THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHUN-YING, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG KWOK-KWAN, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE LUK CHUNG-HUNG, J.P.

THE HONOURABLE LAU KWOK-FAN, M.H.

THE HONOURABLE IP-KEUNG, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.

DR THE HONOURABLE CHENG CHUNG-TAI

THE HONOURABLE VINCENT CHENG WING-SHUN, M.H., J.P.

THE HONOURABLE TONY TSE WAI-CHUEN, B.B.S., J.P.

MEMBER ABSENT:

THE HONOURABLE MRS LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P.

PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING:

THE HONOURABLE KIN-CHUNG, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION

THE HONOURABLE PAUL CHAN MO-PO, G.B.M., G.B.S., M.H., J.P. FINANCIAL SECRETARY

THE HONOURABLE TERESA CHENG YEUK-WAH, G.B.S., S.C., J.P. SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE

THE HONOURABLE WONG KAM-SING, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

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DR THE HONOURABLE LAW CHI-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR LABOUR AND WELFARE

THE HONOURABLE JOHN LEE KA-CHIU, S.B.S., P.D.S.M., J.P. SECRETARY FOR SECURITY

THE HONOURABLE FAN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT AND HOUSING

PROF THE HONOURABLE SIU-CHEE, J.P. SECRETARY FOR FOOD AND HEALTH

THE HONOURABLE TANG-WAH, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL WONG WAI-LUN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR DEVELOPMENT

THE HONOURABLE YUN-HUNG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION

THE HONOURABLE TAK-KUEN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE

THE HONOURABLE WING-HANG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

THE HONOURABLE KWOK-WAI, I.D.S.M., J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS

THE HONOURABLE YING-WAI, J.P. SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS

THE HONOURABLE CHING-YU, J.P. SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE TREASURY

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CLERK IN ATTENDANCE:

MR KENNETH CHEN WEI-ON, S.B.S., SECRETARY GENERAL

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS.

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THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S QUESTION TIME

PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Members please remain standing while the Chief Executive enters the Chamber.

(The Chief Executive entered the Chamber)

PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The Chief Executive's Question Time.

PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Members who wish to ask questions please press the "Request to speak" button.

The Question Time should be conducted in a "short question, short answer" format. Each Member will be given 3 minutes to ask questions to and receive replies from the Chief Executive. The time for a Member to ask a question should not exceed 1.5 minutes.

MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese): President. Chief Executive, you held the first Community Dialogue session in September 2019 with 150 participants from all walks of life expressing their views. Yet, after the dialogue session, some of the participants who spoke during the session were doxxed maliciously and chaos occurred outside the venue, the Community Dialogue was therefore suspended. Last year, due to the epidemic and the prohibition on group gathering, it is understandable that the Community Dialogue could not be resumed. However, ever since the outbreak of the epidemic, many large-scale activities and seminars have been held online using Zoom with participants being able to gather together before the camera, and the results were quite good. In addition, after the implementation of the National Security Law, social order has been restored; following the improvement to the electoral system, the Government will also need to focus its efforts on handling livelihood and economic issues in the future. Chief Executive, will you resume the Community Dialogue to listen to people's views on policy implementation of the Government and their demands by means of not only face-to-face dialogue but also Zoom using big screens?

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I thank Mr CHAN Chun-ying for his question. In fact, all governments need to listen to people's views in the course of their administration. Only by doing so can we ensure that our policies are effective and to the point. I have attached great importance to the communications with the public since taking office, but as Mr CHAN said, many things happened in the past two years, making this kind of communication very difficult. Even before what had happened after mid-2019, many public consultation activities at district level encountered strong opposition and nuisance. I believe that after the enactment of the National Security Law and the improvements to the electoral system, will embrace a new situation which will better facilitate the interaction and communication between government officials and the general public. I am very willing to strengthen such kind of interaction and communication in our work in the future; especially after the pandemic. Mr CHAN also mentioned that there is an increasing number of face-to-face conversations online―not really face to face, but we can see each other's expression actually―and this kind of conversation is very effective. In fact, concerned officials and I have never stopped holding Zoom meetings, or so-called webinar, which is a mean of exchange and communication, but we use it mainly for meetings with certain sectors. I will seriously consider widening the use of this kind of communication in the future so that we can listen to more opinions. Thank you Mr CHAN for his suggestion.

