New lawmaker Steven Ho shames veterans with 100pc attendance rate

When Steven Ho Chun-yin ran for the vacant agriculture and fisheries functional constituency seat in the Legislative Council last year, many political pundits questioned the 32-year-old's political capability.

But as the new legislature's first year ends, the logistics firm director and lawmaker from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has shown his commitment by attending every Legco meeting, ranking ahead of many of his more experienced counterparts on both sides of the political divide.

By July 10, Ho had achieved a 100 per cent attendance rate at meetings of the full council and Legco's agenda-setting House Committee, while missing just one of the 42 Finance Committee sessions for which the Legco provided attendance lists.

He has also raised verbal questions to ministers, the first in January on government assistance for fisherman and then one last week on how long vessels can remain in typhoon shelters.

In February, Legco president and DAB elder statesman Jasper Tsang Yok-sing hinted that Ho, the youngest of its 13 lawmakers, was the most impressive of its six new faces elected in September.

In terms of raising questions and motions for debate, the Civic Party's Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok was the most impressive of the 28 newcomers to the 70-strong legislature.

As well as asking three verbal questions in full council meetings, the Hong Kong Island representative has tabled two motions for debate - one on October's Lamma ferry tragedy and one on tertiary education places.