1. Elected as Chairman of HKQAA
The Annual General Meeting of Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA) was held on 26 November 2013. The Governing Council for 2013 to 2015 was elected during the meeting. I am honored to be elected as new Chairman of the Agency, succeeding Ir Prof Peter KW Mok. Established in 1989 by the Hong Kong Government as a non-profit-distributing certification body, HKQAA helps industry and commerce in the development of quality, environmental, safety, hygiene and social management systems. I have served for years as a member of the Governing Council of HKQAA and have taken the role as Deputy Chairman for six years. I will continue to lead the Agency in benefiting the industry and the society in the future.
(Receiving the chairman appointment certificate from Ir Prof Peter KW Mok on 26 Nov 2013)
2. Air Pollution Control (Air Pollutant Emission) (Controlled Vehicles) Regulation
To improve roadside air quality and better protect public health, the Government has adopted an incentive-cum-regulatory approach to phase out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles (DCVs) and set a service life limit of 15 years for newly registered DCVs. These DCVs include goods vehicles, light buses and non-franchised buses. The transport trades has suggested the ex-gratia payment levels to be raised, and to be uncoupled from whether vehicle owners procure new replacement vehicles, and the phasing out timetable be extended. The administration subsequently revised its initial proposal to address the key concerns of the trades. The Regulation was gazetted on 25 October 2013 and tabled in the LegCo on 30 October 2013. I joined the subcommittee to examine the Regulation.
3. Air Pollution Control (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013
The administration introduced the Amendment Bill to amend the Air Pollution Control Ordinance to ban the use, supply, import and transshipment of asbestos or asbestos containing material to further abate the risk of asbestos and better protect the public from the exposure to environmental asbestos. The Amendment Bill also proposes related amendments to the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Asbestos) Regulation to tighten up the control on the use of asbestos in industrial undertakings. The Amendment Bill was gazetted on 27 September 2013 and introduced into the LegCo on 23 October 2013. I also joined the bills committee to examine the amendment.
4. Amendments to the Construction Workers Registration Ordinance
The Construction Workers Registration Ordinance was enacted in 2004. It aims to establish a construction workers registration system through assessment and certification of the skill levels of all construction workers so as to ensure their quality and raise their status. The Government started the registration of workers in 2005 and implemented the Phase One Prohibition in 2007. To facilitate implementation of the remaining phase of Prohibition, public consultation was conducted in 2012 and the Government expects to introduce an Amendment Bill into LegCo in 2014. I met some representatives of the related trades in November and they expressed concerns on the implementation of “designated workers for designated skills”, and urged the Government to address the anticipated difficulties faced by the small and medium size construction companies.
5. Organized forum on residual waste management
In the Hong Kong Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resource 2013-2022, the Government has pledged to reduce per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate by 40% through strengthened source reduction and recycling measures. However, Hong Kong still needs to build up consensus on the best approach to handle the residual waste. In order to facilitate the discussion, the Hong Kong Green Strategy Alliance, chaired by me, organized a forum on residual waste management in November. The forum pooled together a group of local and overseas waste management experts to share their experience in solving waste disposal problems.
6. Meeting with the Ombudsman
On 3rd December, the LegCo members met with the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman highlighted that the number of enquiries and complaint cases received by the Office had remained steady in the past few years. The annual report of the Ombudsman pointed out the need to promote legitimate alfresco dining. I am also concerned with the problem raised in the report that there had been very few successful applications of restaurant licenses for setting up alfresco dining areas. I expressed that the Government should encourage more alfresco dining areas to be set up in a legitimate and regularized manner.
7. LegCo “Green Monday” kicked off
The Legislative Council has participated in "Green Monday" programme to promote green diet, and advocate meatless Mondays in order to reduce carbon footprint and improve health. Green menu will be offered every Monday in addition to the regular menu at the LegCo canteens. To publicize "Green Monday", a kick-off ceremony was held on 25 Nov at the LegCo. Members, the Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat and the co-founders of Green Monday shared their experience in adopting green diet and showed support for green lifestyle.