MS YUNG HOI-YAN (in Cantonese): President, Chief Executive, the Government and the business sector have been racking their brains these few days to come up with ways to encourage more people to receive the vaccines. Unwilling to get involved, the Government only made an appeal to the public rather than taking any action. Still, some warm-hearted members of the business community offer incentives in the hope of encouraging the general public to receive the vaccines proactively. In fact, there are a number of examples of foreign governments organizing cash lucky draws. I do not see any reason why we cannot do that, so I hope that the Government can consider this option proactively. The Chief Executive stated at a press conference a few days ago that if there was a fifth wave of outbreak in Hong Kong, the Government would examine the implementation of a series of restrictive measures for people who had not received the vaccines, including prohibiting them from entering high-risk premises such as restaurants, schools, libraries, cinemas, sports centres and construction sites. In fact, strong reaction was aroused in the community after the Government's announcement. Many people around me, and many of 6642 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 my colleagues and friends have "three hypers" or people with chronic illness. If they are truly unsuitable for vaccination, how will the Government differentiate them from the others? Has the Government thought about any future rules or implementation plans so that people who want to get vaccinated but are unsuitable to do so will not be discriminated against, and can go out and travel freely such as going to work, going to school and eating out? Thank you.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I thank Ms YUNG for her opinions on two aspects concerning the disease prevention and control measures announced by the Government recently. Firstly, the vaccination rate in Hong Kong is around 21%. This is not satisfactory at all given that Hong Kong has enough vaccines and has excellent community vaccination centres which are convenient for people to receive the vaccines. Up till now, taking reference from the experience gained in the past three months and some foreign experiences Ms YUNG just mentioned, we believe that providing incentive is necessary. Yet, as I mentioned many times in press conferences, direct incentives, especially those involving money or goods, should be offered by the business sector, for both the Government and the business sector have a common goal of boosting the vaccination rate so that Hong Kong can get back to normal as early as possible and all trades and industries can have more businesses. I am delighted to see that many members of the business community have responded to our appeal these few days. It is not about whether the HKSAR Government should get involved or not. We think that as a matter of principle, this is a common responsibility. At the government level, the expenses for the whole vaccination programme are borne by the Government for sure, and we will also formulate other policies to assist the business sector in introducing reward schemes, so as to realize what we call tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community.

Should there be a fifth wave of outbreak, in order not to repeat the so-called broad-brush measures that have been implemented for a long period of time, i.e. certain types of business premises are not allowed to open due to the epidemic, we can consider―this is also expert advice―differentiating the people who are allowed to enter these premises based on whether they have received the vaccines or not. There must be exemptions for not receiving the vaccines due to health reasons, so do not worry, Ms YUNG. If people are unsuitable for vaccination due to health reasons, there will not be any mandatory vaccination arrangement.

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MR WONG TING-KWONG (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, with the concerted efforts of Hong Kong people and the HKSAR Government, Hong Kong has seen "zero infection". When cross-boundary travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland will resume and when exemption of quarantine or isolation requirements will end are of the most pressing concern to various sectors. Chief Executive, regarding the resumption of cross-boundary travel, I would like to know if the HKSAR Government has put forward any proposals for the resumption of cross-boundary travel to the Central Government? Will people who have received two doses of vaccine be allowed to be the first batch of pilot travellers? What is the current progress of the related work?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): Thank you Mr WONG. Members, do not worry. How to effectively and expeditiously resume cross-boundary flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland without the need for compulsory quarantine is the most important part of the Government's efforts in epidemic prevention or even economic recovery, so there are frequent discussions with the relevant authorities in the Mainland, including my discussions with them. You may see on the Daily Information Bulletin that I had a meeting with the Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr HAN Zheng, in April. I raised the issue to him during the meeting in Guangzhou. He also understood that the resumption of cross-boundary flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland was essential to the revival of Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihood. However, since the epidemic situation around the globe remains serious, many people think that it is costly and requires a lot of efforts to control the epidemic, so they are very careful. And I totally understand why they are so careful. Just like the Come2hk Scheme that we undertook to launch in May under which non-Hong Kong residents can come to Hong Kong without being subject to quarantine, it was subsequently postponed for the time being due to the recent epidemic situation. Negotiations in this respect are ongoing. At senior working level, our health authority is discussing with the Mainland counterpart, but we believe that it still needs some time. It will be more favourable for us to implement such measures when we achieve "zero infection" and the situation becomes more stable. I can tell you now first, and I have also mentioned it a few times, that should we have plans or introduce related proposals in the future, vaccination must be a prerequisite. The Central Government has not yet any policy to inform us or announced if there will be any preferential treatment for those who have received the vaccines, but I can reiterate here today that when we resume travel without the need for quarantine, be it with the Mainland or overseas 6644 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 countries, vaccination must be a prerequisite. So I call upon the general public of Hong Kong again here to receive the vaccines as early as possible. Thank you.

