Finance Committee—Report on the examination of the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025
MR CHAN CHUN-YING：
President, in my capacity as the Chairman of the Finance Committee, I submit the “Finance Committee Report on the examination of the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025” to the Legislative Council.
The Finance Committee held a total of 21 sessions of special meetings in mid-April this year to examine the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025, with the aim to ensure that the authorities are seeking a provision no more than necessary for the execution of the policies approved.
Before the commencement of the special meetings, 88 Members submitted about 3 800 written questions on the Estimates of Expenditure, with a relatively larger number of questions related to welfare, culture, sports and tourism, education and health. As undertaken, the Government submitted its replies to the first 3 300 questions before the special meetings. As for the remaining written questions that were in order and the supplementary questions raised by Members during the special meetings, the Government already submitted the relevant replies before the third Budget meeting of the Legislative Council (“LegCo”) on 8 May 2024. All the questions and replies were uploaded onto the LegCo website.
During the special meetings, Members raised questions on the Estimates of Expenditure and expressed their concerns and views on measures which were closely related to people’s livelihood, such as welfare, housing, education, healthcare, economic development as well as environment and ecology, referred to in the Budget. The verbatim record of proceedings of the special meetings is set out in the report and has been uploaded onto the LegCo website.
Following the passage of the Appropriation Bill 2024 on 8 May 2024 by LegCo, the Finance Committee examined one after another the funding requests submitted by the Administration for revising the approved Estimates of Expenditure.
President, the Finance Committee spent approximately 34 hours in total to complete the examination of the Estimates of Expenditure and the process was smooth in general. In this regard, I would like to extend my gratitude to Members for their enthusiastic participation and to the various Policy Bureaux and departments of the Government for their cooperation.
I so submit.