Committee Meetings Summary Report – 25th May
Meeting of Bills Committee on Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill 2013
The Bill was to amend the Air Pollution Control Ordinance to set out air quality objectives in the Ordinance. Different interest groups presented in the hearing to express their concerns on the air quality objectives. Some agreed with the Bill and some groups worried about the objectives might affect the license extension of some sectors and therefore, will lead to an adverse impact on some businesses.
The Committee then proceeded to discussion with the government officials and the Chairman, Mr. Charles Peter Mok proposed a more focused discussion in next meeting.
Special meeting of Panel on Environmental Affairs
A hearing was held and different interest groups came to express their concerns about the government’s efforts to phase out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles.
The government proposed an incentive-cum-regulatory approach to:
provide up to 30% subsidy on the taxable value for the purchase of new vehicles;
pass laws to stop renewal of licenses for pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles
the most polluting pre-Euro and Euro I vehicles would be banned from 1st, January, 2016.
set a retirement age of 15 years for new vehicles.
Some environmental groups favoured the proposals and some representatives from the transport industries opposed and demanded a more flexible approach in dealing with the replacement of pre-Euro IV vehicles and the statutory retirement age.
