(Translation)
Minutes of the 18th Meeting of Sham Shui Po District Council (5th Term) under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Date: 6 November 2018 (Tuesday) Time: 9:30 a.m. Venue: Conference Room, Sham Shui Po District Council
Present
Chairman Mr CHEUNG Wing-sum, Ambrose, BBS, MH, JP
Members Mr CHAN Kwok-wai Mr CHAN Wai-ming, MH, JP Ms CHAN Wing-yan, Joephy (Arrived at 10 a.m.) Mr CHENG Wing-shun, Vincent, MH Ms CHOW Wing-heng, Zoé Mr CHUM Tak-shing (Arrived at 10:35 a.m.) Mr HO Kai-ming, Kalvin (Left at 3:55 p.m.) Mr KONG Kwai-sang (Arrived at 10:15 a.m.) Mr LAM Ka-fai, Aaron, BBS, JP (Arrived at 11:45 a.m.) Ms LAU Pui-yuk Mr LEE Tsz-king, Dominic (Left at 4 p.m.) Mr LEE Wing-man Mr LEUNG Man-kwong Mr LEUNG Yau-fong Ms NG Mei, Carman (Left at 1:40 p.m.) Ms NG Yuet-lan (Arrived at 9:35 p.m.) Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, MH, JP Mr WAI Woon-nam (Left at 1:40 p.m.) Mr WONG Tat-tung, Dennis, MH, JP Mr YAN Kai-wing (Left at 4 p.m.) Mr YEUNG Yuk (Arrived at 9:40 a.m.) Mr YUEN Hoi-man
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In Attendance Mr LEE Kwok-hung, Damian, JP District Officer (Sham Shui Po) Miss MAN Ka-wing, Kelly Assistant District Officer (Sham Shui Po) 1 Miss LUI Hiu-wei, Michelle Assistant District Officer (Sham Shui Po) 2 Ms CHAN Tsz-yee, Emily Senior Liaison Officer 1, Sham Shui Po District Office Miss LAU Sze-nga, Vivicia Senior Liaison Officer 2, Sham Shui Po District Office Ms CHAN Siu-ping, Daphne Senior Liaison Officer 3, Sham Shui Po District Office Mr TAM Kin-fai, Simon Senior Liaison Officer 4, Sham Shui Po District Office Ms WONG Mei-yee, Amy Police Community Relations Officer (Sham Shui Po District), Hong Kong Police Force Ms CHAN Wing-mee Deputy District Commander (Sham Shui Po), Hong Kong Police Force Mr LEE Wai-man, Raymond Chief Engineer/South 1, South Development Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms CHAU Fung-mui, Wendy District Social Welfare Officer (Sham Shui Po), Social Welfare Department Ms LEE Shuk-ling, Agnes District Leisure Manager (Sham Shui Po), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr SUM Siu-hin District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Sham Shui Po), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr WONG Lap-yan, Ivan Chief Health Inspector 1 (Sham Shui Po), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr TSE Chick-lam Chief Manager/Management (Kowloon West and Sai Kung), Housing Department Miss AU Mei-lin, Rebecca Senior Housing Manager (Kowloon West and Sai Kung 2), Housing Department Miss PO Pui-man, Karen Chief Transport Officer/Kowloon, Transport Department Mr WONG Chi-tak, Keith Senior Transport Officer/Sham Shui Po, Transport Department Mrs YEUNG HO Poi-yan, Ingrid, JP Permanent Secretary for Education Mr CHAN Fu-man Principal Education Officer (Hong Kong and Kowloon), Education Bureau Ms KAN Hoi-yan, Amanda Chief School Development Officer (SSP), Education Bureau
Secretary Ms HO Kam-ping, Jennifer Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Sham Shui Po District Office
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Opening Remarks
The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments to the eighteenth meeting of the Sham Shui Po District Council (“SSPDC”) (5th term). He also said that Ms Daphne CHAN, Senior Liaison Officer 3 and Mr Simon TAM, Senior Liaison Officer 4 of the Sham Shui Po District Office (“SSPDO”) would attend the future meetings; Ms CHAN Wing-mee, Deputy District Commander (Sham Shui Po) of the Hong Kong Police Force (“HKPF”) would attend today’s meeting in place of Mr HO Kai-hin, Tony; Mr Keith WONG, Senior Transport Officer/Sham Shui Po of the Transport Department (“TD”) would attend the meeting in the afternoon in place of Miss Karen PO; Miss Rebecca AU, Senior Housing Manager (Kowloon West and Sai Kung 2) of the Housing Department would attend the meeting in the morning in place of Mr TSE Chick-lam. The Chairman also took this opportunity to thank Ms NG Suk-min, Senior Liaison Officer 3 who had been transferred out for her contribution to this District Council (“DC”) during her tenure.
Item 1: Confirmation of minutes of the 17th meeting held on 4 September 2018
2. The minutes of the 17th meeting were confirmed without amendment.
Item 2: Permanent Secretary for Education meets with Members of Sham Shui Po District Council
3. The Chairman, on behalf of SSPDC, extended welcome to Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP, Permanent Secretary for Education, and the representatives of the Education Bureau (“EDB”) accompanying her to the meeting.
4. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG said that (i) she was happy to visit SSPDC and meet with Members. She hoped that Members could express their views on education issues; (ii) the Current-term Government valued quality education and was willing to invest in the hope that education quality in Hong Kong could be enhanced.
5. Ms Amanda KAN, with the aid of PowerPoint, introduced the latest situation of Hong Kong’s education, including resources allocated to education by the Government, types of schools in Sham Shui Po District (“SSP District”), kindergarten (“KG”) education, primary and secondary education, major improvement measures in primary and secondary education, post-secondary education, vocational and professional education and training (“VPET”), as well as the way forward in education.
6. Mr Vincent CHENG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether EDB would renovate or rebuild old school premises as both supporting facilities - 4 - Action by and space of old school premises were inadequate; (ii) the “Opening up School Facilities for Promotion of Sports Development Scheme” (“Opening up School Facilities Scheme”) encouraged schools to open up their facilities to sports organisations for holding sports activities. However, there was no pairing for any schools in the district. He enquired about the number of applications submitted by schools in the district and hoped that the Bureau could assist in pairing; (iii) parents reflected that the subsidies to poor students were inadequate under the $2.5 billion Student Activities Support Fund (“SAS Fund”). He enquired whether the Bureau would raise improvement proposal so that more students would benefit from it.
7. Mr WAI Woon-nam raised the following views and enquiries: (i) school premises in the district, such as SKH Kei Oi Primary School (“KOPS”), were relatively old. He suggested renovating old or vacant school premises (“VSP”) for use by the aforesaid school. He also hoped that the Bureau could follow up on inadequate supporting facilities in school premises in the district; (ii) many KGs in the district had to borrow community halls for holding graduation ceremonies. However, it was not easy to make a booking. He hoped that the Bureau could assist in this regard.
