Chan Kam-lam, Ip Kwok-him worst performers in Legco

Usually it's the trade-based lawmakers who underperform. But the latest survey shows two directly elected district-based veterans from the pro-government bloc have been leading the way - for tabling the least questions and motions in Legco.

Meanwhile, pan-democrat Peter Cheung Kwok-che was the most active, filing the most queries and motions. Following him were new faces Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok of the Civic Party and Elizabeth Quat of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB).

These are the results of a survey by the South China Morning Post of lawmakers' performance records during full council meetings from October to February. It included the number of debate motions, and verbal and written questions initiated.

Follow-up questions and amendment motions were not counted. On this basis, Kowloon East lawmaker Chan Kam-lam, of the DAB, was the worst performer. Chan has not initiated a single question or tabled a motion since the Legislative Council resumed four months ago.

He has been a lawmaker for nearly 18 years and chairs Legco's public works subcommittee and transport panel.

And district council lawmaker Ip Kwok-him, also of the DAB, has raised only one question, on November 28, about the police communications system. The Liberal Party's Vincent Fang Kang, tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing and pan-democratic lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen have asked two questions. Chan Kam-lam and Ip said the DAB had decided to give their younger party colleagues an opportunity to ask questions, while the veterans saved their quotas.

"If we ask too many questions now, it might be more difficult to raise queries [later]," Chan said. He was referring to the Legco practice that members who ask more questions get lower priority in future. "There are also more lawmakers in Legco now, so we have to wait longer," Ip said.

Yiu and Raymond Chan said they were still familiarising themselves with Legco. Fang could not be reached for comment.

DAB members, including Quat and Gary Chan Hak-kan, and the Civic Party's Kenneth Chan were among the six who have raised nine questions or motions so far. But social welfare sector lawmaker Cheung, of the Labour Party, surpassed them all - with 10 questions and motions.

In 2011-12, Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, Samson Tam Wai-ho and David Li Kwok-po did not move a single motion or amendment, a Catholic Monitors report said.