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Publications and Press Releases :
Press Release
: News Archives
LegCo to resume Second Reading Debate on Revenue
(Abolition of Estate Duty) Bill 2005
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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold
a meeting this Wednesday (November 2) at 11am in the Chamber of
the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will
resume Second Reading debate on the Revenue (Abolition of Estate
Duty) Bill 2005.
The Bill was introduced into the
Legislative Council on May 11, 2005. It aims to give effect to the
proposal in the 2005-2006 Budget to abolish estate duty and to make
related and consequential amendments. If the Bill is supported by
Members and receives its Second Reading, it will then go through
the Committee Stage and be read the third time.
Meanwhile, Members will debate a
motion on perfecting the food safety regulatory mechanism. The motion,
to be moved by Hon WONG Yung-kan, says:"That, as a number of
food safety incidents which occurred recently in Hong Kong have
exposed the Government's shortcomings in the regulation of food
safety, its slow reaction to emergencies and the inadequacies in
the notification system between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and
have also seriously affected the public's confidence in the Government's
capability to perform the gate-keeping role, this Council urges
the Government to:
(a) expeditiously implement the plan
to re-organize the food safety regulatory framework after consulting
this Council and the public at large, to ensure that the posts of
frontline staff are not affected by the re-organization plan, and
to enhance training for staff so that they can grasp the ever-changing
food safety knowledge and meet the related new technological requirements;
(b) strengthen and re-organize the
existing consultative framework on food safety by including representatives
from the agriculture and fisheries industries, catering industry,
veterinary profession and consumer organizations, so that they can
more comprehensively advise the Government on food safety matters;
(c) step up Hong Kong's monitoring
of foods at source at their places of origin;
(d) conduct a comprehensive review
of the existing standards and legislation on safe production of
foods, including strictly regulating the use of drugs and chemicals
and their residue contents in foods as well as the microbe counts
in foods, etc, so as to ensure food safety;
(e) perfect the food safety notification
systems between Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as other places
supplying food to Hong Kong, and to strengthen co-operation with
the Mainland in combating food smuggling;
(f) devote more resources to enhance
the Government's capability in food testing and hygiene inspection;
(g) study the establishment of a food
tracking system and the implementation of food recall arrangements,
so as to raise the Government's capability in handling food safety
incidents;
(h) study the establishment of a food
safety certification mechanism whereby identification labels are
awarded to safe, quality food products so as to help consumers make
their choices; and
(i) expedite the pace in promoting
a quality production and management scheme for local agricultural
and fishery products, and to establish a branding system for local
products, in order to fully enhance Hong Kong's capability in regulating
food safety and safeguard public safety in food consumption."
Hon Tommy Cheung Yu-yan will move
an amendment to Hon WONG Yung-kan's motion.
Members will also debate a motion
on comprehensively developing the border area. The motion, to be
moved by Hon WONG Ting-kwong, says:"That, as the Chief Executive
has announced in his Policy Address the decision to significantly
reduce the size of the closed area and to redraw the limits of the
new closed area so as to release land for redevelopment, this Council
urges the Government to expedite the completion of the realignment
of the closed area and formulation of the planning proposals, and
to devise an overall strategy on this basis to comprehensively develop
the border area between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, so as to create
new growth areas for Hong Kong's economy, promote co-operation between
Hong Kong and Shenzhen, facilitate the development of Hong Kong's
trade in services, industries and tourism, and create new employment
opportunities."
Hon Sin Chung-kai will move an amendment
to Hon WONG Ting-kwong's motion.
Meanwhile, the Secretary for Economic
Development and Labour will move a resolution under the Tung Chung
Cable Car Ordinance to seek approval of the Tung Chung Cable Car
Bylaw.
In addition, the Chief Secretary
will present the Government Minute in response to the Report No.44
of the Public Accounts Committee dated July 2005, and the Government
Minute in response to the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Ombudsman
issued in June 2005, and address the Council respectively.
During the meeting, Members will
ask the Government 20 questions on various policy areas, six of
which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can
be obtained via the Legislative Council InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869
9568) or the Legislative Council web site (http://www.legco.gov.hk).
Members of the public are welcome
to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries
of the Legislative Council Chamber. They may reserve seats by calling
2869 9399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served
basis.
Ends/Monday, October 31, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:36
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