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Reply Serial No. EDLB(ED)003 Question Serial No. 0231 Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05 CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department Subhead (No. & title) : 000 Operational Expenses Programme : Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Question : With the deletion in the number of posts and the reduction in salary expenditures for the Civil Aviation Department anticipated in 2004-05, why is there still a significant increase in allowances? Asked by : Hon. LAU Kong-wah Reply : Provisions for Allowances and Job-related Allowances under Subhead 000 Operational Expenses in 2004-05 are $3,996,000 and $967,000 or $594,000 and $433,000 higher than the revised estimates for 2003-04, respectively. Provisions for these two items are for acting allowances, typhoon allowances and hardship allowances for rainstorm black warning. In 2003-04, the actual acting arrangements and the number of typhoon signals and rainstorm black warning issued were less than expected. The actual expenditure was therefore significantly reduced. For budgeting purpose, the 2004-05 provisions are made on the basis of general forecast. Signature: Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation Date: March 2004 Reply Serial No. EDLB(ED)004 Question Serial No. 0246 Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05 CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department Subhead (No. & title) : 000 Operational Expenses Programme : (3) Air Traffic Management Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Question : Under Matters Requiring Special Attention in 2004-05, it is stated that the Department will continue to coordinate with adjacent air traffic control authorities to facilitate the operation of aircraft to and from the Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong Airports. What are the plans and how much resource has been allocated for such plans? Asked by : Hon. YOUNG, Howard Reply : The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) will continue to improve the existing air traffic control procedures through regular liaison with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau. To enhance safety, operational efficiency as well as airport and airspace capacity in Pearl River Delta area to meet the future traffic demand, a Tripartite Working Group has been established to identify a long term airspace and air traffic management plan which will satisfy the estimated traffic requirement in 2020. The first meeting of the Working Group was held on 25 ?26 February 2004. At this stage, additional work arising from the recommendations of the Working Group is absorbed by enhancement in productivity and efficiency within CAD's existing establishment. Signature: Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation Date:March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)005
Question Serial No.
0247

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (3) Air Traffic Management

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Under Matters Requiring Special Attention in 2004-05, it is stated that various components of the satellite-based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System will be studied and evaluated. Please provide a breakdown on the estimated expenditure for studying and evaluating each component.

Asked by :Hon. YOUNG, Howard

Reply :

It is planned that four components of the CNS/ATM System will be studied and evaluated in 2004-05. The estimated expenditure comprises mainly of staff cost, detailed as follows -

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)006
Question Serial No.
0248

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (3) Air Traffic Management

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

During 2004-05, the department will continue to develop and implement the Safety Management System to ensure the highest standard of safety. What is the target set and how much resource has been allocated?

Asked by : Hon. YOUNG, Howard

Reply :

The target of Safety Management System (SMS) implementation includes development of safety management principles and procedures, documentation of these principles and procedures, and promotion of safety culture. Most of the procedures have been implemented as part of the routine operating procedures of various offices. Suitable training has been provided to staff to enhance their awareness of the safety requirements. The follow-up work will focus on reviewing and updating these procedures regularly for further improvement. The tasks of developing and up-keeping the SMS are performed by existing staff in Air Traffic Management Division without additional resources allocated in 2004-05.

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)007
Question Serial No.
0249

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (5) Air Services

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Regarding the implementation of noise abatement programme, what are the details and the estimated expenditure? When will it be completed?

Asked by : Hon. YOUNG, Howard

Reply :

The aircraft noise abatement programme is an on-going series of measures already implemented to reduce aircraft noise. At present, as long as air traffic safety is not affected, the noise abatement programme requires that:
1.	flights departing Hong Kong between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. in the northeasterly direction have to use the south-bound flight path over the West Lamma Channel in order to avoid overflying the more densely populated areas in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island at night;
2.	flights arriving Hong Kong between midnight and 7 a.m. have to land from the southwest in order to reduce the number of aircraft overflying Sha Tin, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and Sham Tseng at night;
3.	aircraft if required to approach from the northeast between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. have to adopt the Continuous Descent Approach as far as practicable when landing in order to reduce aircraft noise impact on areas such as Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O and Ma On Shan;
4.	all take-offs in the northeasterly direction have to adopt the Noise Abatement Departure Procedures prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization to reach a higher altitude within a shorter distance in order to minimise aircraft noise impact on areas near the airport; and
5.	with effect from 1 July 2002, all Chapter 2 subsonic jet aircraft as defined in Part II, Volume I, Annex 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which only meet less stringent noise standards, are banned from landing and taking-off at the Hong Kong International Airport.
A noise and flight track monitoring system has been installed to assist the department to monitor the implementation of the noise abatement programme. In 2004-05, the expenditure for aircraft noise monitoring is estimated to be $2.89 million.

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)008
Question Serial No.
0250

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (5) Air Services

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

As mentioned, during 2004-05, the department will continue to review the demand for helicopter services and provide necessary support to heliport development. How much resource has been allocated to develop helicopter services and what are the plans?

