17 May 2023獨媒#6451
Members of Junior Police Call Fall by 15,000 in Three Years as Seven Disciplined Services Run Youth Groups
現時7個紀律部隊及輔助隊轄下均有青少年制服團隊，保安局局長鄧炳強書面回覆立法會質詢時交代各團隊近年成員數目，其中逾15萬人的少年警訊成員連續兩年下跌，由2020年逾17萬人，每年遞減至去年16.1萬人。局方強調，去年整體制服團隊的活躍會員人數上升超過四分之一，仍遠超訂立的績效指標。
All seven disciplined services and auxiliary forces currently run youth uniformed groups. In a written reply to a Legislative Council inquiry, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung gave the membership figures for the groups in recent years. Membership of Junior Police Call, which exceeds 150,000, fell for two consecutive years, declining annually from more than 170,000 in 2020 to 161,000 last year. The authorities stressed that the overall number of active members of uniformed groups rose by more than one-quarter last year and remained well above the performance indicators set.
3 May 2023獨媒#6394
Registration Proposed for Observing Remote Criminal Hearings; Law Society Questions Compliance with Open Justice Principle
司法機構早前公布《法院（遙距聆訊）條例草案》，容許刑事案件採用遙距聆訊，但特別不建議在刑事審訊中採用。在立法會一個委員會上，律師會代表熊運信質疑司法機構要求遙距聆訊的旁聽者登記，做法有違司法公開的原則。司法機構回覆指，絕大部分的遙距聆訊，市民都可以按常在法庭旁聽，只有在疫情或公共秩序下無法前往法庭，才會要求登記身份並分發連結。司法機構又補充，遙距聆訊不適用於陪審團審訊。
The Judiciary earlier published the Courts (Remote Hearing) Bill, which would allow remote hearings in criminal cases, although it specifically advises against their use in criminal trials. At a Legislative Council committee meeting, Law Society representative Stephen Wan Shun Hung questioned the Judiciary’s requirement for observers of remote hearings to register, saying that the arrangement contravened the principle of open justice. The Judiciary replied that, for the vast majority of remote hearings, members of the public could attend court in the usual manner, and that identity registration and distribution of a link would only be required when people were unable to go to court because of a pandemic or public-order considerations. The Judiciary also added that remote hearings would not apply to jury trials.
18 Apr 2023獨媒#6324
Cheng Kwok-hon: Some Student Union Members Assume They Co-govern with University; Tang Fei Agrees: Only Professors Govern
嶺大校董會提出修例，由本科生互選出任學生代表，再經校董會委任產生，並增設研究生學生代表，成為校董會當然成員及諮議會成員。立法會委員會討論條例，嶺大校長鄭國漢指，曾有學生會成員自以為與校方「共治」大學，自己從不使用該字眼。選委界鄧飛認同，稱大學只有教授管治，認為必須警惕：「宋朝都可以話士大夫與天子共治，好明顯唔係啦！士大夫自己想像出嚟，當成為潮流就會變成主流，要好小心。」
Lingnan University’s Council proposed amendments under which an undergraduate student representative would be elected by undergraduates and then appointed by the Council, while a postgraduate student representative would also be added as an ex officio member of the Council and a member of the Court. During the Legislative Council committee’s discussion of the bill, Lingnan president Cheng Kwok-hon said some Student Union members had assumed they co-governed the university with the administration, adding that he himself had never used that term. Election Committee sector lawmaker Tang Fei agreed, saying that only professors govern universities. He said: “Even in the Song dynasty, people could say that scholar-officials co-governed with the emperor, but clearly that was not the case! Scholar-officials imagined it themselves; when it becomes a trend, it will become mainstream, so we must be very careful.”
17 Apr 2023光傳媒#6318
LegCo House Committee’s “speed meetings” average 10 minutes; three of five meetings had no questions
今屆立法會落實「愛國者治港」，《光傳媒》統計發現，今年首5次內會平均開會10分鐘完事，其中3次全程只有主席李慧琼發言，或是法律顧問讀出法律公告。其餘在席議員均是零提問、零發言。5次內會有1次發言的社福界議員狄志遠指，議員活躍對整體是好，但無必要為發言而發言，「現在立法會都有不同派別，例如工商界、勞工界、社福界，理論上都有不同角度」。
With the current-term Legislative Council implementing “patriots governing Hong Kong”, Light Media’s tally found that the first five House Committee meetings this year lasted an average of 10 minutes. At three of them, the only person to speak throughout was chairwoman Starry Lee, or the legal adviser read out legal notices. All other members present asked no questions and made no remarks. Tik Chi-yuen, the social welfare-sector lawmaker who spoke at one of the five meetings, said that members’ activism was good for the legislature as a whole, but there was no need to speak for the sake of speaking: “There are different sectors in the Legislative Council, such as the business, labour and social welfare sectors, which in theory have different perspectives.”
16 Apr 2023獨媒#6309
Xia Baolong Visits Legislative Council; Andrew Leung Says He Is Satisfied with Its Work
國務院港澳辦主任夏寶龍今日進行第4日考察行程。他今早到立法會與議員會面及參觀立法會，討論行政立法關係等，逗留逾3小時離開。立法會主席梁君彥會後見記者時表示，夏寶龍滿意是屆立法會工作，鼓勵議員在行政主導下繼續做好工作。
Director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Xia Baolong began the fourth day of his visit today. He met legislators and toured the Legislative Council this morning, discussing executive-legislative relations and other matters, and left after staying for more than three hours. Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said at a press conference after the meeting that Xia was satisfied with the work of the current Legislative Council and encouraged legislators to continue doing their work under an executive-led system.