8. Mr Dominic LEE said that residents of Yau Yat Chuen hoped that school net 41 could cover Yau Yat Chuen. He pointed out that: (i) Yau Yat Chuen was located closer to schools in school net 41. Based on the principle of vicinity in allocating school places, Yau Yat Chuen should be covered by school net 41; (ii) Yau Yat Chuen was located at the junction of SSP District and Kowloon Tong District. Residents were confused by different delineation of boundaries by different Government departments and organisations; (iii) population in SSP District would increase substantially. If Yau Yat Chuen was covered by school net 41, it would alleviate the shortage of school places in the district effectively.
9. Ms Carman NG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) school social workers were relatively important to school children receiving pre-school education. She enquired whether EDB would consider providing social workers in KGs; (ii) she enquired whether free education would be extended to include pre-primary education; (iii) working families without hiring domestic helpers had a strong demand for day crèches and day nurseries. She hoped that the Bureau could keep an eye on the supply of such schools; (iv) public housing estates like So Uk Estate and Pak Tin Estate would soon be ready for intake. She hoped that the Bureau could make proper arrangement in advance to avoid toddlers to attend schools in other districts.
10. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG gave a consolidated response as follows:
(i) The Bureau was committed to enhancing the facilities of school premises - 5 - Action by
and had implemented large-scale School Improvement Programme, benefitting many schools. Following the completion of the Programme, the Bureau had also allocated resources to schools for emergency or routine repair, etc. Constrained by their sizes, some school premises were more suitable for reprovisioning. Since the supply of temporary school premises was limited, the reconstruction of school premises had to be conducted gradually. The Bureau would build new school or reprovision old school premises according to the demand in the district.
(ii) Quality Education Fund (“QEF”) Steering Committee, in response to the recommendation of the Government, had set aside $3 billion for the setting up of the Dedicated Funding Programme for Publicly-funded Schools. All publicly-funded primary and secondary schools (including special schools), schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme, and the KGs under the KG Education Scheme (“KG Scheme”) could apply for the fund through simplified procedures to launch school-based curriculum and student support measures, as well as relevant school improvement works and procurement of supplies. A total indicative value was set by QEF for each school for reference purposes only. The indicative value of projects from the KG sector was $500,000 and that of projects from the primary and secondary schools sectors (including special schools) was $2 million. Since the use of fund was one-off in nature, it was believed that most of the schools would tend to improve the hardware, such as establishing STEM laboratory.
(iii) The Bureau had all along been concerned about the situation of KOPS. A preliminary plan had been drawn up and it was hoped that the school premises could be improved in the next few years.
(iv) Not all VSP were suitable for reconstruction, reprovisioning or as temporary school premises. If school premises were too small, they would not be able to accommodate students of standard school premises after reconstruction, nor could they be used for temporary school premises. Besides, given the fire services requirements and height limit, if the site area of the old school premises was too small, the facilities and space of the school premises might still be inferior to the current standard after reconstruction.
(v) The use of community halls was very frequent. The Bureau might need to discuss with the Home Affairs Department (“HAD”) on how to facilitate KGs in holding graduation ceremonies. The Bureau hoped to strengthen - 6 - Action by
communication with the KG sector in order to help improve the situation.
(vi) The Labour and Welfare Bureau (“LWB”) and the Social Welfare Department (“SWD”) were planning the implementation of the Pilot Scheme on the Provision of Social Work Services in KGs. The Bureau would also reflect views to LWB.
(vii) Under the New KG Scheme, the Bureau hoped to maintain the diversity and flexibility of the KG sector. In principle, the existing subsidies should be sufficient for KGs to provide quality half-day (“HD”) services according to the standards prescribed by the Government. Over 90% of participating HD KGs would offer free places; other KGs would only charge school fees at a low level. Besides, the Scheme provided more subsidies to whole-day (“WD”) and long WD (“LWD”) KGs than HD KGs. Even under the co-payment basis between the Government and parents, the school fees that the parents had to pay would be at a low level as additional subsidies would be provided by the Government.
(viii) The supply of day crèches and day nurseries was under the purview of LWB. As working parents had greater demand for such services, the Bureau would relay the views to LWB.
(ix) Delineation of school nets was primarily based on district administration. There were only 10 primary schools in school net 41, while school net 40 had 21 primary schools. The competition for school places would become more intense if Yau Yat Chuen was reassigned from school net 40 to 41. When school places in school net 41 were inadequate, it would need to borrow school places from nearby school nets. Therefore, some school children might need to attend schools in other districts. It was hoped that both parents and residents of Yau Yat Chuen could understand the existing arrangement.
(x) SAS Fund was set up to replace the closing Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, SAS Fund would continue to provide support for students with financial needs to participate in life-wide learning (“LWL”) activities organised or recognised by schools. The Bureau would disburse the grant to schools according to the number of eligible students for deployment.
(xi) Besides, starting from the 2019/20 school year, EDB would offer “Life-wide Learning Grant” (“LWL Grant”) to schools. Both LWL - 7 - Action by
Grant and SAS Fund were measures for promoting LWL. The former subsidised schools to organise LWL activities for all students, while the latter provided support for students with financial needs to participate in LWL activities. The LWL Grants for a 24-class secondary school and a 24-class primary school were about $1.16 million and $0.74 million respectively each year, allowing schools to have abundant fund for implementing LWL.
(xii) Regarding the opening up of school facilities, some 130 schools indicated that they were willing to open up their school facilities to sports organisations. The Bureau and the Home Affairs Bureau (“HAB”) would collect views on the arrangement of pairing up schools with sports organisations for improvement of the scheme.
11. Mr YUEN Hoi-man raised the following views and enquiries: (i) whether the site at Mei Lai Road adjacent to Po Leung Kuk Tong Nai Kan Junior Secondary College would be used for upgrading sub-standard school premises; (ii) he reckoned that it was unfair to old schools as sub-standard school premises could only apply for VSP to enhance their facilities and space while new schools could have new school premises; (iii) the KG sector was striving for the establishment of pay scale for KG teachers and he enquired about the Bureau’s stance on the issue; (iv) he asked why the Mainland Exchange Programmes for primary and secondary students and the Sister School Scheme (“SSS”) did not extend to Taiwan. Students should gain a comprehensive understanding of China as Taiwan was part of the country.
12. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views and enquiries: (i) if the purpose of SSS was to broaden students’ horizons, it should be extended to all Chinese cities; (ii) the opening up of school facilities to the community required the collaborative efforts of HAB and EDB. While community facilities could not meet the demands, the sports organisations in the district could not pair up with any schools. He hoped that the Bureau could help promote relevant policy; (iii) WD KGs were more popular among parents. The number of WD KGs should increase with the additional provision of resources by the Government.