MR KENNETH LAU (in Cantonese): President, the fourth wave of outbreak has ended in Hong Kong, there have been only sporadic cases these few days, which is a good momentum. While the epidemic has further subsided, the Government has not lowered her guard but keep encouraging people to receive the vaccines. In fact, the business sector has rolled out many different kinds of incentives, such as lucky draws to get an apartment and other prizes, so as to encourage the general public to receive the vaccines. Many employers, like me, I will also encourage the secretariat of the Heung Yee Kuk and my offices to follow Government's arrangement of offering vaccination leave. I would like to ask the Chief Executive, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority wrote to banks yesterday, requesting them to prepare a list of designated staff for vaccination purpose and to ask the concerned staff to get vaccinated as soon as possible, otherwise they are required to undergo regular testing. I would like to ask the Chief Executive, for the purpose of building an immunity barrier to prevent a fifth-wave outbreak, will the Government, as the largest employer, further ask civil servants, as well as those from the five disciplinary forces to receive the vaccines provided that their health condition allows, or they will need to present medical certificates and undergo regular testing at their own expenses for access to government buildings?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I thank Mr LAU for his question. As the employer of over 170 000 civil servants and other government employees on non-civil service terms, I totally understand that we ourselves must set a good example. So, in the anti-epidemic process, we have paid special attention to how the public sector or the civil service can better support the anti-epidemic efforts. After the announcement of vaccination leave, we hope that other organizations will follow suit. Currently, vaccination for our colleagues is prioritized based on their job nature instead of the departments they belong to or their grades. That means if colleagues are frontline staff, they are required to receive the vaccines as they are exposed to higher risk or are in frequent contact with the public. Approximately, over 50 000 civil servants or staff belong to this category. They are now required to get vaccinated, or undergo virus testing every two weeks. Remember, undergoing testing every two weeks brings lots of LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 6645 inconvenience. For the time being, testing is still free, but perhaps after a period of time, we need to review if we should step up efforts to encourage colleagues to receive the vaccines. At this moment, we do not think that we need to ask colleagues to report to their superiors if they have received the vaccines in a monitoring manner. Overall speaking, I hope that we will make them get vaccinated through our strong appeal and encouragement.

MS ELIZABETH QUAT (in Cantonese): Chief Executive, now we already know that no sexual assault incident took place at San Uk Ling Holding Centre; no one was killed in the "31 August" incident at Prince Edward Station, and the eye of "the Girl with a ruptured eye" was not ruptured. All of these stories have been typical examples of spreading fake news by "black-clad" rioters for the real purpose of inciting hatred among the public against the Police and their anti-Government feelings, which have pose a serious threat to Hong Kong's peace and stability. We certainly hope the Chief Executive will draw up legislation against misinformation as soon as possible, but what has infuriated the public the most is that "the Girl with a ruptures eye" whose eye was not ruptured was able to apply for legal aid to challenge through a judicial review the Police's request for accessing her medical reports for investigation purpose; and she was also allowed to select a senior counsel of her choice, using public money to foot the bill for her losing lawsuit. All of these have proved the problems with our legal aid system. I wish to ask the Chief Executive if she will review the legal aid system as soon as possible, and how will she follow up with the incident concerning "the Girl with a ruptured eye", with a view to debunking her lies and looking into her possible offences?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): As to certain individual cases, of course they should be investigated by law enforcement agencies first, and prosecution will be instituted in accordance with the law if there is sufficient evidence, which will then be tried in court. During the trial, more facts will be disclosed to the public; therefore I hope that members of the public will pay more attention to the facts disclosed in the judgments handed down by the court concerning social riots in recent years or months, as well as remarks made by judges in handing down their judgments. I must strongly condemn all intimidation, defamation and doxxing behaviour arising from dissatisfaction with the court's judgments, which is unacceptable. This is the first point.