13 Apr 2023獨媒#6292
Basic Law app ranks last among government apps with only 9,400 downloads
政府回覆《財政預算案》議員質詢時，透露近5年部門推出應用程式的相關資料，下載次數排第一的是「我的天文台」，達970萬次；疫情期間成為「日常」的「安心出行」緊隨其後，下載量錄得950萬次。至於政制及內地事務局推出的「"悅"讀基本法」則成「包尾第一」，推出一年半以來只得9,400次下載量。
In its reply to lawmakers’ questions on the Budget, the Government disclosed data on applications launched by departments over the past five years. “MyObservatory” ranked first with 9.7 million downloads, followed by “LeaveHomeSafe”, which became part of daily life during the pandemic, with 9.5 million downloads. The ““Joyful” Basic Law Reading” app launched by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau ranked last, recording only 9,400 downloads in the year and a half since its launch.
12 Apr 2023獨媒#6285
Leung Mei-fan says water festival incident shows some are “lying in wait”; sources say one arrested
有YouTuber在上周日九龍城潑水節向警員及電視台人員射水，並拍片嘲諷，本來影片只得2,000多人觀看，但建制專欄作家屈穎妍今日在《大公報》揀文，將事件上升至國家安全層次。在立法會特別財委會，梁美芬指從潑水節事件，反映有人仍在「由治及興」的香港伺機待發，她希望保安局有方法令市民「真心知道廿三條立法，係一個好東西」。保安局長鄧炳強指，軟對抗確實存在故必然防範，但立法要仔細研究。
A YouTuber sprayed water at police officers and television station staff at the Kowloon City water festival last Sunday, filmed the incident and mocked them. The video initially received just over 2,000 views, but pro-establishment columnist Kuk Wing-yin elevated the incident to the level of national security in a piece published in Ta Kung Pao today. At a special Finance Committee meeting of the Legislative Council, Leung Mei-fan said the water festival incident showed that some people were still “lying in wait” in Hong Kong amid its “transition from stability to prosperity”. She hoped the Security Bureau could find a way to make members of the public “genuinely understand that legislating for Article 23 is a good thing”. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said soft resistance did exist and therefore had to be guarded against, but that the legislation required careful study.消息人士指一人被捕。
17 Mar 2023獨媒#6174
LegCo passes HK$14.9 billion funding for Light Public Housing, with only Kong Yuk-fun voting against
「簡約公屋」造價逾260億，立法會財委會今午首先審議其中149億撥款。經過政府發動宣傳攻勢，加上有指中聯辦也落水箍票，大部分議員「歸隊」支持，最終以58票贊成、1票反對、一票棄權通過。會上唯一火花，來自房屋局局長何永賢發言前播放一段宣傳片，狄志遠質疑不用花費拍片，「今日表決都係一面倒，宣傳工作係咪需要呢」；何永賢反擊片段由政助拍攝，「一個仙都無多過！」
Light Public Housing is expected to cost more than HK$26 billion. The Legislative Council’s Finance Committee first considered HK$14.9 billion of the funding this afternoon. Following the government’s publicity campaign, and amid reports that the Liaison Office had also intervened to lobby for votes, most lawmakers fell into line in support. The funding was ultimately passed with 58 votes in favour, one against and one abstention. The only exchange came before Secretary for Housing Ho Wing-yin spoke, when a promotional video was played. Tik Chi-yuen questioned whether the video was necessary given that the vote would be one-sided, asking: “Was the publicity work necessary?” Ho hit back that the video had been filmed by a political assistant and “didn’t cost a single cent more!”
13 Feb 2023獨媒#6041
Committee Minutes to Use “A Member” Instead; Andrew Leung: Produced Within a Month
立法會秘書處早前「優化」委員會會議紀要的擬備方式，改以「一名議員」代替列出發言議員的名字。有記者質疑降低問責性，立法會主席梁君彥指，早前撰寫會議紀要方式，需獲發言議員同意才可發表，需時約四個月，「宜家我哋一個月就出到，方便所有人類查閱，唔係話四個月之後先俾到你查閱。」
The Legislative Council Secretariat recently “streamlined” the way committee meeting minutes are prepared, replacing the names of members who spoke with “a member”. A reporter questioned whether this reduced accountability. Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous method of preparing minutes required the consent of the members who had spoken before they could be published, and took about four months. “Now we can produce them within a month, making it convenient for everyone to look them up; it’s not that we only let you look them up four months later.”
17 Jan 2023明報#5955
LegCo Committee Records Switch to Unnamed Format; Secretariat Says It Helps Public Grasp Key Points, Lawmaker Criticises Reduced Transparency
立法會各委員會自今屆起改變會議紀要的記錄方式，以「一名議員」記錄議員發言，未有像過往具名。立法會秘書處回覆本報查詢稱，有關改動為方便公眾、議員和官員掌握會議流程、討論要點和回應，因此精簡歸納和整合與會者發言重點。議員狄志遠批評有關改動是倒退，削弱立法會工作透明度，他會跟進事件，並促請秘書處恢復過往做法。對於應否恢復過去做法，多名議員均認為原有記錄方式可取。
The Legislative Council’s committees have changed the way meeting records are compiled since the start of the current term, recording lawmakers’ remarks as having been made by “a lawmaker” rather than identifying them by name as in the past. In response to enquiries from this newspaper, the LegCo Secretariat said the change was intended to help the public, lawmakers and officials grasp the meeting process, key points of discussion and responses, and therefore summarised and consolidated the main points of participants’ remarks. Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen criticised the change as a step backwards that weakened the transparency of the LegCo’s work. He said he would follow up on the matter and urged the Secretariat to restore the previous practice. On whether the previous practice should be restored, several lawmakers said the original recording method was preferable.
Translations are supplied by the source workbook. Consult the original reporting for context.
