Hon Chan Kin-por’s Legco Member’s Office
Room 803, 1 Legislative Council Road
Phone 2899 2831 | Fax 2899 2050
Room 803, 1 Legislative Council Road
Phone 2899 2831 | Fax 2899 2050
Livelihood
Re-elected as the Chairman of the Finance Committee (FC) and help to step out of the filibustering shadow
The FC approved 98 financial proposals and a total of $251.4 Billion in 2017-18, which is the highest of the past five years, far more than the previous year’s $75.9 Billion and 29 approved items. The vetting process has obviously accelerated. It was mainly attributed to the successful amendments of the “Rules of Procedure” and the “Proceedings of the Finance Committee”, which have restricted the filibustering and increased the efficiency of the proceedings. I have also urged the Government to improve the relationship between the Administration and the legislature. At the same time I believe the FC has already stepped out of the filibustering shadow and able to vet the funding proposals in a pragmatic manner. I hope all Members could continue to use this pragmatic attitude in the future when participating in the work of the FC and provide financial resources to the community as needed.
Initiated and completed the amendments of the FC procedures to bring the FC back on track
The FC has been plagued by filibustering for the past few years, leaving a substantial amount of livelihood and economic-related unapproved items. During the last meeting of the FC in 2016-17, we could barely pass the $3.6 Billion educational fund and 3 hospital redevelopment plans. I realized that if we continue to sit back and ignore the situation, the society will be deeply affected. Therefore, I proposed to amend the FC Procedures to reduce the Members using procedures to delay the meeting, and that in return will reduce filibustering.
LegCo Spring Luncheon
I understand that my proposal will be subjected to many unreasonable attacks, but as the chairman, I am aware of the shortcomings of the procedure and responsible to explain the problem to the society and provide solutions. Through the effort of various sectors, I issued two “chairman’s guideline” as the chairman of the FC last September, then I passed the two amendments proposed by Hon Martin Liao the following March, which successfully reduced the room for filibustering and brought the FC back on track.
Strive to resolve the conflicts between the Government and the Council to enhance the efficiency of the approval process
The Administration often bickers with the LegCo Members over policy issues, which has delated the work of the Council. In order to operate effectively, I tried my best to satisfy the requests for more Members’ questioning time within the scope of the FC Procedure. I understand that monitoring the performance of the Government is one of the main duties of LegCo members and therefore, I have repeatedly urged the officials to respond to Members’ questions in a timely manner in order to avoid misunderstandings and making the vetting more difficult. I have also accepted the invitation from the Chief Executive of Hong Kong to hold a seminar and explain to the Directors of Bureaus and senior officials on how to respond to Members’ questions. In fact, there will always be differences in opinions between various parties and the Administration. However, as long as everyone can hold a different but harmonious spirit and act in the interests of the public, many problems can be solved. With the efforts of various parties, the FC passed a total of 251.4 Billion funding in a pragmatic manner, which is the highest in the past five years.
Visit to Tai Kwun
Promote the development of the Greater Bay Area and strive to broaden the development scope for Hong Kong people
The development of the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) will create new opportunities for Hong Kong. We must pay close attention to this opportunity. Apart from enhancing our competitiveness, we must strive for broaden development scope for Hong Kong people. I participated in the Greater Bay Area delegation of the Legislative Council last April to understand the development of the cities within the Greater Bay Area. I was very impressed by the fact that the Mainland is in the midst of innovation, technology and industry development, which could bring lots of new opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship for
the young people in Hong Kong. It can also provide quality elderly services for the elders and because of that, I engaged in promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area. I strive to seek national treatment in the Greater Bay Area for Hong Kong people, assist them to seek employment, to live in the Mainland, and to retire in the Greater Bay Area. I will continue to work on such initiatives.
Continue to pay attention to the challenges brought by the aging population
The impact of aging population is gradually emerging and Hong Kong must be prepared for it, especially in medical care, elderly services and financial issues. During the past year, I have continuously voiced out concerns such as medical services, retirement protection and inadequate elderly facilities, etc. Amongst those, I have raised questions in the Legislative Council and requested that the Elderly Services Programme Plan to be fully implemented. I also urged the Government to increase the number of medical staff at the earliest time possible. I also encouraged the insurance industry to conduct research on how to contribute to the elderly problem, such as researching on cross-border elderly insurance, developing quality elderly homes and enhancing the attractiveness of private pension schemes. I will continue my work in the coming year.
Strive for land reclamation to solve the housing problem
To solve the long term housing problem, there must be sufficient and stable supply of land and land reclamation will be the most effective method. This method would cause less disputes as it does not involve land acquisition from any party, and it can also provide a large piece of land. As for the short to medium term, brownfields and private agricultural land reserves could be developed on a fair basis. I have also repeatedly told the Government that it takes about 10 years to turn “flour” (land) into “bread” (house), which is reflecting the fact that the bread machine (system) is broken. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a suitable reform. The Chief Executive said that the approval procedures of various departments will be reviewed, and will conduct researches on how to simplify the process.
Take precautions to prevent financial shocks
The US increased interest rate, reduced tax, shrunk the balance sheet, and the endless China-US economic and trade disputes have brought significant shocks to the emerging markets. There are worries that a new financial crisis is brewing. At present, the financial market in Hong Kong is extremely volatile and the property market is also deviating from the real economy, which could aggravate the crisis in Hong Kong. I have advised the Government to prepare for the rainy days, including reserve sufficient resources to provide immediate support to SMEs and implement relief measures for the grassroots when necessary. At the same time, the Government should also examine the capacity to withstand external shocks from various economic and financial sectors and provide appropriate support.
Attend RTHK “Young Politician Training Program