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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 8411 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 15 July 2021 The Council met at half-past Ten 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 TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM 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, S.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, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.M., G.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., J.P. 8412 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, S.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 MARTIN LIAO 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, G.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. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 8413 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., J.P. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LAU 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. PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING: THE HONOURABLE JOHN LEE KA-CHIU, S.B.S., P.D.S.M., 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.M., G.B.S., S.C., J.P. SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE THE HONOURABLE WONG KAM-SING, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT DR THE HONOURABLE LAW CHI-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR LABOUR AND WELFARE THE HONOURABLE FRANK CHAN FAN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT AND HOUSING 8414 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 PROF THE HONOURABLE SOPHIA CHAN SIU-CHEE, J.P. SECRETARY FOR FOOD AND HEALTH THE HONOURABLE EDWARD YAU 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 KEVIN YEUNG YUN-HUNG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION THE HONOURABLE PATRICK NIP TAK-KUEN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE THE HONOURABLE ALFRED SIT WING-HANG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY THE HONOURABLE ERICK TSANG KWOK-WAI, I.D.S.M., J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS THE HONOURABLE CASPAR TSUI YING-WAI, J.P. SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER HUI CHING-YU, J.P. SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE TREASURY THE HONOURABLE TANG PING-KEUNG, P.D.S.M. SECRETARY FOR SECURITY CLERK IN ATTENDANCE: MR KENNETH CHEN WEI-ON, S.B.S., SECRETARY GENERAL THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL AND ANSWER QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 8415 THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Members please stand up while the Chief Executive enters the Chamber. (The Chief Executive entered the Chamber) PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The Chief Executive will first address the Council. CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese): President and Honourable Members, in the past three months since my attendance at the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Session on 8 April, the executive authorities and the legislature have been working on the basis of mutual coordination and checks and balances with encouraging outcomes on the legislative agenda. The Legislative Council passed the bill on improving the electoral system after vigorous and dutiful scrutiny, enabling the smooth commencement of three elections which have to be held under a very tight schedule, as well as the scheduled release of the provisional registers for the Election Committee subsectors by the Registration and Electoral Office on 18 July. In addition, 17 bills have been passed by the Legislative Council in the past three months, including at yesterday's meeting, while another 13 are being scrutinized at full steam. If all of the five bills to be submitted by various Policy Bureaux in the coming weeks are eventually passed before the prorogation, the current-term Legislative Council shall have passed a total of 45 bills, including nine that were passed before April. The 2020-2021 legislative year will be the busiest and most productive year for legislative work in the past 20 years. After societal stability has been restored and national and political security safeguarded, Members of the Legislative Council and the general public will have reasonable expectations that the governance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR") can be enhanced and that the HKSAR Government can show stronger determination and resolution to address the long-standing problems. There is no doubt that the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong need to be improved. The difficulty in home ownership by many families remains a social issue which the Government must tackle. In face of these challenges, the Legislative Council held a debate yesterday on how to resolve the housing problem based on a motion sponsored by a Member. I would like to take today's opportunity to review with Members our work on housing and land and map out the way forward. 8416 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 Housing and land are the most important priority of the current-term Government. In my previous policy addresses, housing and land supply were presented before the chapters on the economy and on people's livelihood. Ever since the 2018 Policy Address, the topic had its own chapter and this highlights the fact that adequate land supply is necessary for the development of the economy and the improvement of people's livelihood. In my first policy address, I also made it clear that my housing policy comprises four elements, emphasizing the Government's indispensable role; the focus on home ownership to satisfy people's demands; the focus on supply; and the support to families that are on the waiting list for public rental housing ("PRH") and in poor living conditions. We need land to build houses, and developable land cannot be produced overnight. Some people have blamed the Government for wasting time on public consultation on land supply, while others have criticized the Government for giving up the obvious and taking the harder path. In fact, the current-term Government has been sparing no efforts in land creation. Under the leadership of the Secretary for Development, I would say that the situation is like we are all in a battle to fight for every inch of land. This is especially so when we were working amid controversies and a lot of our work was subject to filibustering at the Legislative Council and targetted by the radical elements in their struggles in society until recently when things have calmed down in the Legislative Council and community and the process has become relatively smoother. Under a multi-pronged strategy, we have concurrently taken forward a number of major land development projects in Tung Chung and the Northern New Territories. Through rezoning, we continue to put brownfield sites, agricultural land and Green Belt areas into optimal use to increase housing supply. We have launched the Land Sharing Pilot Scheme to unleash the potential of land owned by developers. We have even taken action to resume private land zoned for housing but left idle for long. Also, we have expedited various urban renewal projects including the redevelopment of urban squatter areas, factory estates of the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HKHA"), buildings of the Civil Servants' Co-operative Building Society and the Tai Hang Sai Estate. These projects will be taken forward with higher plot ratios to increase housing supply and at the same time address people's long-standing demand for better living conditions. These initiatives are not empty talk and have been put into action. Last year, I announced that the Government had identified 330 hectares of land which could fully meet the public housing supply target set out in the 10-year Long Term LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 15 July 2021 8417 Housing Strategy. Apart from making all-out efforts to identify and create land, we have also pressed ahead with public housing construction.

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