Remaining applications include funding requests for the new technology bureau

Legislative Council's Finance Committee - heeding Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's call - will hold extended meetings next week to vet remaining funding applications. These include the funding bill for the new technology bureau - which the CE considers vital to the city's future economic development.

Committee Chairman Tommy Cheung Yu-yan announced on Thursday his decision to add an extra 14 sessions, or 28 hours of meetings, from Tuesday to Saturday after consulting lawmakers.

The move was seen as an attempt to overcome the opposition's filibustering that aims to block the Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB).

Explaining his decision, Cheung said as there were already requests from three lawmakers to discuss and vote on the 21 public works items on the agenda, one by one. If the committee does not have extra time, then proposals relating to livelihood issues and the ITB might not be passed before the summer recess.

The Finance Committee earlier added three sessions, totaling six hours, to vet the 11 long-awaited funding proposals. This included one-off sweeteners of HK$5.5 billion, which will benefit 1.2 million underprivileged people. Despite the government's anxiousness to pass the 11 items, the committee only managed to pass six in more than 10 hours' meetings over the past two weeks because of the opposition's delaying tactics.

Today's (Friday's) committee meeting is the last one originally scheduled before the summer recess. It will discuss two items involving pay hikes for public servants and the HK$1 billion recycling fund.

The CE's Innovation and Technology Adviser Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung, tipped to head the new bureau, said at a public function it was vital for Hong Kong to transform itself from a service-oriented economy to a knowledge-based one.

Leung Chun-ying urged lawmakers to pass the ITB funding application - which has been stalled for more than three years. The CE said this during his opening remarks at the current legislative session's last question- and-answer session.

"You don't know what you missed," Leung exclaimed. He added that three years are a long time and Hong Kong could have lost innumerable opportunities as technology develops in leaps and bounds.

Leung said the government has explained this to LegCo several times. He said no one in Hong Kong would believe that the government could still fail to address lawmakers' concerns after three years of deliberation.

He also questioned the logic of some opposition lawmakers refusing to allow extra time to discuss the issue, while also arguing they still had questions about it which needed to be answered.

Arguing the bureau could have a positive effect on the economy, Chinese University of Hong Kong's computer science and engineering Professor Jia Jiaya said Hong Kong still needs other pillar industries.

Jia cited Singapore's achievements in supporting its creative technology industry. Hong Kong needed a long-term plan for the industry.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying speaks in the Legislative Council on Thursday during the final question-and-answer session before the summer recess. Roy Liu / China Daily

(HK Edition 07/10/2015 page6)