WK LO's LegCo Express (Dec 2018)
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W K LO's LegCo Express
Dec 2018
1. Expressed views to the Financial Secretary on the Budget 2019
Together with other members of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, I met the Financial Secretary on 13 Dec to express views on the Budget 2019 covering wide array of policy areas including tourism, innovation and technology development, financial services, tax relief, support for SMEs, infrastructure and land development, improvement of education and medical care, etc. There are totally 113 proposals to enhance economic development and people’s livelihood. We recommended that the government set up a working mechanism to deal with US-China trade war so as to give enterprises more technical and financial support and to help the industrial and commercial sectors respond to US’ tariff measures.
2. Public opinion poll conducted regarding the reclamation project in Lantau
Together with some LegCo members, we announced a public opinion poll report on 21 Dec that 86.2% of the respondents thought that the shortage of housing supply and poor living environment in Hong Kong were very related or somewhat related to the shortage of land in Hong Kong; 60.1% of the respondents were very supportive or in favour of reclamation in eastern Lantau to increase land supply. In this connection, we support the Government submitting the funding proposal of “Lantau Tomorrow Vision” to the LegCo and the issuance of reclamation bonds. In addition, in view of the overcrowding of the living environment, it is recommended that the Government adopt a "brown-green synchronization" development, speed up the redevelopment of public housing estates such as Shek Kip Mei Estate, and relax the urban plot ratio.
3. Amendment to the motion of “Fully transforming into a green and low-carbon smart society and economy, and proactively alleviating and coping with global climate change”
On 13 Dec, I moved an amendment to the motion of “Fully transforming into a green and low-carbon smart society and economy, and proactively alleviating and coping with global climate change” to urge the government to advocate energy efficiency and promote intellectualization of infrastructure and green architecture, so as to develop a green and low-carbon smart community; to perfect supporting measures to implement the policy on ‘Reduce, Recycle and Proper Waste Management’, and promote the development of a circular economy; to provide additional dedicated resources for research and development, promote the setting up of a ‘centre for industrialization and development of environmental protection technologies’, and promote the development and use of environmental protection technologies; to promote the use of clean energy and renewable energy to flexibly cope with future climate and environment change; and to promote regional cooperation to jointly establish a green, low-carbon and high technology smart city cluster. My amendment was passed on the same day.
4. Bills Committee on Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Bill 2018
The aim of the Bill is for the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging to drive behavioural changes in order to achieve waste reduction and contribute to carbon emission reduction. The Bill seeks to amend the Waste Disposal Ordinance and the Waste Disposal (Refuse Transfer Station) Regulation to establish a charging scheme for the disposal of municipal solid waste; and to make a related amendment to the Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation. I joined the Bills Committee in Dec.
5. Funding proposal approved in the Finance Committee (FC)
On 7 Dec, the FC approved a funding request of $2.5 billion for implementing the Lift Modernisation Subsidy Scheme (LIMSS) over six years starting from 2019-20 to facilitate lift modernisation in the community through the provision of financial incentive with appropriate professional support to private building owners in need.
