OFFICIAL RECORD of PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 April
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 6699 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 April 2017 The Council continued to meet at Nine o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P. PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, S.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, B.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 MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. 6700 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KWOK-HUNG# THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H. THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, B.B.S., M.H., J.P. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LEUNG THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, B.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG THE HONOURABLE DENNIS KWOK WING-HANG THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG WAH-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P. # According to the Judgment of the Court of First Instance of the High Court on 14 July 2017, LEUNG Kwok-hung, Nathan LAW Kwun-chung, YIU Chung-yim and LAU Siu-lai have been disqualified from assuming the office of a member of the Legislative Council, and have vacated the same since 12 October 2016, and are not entitled to act as a member of the Legislative Council. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 6701 DR THE HONOURABLE FERNANDO CHEUNG CHIU-HUNG DR THE HONOURABLE HELENA WONG PIK-WAN THE HONOURABLE IP KIN-YUEN DR THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH QUAT, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LIAO CHEUNG-KONG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE POON SIU-PING, B.B.S., M.H. DR THE HONOURABLE CHIANG LAI-WAN, J.P. IR DR THE HONOURABLE LO WAI-KWOK, S.B.S., M.H., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHUNG KWOK-PAN THE HONOURABLE ALVIN YEUNG THE HONOURABLE ANDREW WAN SIU-KIN THE HONOURABLE CHU HOI-DICK THE HONOURABLE JIMMY NG WING-KA, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE JUNIUS HO KWAN-YIU, J.P. THE HONOURABLE HO KAI-MING THE HONOURABLE LAM CHEUK-TING THE HONOURABLE HOLDEN CHOW HO-DING THE HONOURABLE SHIU KA-FAI THE HONOURABLE SHIU KA-CHUN THE HONOURABLE WILSON OR CHONG-SHING, M.H. 6702 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 THE HONOURABLE YUNG HOI-YAN THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHUN-YING THE HONOURABLE TANYA CHAN THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG KWOK-KWAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE HUI CHI-FUNG THE HONOURABLE LUK CHUNG-HUNG THE HONOURABLE LAU KWOK-FAN, M.H. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LAU IP-KEUNG, M.H., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE CHENG CHUNG-TAI THE HONOURABLE KWONG CHUN-YU THE HONOURABLE JEREMY TAM MAN-HO THE HONOURABLE NATHAN LAW KWUN-CHUNG# DR THE HONOURABLE YIU CHUNG-YIM# DR THE HONOURABLE LAU SIU-LAI# MEMBERS ABSENT: THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S. DR THE HONOURABLE PIERRE CHAN # According to the Judgment of the Court of First Instance of the High Court on 14 July 2017, LEUNG Kwok-hung, Nathan LAW Kwun-chung, YIU Chung-yim and LAU Siu-lai have been disqualified from assuming the office of a member of the Legislative Council, and have vacated the same since 12 October 2016, and are not entitled to act as a member of the Legislative Council. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 6703 PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING: MR RONALD CHAN NGOK-PANG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS MR JOHN LEE KA-CHIU, P.D.S.M., P.M.S.M., J.P. SECRETARY FOR SECURITY THE HONOURABLE LAU KONG-WAH, J.P. SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS THE HONOURABLE CLEMENT CHEUNG WAN-CHING, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE CLERKS IN ATTENDANCE: MS ANITA SIT, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MISS FLORA TAI YIN-PING, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MS DORA WAI, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MR MATTHEW LOO, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL 6704 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 GOVERNMENT BILLS Committee Stage CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Good morning. (Mr CHAN Chi-chuen stood up) CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, what is your point? MR CHAN CHI-CHUEN (in Cantonese): Chairman, I request a headcount. CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Will the Clerk please ring the bell to summon Members to the Chamber. (After the summoning bell had been rung, a number of Members entered the Chamber) APPROPRIATION BILL 2017 CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Twenty Members have respectively given notice to move a total of 185 amendments, which seek to reduce different sums under 58 heads. Committee will proceed to the second to the sixth debates in accordance with the amendments as set out in Appendices 1A to 1E to the Script. Upon conclusion of the aforesaid debates, committee will vote on each of the amendments in the order of the heads involved, and then will put to vote that the sums for the 58 heads stand part of the Schedule. CLERK (in Cantonese): Heads 21, 30, 46, 70, 72, 74, 80, 92, 94, 112, 114, 122, 142, 143, 144, 151, 163 and 174. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 6705 CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Committee now proceeds to the second debate. The themes are "Rule of Law, Governance, Elections and District Administration". The policy areas covered by the relevant heads are: Constitutional Affairs; District Administration; Civic Education; Administration of Justice and Legal Services; Human Rights; Security; and Public Service. CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Fourteen Members, namely Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Mr CHU Hoi-dick, Dr LAU Siu-lai, Mr WU Chi-wai, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Mr KWONG Chun-yu, Mr Nathan LAW, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr LAM Cheuk-ting, Mr James TO, Mr Andrew WAN, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Dr Helena WONG and Dr CHENG Chung-tai have respectively given notice to move a total of 85 amendments to reduce the various sums for 18 heads read out by the Clerk just now. Details of the amendments are set out in Appendix 1A to the Script. Members may now proceed to a joint debate on the amendments to the 18 heads. Members have been informed that there are about 11 hours for committee to conduct this debate. I will first call upon Mr CHAN Chi-chuen to speak and move Amendment No. 1 set out in Appendix 1A to the Script, to be followed by other amendment proposers in sequence; but they may not move amendments at this stage. MR CHAN CHI-CHUEN (in Cantonese): Chairman, I move Amendment No. 1 as set out in Appendix 1A to the Script, which is proposed by me to subhead 000 of "Head 21―Chief Executive's Office". It reduces the annual operating expenses of the Chief Executive's Office. The reduction amounts to $117,362,223, equivalent to reducing the annual operational expenses of the Chief Executive's Office to $777. First of all, I would like to point out that in this debate, 14 Members will propose 85 amendments. The time for each of the 14 Members to speak twice will be already seven hours in total. The expected time for this debate is only 11 hours. Therefore I call on Members, whether they will propose amendments or not, to press the "Request to speak" button as soon as possible if they wish to speak because we may have to scramble for making speeches. 6706 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 April 2017 There are 17 amendments in this debate related to the expenses of the Chief Executive's Office. Why is my amendment the first? Because my amendment is the "harshest". My amendment reduces not only the personal emoluments of the Chief Executive, but almost the entire expenditure for the Chief Executive's Office, leaving a remainder of $777. We all know that Members will propose such an amendment every year. Comparing my amendment to those of other Members, many of the latter's focus on reducing the personal emoluments of the Chief Executive, such as Amendment No. 2 proposed by Mr CHU Hoi-dick, which reduces half of the expenses on the Chief Executive's salaries as part of his personal emoluments. Moreover, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Mr WU Chi-wai propose reducing the emoluments of the Chief Executive from April to June, meaning only three months of emoluments. Why only a reduction of three months of emoluments? I understand that it is to reduce the emoluments of LEUNG Chun-ying as his term of office will end on 30 June this year and the Government of the new term will assume office on 1 July. In this regard, I believe they should have given Carrie LAM the benefit of the doubt to not reduce her emoluments yet. However, I am puzzled, for they have called Carrie LAM "LEUNG Chun-ying 2.0" but now they do not think so anymore and so give her the benefit of the doubt? Nevertheless, we still have choices: "big", "medium" and "small" reductions, as well as "super harsh", "medium harsh" and "little harsh" amendments.