13. Ms NG Yuet-lan raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the student-to-teacher ratio in some schools in the district was rather high; she enquired whether the Bureau would consider implementing small class teaching (“SCT”); (ii) the support for special education in Hong Kong was inadequate. The resources the Bureau provided to schools for implementing special education were not enough. She hoped that the Bureau could facillitate schools in providing appropriate support to students. - 8 - Action by
14. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) he supported the Government’s policy on “single site, multiple use”. He suggested the Government build social welfare and medical facilities at the site in Mei Lai Road and let school sponsoring bodies (“SSB”) expand school premises at the same site; (ii) there were many vacant sites and school premises in SSP District. He hoped that the Government could consider the needs of the district first and optimise the use of the said sites to address the problem of insufficient school premises.
15. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG gave a consolidated response as follows:
(i) Public and private housing units in SSP District were expected to be completed in the next few years. The school-aged population in the district would peak in the 2022/23 school year. By then, the number of school-aged children between aged 6 and 11 would be 5 000 more as compared to the 2018/19 school year. Therefore, it was necessary to build new schools in the district. The Bureau was actively considering the construction of a primary school at the site in Mei Lai Road and would report to DC in due course.
(ii) Existing school premises were mostly individual buildings with 6-storey in height. The Bureau hoped that school premises could comply with the prescribed standards in security, fire services, lighting, ventilation, etc., so that students could attend class in a comfortable environment. The Bureau would communicate with the Architectural Services Department to examine how to improve the existing facilities.
(iii) There were not many VSP available in Kowloon district. If schools in the original district were given priority in using VSP, schools from other districts in Kowloon might object to the arrangement. The Bureau would make arrangement according to the urgency of reconstruction and preferences of schools.
(iv) Allocation of school premises for operating new school or reprovisioning purposes was generally conducted through the School Allocation Exercise in a fair and open manner. The School Allocation Committee was responsible for assessing applications from SSB, with quality of education being the prime considering factor.
(v) The Bureau would start to review the implementation of KG Education Scheme in mid-2019, including the possibility of establishing a pay scale for KG teachers. At present, aided primary and secondary schools had - 9 - Action by
drawn up pay scale for teachers. The funding mode was tied with several inter-connected components such as restrictions on class size and the number of classes. However, KGs were enjoying great flexibility at present. For instance, there was no School Places Allocation system, the number of students in the morning and afternoon sessions was different, the number of teachers required varied, and school enjoyed flexibility in deploying resources and manpower. Even though drawing up the pay scale for KG teachers was challenging, EDB had committed to examine the feasibility of it.
(vi) An international study revealed that a HD programme could achieve the requirements of the curriculum and allow relatively more time for young children to grow up with their family in a less-structured and more relaxing setting. In response to parents’ needs, the Bureau had revised the corresponding section of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (“HKPSG”). The provision of WD and HD KG places in new housing estates had been revised as 1:1 (i.e. 500 HD and 500 WD places for every 1 000 children in the age group of 3 to under 6). Therefore, the supply of WD places would increase.
(vii) EDB had various exchange programmes for subsidising students to participate in exchange activities in the Mainland or overseas. For instance, the SSS mentioned by Members aimed at broadening the horizons of primary and secondary students through the exchange tours to the Mainland. Besides, university students were subsidised to go on exchanges and internships in various places around the world, including the “Belt and Road” regions. Even though the existing subsidy schemes did not cover Taiwan, schools could arrange exchange activities according to their school-based needs.
(viii) Regarding special education, on top of the regular subventions provided to all public sector ordinary schools to cater for students’ basic needs, the Bureau also provided schools with additional resources to cater for students with special educational needs, including Learning Support Grant for hiring support services, employing additional manpower such as teachers and/or teaching assistants to facilitate teaching and special examination arrangements, etc.
(ix) Regarding the opening up of school facilities to the community, the Bureau was examining the parking of school buses in schools at night-time with TD to avoid road obstruction caused by school bus parking at roadside. However, considerations must be given to schools’ concern on security and - 10 - Action by
facilities management, etc., while opening up of school facilities.
(x) There had been a substantial increase in the number of school-aged Primary One (“P1”) students abruptly in the past few years. To meet the transient situation, the Bureau had implemented flexible measures based on the consensus reached with the school sector to increase the provision of P1 places, which include temporarily allocating more students per P1 class, operating time-limited schools, etc. It was expected that the number of school-aged P1 students would start to progressively decline to a stable level. These flexible measures would be adjusted or withdrawn in the light of the demand as planned. It was believed that this would effectively alleviate the impact arising from the decrease in student population. Besides, the Bureau would also invite schools which had not implemented SCT to submit proposals. The increase in student population would pose challenge to secondary schools, the Bureau had adopted measures based on the consensus reached with the school sector last year, such as “place reinstating” and “expansion of classes” to address the situation.
16. Mr CHAN Wai-ming raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he was concerned about the relocation and maintenance of schools operating in “matchbox-style” school premises. He hoped that schools could be reprovisioned in the original district during relocation to avoid affecting SSB, students and parents; (ii) he enquired about the effectiveness of the Opening up School Facilities Scheme and the role of EDB in the Scheme, including coordination and provision of incentives, etc.
17. Mr YAN Kai-wing raised the following views: (i) EDB had allocated substantial resources to implement national education. He agreed that it was necessary to nurture young people’s national awareness. However, he also hoped that EDB could implement national education in an open-minded and enlightened manner; (ii) the Bureau should avoid imposing too many restrictions on schools as these might not be useful in enhancing students’ learning interest.
18. Mr YEUNG Yuk raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the Government could implement WD education in existing KGs as soon as possible to unleash the potential of the women workforce and encourage working parents to give birth; (ii) he reckoned that the provision of social workers in KGs could offer emotional support to parents and students and facilitate school administration as well. He hoped that the Government could allocate additional resources for launching a scheme to provide social workers in KGs; (iii) he urged the Government to speed up the assessment of applications for VSP. - 11 - Action by
19. Mr LEUNG Yau-fong raised the following views: (i) KG teachers were very busy and the teacher-to-student ratio was undesirable. He hoped that the Government could draw up a pay scale for KG teachers and offer reasonable remuneration packages; (ii) KGs did not have additional resources for implementing integrated education; (iii) SCT could help students realise their potential and nurture talents. He hoped that EDB could allocate additional resources for implementing SCT.
20. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he reckoned that “no homework day” could prevent schools and students from putting too much emphasis on drilling for tests and examinations, thereby relieving pressure on teachers and students. He enquired whether EDB would implement “no homework day”; (ii) there was a general concept in the society that students needed to attend universities to have a bright future. He hoped that the Bureau would work on changing the views of the society and provide more pathways for students who did not attend universities.