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With regards to legal aid, I also note that certain cases in recent days have aroused public concerns and discussions about the legal aid system in Hong Kong. The same situation will repeat itself after a certain period of time because public money is involved. Very often, such public money involves government departments regardless of whether it is used for dealing with criminal or civil cases. It just so happens that I am going to host the opening ceremony of the "Legal Aid Department 50th Anniversary Roving Exhibition" this afternoon. I hope members of the public will try to have a better understanding of Hong Kong's legal aid system. All systems must keep abreast of the times. I am not saying that Hong Kong's current legal aid system is perfect; therefore it is necessary to review Hong Kong's legal aid system from time to time. The Government of the current term has made certain structural changes in this regard by putting the Legal Aid Department, which used to be under the Home Affairs Bureau, under the Chief Secretary for Administration. I believe the Chief Secretary for Administration will put forward his views about the recent discussions.

Lastly, please allow me to say the following: I have all along been promoting the advantages of Hong Kong outside Hong Kong, and one of which is the rule of law, of which the legal aid system is an important element. Our legal aid system can ensure the requirement under Article 25 of the Basic Law, that is, "All Hong Kong residents shall be equal before the law", and people will not be prevented from accessing legal aid due to the lack of financial means. Hence, this is the core value we should preserve. But as to the details concerning the administrative process, the allocation of cases and the selection of lawyers, I consider that they can be further reviewed. The Chief Secretary for Administration will handle the matter.

MR MARTIN LIAO (in Cantonese): President, my question is also about vaccines. President, at present, everyone wants to properly strengthen protection for one's health in the face of the pandemic. Now Prof YUEN Kwok-yung and other medical experts have clarified vigorously that there is no case "of death caused by vaccination". They have also pointed out that when booster vaccines are available in future, only those who have received vaccines will be entitled to receive the booster vaccines. But some people are still hesitating as they want to wait until the new generation of vaccines against mutated virus are available. May I ask the Government, is it true that only those who have received the first generation of vaccines are entitled to receive the new LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 6647 generation of vaccines or the booster vaccines; if not, based on scientific principle, which methods of vaccination will best suit individual needs, should the public receive the vaccines now, or receive the booster vaccines if necessary, or wait until the new generation of vaccines are available?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): The changes in the scientific field are rapid and constant. I am not going to give comments on the efficacy of vaccines or whether or not more effective vaccines will be available in future. However, I can state with certainty that we have learnt from experts―no matter local, Mainland or international experts that one should receive vaccines now if they are available, especially when Hong Kong has enough vaccines for its people. What we must do now is that we hope Members will help us to do it, to urge the public to receive the vaccines now. Receiving vaccines will protect yourself and your family; and it will also build an immunity barrier for Hong Kong as early as possible―timeliness is critical, which will enable us to have better protection and defence in preparation for the fifth wave of the pandemic without the need to adopt the mandatory social distancing measures which have been put in place for quite a long period of time in the past. My reply is "no need to wait and see" and "do not hesitate", as more than 1 billion doses of vaccines have been administered around the world. Why should Hong Kong be the exception and overly worried about receiving the vaccines? In particular, just now we have received a piece of very positive news: the World Health Organization ("WHO") has already approved the other of the two vaccines available in Hong Kong―the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. In other words, the two vaccines which are in ample supply―BioNTech and Sinovac―have been approved by WHO for use, so the public should receive the vaccine as soon as possible.

