Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):

Question:

     It has been reported that amid months of social turmoil, the operation of individual universities has been disrupted, and the facilities in the laboratories on campus have been damaged and the chemicals therein stolen, resulting in some scientific research and experiment projects being delayed or disrupted, the progress of scientific research work being hindered, as well as quite a number of non-local students and overseas experts giving up their plans to come to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the University Grants Committee has initially allowed the funded research projects which were affected to defer the submission of completion reports. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the details of the impacts of the social turmoil on the scientific research work and RGC-funded research projects of the various tertiary institutions, including (i) the number and percentage, (ii) the contents, (iii) the originally scheduled time of completion and the additional time needed for completion, and (iv) ‍the causes of delay, of the affected research projects;

(2) whether it knows the respective numbers, since June last year, of non-local postgraduate students and scientific research experts of the various tertiary institutions who have given up their plans to conduct researches in Hong Kong or come to Hong Kong for such purposes, with a breakdown by their places of origin and the areas of the research projects in which they were engaged; and

(3) whether it has assessed the impacts of the delay in scientific research work and the talent wastage on the development of scientific research in Hong Kong; if so, of the details, and the appropriate relief measures in place?

Reply:

President,

     The social incidents in the past few months have disrupted university operations to varying degrees. During this period, violent protestors blocked roads, threw objects from heights, committed arson, criminal damage, and violent storming on a number of university campuses and in various nearby public places, committing a breach of the peace and endangering the personal safety of other members of the public.

     Calm has been restored on university campuses as the universities have commenced restoration works. However, the violent incidents have caused the universities trauma and loss in various aspects, not only in facilities such as campus premises but also in the loss of valuable time for teaching and research and even talent, hampering university operations and regular teaching and research activities, and even possibly affecting the international reputation of the universities. The Education Bureau, the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Research Grants Council (RGC) will provide appropriate assistance and support, having regard to the needs and actual circumstances of the universities.

     My reply to the Hon Martin Liao’s question is as follows:

(1) Some of the research projects conducted by the UGC-funded universities and self-financing degree-awarding institutions and monitored by the UGC and/or the RGC have been affected by the social incidents to varying degrees. According to the RGC, as at end-January 2020, requests for extensions citing the recent social incidents as the main reason were approved for 58 research projects, with approved extension periods ranging from one to six months. These projects have an original project period of one to three years, involving different areas including Biology and Medicine, Business Studies, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences as well as Physical Sciences, making up about 0.9 per cent of the total number of research projects monitored by the UGC and/or the RGC. The reasons for extensions include the research staff not being able to enter the campus for conducting research or to collect data for their projects, and delays in recruiting project research assistants, etc.

(2) According to the RGC, 57 non-local research postgraduate (RPg) students terminated their studies in UGC-funded RPg programmes in the first semester of the 2019/20 academic year. A breakdown of the figures by place of origin and research discipline is tabulated below:
 

Research Disciplines	Places of Origin		Total
	Mainland China	Other Countries
Biology and Medicine	6	5	11
Business Studies	5	0	5
Engineering	9	7	16
Humanities and Social Sciences	4	4	8
Physical Sciences	17	0	17
Total	41	16	57

     It is worth noting that in the first semester of the previous academic year (i.e. the 2018/19 academic year), a total of 85 non-local RPg students terminated their studies in UGC-funded RPg programmes. The number of non-local RPg students dropping out in the first semester of the 2019/20 academic year is, in fact, fewer than that in the same period of the previous academic year.

     The UGC-funded universities have not maintained any statistics on non-local academics who have given up their plans to pursue a career in Hong Kong.

(3) Overall speaking, some research activities of individual universities may have been temporarily suspended as a result of the closure of campuses, and the damage done to a small number of research facilities has also hindered the progress of research work to a certain extent. Nonetheless, the universities have been doing their best to minimise the disruption as far as possible by making flexible arrangements for research activities, such as arranging for RPg students to conduct research at temporary offices, external laboratories or non-local partnering institutions, and adopting a flexible approach towards the coursework and work arrangements for RPg students.

     The UGC and the RGC will continue to maintain close communication with the universities and provide appropriate assistance on the premise of looking after the interests of students and the development of higher education in Hong Kong and having regard to the actual needs of the universities so as to facilitate their smooth operations.

     In recent years, the Government has been committed to promoting the research development of the universities. In response to the recommendation of the Task Force on Review of Research Policy and Funding, we have injected $20 billion into the Research Endowment Fund (REF) to substantially increase the research grants for post-secondary institutions and provide a more stable source of research funding. Furthermore, the RGC launched the $3 billion Research Matching Grant Scheme in August 2019 for a period of three years, with the aim of incentivising the private sector to provide research and development funding and donations for the research sector.

