The new Legislative Council held its first General Assembly and Chief Executive's Q&A session today (12th). Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was questioned by members.
Many lawmakers are concerned about the outbreak of the Omicron variant virus in the community. Carrie Lam denies that the government has made many mistakes in fighting the epidemic, emphasizing that only 1,754 people are infected per million people, and the vast majority of cases are diagnosed in isolation camps. District testing has been effective after a long period of practice, and refuses to adopt the mainland's nationwide testing model.
In his opening remarks, Carrie Lam pointed out that after the opposition left the parliament, 2021 will be a fruitful year. The government will initially submit 40 legislative proposals to the new parliament, hoping to strengthen cooperation with parliamentarians.
Carrie Lam also announced the government restructuring plan. The number of policy bureaus will be increased from 13 to 15. Among them, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will be added to unify the film and creative industries. In addition, the Transport and Housing Bureau will be split, and the independent Housing Bureau will be Make every effort to build public housing and enrich the property ladder.
As for the 20 members who attended the "Hong Weimin Party", none of them appeared in the conference hall, and "Hong Kong 01" was broadcast live.
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[12:30] Chen Zhenying from the financial sector asked about the prospect of customs clearance with the Mainland earlier, but the new wave of epidemic has caused great losses to many industries. Will the "interest repayment not repayment" be extended, and whether the repayment ratio under the exit mechanism can be reduced.
Lam said he could not respond on the spot, but he would ask the Financial Secretary to consider it.
Chan asked how to improve the overall business environment, reduce pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises, and whether he would consider instructing the Financial Secretary to distribute electronic consumer coupons.
Carrie Lam reiterated that the Financial Secretary is consulting with various sectors, and will discuss with her after completion and a comprehensive plan.
Carrie Lam admits that the tourism industry has not recovered from the epidemic
[12:25] Mr. Yao Pak-leung, a member of the tourism industry, said that he was grateful to the government for launching a new round of anti-epidemic funds. He described the tourism industry really needs this "timely rain". He pointed out that the government has tightened social distancing measures again, which has made the industry "zero" again. , the industry has zero income and zero tourists, and also refers to the tourism industry that has been hit the hardest and has the slowest recovery under the epidemic.
He asked whether the government would speed up the restructuring of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau through the window period of the epidemic to prepare for the recovery of the industry.
Lam Cheng said that he fully understood the impact of the tourism industry, and described the industry as "actually not recovering". Travel agencies have been in a freezing period. He stressed that he would "do everything possible to help the tourism industry." , will be announced later, emphasizing that the government will not miss the window period to support the tourism industry, including personally discussing with the Mainland Ministry of Culture and Tourism earlier, to prepare for the recovery of the tourism industry.
Lam also pointed out that the government is studying to give tourism a new perspective through cultural, sports events and infrastructure.
When asked by Yao Boliang, he said that the tourism industry has been hit by the anti-revision movement and the epidemic. For relevant ideas, Yao Xu communicated with the Bureau of Commerce and Economics.
23 articles before leaving office?
Carrie Lam: MPs make it clear that the government has no reason to object
[12:20] New People's Party Ye Liu Shuyi asked Lam Cheng to explain the legislative timetable for Article 23 of the Basic Law, including the current situation of drafting the provisions and when to consult.
Carrie Lam said that the legislation of Article 23 is a constitutional function of Hong Kong and cannot be delayed any longer. The Secretary for Security has fully devoted himself to the relevant work.
She said that the timetable mentioned earlier was to seek consultation during the term of the current government, and she learned that some members present were more active than the government and hoped to complete the legislation in the current government. If everyone can do it, the SAR government has no reason to object." But she stressed that Article 23 must be well formulated to ensure its effectiveness.
After ten years of building houses, the land has been "matched": the plot ratio cannot be increased indefinitely
[12:15] Chen Xuefeng of the DAB asked that the Chief Executive is very concerned about buying property. For example, he mentioned the progressive mortgage recently. For more citizens, the need for a dignified home is an urgent issue. He asked if the government could provide a roadmap. , timetable, so that citizens have hope to know when they can go upstairs.
Carrie Lam pointed out that housing is the top priority of the current government, and I believe it will be the next term. The government has launched transitional housing, providing 20,000 units, rezoning vacant land, and even hotels and hotels.
She pointed out that the roadmap itself already exists, and the policy address mentioned that in the next 15 to 20 years, together with the northern metropolitan area and Lantau tomorrow, there will be more than 1 million units "applicable to the market".
This does not include private developer land.
However, she pointed out that it is necessary to "catch up behind" now. If 15 to 20 years is considered too long, the government's ten-year housing construction plan has already "combined" more than 300,000 contracts.
Chen Xuefeng asked whether there is any plan to increase the development ratio in an all-round way. Lin Zheng pointed out that the plot ratio itself has been increased, because an unlimited increase will have consequences, such as community affordability and whether road schools are sufficient. Therefore, she believes that the procedure is actually to protect the interests of the society at the same time. , described it as "a big set of public interests", indicating that "today's plot ratio is not low at all".