Asked by : Hon. YOUNG Howard

Reply :

To support helicopter services development, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) will conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment and other preparatory works for the proposed expansion of the heliport at the Macau Ferry Terminal. CAD will also continue to study the feasibility of developing a permanent heliport for domestic services. Furthermore, under the premises of ensuring aviation safety, CAD will provide support to the development of new services by helicopter operators.

The above services will be provided by the existing establishment. In addition, CAD has earmarked a total amount of $3.5 million to conduct related consultancies.

Signature:
Name in bock letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)009
Question Serial No.
0251

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (4) Engineering and Systems

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Provision for 2004-05 is $41.8 million (17.1%) higher than the revised estimate for 2003-04. One of the reasons is to allocate additional provision for procuring specialised stores and spare parts for the maintenance of the air traffic control system and the acquisition of aeronautical communication services for enhancement of flight safety. How much provision will be allocated? Please provide a breakdown of the estimated expenditure.

Asked by : Hon. YOUNG Howard

Reply :

The net increase in provision is for the procurement of specialized stores and spare parts. The additional cost is partly off-set in a small portion by savings from the deletion of five posts. The breakdown is as follows :
		Estimated amount
		($M)
1.	Procurement of additional specialised stores and spare parts for maintenance of the radar systems, communications systems, speech processing equipment, and radar antenna overhaul.	17.9
2.	Purchase of 32 additional Radar Display Monitors	12.0
3.	One-off payment to pension fund under a technical services agreement with the contractor who provides maintenance and support for the Department's air traffic control systems.	10.0
4.	Service charges for use of Very High Frequency communications facilities and Secondary Surveillance Radar data to enhance safety and improve operational efficiency	2.3
		42.2
	Less : Savings arising from deletion of five posts	0.4
		41.8

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (5) Air Services

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

The provision for salary for 2004-05 is $4,143,000 (1%) lower than the revised estimate for 2003-04. However, the estimated MPF contribution for 2004-05 is $257,000 (19%) higher than the revised estimate for 2003-04. Please account for this estimated increase?

Asked by : Hon. YOUNG Howard

Reply :

The reduction in the provision for salary for 2004-05 mainly reflects the reduction in salary for the civil service implemented on 1 January 2004.  The estimated increase in the provision for MPF is due to the Government's MPF contribution to:
		$
1.	the proposed additional Senior Operations Officers and Student Air Traffic Control Officers to be recruited in 2004-05; and	139,700
2.	the salary increments of existing officers on agreement and probationary terms and the full year effect of MPF contribution for staff newly employed in 2003-04.	117,300
		257,000

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)011
Question Serial No.
0678

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (5) Air Services

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Under Matters Requiring for Special Attention in 2004-05, what measures will be taken to provide support to the negotiation and implementation of Hong Kong's Air Services Agreements and promote Hong Kong as the international and regional aviation entre? What is the estimated expenditure involved? Are there any objectives set for the progress of the granting of traffic rights in 2004-05? If yes, what are the objectives and their priorities?

Asked by : Hon. HUI Cheung-ching

Reply :

CAD will assist in the negotiation and implementation of Air Services Agreements (ASA), and promote the status of Hong Kong as an international and regional aviation center by :
1.	providing relevant information (e.g. air traffic statistics, air services currently operated to/from Hong Kong etc.) and technical advice to the negotiation teams of the Economic Development and Labour Bureau;
2.	issuing operating permits to airlines for providing air services to/from Hong Kong in accordance with ASA;
3.	monitoring the compliance by airlines with ASA;
4.	processing airlines' tariff filings in accordance with ASA;
5.	contributing as a member of the PRC team in attending Conferences, Technical Committees and Working Group of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);
6.	participating actively in aviation related activities organised by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC);
7.	hosting and sponsoring international and regional aviation conferences, seminars and workshops;
8.	providing aviation related training and expert advice to the aviation communities in the Region;
9.	ensuring aerodrome safety, aviation security, flight operations, airworthiness and air traffic management are maintained at the highest international standards through regulation and setting of policies and standards; and
10.	ensuring flight safety, airspace capacity enhancement and operational efficiency of aircraft through highly efficient air traffic management.

The estimated staff cost and other expenses involved in providing the services in items (1) to (8) above in 2004-05 is $8 million. As items (9) and (10) are part of the overall objectives of CAD, there is no separately dedicated estimated expenditure.

Regarding liberalisation of traffic rights, the government will continue to actively negotiate and conclude new air services agreements and discuss further liberalisation of routes and capacity with aviation partners. In 2004-05, the Government aims to conduct negotiations and discussions with at least 15 aviation partners. The Government will accord priority to negotiations with those aviation partners where local or overseas airlines have plans to launch new routes or expand existing services to Hong Kong.