21. Mrs Ingrid YUENG gave a consolidated response as follows:
(i) EDB had increased the number of university places in response to the demand of the society and provided multiple pathways like VPET for students. As people gave little regard to VPET, the Government had set up Task Forces to review different aspects of education, including the promotion of VPET and parent education. The Task Forces would submit a report to the Government by next year and the Government would consider the next step after studying the report.
(ii) Teachers could identify the strengths and weaknesses of students through examinations and homework, thereby helping students to make improvement. The quality of homework was far more important than quantities. The Bureau appealed to schools not to give students homework which focused on mechanical drilling and repeated copying, and those which would not enhance students’ learning interest. Besides, the Bureau also encouraged schools to provide more reading opportunities to students during long holidays and had substantially increased the Reading Grant disbursed to schools in the 2018/19 school year.
(iii) The Bureau would start to review the implementation of KG Education Scheme and examine the feasibility of drawing up a pay scale for KG teachers in mid-2019.
(iv) The number of primary students would drop soon. The Bureau and the school sector believed that it would provide a favourable condition for - 12 - Action by
more schools to implement SCT. The Bureau would continue to take practical approach to implement SCT and actively encourage schools which had fulfilled the conditions for implementing SCT to do so in the next few years.
(v) The public-sector schools in Hong Kong were operated by different SSB. The Bureau respected their teaching philosophies and gave them greater degree of freedom in operation. The Bureau would also like to appeal to SSB to fine tune their teaching styles in response to the development of the society and the world.
(vi) Regarding the WD KG places, the Bureau had revised the corresponding section in HKPSG. The operation of KGs was very flexible and diverse which allowed appropriate adjustment to meet parents’ demands quickly. A study also pointed out that young children receiving HD programme at schools would have relatively more time to grow up with their family in a less-structured and more relaxing setting, which were conducive to their development. Therefore, the basic principle of the new policy was to provide quality HD services which were affordable to parents, after taking into account the demand for WD KG places in the society.
(vii) When VSP were available, the Bureau would first examine whether they were needed to be reserved for school or other educational uses. If there was no VSP reallocation demand, the Bureau would inform the Planning Department (“PlanD”) for consideration of alternative long-term uses in accordance with the established mechanism. Besides, to optimise land resources, EDB would circulate, on a half-yearly basis, a list of VSP earmarked for educational use but suitable for short-term use to relevant bureaux/departments, with a view to identifying possible short-term use pending the deployment of such premises for the earmarked use.
(viii) The Bureau was of the view that students must have a basic knowledge on national affairs, the Basic Law and the country's Constitution before commenting on the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” in an objective manner. Schools were given sufficient room for implementing national education and designing their school-based curriculum according to the related curriculum framework.
22. The Chairman said that education issue would not be included into the follow-up matters. However, DC would closely follow up on various issues with EDB if necessary. - 13 - Action by
23. Mr YUEN Hoi-man requested the Bureau to submit the number of population as well as supply and demand for school places in SSP District after the meeting.
[Post-meeting note: The Secretariat had sent the information provided by EDB to Members on 11 January 2019.]
24. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu hoped that the Bureau could prepare in advance on issues of Members’ concerns, such as the opening up of school facilities, reprovisioning of old school premises, WD KGs, etc., to facilitate further discussions in future meetings of DC and committees.
25. The Chairman concluded as follows: (i) he thanked Mrs Ingrid YEUNG for attending this meeting. He believed that EDB would actively follow up on Members’ suggestions; (ii) DC would keep close contact with the Bureau and he hoped that the Bureau would improve the education environment according to the needs of district.
Agenda Item 3: Matters for discussion
26. Before proceeding to the discussion items, the Chairman said that he had received a request from Mr YAN Kai-wing for making a verbal statement. According to the Sham Shun Po District Council Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”), each Member had five minutes to deliver his verbal statement. He continued to say that according to Order 25 of the Standing Order, any statement and question made at or put to a meeting of the Council must be compatible with the functions of the Council. Since the case relating to the reconstruction of Pak Tin Estate had already entered legal proceedings, he reminded the Member that the statement he was about to make should not involve the said case.
27. Mr YAN Kai-wing read his verbal statement. The content was as follows:
“The Housing Department (“HD”) demolished the old Pak Tin Commercial Complex (“PTCC”) before the new complex, car park and ancillary facilities are completed, neglecting the fact that the frail and disabled residents need to access the Upper and Lower Pak Tin Estates by the lifts of PTCC. At the meeting of the Housing Affairs Committee (“HAC”) on 29 December 2017, members agreed that HD should defer the demolition of PTCC. However, PTCC was closed on 7 July 2018 as HD paid no heed to the appeal of DC and local residents’ needs. On 9 July, two days after PTCC was closed, a single elderly person fell on the street while travelling between the Upper and Lower Pak Tin Estates on foot. He sustained bone fracture and is wheelchair bound now. During the two months between July and August, a total of 12 cases involving elderly people sustained injuries from falling on the streets were reported in the Estate. - 14 - Action by
A District Member who is concerned about people’s livelihood will not sit still and will strive to fight for the frail, disabled and disadvantaged to the very end. Even under pressure from the Government, I shall continue to perform the duties as a District Member and will not back down. HD did not review its decision but instead it has taken legal action to stop the residents affected from speaking up. It is obvious that HD wanted to prevent the District Member from revealing its faulty planning and stop the residents affected from fighting for their reasonable rights. Now, the residents affected and I have become the defendants instead of complainants. It is the proof that various social problems can be solved by getting rid of the people who brought up the problems. When has Hong Kong become so ruleless? Lastly, I will try my very best to defend the residents and myself, and fight for justice. Otherwise, my current predicament will become yours tomorrow. Shame on political prosecution!”
(a) Reform on district policy: “Don’t let DC funds become the political resources of organisations taking part in elections” (SSPDC Paper 182/18)
28. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu introduced paper 182/18. He added that, to be fair, restriction on applying for DC funds in the motion would only apply to bodies which had sent their representatives to run for last election.
29. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong raised the following views: (i) he opposed the amendment in the motion. Before there was a clear definition of “political body”, it was inadvisable for the Council to include it in the fund allocation guidelines; (ii) many bodies applying for DC funds were registered under the Societies Ordinance, which had clear interpretation of whether the body was set up for elections. Therefore, it was unnecessary for DC to make classification again; (iii) a body had once applied for changing the co-organiser after its funding application was endorsed. The contact person of the co-organiser was a current-term Member. It was likely a tactic to avoid declaration of interest at the meeting. Therefore, restriction on applying for DC funds should not only be imposed on bodies which had sent their representatives to run for elections, application for amendment after funding application was endorsed should also be addressed.
30. Mr CHAN Wai-ming raised the following views: (i) the proposal in the motion was too broad-brush and brief, making one-sided generalisations. He opined that further discussion should be conducted before making a decision; (ii) he agreed that public money should be properly spent on district services; (iii) there were complaint handling and monitoring mechanisms in place to govern the use of DC funds. If Members and members of the public had substantial evidence, they should file a complaint.
