Secretary for the Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said he will be more attentive in making speeches following criticisms he was using "math magic" to downplay electricity tariff hikes of up to 45 percent from January.
Tse said he did not mean to hide or downplay the hikes in an environmental affairs panel meeting Tuesday.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Tse's bureau wrote: "The opening speech was to introduce the authorities' role in regulating the two power companies and negotiations with them on tariff review."
Legislative Council members slammed Tse for saying the hikes were, in comparison to tariffs for this month, 6.4 percent for CLP Power and 5.5 percent for Hongkong Electric, when the increases were, when measured annually, up to 19.7 percent and 45.6 percent.
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king said the contract with the power giants will expire in 2033, and a midterm review will be held soon.
"They failed to shoulder social responsibility while passing on the crisis to the community in a monopolized market," she said.
Kwok Wai-keung from the Federation of Trade Unions said he questioned whether the power giants should get the full 8 percent guaranteed profit under the scheme of control agreement.
"If both power companies refuse to budge, can we allow new companies to join our future development plans so we can increase competition?" he asked.
Caterers had mixed opinions on whether restaurants would pass on the increased tariff to customers.
Institute of Dining Professionals president Ray Chui Man-wai said a pricier menu would be inevitable but some eateries dared not increase prices amid a poor economy.
He urged implementation of the hikes in phases, as the restaurant power bills will rise by 3 percent after the hike.