     In addition, the Government injected $3 billion into the REF in 2018 whereby the investment return will be used to provide a full tuition waiver for all local students studying on UGC-funded RPg programmes within the normative study period. This aimed to further support local students on the RPg programmes so as to nurture more local academic and research talent. The RGC also introduced three prestigious fellowship schemes in the 2019/20 academic year to nurture and retain research talent in support of the sustainable development of the research ecosystem in Hong Kong. The Government has earmarked a recurrent provision of about $190 million per annum for the schemes.

     The above initiatives will help strengthen the research capacity of the higher education sector and promote the sustainable development of the research ecosystem in Hong Kong. In fact, the universities in Hong Kong have built a solid foundation for academic and research work and enjoyed a good international reputation after years of development. We believe that with calm and harmony restored to the universities, they can gradually rebuild order and make arrangements for teaching and research work, so that the research achievements of the higher education sector in Hong Kong can continue to maintain a world-class level. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon James To and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):
 
Question:
 
     As the novel coronavirus epidemic has been serious recently, various government departments, public organisations and members of the public have a strong demand for anti-epidemic items. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of (i) the quantities received and (ii) the stock held, by the public healthcare system in respect of the various types of anti-epidemic items each day from January 21 to February 21 this year;
 
(2) in respect of the face masks produced by the Correctional Services Department (CSD), of (i) the quantity retained for use by the Department, and (ii) the respective quantities supplied to the following government departments, public organisations and non-governmental organisations each month since December last year (set out in a table): Hong Kong Police Force, Customs and Excise Department, Immigration Department, Hong Kong Fire Services Department, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Department of Health, Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, Hongkong Post, Auxiliary Medical Service, Home Affairs Department, and the various public health-related organisations such as the Hospital Authority (HA);
 
(3) of the protection specifications of the face masks currently produced by CSD, and whether such specifications meet those prescribed by HA for face mask procurement; if not, whether CSD will produce face masks which meet the specifications prescribed by HA;
 
(4) of CSD’s current stock of face masks available for distribution;
 
(5) of the stock of the various raw materials (including aluminum/plastic strips, elastic bands, non-woven fabrics and filter papers) currently used by CSD for producing face masks, and the places of origin of those raw materials; the number of face masks that can be produced with such stock;
 
(6) whether CSD will recruit volunteers who possess the knowledge of operating sewing machines to join the production line of face masks so as to increase output; if so, when the recruitment will be conducted; if not, of the reasons for that; and
 
(7) whether it will distribute face masks free of charge to the elderly in Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     With consolidated input from relevant policy bureaux and departments, my reply to the questions raised by the Hon James To is as follows:
 
(1) As at February 20, the stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) of public hospitals include approximately 18 million surgical masks, 2.3 million isolation gowns, 0.45 million face shields and 1.19 million N95 respirators.
 
(2) The Government Logistics Department (GLD) procures masks from the Correctional Services Department (CSD) as well as other suppliers through various channels. As masks provided by different suppliers are handled collectively, GLD does not have a breakdown of the number of masks provided by individual suppliers.
 
     In light of the developments concerning the disease, all government departments have worked very hard to keep their demands for masks to a minimum. GLD will comply strictly with distribution guidelines and accord priority to front-line staff participating in quarantine-related work, execution of quarantine orders (including medical and port health staff of the Department of Health) and maintenance of essential public services.
 
(3) According to tests conducted by accredited laboratories, the bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) and particulate filtration efficiency (PFE) of filter masks produced by the CSD are over 99% and 98% respectively.
 
     As for the procurement of surgical masks by the Hospital Authority (HA), it has mainly made reference to the US Food and Drug Administration’s standards on surgical mask, ASTM F2100-11. ASTM accredits surgical masks that are up to standard in 4 aspects, including BFE, PFE, synthetic blood resistance and delta-P/differential pressure. With the ongoing development of COVID-19, HA has significantly increased its usage of PPE, and has been striving to expedite procurement. HA also takes into consideration other international standards when sourcing surgical masks, including European Standards, EN14683.
 
(4) and (6) In 2019, CSD produced an average of about 1.1 million masks per month. In an effort to meet the demand for masks from government departments, CSD has increased its output on three occasions since January 2020. Moreover, since early February, it has been producing masks around the clock, increasing its monthly output to about 1.8 million masks. CSD has subsequently recruited over 800 off-duty and retired CSD officers as volunteers in mask production work since February 7. The target is for output to reach 2.5 million masks per month.
 