31. Mr YUEN Hoi-man said that he supported the motion and reckoned that public - 15 - Action by officers should be “whiter than white”. DC should adopt more stringent guidelines for vetting funding applications to avoid suspicion.
32. Ms NG Yuet-lan raised the following views: (i) she reckoned that a body which had stated in its constitution that it would send representatives to run for elections, or indicated its political affiliation with Members, should not be allowed to get DC funds; (ii) it was unreasonable for a body which had political affiliation with Members to get millions of funds in the four-year term of DC, and it also aroused suspicion.
33. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views: (i) some bodies had stated that they had political affiliations with certain nominees in the 2015 DC Election, which had the essence of a political party in terms of political purpose, behaviour and action, etc. However, these bodies could still apply for DC funds because there was no political party law in Hong Kong, which was unreasonable; (ii) public money should be properly used on district purposes. Political bodies, political parties, bodies which had political affiliation with Members should not apply for funds; (iii) the motion had clearly defined what constituted political affiliation, which would facilitate the vetting of application for DC funds in the future.
34. Mr YAN Kai-wing enquired whether the last term mentioned in the motion meant the current term or last term.
35. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu responded that it meant last term and used the following example for explanation: a body which had never sent its representatives to run for elections could apply for the current-term DC funds. However, if a body sent its representatives to run for next DC Election, it could not apply for the next-term DC funds.
36. The Chairman raised the following enquiries: (i) the definition of a body which had sent its representatives to run for elections; (ii) whether political affiliation other than running for elections was included; (iii) whether an organisation affiliating or connecting with a political party was included.
37. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu responded as follows: (i) since the coverage of political affiliation was broad, the Government had the responsibility to give a clear definition. The motion just focused on the bodies which had sent representatives to run for last-term election; (ii) he was open-minded about extending the coverage of political affiliation but reckoned that it should be handled by phases. At the moment, DC should handle swiftly the content of the motion to avoid giving an impression to the public that Members endorsed funding applications submitted by their affiliated organisations. - 16 - Action by
38. The Chairman raised the following enquiries: (i) how to define if a candidate was representing a particular body to run for elections; (ii) how to handle cases where political affiliation existed but no declaration was made.
39. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu responded that it was up to the candidate to decide if false statement was made. It was not a factor to be considered when vetting applications for DC funds.
40. The Chairman said that the Government should make a clear definition of political affiliation.
41. Mr KONG Kwai-sang reckoned that if a body had sent representatives to run for elections or a candidate had indicated in his “Introduction to Candidate” booklet that he had political affiliation with a body, that body was considered as a political group.
42. Mr LEUNG Yau-fong raised the following views: (i) when a candidate declared his political affiliation in an election, there must be a purpose for doing so. It also served to reap certain political gain; (ii) there was no political party law in Hong Kong. However, it was political behaviour for a body sending its representatives to run for elections. Therefore, it should be regarded as a political group; (iii) DC should move with times by plugging the loopholes in the fund allocation guidelines.
43. Mr Vincent CHENG raised the following views: (i) DC had all along handled funding applications in an open and transparent manner. Each application had to go through multiple vettings; (ii) DC’s guidelines for vetting funding applications were more stringent than many public organisations. Deterring bodies that were passionate about serving the district from applying for DC funds was unfavourable to community development; (iii) the content of the motion was too broad-brush and lacked a clear definition of what counted as representatives were sent to run for elections before.
44. Mr CHAN Kwok-wai asked if the presenter would consider further promoting the idea of this motion outside the Council.
45. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu responded as follows: (i) he agreed that further discussion could be conducted to improve the fund allocation guidelines; (ii) if a candidate indicated his political affiliation in the document of the Electoral Affairs Commission, or indicated in his publicity materials that he represented a body, it should be treated as he was representing the body to run for elections.
46. Mr CHAN Wai-ming raised the following views: (i) he thought that it was too - 17 - Action by reckless to consider a body not eligible for applying for DC funds simply because it had sent its representatives to run for elections; (ii) the Council had all along agreed that the offices of Legislative Councillors or DC members, political parties/organisations were non-government organisations (“NGOs”). On the contrary, there was no consensus on the proposal in the motion.
47. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu responded as follows: (i) “NGOs” in the guidelines was just a general term. Any non-government organisations could be regarded as “NGOs”; (ii) he thought that clear definition should be set. A body would not be regarded as “NGO” as long as it had sent its representatives to run for last election, and thus not eligible for DC funds.
48. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) it was necessary to enhance the monitoring of the disposal of DC funds; (ii) the definition of political affiliation should be clarified. A body that had sent its representatives to run for last election was just one of the examples.
49. The meeting voted on Paper 182/18 by open ballot. The voting result was as follows:
For: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms Carman NG, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YAN Kai-wing, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (12)
Against: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
50. The Secretary announced the voting result: 12 Members voted for the motion, 11 Members voted against it. The Chairman declared that Paper 182/18 was endorsed.
51. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu urged the Chairman of the Community Affairs Committee (CAC) to examine the parts which should be revised in the fund allocation guidelines.
52. The Chairman noted the view.
53. The Chairman said that he had been notified by Mr CHAN Wai-ming before the meeting that he would make a verbal statement. - 18 - Action by
54. Mr CHAN Wai-ming made the verbal statement and it read as follows: “I, together with 11 members, including Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, myself, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG, made the following statement: the fund allocation guidelines of SSPDC have already set out clear regulations which served monitoring purposes. Members and members of the public can follow up on any suspected cases of bodies breaching the guidelines in the process of applying for funds. Therefore, the accusations against the Council without substantial evidence in the paper are unfair and unreasonable as it will tarnish the reputation of the Council. Besides, the paper defined that bodies which have sent their representatives to run for elections will not be regarded as NGOs. The definition is too reckless and simple and has deprived local bodies of the right to serve members of the public by applying for DC funds. Moreover, the paper has smeared those local bodies which have been serving the district for a long time in an unfair manner. We express our regrets on the said motion.”
(b) No council hegemony which had deprived Members of their rights to perform duties (SSPDC Paper 183/18)
55. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu introduced Paper 183/18.
56. Mr YAN Kai-wing raised the following views: (i) the situation mentioned in the paper had happened before in HAC and he had taken up the post of HAC Chairman again after the re-election; (ii) he supported the idea of the paper. However, having considered political ethics and personal morality, he would not express his stance on this issue.
57. The meeting voted on the motion moved by Mr TAM Kwok-kiu by open ballot and the result was as follows:
For: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms Carman NG, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (11)
Against: Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
- 19 - Action by
Abstain: Mr YAN Kai-wing (1)
58. The Secretary announced the voting result: 11 Members voted for the motion, 11 Members voted against it and 1 Member abstained. The Chairman said that according to the Standing Orders, the Chairman could have a casting vote. He casted an abstention vote and announced that the motion was not carried.
