立法會盧偉國議員〈功能界別 ─ 工程界〉 

On 20 April 2013, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit Lushan County of Ya’an City in Sichuan Province, resulting in serious damages. Together with Ir Prof Choy Kin Kuen, President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, I visited Ya’an City, Lushan County and some reconstruction projects funded by the Hong Kong Government in the aftermath of the 5．12 earthquake. We found that though there are damages on partition walls and ceilings, the main structures of the Hong Kong funded buildings visited remain safe. For the widespread rumor on using styrofoam in construction of the buildings, we found that it is actually used as outside insulation layer for energy conservation purposes so as to keep warm inside in winter. Those buildings under reconstruction projects met the current building code of the Mainland and the objective of “no damage in minor earthquakes, repairable damage during medium earthquakes and no collapses during big earthquakes”.

The balance of the Disaster Relief Fund is insufficient to provide emergency relief to the 4．20 Lushan Earthquake victims. There is need to enable grants to be approved as expeditiously as possible in the light of the very serious conditions in the affected areas. At the meeting of Finance Committee on 3 May, members were invited to approve the injection of $100 million to the Disaster Relief Fund for providing emergency relief to earthquake victims in Sichuan Province. In my speech at the meeting, I quoted a young engineer’s message to me that the disaster areas suffered extensive damages but the schools funded by Hong Kong she visited could survive the strong earthquake. We should provide financial and spiritual support to the earthquake victims. The injection of $100 million was eventually approved to support the relieve works in Sichuan Province. 

After almost month-long filibustering, the third reading of the Appropriation Bill 2013 and the provisions were approved on 21 May. The LegCo also resumed its normal meetings after the end of filibustering. I moved an amendment to the motion of “Enhancing the overall sustainable competitiveness of Hong Kong” on 30 May. In my speech, I pointed out that we have to take it as a warning with the decline of Hong Kong’s competitiveness ranking. To tackle the problem, we must consolidate pillar industries such as logistics; promote emerging industries such as innovation and technology, testing and certification; and revitalizing traditional industries such as textile, clothing, toys, etc. I urged the Government to play a positive role in promoting and implementing long-term, comprehensive and diversified industrial policies to enhance overall sustainable competitiveness of Hong Kong. At last, the original motion and my amendment got supports from the LegCo members and were passed. 

In 2010, the administration launched a one-off grant scheme to provide subsidies to encourage owners of Euro II diesel commercial vehicles to replace their vehicles with new ones that comply with the prevailing statutory emission standard. This scheme lasts for 36 months and will end on 30 June 2013. The Government foresees that the remaining balance would be unable to meet the financial commitment as the number of applications has increased progressively as it gets closer to the expiry date of the scheme. Therefore, an additional funding of $120 million to meet the financial commitment of the scheme is needed. Considering emission problems as well as road safety, I supported the fund application and suggested submitting the paper to the Finance Committee as soon as possible. 

The Government presented a report on the progress and financial situation of construction of Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link (XRL) in the Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways, in response to the recent news reports that the XRL project would be delayed. I expressed that for such a big project with a lot of underground works, unforeseen circumstances would be encountered and engineering variations and claims could be expected. I requested the administration to give specific examples on the contractual claim. The administration responded that one variation is about removal of some piles. As the tunnel alignment conflicts with some piles, it is necessary to remove those piles for the tunnel boring machines to drive through. The administration also added that the claims can be fully covered by project contingencies according to current projections. 

The Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Betting Duty Ordinance so that the current betting duty structure will cease to be applicable to non-local bets placed on horse races held in Hong Kong, and a new betting duty structure will be put in place and be applicable to authorized betting conducted in Hong Kong on horse races held outside Hong Kong. I have joined this Bills Committee. I and some other members, expressed support for the administration's legislative proposals, considering that commingling would help combat off-shore and illegal bookmaking activities.

The Environment Bureau released the “Hong Kong Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013–2022”, which maps out a comprehensive strategy, with targets, policies and action plans for waste management for the coming 10 years to tackle our imminent municipal solid waste problem. The Government will roll out a waste reduction campaign as well as extend landfills in New Territories. While the initiatives to reduce waste at source should be implemented, the Government also plans to take forward the development of integrated waste management facilities with advanced incineration as the core technology and the extension of the three strategic landfills. 

The Government sought funding approval on the infrastructure works for housing sites at Tai Wo Ping, Shek Kip Mei. Some members questioned the justification for using public money amounting to $781 million to provide infrastructure works for the two housing sites for low-density private residential developments. The Government responded it was the Government's prevailing practice to undertake the necessary infrastructure works for potential sites for housing developments in order to provide certainty on the development potential of the sites before their disposal. The administration was of the view that the cost of the proposed infrastructure works could be recovered from the land premium of the sites. I support the proposal and I think that the land premium for the subject housing sites would well cover the cost of the infrastructure works in view of the keen demand for low-density residential development sites in West Kowloon. In my view, the substantial land premium generated by the sale of the subject housing sites could be used to fund the provision of subsidized housing. The proposal was approved by the Finance Committee.