Projects approved by Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC)
PWSC, of which I am the Chairman, approved a total of 15 projects with estimated costs totalling HK$8.61 billion at its four meetings held on 14 April, 19 May, 2 and 9 June 2010. Kai Tak Cruise Terminal development, Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point, improvement works at Tai O, revitalisation of Mei Ho House as city hostel, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Kai Tak Nullah, Shatin to Central Link and in-situ reprovisioning of Shatin water treatment works were amongst the projects approved. The total projects approved in the current legislative year add up to 36 and worth HK$100.85 billion.

My motion on "report on the collapse of 45J Ma Tau Wai Road"
I moved a motion on the captioned subject at the 26 May 2010 LegCo meeting. In moving the motion, I expressed my disappointment to the report of the Buildings Department (BD) which took three months to complete. According to the report, the collapse of the building at 45J Ma Tau Wai Road was likely to be triggered by some external forces. But it failed to pinpoint the responsible parties for the collapse. It is mentioned in the report that repair works and removal of unauthorised building works on G/F of the building commenced on 23 January 2010 and were still in progress in the morning on 29 January 2010 (shortly before the building collapsed in the afternoon). But no details were given if the repair works and removal of UBW were related to the repair orders issued by the BD to the owner earlier. I also expressed my concerns about the failure of the BD to prevent the sub-division of flats, which is rampant in aged buildings. The substantial alterations made to the buildings may compromise their structural safety. I urged the BD to provide a full report of the collapse and identify the concerned parties responsible for the tragedy as soon as possible.

LegCo Delegation to Shanghai World Expo
A 42-member LegCo Delegation including myself visited the Shanghai World Expo from 8 to 10 May 2010. LegCo members took the opportunity to take the Express Rail Link from Guangzhou to Wuhan which travels with the speed of 350 km per hour. Members of the delegation were all impressed by the efficient operation and excellent facilities of the Express Rail Link. During the journey, members were briefed by officials of Ministry of Railways. According to them, the mileage of the Express Rail Link of the PRC will reach 16,000 km in around 2015, more than the total mileage of all other countries put together.

The Shanghai World Expo is indeed a world-class and spectacular event. The delegation visited the China Pavilion, China's Theme Pavilion, the Hong Kong Pavilion and the pavilions of other countries. We first went to the China Pavilion. The theme of the China Pavilion is "Chinese wisdom in urban development" and it showcases the Chinese wisdom in harmony. We were particularly impressed by the animated scroll of the ancient painting "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival"(²M©ú¤Wªe¹Ï). The electronic version of the painting is 130 m long and 6.3 m high, 30 times of its original.

Constitutional Reform
The Subcommittee on Package of Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012 held three meetings in May 2010 to meet deputations. Over 200 individuals or representatives from different organisations presented their views during these meeting. The government has already notified the LegCo that it will move at the 23 June 2010 LegCo meeting two motions concerning the amendment to the method for the selection of the Chief Executive and the amendment to the method for the formation of the Legislative Council and its voting procedures respectively. Meanwhile, a motion debate on constitutional reform took place at 9 June 2010. I will circulate a summary of my speech to interested engineers by email. Should you wish to be included in the emailing list, please let me know by emailing your name and email address to ir8raymondctho@biznetvigator.com.

Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong co-operation
Mr Henry Tang, Chief Secretary for Administration, gave a briefing on the captioned subject at the 14 May 2010 House Committee. In the past year, Hong Kong and Guangdong have been actively formulating the Framework Agreement. With the full support of the Central Government, the Framework Agreement was reached on 7 April 2010. The Framework Agreement aims to promote joint socio-economic development in Hong Kong and Guangdong to create a new world-class economic zone and to promote collaborative development among Hong Kong and PRD cities to form a world-class metropolis cluster. It also covers other areas such as cultural and academic cooperation. At the meeting, I drew Mr Tang's attention to the fact that CEPA has brought limited benefit to engineering professionals. Structural engineers are the only discipline that has been included in the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. In addition, the entry threshold is too high for many Hong Kong engineering and construction companies. I asked Mr Tang to seek agreement from the PRC to first allow the entry of small companies, which are formed by a few professionals to start up their business in the PRC.

Financial affairs
Mr Norman Chan, Chief Executive of the Monetary Authority, gave a briefing to the Panel on Financial Affairs on 20 May 2010. He mentioned the sovereign debt problems in the Euro area, especially Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, are particularly worrying. Hong Kong needs to keep a close watch on its development. In fact, Britain and Hungary are also heading for difficult times.