(c) Progress report on the 7th Hong Kong Games (SSPDC Paper 194/18)
59. Mr Aaron LAM introduced Paper 194/18.
60. The Chairman said that the leader of Sham Shui Po Delegation for the 6th Hong Kong Games (“HKG”) had been Mr Aaron LAM and the deputy leaders had been Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr YEUNG Yuk and Mr Kalvin HO.
61. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) she supported holding HKG but opined that the competitions were the same as before; (ii) Hong Kong’s squash teams had achieved great results in the Asian Games, and schools were now promoting rope skipping. She suggested that these two sports be added to HKG to make it more diversified.
62. Mr Aaron LAM responded that: (i) he supported adding squash and rope skipping. However, as the organisation work of the 7th HKG had commenced, it was difficult to add new competitions at this stage; (ii) he suggested that DC write to the Organising Committee (“OC”) of HKG requesting it to add squash and rope skipping to the next HKG, so as to promote sports development in districts.
63. Ms Agnes LEE responded that: (i) as the organisation work of this HKG was nearly completed and the Department had announced the competitions to be held in this HKG, it was difficult to add new competitions; (ii) the Department would reflect Members’ views to OC of HKG, hoping that the competitions concerned would be added to the next HKG.
64. The Chairman concluded that: (i) DC would write to OC of HKG to put forward the suggestions; (ii) after deliberation by Members, the meeting endorsed the designation of Mr Aaron LAM as the leader of the delegation and Ms Joephy CHAN, Ms Carman NG and Mr YEUNG Yuk as the deputy leaders of the delegation.
(d) Applications for DC funds (SSPDC Papers 159/18 & 212/18 to 224/18) - 20 - Action by
65. The Chairman reminded Members to declare interests in accordance with the Standing Orders. If a Member disclosed an interest, the Chairman had to decide whether he should speak or vote, should remain in the meeting as an observer, or should withdraw from the meeting.
Paper 212/18
66. The Chairman asked Member to consider the funding application for the Sham Shui Po District Fire Safety Committee to organise the “Sham Shui Po District Fire Safety Carnival cum Cheung Sha Wan Fire Station and Ambulance Depot Open Day” (Paper 212/18) and the amount was $137,000.
67. Since no Member voted against the application or abstained from voting, the Chairman declared that Paper 212/18 was endorsed unanimously by the Members present at the meeting.
Paper 213/18
68. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for Sham Shui Po Sports Association Limited to organise “Sham Shui Po District Christmas Eve Dancing Night 2018” (Paper 213/18) and the amount was $108,750.
69. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he expressed concerns on the expenditure items of the estimated cost of the activity being often higher than the standard cost. CAC and the Vetting Sub-Committee might have to review the Guidelines on the Use of Sham Shui Po District Council Funds for Community Involvement Projects (“DC Funds Guidelines”) and make corresponding amendments; (ii) he would abstain from voting in respect of this application.
70. The meeting voted on Paper 213/18 by open ballot.
71. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong (10)
Against: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (2) - 21 - Action by
Abstain: Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms Carman NG, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk (9)
72. The Secretary announced the voting result: 10 Members voted for the motion, 2 Members voted against it and 9 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 213/18 was endorsed.
Paper 214/18
73. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for Shamshuipo Council for the Promotion of Cultural & Recreational Services Ltd. to organise the “Sham Shui Po Cantonese Opera Show” (Paper 214/18) and the amount was $150,000.
74. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that since the expenditure items of the estimated cost of the activity were higher than the standard cost, he would abstain from voting in respect of this application.
75. The Chairman noted Member’s views.
76. The meeting voted on Paper 214/18 by open ballot.
77. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong (10)
Against: (0)
Abstain: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (10)
78. The Secretary announced the voting result: 10 Members voted for the motion, no Member voted against it and 10 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that - 22 - Action by
Paper 214/18 was endorsed.
Paper 215/18
79. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for the Sham Shui Po District Committee on Promotion of Civic Education to organise the “Community Caring Carnival” (Paper 215/18) and the amount was $155,000.
80. The meeting voted on Paper 215/18 by open ballot.
81. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
Against: (0)
Abstain: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (9)
82. The Secretary announced the voting result: 11 Members voted for the motion, no Member voted against it and 9 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 215/18 was endorsed.
Paper 216/18
83. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for the Sham Shui Po District Youth Programme Committee to organise “The Seventh Sham Shui Po Youth Festival: Sham Shui Po Youth Performance cum Outstanding Youth Prize Award Ceremony” (Paper 216/18) and the amount was $150,000.
84. The meeting voted on Paper 216/18 by open ballot.
85. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, - 23 - Action by
Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
Against: Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan (2)
Abstain: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (7)
86. The Secretary announced the voting result: 11 Members voted for the motion, 2 Members voted against it and 7 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 216/18 was endorsed.
87. Ms NG Yuet-lan said that she opposed this funding application as the expenditure items of the estimated cost of the activity were higher than the standard cost.
Paper 217/18
88. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for the Sham Shui Po District Central and South Area Committee (“CSAC”) to organise the “Sham Shui Po Central & South Elderly Feast” (Paper 217/18) and the amount was $143,900.
89. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the organiser should not launch the activity before the funding application was endorsed. Considering that tickets for the activity were scheduled to be on sale in early November this year, the organiser might have already carried out publicity work. Such situation was not desirable; (ii) he hoped that SSPDO would give a response.
90. Miss Vivicia LAU responded that CSAC would launch the activity only after the funding application was endorsed.
91. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu was dissatisfied that CSAC had applied for funding only when the activity was about to commence. He requested CSAC to carry out publicity as soon as the funding was endorsed and would abstain from voting in respect of this application.
92. The meeting voted on Paper 217/18 by open ballot.
93. The voting result was as follows: - 24 - Action by
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr Dennis WONG (16)
Against: (0)
Abstain: Mr Kalvin HO, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu (3)
94. The Secretary announced the voting result: 16 Members voted for the motion, no Member voted against it and 3 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 217/18 was endorsed.
Paper 218/18
95. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for the Sham Shui Po East Area Committee (“EAC”) to organise the “Sham Shui Po East Elderly Feast in Celebration of National Day 2018” (Paper 218/18) and the amount was $133,700.
96. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that to his knowledge, launching an activity before the funding application was endorsed did not comply with the DC Funds Guidelines. Since EAC would soon put the tickets for the activity on sale, he enquired whether the Committee had carried out publicity work already.
