OFFICIAL RECORD of PROCEEDINGS Sunday, 13 July
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 12071 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Sunday, 13 July 2008 The Council continued to meet at Nine o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE MRS RITA FAN HSU LAI-TAI, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALBERT HO CHUN-YAN IR DR THE HONOURABLE RAYMOND HO CHUNG-TAI, S.B.S., S.B.ST.J., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEE CHEUK-YAN THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LEE CHU-MING, S.C., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE DAVID LI KWOK-PO, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE FRED LI WAH-MING, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE LUI MING-WAH, S.B.S., 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 CHAN YUEN-HAN, S.B.S., J.P. 12072 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 THE HONOURABLE BERNARD CHAN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS SOPHIE LEUNG LAU YAU-FUN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE SIN CHUNG-KAI, S.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE PHILIP WONG YU-HONG, G.B.S. THE HONOURABLE WONG YUNG-KAN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JASPER TSANG YOK-SING, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE HOWARD YOUNG, S.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE YEUNG SUM, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU CHIN-SHEK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU KONG-WAH, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MIRIAM LAU KIN-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHOY SO-YUK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE ANDREW CHENG KAR-FOO THE HONOURABLE TIMOTHY FOK TSUN-TING, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 12073 THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE AUDREY EU YUET-MEE, S.C., J.P. THE HONOURABLE VINCENT FANG KANG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-HING, M.H. THE HONOURABLE LEE WING-TAT THE HONOURABLE LI KWOK-YING, M.H., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALAN LEONG KAH-KIT, S.C. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KWOK-HUNG DR THE HONOURABLE FERNANDO CHEUNG CHIU-HUNG THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE RONNY TONG KA-WAH, S.C. THE HONOURABLE CHIM PUI-CHUNG PROF THE HONOURABLE PATRICK LAU SAU-SHING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALBERT JINGHAN CHENG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE KWONG CHI-KIN THE HONOURABLE TAM HEUNG-MAN THE HONOURABLE MRS ANSON CHAN, G.B.M., J.P. 12074 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 MEMBERS ABSENT: THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG MAN-KWONG THE HONOURABLE CHAN KAM-LAM, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LI FUNG-YING, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE DANIEL LAM WAI-KEUNG, S.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG HOK-MING, S.B.S., J.P. PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING: THE HONOURABLE HENRY TANG YING-YEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION THE HONOURABLE JOHN TSANG CHUN-WAH, J.P. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE STEPHEN LAM SUI-LUNG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS DR THE HONOURABLE YORK CHOW YAT-NGOK, S.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR FOOD AND HEALTH THE HONOURABLE DENISE YUE CHUNG-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE THE HONOURABLE TSANG TAK-SING, J.P. SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS THE HONOURABLE MATTHEW CHEUNG KIN-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR LABOUR AND WELFARE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 12075 THE HONOURABLE MRS CARRIE LAM CHENG YUET-NGOR, J.P. SECRETARY FOR DEVELOPMENT THE HONOURABLE EDWARD YAU TANG-WAH, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THE HONOURABLE EVA CHENG, J.P. SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT AND HOUSING CLERKS IN ATTENDANCE: MR RICKY FUNG CHOI-CHEUNG, S.B.S., J.P., SECRETARY GENERAL MRS CONSTANCE LI TSOI YEUK-LIN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MRS VIVIAN KAM NG LAI-MAN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MS PAULINE NG MAN-WAH, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL 12076 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): A quorum is not present. Clerk, please ring the bell. (After the summoning bell has been rung, a number of Members entered the Chamber) PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): A quorum is present. The meeting shall start. We will continue with the debate on the resolution moved by Mr Albert CHAN to repeal the Food Business (Amendment) Regulation 2008. MEMBERS' MOTIONS PROPOSED RESOLUTION UNDER THE INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL CLAUSES ORDINANCE Continuation of debate on motion which was moved on 12 July 2008 MR FREDERICK FUNG (in Cantonese): President, last month, following the detection of avian influenza virus in four markets again, the Government decided to carry out an immediate culling of all live poultry at all retail outlets in Hong Kong and banned the sale and import of live chickens for 21 days until 2 July. It also followed Macao's approach and implemented the measure of a "daily rest night", to ban overnight stocking of live chickens at retail outlets. The public are fed up and anxious about the repeated detection of avian influenza virus and the subsequent slaughtering of and sales ban on live chickens. This has also given the Government more chips to adopt a more aggressive strategy by proposing a buyout package for ceasing the business of the entire poultry trade, in order to wipe out the entire poultry trade and eliminate the contact between human and poultry. For the sake of public health and prevention of avian influenza outbreak, the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) agrees in principle that, in the end, a complete segregation of human from live poultry should be implemented to stem any possibility of public exposure to the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 12077 avian influenza virus. The implementation of a "daily rest night" can ensure that live chickens will not be stocked overnight in market stalls, so as to prevent the markets from becoming the breeding grounds of the virus and stop the virus from breeding in the markets, thereby ruling out one of the possibilities for the avian influenza to rage. However, is this approach of the Government rightly focused on the cause of the problem? The whole incident reflects that the Government is making use of the opportunity to wipe out the trade. The detection of avian influenza virus in markets shows that problems surfaced in the last part of the entire process from quarantine, transportation to sales. Does this manifest that there is a serious loophole in the inspection work upstream? The Government, however, has not said a word on the cause, nor has it explained whether problems existed in its work upstream or whether reviews were conducted. It has not given the public a reasonable explanation except emphasizing the need to implement a "daily rest night" and wipe out the poultry trade, and its ulterior motive is obviously to divert the public's attention. The Government mentioned that the smuggled chicken could be another cause, but it did not follow up the problem and look into what measures should be taken to tackle smuggled chickens. Were the authorities not making enough efforts to crack down on chicken smuggling? Or, was the Government not doing its part in addressing the issue of smuggled chickens? (The microphone had noise interference) Let me repeat the last few sentences. The Government mentioned that the smuggled chickens were one of the causes, but it did not take any follow-up actions. Were the authorities not making enough efforts to crack down on chicken smuggling? Or, were the smuggled chickens being imported together with other chickens through the normal channels? The public simply do not know. But what I am sure is that, if smuggled chickens are really the origin of this episode of avian influenza, the proposal of a "daily rest night" is simply a wrong approach, which fails to target at the root of the problem. Is it not the most important task of the authorities to identify the source of the virus or vigorously take actions to combat chicken smuggling? Of course, I will not doubt the effectiveness of a "daily rest night", but such an approach has clearly 12078 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 13 July 2008 failed to target at the problem in this incident of avian influenza and the risk of spreading the avian influenza virus through smuggled chickens still exists. The poultry trade suggested placing a laser tag on the foot of each inspected chicken so as to separate such chickens from the smuggled chickens. The trade regards this as a more practicable approach because it can genuinely target at the problem of smuggled chickens. But the authorities have brushed aside the suggestion. One cannot help but suspect that the Government has an ulterior motive in implementing the measure of a "daily rest night" and that is to wipe out the entire poultry trade as soon as possible. President, we often say that the Government deals with a problem by "treating the head when there is headache and treating the leg when there is a leg pain", but our impression of the Government in handling this issue is that it is "treating or even axing off the head when there is an aching leg".