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) :

Programme : (3) Air Traffic Management

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Under Matters Requiring Special Attention in 2004-05 for air traffic management, it is stated that the Civil Aviation Department will continue to co-ordinate with adjacent air traffic control authorities to facilitate the operation of aircraft to and from the Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong Airports. Please provide information on the manpower involved and its work plan.

Asked by : Hon. HUI Cheung-ching

Reply :

The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) will continue to improve the existing air traffic control procedures through regular liaison with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau. To enhance safety, operational efficiency as well as airport and airspace capacity in Pearl River Delta area to meet the future traffic demand, a Tripartite Working Group has been established to identify a long term airspace and air traffic management plan which will satisfy the estimated traffic requirement in 2020. The first meeting of the Working Group was held on 25 ?26 February 2004. At this stage, additional work arising from the suggestions of the Working Group is absorbed by enhancement in productivity and efficiency within CAD's existing establishment.

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)013
Question Serial No.
0709

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) : 000 Operational Expenses

Programme :

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

The Operational Expenses increase from $586m in 2003-04 to $651m in 2004-05. Please give reason(s) why, other than the expenditure on salaries, there are increases in all remaining items.

Asked by : Hon. CHAN Kam-lam

Reply :

The provision under Subhead 000 Operational Expenses is $65 million higher than the 2003-04 revised estimate. This is mainly due to :
		Estimated Cost $M
1.	Procurement of additional specialised stores and spare parts for maintenance of radar systems, communication systems, speech processing equipment, and radar antenna overhaul.	17.9
2.	Purchase of 32 additional Radar Display Monitors.	12.0
3.	Adjustment to the provisional payment for 2003-04 under a technical services agreement for the maintenance and support of the Department's air traffic control systems.	16.8
4.	One-off payment to the pension fund under the above-mentioned technical services agreement.	10.0
5.	Service charges for use of the Very High Frequency communications facilities and Secondary Surveillance Radar data to enhance safety and improve operational efficiency.	2.3
6.	Additional expenses arising from the expansion of air services.	1.7
7.	Hosting of the 41 st Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Region.	2.0
8.	Civil aviation safety related training courses and seminars.	1.0
9.	Estimated acting allowances, typhoon allowances and hardship allowances for rainstorm black warning made on the basis of the circumstances of a normal year.	1.0
10.	Increase in MPF contribution due to proposed employment of additional staff and salary increments of existing staff.	0.3
		65.0

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004

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Reply Serial No.
EDLB(ED)014
Question Serial No.
1063

Examination of draft Estimates of Expenditure 2004-05

CONTROLLING OFFICER'S REPLY TO

INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION

Head : 28 Civil Aviation Department

Subhead (No. & title) : 000 Operational Expenses

Programme : (5) Air Services

Controlling Officer : Director-General of Civil Aviation

Bureau Secretary : Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Question :

Under programme (5), the provision in 2004-05 for Air Services will increase by 1.2%.  What items will be the increase of provision for? What was the expenditure incurred by the Administration on abating aircraft noise in 2003-04? And what will be the expenditure incurred by the Administration on abating aircraft noise in 2004-05? How will the Administration handle the problem of aircraft noise?

Asked by : Hon. CHAN Wai-yip, Albert

Reply :

The provision in 2004-05 under programme (5) Air Services will increase by $1.2 million over the revised estimate for 2003-04. The increase in provision is mainly for hosting the 41 st Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Region in Hong Kong in November 2004.

In 2003-04, the expenditure for aircraft noise monitoring was $2.76 million. In 2004-05, the corresponding estimated expenditure is $2.89 million.

At present, as long as air traffic safety is not affected, the following noise abatement measures are implemented :-

1.	flights departing Hong Kong between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. in the northeasterly direction have to use the south-bound flight path over the West Lamma Channel in order to avoid overflying the more densely populated areas in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island at night;
2.	flights arriving Hong Kong between midnight and 7 a.m. have to land from the southwest in order to reduce the number of aircraft overflying Sha Tin, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and Sham Tseng at night;
3.	aircraft if required to approach from the northeast between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. have to adopt the Continuous Descent Approach as far as practicable when landing in order to reduce aircraft noise impact on areas such as Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O and Ma On Shan;
4.	all take-offs in the northeasterly direction have to adopt the Noise Abatement Departure Procedures prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization to reach a higher altitude within a shorter distance in order to minimise aircraft noise impact on areas near the airport; and
5.	with effect from 1 July 2002, all Chapter 2 subsonic jet aircraft as defined in Part II, Volume I, Annex 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which only meet less stringent noise standards, are banned from landing and taking-off at the Hong Kong International Airport .

The Civil Aviation Department will continue to stringently implement the above noise abatement measures. The Department will also closely monitor aviation technology developments at the international level and study all possible noise mitigation measures.

Signature:
Name in block letters: ALBERT K Y LAM
Post Title: Director-General of Civil Aviation
Date: March 2004