MR JIMMY NG (in Cantonese): President. Chief Executive, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided in its recent meeting that the country would further relax its birth control by adopting a three child policy as well as its supplementary and supporting measures. It is believed that the introduction of the policy this time around is relevant to the results of 7th nationwide population census publicized some 20 days ago. As Mainland's problem of ageing population has deteriorated, the ageing population has become the basic national condition of the country. Similarly, certain survey findings have also indicated that Hong Kong is starting to enter an ageing 6648 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 society. Will the SAR Government adopt a more proactive policy for encouraging childbirth and draw up a more comprehensive population policy, which will include attracting global talents to settle down in Hong Kong and to grasp the historical opportunity of the construction of the Greater Bay Area?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I wish to thank Mr NG for raising the question about population. The low birth rate in Hong Kong has not yet hit the bottom. Some people considered that the birth rate during the 2003 SARS outbreak―which was around 0.9―was very low. But the latest figure is lower than 0.9. Certainly, Hong Kong has not put in place any birth control, and members of the public may have as many children as they wish. Besides, many of the policies in the SAR will not exclude families with many children―we provide free education and almost free medical services. For that reason, it is ultimately a matter of personal choice. As to the Government, I incline to agree with the suggestion of Mr NG, that is, we should attract more young people to come to stay in Hong Kong and at the same time, we should provide a better place for elderly people to enjoy their retirement life. After all, Hong Kong is a city of 7 million people. It is very difficult for us to close the door and draw up our own population policy. But if we make this city of 7 million people a part of the nation of 1.4 billion people, then I will not worry about the demographic structure at all. The population is mobile. Many young people want to engage in the financial business, Hong Kong is an international financial centre; if young people want to engage in the innovation and technology business, now Hong Kong is well placed to become an international innovation and technology centre. Therefore, no matter people from the Mainland or overseas countries, they may come and stay in this city, which will have implications for our demographic structure. At present, many elderly people from Hong Kong are residing in Mainland cities. We can see from various portable social security schemes that many elderly recipients of the Old Age Living Allowance are residing in municipalities of the Greater Bay Area. If our policy can help more retired elderly people to lead a comfortable and secure life in Mainland places which are not too far away from Hong Kong, then our demographic structure will change as soon as the policy is launched. I incline to adopt this strategy to deal with the ageing population issue. I hope this Council will have more discussion about these policies.

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IR DR LO WAI-KWOK (in Cantonese): President. Chief Executive, in order to support employment during last year's epidemic, the Government accepted my proposal of increasing the subsidy quota for engineering interns from 272 to 1 000. The relevant scheme had been proved so popular that all the quotas were approved. Similar schemes were extended to the architectural, surveying, town planning and landscape sectors, and the Environment Bureau has also launched the Green Employment Scheme. The Government has also launched special programmes to subsidize enterprises to employ assistants with professional qualifications. Even though Hong Kong's unemployment rate has dropped slightly, it is still at a rather high level of 6.4%, with almost 250 000 jobless people. Besides, a large number of graduates are about to join the job market soon. For that reason, may I ask the Chief Executive if the above mentioned programmes and measures to support the training and employment of graduates and young people will be extended in order to avoid the situation of "graduation means unemployment"?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): I wish to thank Ir Dr LO for raising the question. As to university students who are about to graduate soon, we are very concerned about their employment prospects. As a matter of fact, graduates in the past year or two might have encountered more difficulties in finding jobs. Therefore, when we launched certain policies in the past year or two, we would specifically consider how we could absorb more young university graduates. For example, the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme aims at recruiting university students who have graduated in recent years. As to the intern programme mentioned by Ir Dr LO, its benefits are very obvious. Apart from providing them with job opportunities, it will enable them to understand the living conditions and environment of engineers or architects working in Hong Kong. If my memories serve me right, the previous intern quotas were subsidized by the "Anti-epidemic Fund". Members may remember that the budget for this year has also created 60 000 time-limited jobs, and I believe the Secretary for Development will strive to set aside some of the 60 000 subsidized jobs under the budget for the extension of the relevant programme.

DR CHENG CHUNG-TAI (in Cantonese): Good morning, Mrs LAM. Regarding the question of vaccination, I believe that the general public have the ability to judge their own physical conditions and bearable risks in choosing whether to receive vaccines. In the past, many people had a feeling that the 6650 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021 more the Government used the "coercion and inducement" strategies, the more hesitant the public were to receive the vaccines. Especially when the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation decided yesterday that it would make public announcements concerning potential causal links between Adverse Events Following Immunization and COVID-19 vaccines only after a potential association with the vaccine had been confirmed. The measure has given the public an impression―that is, either the Government is trying to cover up the ugly truth, or it has failed to be aware of the inherent problems with the mechanism which have resulted in a lack of confidence among members of the public in receiving the vaccines. At present, 21 vaccinated people had died, of course their deaths did not have causal links with the vaccines at all, but what I wish to ask is: Is the Chief Executive aware of this arrangement and does she consider it a positive one? Or is it a decision purely by a group of Medical experts who think that the public will not guess whether or not the relevant cases have links with the vaccines if no such announcement is made? Will it produce adverse and counterproductive effects?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): Thank you Dr CHENG. If Dr CHENG has paid attention to news reports, one of the specialist advisors to the Government, that is, Prof YUEN Kwok-yung, who is frequently speaking publicly, has pointed out in his speeches in recent days and while expressing views to me in our meetings that the solution to public hesitation to receive the vaccines lies in the way of presentation. For example, he considered that we should make high-profile announcements about the fact that every day a number of people unfortunately pass away in Hong Kong due to different illness or accidents. The announcements of the passing away of those who have received the vaccines previously may give the public a misconception, which may affect their confidence, thereby affecting our efforts to enhance the efficiency of the vaccination programme. I am not saying that the remarks of Prof YUEN resulted in a change in presentation by the Expert Committee yesterday, but the fact is that the experts have told us that we should tell the public clearly that up till today, as you have said just now, not a single mortality case has direct link with the vaccines. I believe the intention of different expert committees of the Department of Health is to enable the public to have a better grasp of the information and to minimize the misunderstanding caused by the release of such information through certain ways of presentation and reporting.