Carrie Lam agrees that elderly care must be handled across bureaus
[12:10] Election Committee Member Guan Haoming pointed out that Hong Kong will soon enter the age of population aging. Now there is one elderly person for every four Hong Kong people, and there will be one elderly person for every three people in the future. He asked the government to reorganize its structure in the future. , and arrange for the deputy director or director to handle elderly affairs in a cross-departmental manner.
Carrie Lam said with a smile, "Member, I call you the pastor." She emphasized that the reorganization of the structure is very flexible, and the issues to be dealt with across bureaus do not only include national security. As for whether to arrange a deputy director-general and the director-general to coordinate, it will be decided by the next government.
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[12:05] After the Pakatan Harapan Lu Weiguo paid attention to the future development of the northern metropolitan area, he asked whether the relevant policy bureaus would launch relevant constructions in an orderly manner, strengthen human resource forecasting and planning, and avoid the engineering industry from falling into the viciousness of "one-time death, one-time starvation" cycle.
Carrie Lam said that the plan for the northern metropolitan area is huge and cannot be accomplished overnight, and the government must play a more proactive role.
She is worried about the problem of insufficient human resources, so she recently held an internal meeting to discuss human resources, and hopes to submit documents for discussion in the Legislative Council as soon as possible.
[11:55] Li Shirong of the DAB stated that Hong Kong has caused the citizens to suffer together because of a single crew member’s violation. At present, the livelihood of the citizens has been damaged, and the suspension of classes has affected parents and students. He also believes that the anti-epidemic measures introduced by the government were implemented without preparation. , asked what measures the government has taken to prevent imported imports, whether it is capable of handling the current epidemic, and will it seek central support if the epidemic worsens?
Carrie Lam said that what Li Shirong said exactly reflected the difficulty of the government's decision-making on epidemic prevention, and also reflected the dissatisfaction and anger of the public.
However, Carrie Lam pointed out that there is no way to prevent the epidemic. "I have never heard of a measure being rolled out and the whole people applaud." He stressed that restrictions in response to the outbreak are inevitable.
Lam also pointed out that he is confident that he can handle the current epidemic situation. He emphasized that his confidence has increased a lot compared with two years ago. For example, the daily testing capacity can be increased to 100,000 times, and the quarantine facilities can be increased from zero to more than 4,000 units. I hope the public will have confidence and work with her to control the epidemic.
Regarding foreign import prevention, Lin Zheng said that Hong Kong has been criticized by Western media, chambers of commerce, consul-general and others for taking strict foreign import prevention measures. More than 160 countries have been added to the list to strengthen supervision. Entering Hong Kong from there is not only about quarantine Quarantine for 21 days, and stay in Penny's Bay Center for the first 4 days.
Carrie Lam stressed that Hong Kong has paid a price for this, and is also accused of affecting its status as an international center.
As for the suspected violations involving flight crews this time, Carrie Lam said that the Legislative Council had passed a series of Chapter 599 regulations earlier, which involved exemptions for mainland and overseas imports, such as exemptions for cross-border drivers and air cargo, but she stressed that exemptions do not mean that there is no kingly control , there will still be strict epidemic prevention arrangements.
Lin Zheng pointed out that the crew members involved in this incident will be investigated and punished, and he reiterated that he will be investigated to the end.
She also pointed out that it has been announced that the air transport measures will be tightened, but there will be consequences, and the cargo capacity will drop significantly. She said that in the past year, more than 4.6 million tons of freight were shipped, emphasizing that food is currently the most freighted, and if the air transport measures are tightened , how many Japanese restaurants do not have fresh food arriving in Hong Kong, and told Zhang Yuren that even if the restaurant reopens, it may not arrive.
Li Shirong asked many flight attendants now that "passenger planes go, cargo planes return". Carrie Lam said that since the investigation was underway, she could not say more, but noted that the chairman of the airline had issued a statement last night, reiterating that the government would inform everyone after the investigation. explain.
[11:45] Chen Kaixin said that the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong has been "zeroed" for many months, but a variant virus has recently entered the community due to loopholes in epidemic prevention. She described the reason and source as obvious, but the SAR and officials still feel good about themselves and believe that Tightening social distancing measures is quick, ruthless, and accurate, but many voices believe that the measures are only a patchwork.
She believes that the government should follow the example of mainland communities to launch universal testing, forcing the entire population to undergo two to three tests within a week, and tighten social distancing measures. Before the Lunar New Year, the flow of people and logistics should be greatly reduced, including the suspension of classes in middle schools and universities, and the implementation of work from home. , "The flow of people returning to work and the frequency of vehicles should be reduced", in time to drive the virus away before the new year.
Carrie Lam responded that Hong Kong has been fighting the epidemic for two years, and the government has been continuously researching countermeasures to deal with the epidemic, emphasizing that the measures must be in line with the actual situation in Hong Kong, just like the democratic system, "can't copy other places", also: "If you say we are full of loopholes, It is very difficult for me to accept it." He believes that the statement is unfair to the tens of thousands of frontline and behind-the-scenes personnel involved in epidemic prevention.