(5) Raw materials for masks are supplied to CSD by suppliers on a monthly basis in accordance with contractual requirements. According to the information provided by suppliers, the raw materials are imported. At present, CSD keeps raw materials that is sufficient for the production of masks over one month.
 
(7) The Government will work closely with the community, striving to meet the people’s needs in the prevention and control of disease. The Government will provide 1 million masks to residential care homes for elderly and residential homes for persons with disabilities, so as to support their continuous operation. The Government has also received donations of masks and disinfection supplies from a number of kind-hearted organisations and individuals; and will support them in the distribution of masks to relevant organisations and underprivileged members of the community. For example, masks will be provided to high-risk patients (e.g. the elderly and pregnant women) and medical workers through the HA, as well as to elders and needy households through major charities. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chung Kwok-pan and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):

Question:

     It has been reported that the problem of illegal parking in various districts has aggravated since June last year. Illegally parked vehicles not only cause traffic obstructions, but may also jeopardise the safety of road users. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has studied the reasons for the aggravation of the problem of illegal parking in various districts in recent months; whether the Police’s work of combating illegal parking has been affected due to the need for deploying a lot of manpower to deal with public events in recent months;

(2) of the number of complaints about illegal parking received by the Police in each of the past 24 months, with a breakdown by (i) the type of follow-up actions taken and (ii) the interval between the receipt of the complaint and the taking of such action(s) (in terms of hours);

(3) of the number of fixed penalty notices issued in respect of illegally parked vehicles, as well as the manpower deployed to deal with illegal parking, by the Police in each of the past 24 months, with a breakdown by police region; and

(4) whether the Police will deploy additional manpower to combat illegal parking so as to avoid illegally parked vehicles causing traffic obstructions and jeopardising the safety of road users; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Upon consultation with the Hong Kong Police Force (the Police), my reply to the various parts of the Hon Chung Kwok-pan’s question is as follows:

(1) and (4) Road safety is one of the operational priorities of the Police. Changing the irresponsible behaviour of road users that causes traffic obstructions is also among the Police’s traffic enforcement priorities. All along, the Police pay much attention to the problem of illegal parking and seek to change such undesirable behaviour through publicity and education, and combat illegal parking through patrols and law enforcement.

     Since June 2019, Hong Kong has seen widespread vandalism committed by violent protestors across the territory. The Police have been discharging their duties with commitment and devotion with a view to restoring social order as soon as possible, and safeguarding the lives and property of the public at large.
  
     On enforcement against illegal parking, the Police issued a total of about 1.4 million fixed penalty notices against illegal parking in 2019. Given the Police’s limited manpower, the traffic enforcement figures for the second half of 2019 indeed showed a decrease as compared to the corresponding period of 2018. Nevertheless, with less tension in the recent social atmosphere, all police districts in the territory have re-deployed their manpower to step up traffic enforcement operations and, as a result, the traffic enforcement figures for December 2019 started to rebound. Taking into account the overall manpower distribution of frontline enforcement staff and the deployment of resources in individual police districts, as well as the traffic conditions in different areas, the Police will deploy appropriate manpower according to the actual circumstances for enhancing enforcement action against illegal parking. Should members of the public observe any serious illegal parking on individual road sections which has caused traffic obstruction, they may report such cases to the Police for handling promptly.
 
(2) The numbers of complaints from members of the public about traffic congestion (including illegal parking) received by the Police each month in 2018 and 2019 are tabulated in Annex 1. As the Police have kept neither the breakdowns of follow-up actions taken on illegal parking nor the time taken for arriving at the scene for handling individual illegal parking cases, no such information can be provided.

(3) The numbers of fixed penalty notices issued by the Police in respect of illegal parking with a breakdown by police regions each month in 2018 and 2019 are tabulated in Annex 2. Since the Police have not kept the figures on the manpower deployed to deal with illegal parking, no such information can be provided. In general, all frontline police officers and traffic wardens can handle illegal parking cases as part of their regular duties. read more

Public Finance Deficit Budget 168. The HKSAR Government runs a fiscal deficit in 2019-20, the first time for Hong Kong over the past 15 years.  I forecast a deficit for the next five years as well. 169. The US-China trade conflict and the… read more

Revised Estimates for 2019-20 152. The 2019-20 revised estimates on government revenue is $567.3 billion, lower than the original estimate by 9.4 per cent or $58.8 billion.  This is mainly because revenues from profits tax, salaries tax and sta… read more