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PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Last Member. Mr MA Fung-kwok, please ask your question.

MR MA FUNG-KWOK (in Cantonese): President, the Central Government officially launched the National 14th Five-Year Plan in March during the two sessions of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and for the first time it was mentioned in the dedicated chapter covering Hong Kong and Macao that Hong Kong should be developed into an exchange centre for arts and culture between China and the rest of the world. The Chief Executive had also pointed out in response to queries on this new positioning that the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Hong Kong Palace Museum could play a role in promoting this cultural positioning and help Hong Kong to move towards the international arena. President, we should make use of this new positioning as it is very important to Hong Kong's cultural, artistic and overall social development. I wish to point out that cultural activities can enhance the effect of a society as "a charming metropolitan", while sports activities can strengthen the vitality of a city. During a period of time in the past, there were voices in the community that the SAR Government should establish a culture bureau dedicated to cultural affairs, and I have all along been advocating that the Government should establish a culture, sports and tourism bureau because of the complementary nature and excellent synergy of these three sectors in terms of policy formation. May I ask the Chief Executive, how should we grasp this opportunity in the face of this problem, and what mechanism should be adopted to coordinate the whole community with a view to better developing various cultural works? As the responsibilities for cultural developments are currently scattered over different Policy Bureaux. I hope the Chief Executive can give a response. Thank you, President.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): First, I fully agree with Mr MA Fung-kwok's remarks about the importance of the cultural positioning, therefore we are thrilled at the support given to Hong Kong for the first time by the National 14th Five-Year Plan to develop itself into an exchange centre for arts and culture between China and the rest of the world. I also know that friends from the cultural sector are also very excited. With the support of the Central Government, we can move towards the international arena and promote Hong Kong's cultural positioning with a better foundation. We should start with several initiatives if we are to promote Hong Kong's cultural positioning. The 6652 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 2 June 2021

Government structure is only one of the components, which is not necessarily the most important part. Actually, the most important thing is to identify the appropriate people to lead Hong Kong's cultural and arts development, and we should put in place suitable supporting policies. The Government should also allocate appropriate resources and to think out of the box when necessary. For example, in order to support Hong Kong's sports development, for the first time, the Government has purchased the broadcasting rights to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, so as to ensure that Hong Kong citizens can view the live telecast of the games to be participated by Hong Kong's elite athletes in Tokyo through different commercial television channels and to cheer for them. Therefore, even though cultural affairs or industries are currently managed under different departments, actually each domain does not belong to a single Policy Bureau. Innovation and technology matters actually are not solely under the Innovation and Technology Bureau, as innovation and technology also needs the support in terms of land, and it also needs the support from various aspects such as the Home Affairs Bureau as well as universal education. Mr MA can rest assured that we will not let up our efforts to promote Hong Kong's culture and arts development even though we have not put in place a dedicated authority. I am not going to rule out the need for changes in structure, but that is a matter of the future. Thank you, President.

PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The Chief Executive's replies to Members' questions come to an end. After the Chief Executive has left the Chamber, this Council will hold its regular meeting immediately.

The Chief Executive now leaves the Chamber. Members stand up please.

(The Chief Executive left the Chamber)

ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING

PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The Chief Executive's Question Time ends now.

Adjourned accordingly at 11:34 am.