Carrie Lam said that for every 1 million people in Hong Kong, there were only 1,754 confirmed cases and 28 deaths, describing the strategy as very successful, emphasizing that Hong Kong's ineffectiveness in fighting the epidemic and its full of errors and omissions are indescribable.
Lam continued to point out that "everything has consequences" for measures such as school closures and banning dine-in in evening markets, which have affected the free movement of citizens and business activities. It cannot be leaked, and it means that all kinds of violations occur every day, but no one finds them.
The current closed area testing practice effectively rejects the mainland model
Regarding Chen Kaixin's suggestion, Carrie Lam pointed out that the government has been implementing community testing, but the definition is different from that of Chen Kaixin. He said that the variant virus is very contagious, but there has not yet been a geometric series outbreak in Hong Kong. So far, there have only been more than 40 cases, 7 One case found out that she was no longer in the community when she was diagnosed, and she said bluntly: "If you rashly listen to some opinions and do community testing with the local people, I will not bear the consequences." She stressed that she would not give up a good measure that has been proven to be effective. Instead, manpower and material resources are invested in unproven and effective anti-epidemic measures, which is also known as "everyone knows what measures are effective", emphasizing that anti-epidemic measures are not "slogans", but rely on continuous practice and adjustment.
As for drastically reducing the flow of people, Carrie Lam said last week that he made a very difficult decision to introduce the strictest social distancing measures, referring to a team monitoring the flow of people using Octopus, emphasizing that the number has plummeted, describing the effect as immediate, and reducing it further People only have a "curfew", saying that there have been critical situations in the past few years, and the government has also thought about implementing a curfew, including during the anti-amendment movement, but frankly always "doesn't want to use it".
Carrie Lam hopes to cancel hedging through MPF before leaving office
[11:42] The Federation of Trade Unions Tang Jiabiao asked Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor whether he had the confidence to cancel the MPF hedging during this term of government. Lam said that he welcomed Tang Jiabiao to return to the Legislative Council. After a briefing by the Labour Panel of the Legislative Council, the Administration can submit it to the Legislative Council for first and second readings.
She said that it is the job of the Legislative Council to pass legislation, and I hope everyone will pass legislation during the term of the current government.
Carrie Lam continued to point out that the abolition of MPF hedging is a symbol, and her concern about this began during her tenure as Chief Secretary for Administration, when the Commission on Poverty Alleviation was in charge, emphasizing that MPF is the backbone of Hong Kong's retirement protection system and cannot be weakened. A lot of time to find a solution.
It is recommended to reorganize the policy bureau to increase to 15 independent housing bureaus
[11:25] Carrie Lam announced the government restructuring plan, suggesting 1. the establishment of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau; 2. the separation of the Transport and Housing Bureau; 3. the establishment of the Transport and Logistics Bureau; 4. the reorganization of the Food and Health Bureau into a medical Health Bureau; 5. Reorganize the Home Affairs Bureau to Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Bureau; 6. Rename the Innovation and Technology Bureau to the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau; 7. Expand the Environment Bureau and change its name to the Environment and Ecology Bureau.
The opposition leaves parliament for a fruitful year, the government will make 40 legislative proposals
[11:14] Lam Cheng explained three aspects of work, including administrative and legislative relations, the development of the northern metropolitan area, and the restructuring of the government structure.
In terms of the relationship between the executive and the legislature, she pointed out that since the opposition left the Legislative Council at the end of 2020, it has demonstrated a positive interaction between the executive and the legislation. The Legislative Council has achieved fruitful results in the past year, with 46 bills passed last year, double the number in previous years.
She also released 2 private bills of MPs with written consent.
She mentioned that this year's Members of Parliament have different professions and backgrounds, reflecting different voices from all walks of life in the community, and hope that they will serve the well-being of the public, seek development for Hong Kong, and make practical achievements.
In terms of cooperating with the Legislative Council, Lam Cheng pointed out that he will regularly attend question-and-answer sessions of varying lengths; he requires officials to answer oral questions in a concise, clear, and well-founded manner, and to consult and exchange policies as early as possible to seek opinions from relevant panels; The chairman meets with the chairman and vice-chairman of the internal committee every week; the government will also do a good job of policy explanation.
Carrie Lam mentioned that the 40 legislative proposals mentioned last year covered major policy directions that were known to be involved at the time, but did not include some technical legislative proposals, so there may be more later.
[11:05] Lin Zhengxian congratulates Liang Junyan on his re-election as chairman. This is the first meeting of the new Legislative Council. Under the national emblem and regional emblem, it is a milestone in the political system of the SAR. This is also the first Legislative Council formed after the improvement of the electoral system. Congratulations to all MPs on their inauguration.
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The national emblem and regional emblem have been installed in the Legislative Council Chamber.
(Liang Junyan facebook photo)
Legislative Council kicks off ︱The building strengthens the anti-epidemic spray and disinfectant coating Leung Junyan: everything is ready Legislative Council kicks off ︱ Tian Beichen "hello" Carrie Lam's question on Cathay Pacific's epidemic prevention loopholes at six points Going deep into the front of the DAB Legislative Council kicks off ︱ Li Huiqiong, Chen Jianbo continue to hold the office of the inner council, and the financial accountant is automatically elected without competition
