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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting on Wednesday (July 12) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on protecting the Harbour.
The motion, to be moved by Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki, states: "That, as today's Victoria Harbour, having gone through a number of large-scale reclamation works, coupled with the prolonged absence of an overall planning for the harbour environment and measures for conservation of natural ecology, has been seriously damaged and polluted; in order to protect the harbour and preserve it as a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong people, this Council urges the Government to:
(a) adhere to the provisions of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and the judgement of the Court of Final Appeal, and follow the following three principles in considering the reclamation projects in the Wan Chai Development Phase II and the Kai Tak Development: first, there is a compelling, overriding and urgent need for reclamation; second, there is no viable alternative to reclamation; and third, the reclamation involves minimum impairment to the harbour;
(b) re-plan the Central Reclamation Phase III to reduce the area for commercial development and plot ratio, and minimize the negative impact on traffic flow and air pollution so as to avoid the need for further reclamation;
(c) formulate a comprehensive harbour district plan and policy that are 'citizen-centric', 'sustainable' and 'consistent with the principle of environmental conservation' for enhancing and greening the land facilities on both sides of the Victoria Harbour to enable all people of Hong Kong to get close to, share and make use of the harbour;
(d) consider setting up a harbour district authority as the statutory authority to independently manage, develop and enhance the sites and facilities in all the waterfront areas; and
(e) enhance public awareness of the protection of the harbour environment, promote civic engagement in urban development, conduct territory-wide consultation on harbour district planning and sincerely respect public opinion to enable the public to fully participate, present their views and reach a consensus on the matter."
Hon Tommy Cheung and Hon Sin Chung-kai will move separate amendments to Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki's motion.
Members will also debate a motion on promoting family-friendly policies. The motion, to be proposed by Hon Tam Yiu-chung, says: "That, as in recent years a number of serious incidents of domestic violence have occurred successively in Hong Kong, and cases of suicide, domestic abuse and divorce have been on the rise, reflecting that the cohesion of families in Hong Kong is weakening and there are many hidden crises which are detrimental to the harmony and stability of the community, this Council urges the Government to promote family-friendly policies, so as to create an environment that is conducive to rebuilding family values and enhancing family cohesion, thereby creating a harmonious society; the specific measures should include:
(a) setting up a Family Commission to advise the Government on the promotion of family-friendly policies and initiatives;
(b) introducing a family impact assessment system for assessing the impact of existing social policies, legislation and measures on families, with a view to making relevant improvements;
(c) conducting vigorous publicity and promotion campaigns, and strengthening family and parent education as well as promoting family values through community service organizations and schools;
(d) offering tax concessions and funding for pre-primary education across the board to relieve the financial burden on families in Hong Kong;
(e) creating a family-friendly environment in workplace, including encouraging public and private organizations to provide staff with child care services and implement flexible working hours; and
(f) enhancing social welfare services, and providing appropriate and relevant support to families in crisis."
Hon Tam Heung-man and Hon Albert Ho will move separate amendments to Hon Tam Yiu-chung's motion.
Meanwhile, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to amend the Deposit Protection Scheme Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 4) Notice 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 107 of 2006 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on May 24, 2006.
The Secretary for Constitutional Affairs will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to amend the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (Election Committee) (Amendment) Regulation 2006, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 114 of 2006 and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on May 24, 2006.
Besides, the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food will move a resolution under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance to seek the Council's approval to the Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment)(No. 3) Regulation 2006 and the Poisons List (Amendment)(No. 3) Regulation 2006, made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board on June 26, 2006.
On bills, Members will resume Second Reading debates on the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2006, the Financial Reporting Council Bill and the Supplementary Appropriation (2005-2006) Bill. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Readings, they will then go through the Committee Stage and be read the third time.
Meanwhile, the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings. Debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
In addition, Hon Mrs Sophie Leung, Chairman of the Panel on Commerce and Industry; Hon Tam Yiu-chung, Chairman of the Panel on Public Service; Hon Margaret Ng, Chairman of the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services; Hon Lau Kong-wah, Chairman of the Panel on Transport; Hon Chan Kam-lam, Chairman of the Panel on Housing; Hon Bernard Chan, Chairman of the Panel on Financial Affairs; Hon Lau Wong-fat, Chairman of the Panel on Planning, Lands and Works; Dr Hon Fernando Cheung, Chairman of the Panel on Welfare Services; Hon Sin Chung-kai, Chairman of the Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting; Hon James Tien, Chairman of the Panel on Economic Services; Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki, Chairman of the Panel on Health Services; and Hon Choy So-yuk, Chairman of the Panel on Environmental Affairs, will present the 2005/2006 Reports of the related Panels and address the Council respectively.
During the meeting, Members will ask the Government 20 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the Legislative Council InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869 9568) or the Legislative Council web site (http://www.legco.gov.hk).
Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Legislative Council Chamber. They may reserve seats by calling 2869 9399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Ends/Monday, July 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:09
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