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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (June 10) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on improving environmental hygiene in the community.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Ip Kwok-him, states: "That, as the environmental hygiene conditions of some communities in Hong Kong are poor and hygiene blackspots are everywhere, which have aroused public concern, coupled with the threat of a new strain of influenza, this Council urges the Government to focus on the problem and take effective measures to ensure a clean community environment and enhance public awareness of hygiene, including:
(a) formulating community environmental hygiene indices for the 18 districts to enable members of the public to understand the environmental hygiene conditions in various districts;
(b) studying the provision of funds to District Councils to assist buildings without owners' corporations in carrying out work to eliminate hidden hygiene hazards in the communal areas of such buildings;
(c) recruiting additional staff and enhancing the training for frontline personnel responsible for cleansing and epidemic prevention work, so as to ensure that the personal protection of frontline personnel is safeguarded and that public health and epidemic prevention work is effectively carried out;
(d) organising on a yearly and regular basis territory-wide clean housing estate competitions, and encouraging tenants of public housing as well as owners and management companies of private buildings to pay attention to environmental hygiene in housing estates;
(e) initiating a territory-wide campaign on reporting hygiene blackspots;
(f) by making reference to the arrangement of rest days for market cleansing, specifying a monthly cleansing day for households and communities across the territory, and through such activities, educating the public on the awareness of keeping their homes and the community clean;
(g) setting up volunteer work teams in various districts to pay regular visits to the elderly who live alone to carry out cleansing work in their homes; and
(h) stepping up hygiene education for the public, especially focusing on secondary and primary school students, so as to enable them to develop good hygiene habits from a young age."
Hon Fred Li and Hon Tommy Cheung will move separate amendments to Hon Ip Kwok-him's motion.
Members will debate another motion on immediately reviewing the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme. The motion, to be moved by Hon Cheung Man-kwong, says: "That, the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme, since its implementation in the 2007-2008 school year, has given rise to a number of problems, including the failure of the policy on fee remission which has rendered a number of parents having to pay higher school fees; moreover, the Administration has abolished the proposed pay scale for kindergarten teachers, resulting in the loss of salary protection for kindergarten teachers, who can hardly enjoy salary increase even after upgrading their qualifications, whereas pressure from work and studies has substantially increased; as the voucher system has aroused strong discontent among the early childhood education sector and parents of kindergarten children, this Council urges the Administration to immediately conduct a comprehensive review on the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme, including:
(a) reviewing the Kindergarten Fee Remission Scheme and adjusting the level of fee remission in accordance with price indices, so as to ensure that low-income families receive appropriate assistance;
(b) comprehensively reviewing the various subsidies for early childhood education institutions, including increasing the manpower and resources for whole-day kindergartens;
(c) offering subsidies under the voucher scheme on a fair and equal basis so that all kindergarten children are benefited;
(d) formulating a pay scale for kindergarten teachers which is commensurate with their qualifications, and directly subsidising the remuneration of kindergarten teachers, so as to relieve the burden on parents; and
(e) relieving the work pressure on kindergarten teachers, including simplifying the administrative work arising from self-evaluation, external evaluation and the voucher scheme, as well as providing sufficient support staff, etc."
Hon Starry Lee and Hon Tommy Cheung will move separate amendments to Hon Cheung Man-kwong's motion.
Meanwhile, Hon Tommy Cheung will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Food Business (Amendment) Regulation 2009, laid on the table of the Legislative Council on May 13, 2009, to the meeting of July 8, 2009.
Hon Tam Yiu-chung will move a resolution under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China to amend the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
On bill, the Supplementary Appropriation (2008-2009) Bill will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings; debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
During the meeting, Members will also ask the Administration 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. Members of the public can also listen to the meeting via the audio webcast system on the Legislative Council homepage.
Ends/Monday, June 8, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:02
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