97. Ms Daphne CHAN responded that EAC would launch the activity only after the funding application was endorsed.
98. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he agreed with the arrangements of the Committee; (ii) Mr LEE Wing-man was the Chairman of the coordinating group for the activity, and the ticket sales outlets for the activity included the office of The Federation of Hong Kong & Kowloon Labour Unions (“FHKKLU”). Taking into account the availability of other ticket sales outlets in that constituency (Nam Cheong South) and the motion endorsed in agenda item 3(a), he opined that the ticketing arrangement was inappropriate and the relevant Member should avoid suspicion; (iii) as EAC had not yet carried out publicity work for the activity, he reckoned that the locations of ticket sales outlets could be amended.
99. Mr LEUNG Yau-fong opined that EAC should amend the locations of ticket sales - 25 - Action by outlets. He would vote against this application if the Committee insisted on selling tickets at the office of FHKKLU.
100. The Chairman noted Members’ views. As far as he knew, it was a usual arrangement for this activity to sell tickets at the office of FHKKLU.
101. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that as Mr LEE Wing-man had represented FHKKLU to participate in the previous DC Election, the ticketing arrangement for this activity would arouse suspicion and affect public perception.
102. The Chairman said that taking into consideration the motion (Paper 182/18) endorsed in agenda item 3(a), he asked other Members to raise their views on whether amending the locations of ticket sales outlets would affect the activity for reference in order to avoid disputes.
103. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that there were other ticket sales outlets in the constituency in which the office of FHKKLU was located.
104. Mr LEUNG Yau-fong said that he found it relatively more reasonable that other ticket sales outlets were located in different constituencies.
105. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) he asked Members to consider whether there was a need to further restrict organisations which had sent their own representatives to run for DC or Legislative Council Elections from participating in any activity subsidised by DC, such as assisting in selling tickets; (ii) since the motion endorsed earlier did not provide a clear definition, he asked the Member who had moved the motion to give a response.
106. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the motion of Paper 182/18 and the ticketing arrangement for this activity should be viewed separately. He reiterated that he was only advising the Council to be in line with the spirit of the motion; (ii) there were other ticket sales outlets in the constituency in which the office of FHKKLU was located, the public might speculate that the locations of ticket sales outlets were a kind of special arrangement for Mr LEE Wing-man who was the Chairman of the coordinating group for the activity. He suggested Mr LEE pay attention to the potential conflict of interests; (iii) he asked the Chairman and Mr LEE to decide on their own whether to be in line with the spirit of the motion. He had no other views on that but his voting intention would depend on the decisions made by the Chairman and Mr LEE.
107. Mr Dennis WONG raised the following views: (i) the motion of Paper 182/18 - 26 - Action by focused on the organisations applying for DC funds. He understood that Members were concerned about the background of the organisation which would assist in selling tickets, but the nature of the two issues was different; (ii) the ticketing arrangement for the activity did not need to be discussed by DC and he suggested the arrangement be decided by the organiser.
108. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu opined that the above suggestion was not feasible. Since the procedures for amending the details of the activity were complicated, his voting intention would be based on the information provided in the funding application document.
109. Mr LEE Wing-man raised the following views: (i) the ticketing arrangement for the activity should be handled by EAC. Although Mr TAM Kwok-kiu was the member of the Committee, he had not raised relevant views in the Committee. He suggested him participate actively in the work of the Committee; (ii) the locations of ticket sales outlets for the activity were proposed with reference to past practices and they were not newly added after he became the Chairman of the coordinating group.
110. Mr LEUNG Yau-fong said that he would oppose this application if EAC did not intend to change the locations of ticket sales outlets.
111. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he strongly opposed the response of Mr LEE Wing-man and pointed out that he himself participated in the work of EAC actively; (ii) he aimed to give a warm reminder concerning the ticketing arrangement for the activity. If Members reckoned that it was not necessary to avoid suspicion, he would not have any other views.
112. The Chairman gave his ruling as follows: the motion of Paper 182/18 mainly concerned the eligibility of the organisations applying for DC funds. As the spirit of the motion was not clear, he would not extend the spirit of the motion to other details of the activities and ruled that the applicant organisation was not required to amend the ticketing arrangement at this stage. He then suggested relaying Members’ views to EAC for follow up.
113. The meeting voted on Paper 218/18 by open ballot.
114. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Ms Carman NG, Mr Dennis WONG - 27 - Action by
(12)
Against: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (9)
Abstain: Mr CHUM Tak-shing (1)
115. The Secretary announced the voting result: 12 Members voted for the motion, 9 Members voted against it and 1 Member abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 218/18 was endorsed.
Paper 219/18
116. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for Sham Shui Po Arts Association Limited to organise “Sham Shui Po Arts and Golden Songs” (Paper 219/18) and the amount was $137,100.
117. The meeting voted on Paper 219/18 by open ballot.
118. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms Carman NG, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr Dennis WONG, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (18)
Against: (0)
Abstain: Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu (3)
119. The Secretary announced the voting result: 18 Members voted for the motion, no Member voted against it and 3 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 219/18 was endorsed.
Paper 159/18
120. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for The - 28 - Action by
HKSDRI Foundation Limited to organise “A Study on Unlicensed Hawkers in Sham Shui Po (Phase 2)” (Paper 159/18) and the amount was $160,000.
121. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) since the Environment and Hygiene Committee (“EHC”) had not discussed the study report on unlicensed hawkers in Sham Shui Po (Phase 1), this funding application had not yet been endorsed at the previous DC meeting; (ii) the relationship between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study was ambiguous; (iii) the views of residents and traders had been collected at Phase 1 of the study, yet the research organisation could not provide clear recommendations. This might be due to the complicated nature of the issue or the incapability of the research organisation. It was noted that the report on Phase 1 of the study had been submitted to members of EHC for their reference. However, he opined that the report on Phase 1 of the study should first be discussed by EHC to consider the necessity of Phase 2 of the study. There might be a waste of resources if the same research organisation was allowed to carry out Phase 2 of the study without prior discussion; (iv) he suggested Members consider this funding application prudently.
122. Ms LAU Pui-yuk responded as follows: (i) different stakeholders had their own views on the problem of unlicensed hawkers in the district. Their views had been collected at Phase 1 of the study and the research organisation had provided recommendations for reference of DC and government departments; (ii) the study would be consolidated at Phase 2. The Working Group on Markets, Street Traders and Food Safety (“WGMSTFS”) hoped to grasp the views of the residents on unlicensed hawkers or bazaars accurately through carrying out an in-depth investigation at Phase 2 of the study, thus there would not be a waste of public money; (iii) she hoped that Members would support Phase 2 of the study.
123. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu enquired about the focus of the consolidation of the study.
124. Ms LAU Pui-yuk responded as follows: (i) the research organisation would provide specific recommendations by making reference to policies or ways to handle the bazaar matters in other regions and collect the views of the residents on the street hawking activities of the hawkers; (ii) WGMSTFS had held an in-depth and comprehensive discussion on the content of the study.
125. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the methodology of Phase 1 of the study was comprehensive and the feedback was positive; (ii) the methodology of Phase 2 of the study was similar to that of Phase 1. He opined that WGMSTFS might attempt to collect other views at Phase 2 of the study because the results of Phase 1 of the study were different from those expected; (iii) he reiterated that the report on Phase 1 of the study should first be discussed by EHC. - 29 - Action by
126. The Chairman said that it was a usual practice to handle each study separately. Research organisations would generally carry out a study independently and submit a report upon completion of the study for the Council to take note of it.
127. The meeting voted on Paper 159/18 by open ballot.
128. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
Against: Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr YEUNG Yuk (6)
Abstain: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Ms Carman NG, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (5)
129. The Secretary announced the voting result: 11 Members voted for the motion, 6 Members voted against it and 5 Members abstained. The Chairman declared that Paper 159/18 was endorsed.
Paper 220/18
130. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education & Services Limited to organise “The MAD School in SSP” (Paper 220/18) and the amount was $12,650.
131. Since no Member voted against the application or abstained from voting, the Chairman declared that Paper 220/18 was endorsed unanimously by the Members present at the meeting.
Paper 221/18
132. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for The Association for the Advancement of Feminism to organise the “Gender Impact Assessment” (Paper 221/18) and the amount was $25,480.
133. Since no Member voted against the application or abstained from voting, the Chairman declared that Paper 221/18 was endorsed unanimously by the Members - 30 - Action by present at the meeting.
Paper 222/18
134. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for United Labour Chi Hong Association Limited (“ULCH”) to organise the “Flower Market Shuttle Bus 2019” (Paper 222/18) and the amount was $34,100.
135. Mr LEE Wing-man declared interests, stating that he was the Vice-chairman of ULCH.
136. Mr Aaron LAM declared interests, stating that he was the Consultant of ULCH.
137. The Chairman ruled that Mr LEE Wing-man and Mr Aaron LAM should not speak and vote but did not need to withdraw from the meeting.
138. Ms Zoé CHOW suggested arranging some of the shuttle buses to travel between Sham Shui Po East and Cheung Sha Wan Flower Fair in Sham Shui Po West.
139. Ms Carman NG raised the following views: (i) in view of the heavy pedestrian flow of the Flower Market, shuttle buses were necessary to facilitate the pedestrian flow; (ii) Cheung Sha Wan Flower Fair had less pedestrian flow; she suggested arranging shuttle buses to carry members of the public to that flower fair in order to increase the pedestrian flow.
140. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the Chairman of the Working Group on Festive Celebration and Publicity (“WGFCP”) had requested the organiser to amend its application, yet no substantial amendments had been made; (ii) he suggested introducing new shuttle bus routes to enhance the promotional effect. WGFCP could ask DC for additional resources if necessary.
141. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong responded that the Police did not have any views on the allocation arrangement for shuttle buses and only enquired whether the number of buses was sufficient to serve two flower markets.
142. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) introducing new shuttle bus routes could benefit the residents; (ii) WGFCP might require additional resources to follow up on the suggestion of introducing new routes; (iii) since it might be worth considering arranging shuttle buses to travel between the Flower Market and Cheung Sha Wan Flower Fair, he suggested that the funding for shuttle buses serving the Flower - 31 - Action by
Market only should not be considered first and suggested WGFCP request the organiser to amend the funding application again. The application could be handled by circulation if the schedule was tight.
143. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong responded as follows: (i) it was necessary to discuss with the Police the details of the arrangement first. If the Police approved the introduction of new routes, he did not oppose the allocation of additional resources; (ii) he did not have any views on handling the application by circulation.
144. Ms CHAN Wing-mee responded that the Police needed to study the feasibility of the suggestion first.
145. The Chairman asked WGFCP to follow up with the Police on the suggestion of introducing new shuttle bus routes first and handle the application by circulation after drawing a conclusion.
146. Mr CHAN Kwok-wai said that he wanted to know more about the details of the new routes.
147. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong responded that WGFCP would follow up on Members’ views.
Paper 223/18
148. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for Shamshuipo Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association (“SKWAA”) to organise the “Sham Shui Po Healthy Diet Promotion Programme” (Paper 223/18) and the amount was $280,000.
149. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) he noticed that the gifts to be distributed at activities subsidised by DC became more and more expensive. He urged the Chairman to ask relevant committees to review the standard cost in order to avoid affecting public perception and the image of DC; (ii) although the nature of the activity was worth supporting, he did not support this funding application.
150. The Chairman noted the above views.
151. Mr YUEN Hoi-man enquired about the details of the promotional souvenirs.
152. Mr LEE Wing-man responded that the promotional souvenir was milk powder - 32 - Action by which prevented osteoporosis.
153. Mr YUEN Hoi-man said that he opposed this application as the unit price of promotional souvenirs was too high.
154. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that the unit price of promotional souvenirs was too high and the definition was unclear; he found it difficult to support this application.
155. The Chairman asked the relevant working group to note Members’ views and monitor the situation.
156. The meeting voted on Paper 223/18 by open ballot.
157. The voting result was as follows:
For: Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
Against: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms Carman NG, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr WAI Woon-nam, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (11)
Abstain: (0)
158. The Secretary announced the voting result: 11 Members voted for the motion, 11 Members voted against it and no Member abstained. The Chairman said that according to the Standing Orders, the Chairman could have a casting vote when the votes for and against the Paper were equal. The Chairman voted for it and declared that Paper 223/18 was endorsed.
159. Mr CHUM Tak-shing said that more than half of the funding of the above application was used for purchasing gifts. He enquired whether such situation had occurred in the past.
160. Ms NG Yuet-lan was concerned about the unit price of souvenirs for the activity being too high and she hoped to study the summary report on this activity. - 33 - Action by
Paper 224/18
161. The Chairman asked Members to consider the funding application for SKWAA to organise the “Sham Shui Po Health Promotion Programme” (Paper 224/18) and the amount was $470,000.
162. Mr WAI Woon-nam raised the following views: (i) the amount of expenditure items in the funding application, such as purchasing health gifts and souvenirs for the activity and hiring masters of ceremonies, was much higher than the standard cost, and the situation was more serious than that of Paper 223/18. In view of this, he enquired about the information about the masters of ceremonies to be hired and the details of the gifts and souvenirs; (ii) he requested to check the photos of last year’s activity to allay his concerns.
163. Ms NG Yuet-lan raised the following views and enquiries: (i) there were some problems concerning the funding application document. For example, the unit price of gifts was so high that it did not comply with the funding principles of DC and it was inappropriate to subsidise these gifts by public money. She doubted that the relevant working group had not followed up on that in detail and requested to put her views on record; (ii) regarding the high cost of instructors’ fee for the activity, she enquired about the professional qualifications held by instructors for the stretching courses and the ground for the high cost of specialists who would carry out foot examination.
164. Mr LEE Wing-man responded as follows: (i) the Working Group on Healthy and Safe Community (“WGHSC”) had discussed the details of the activity; (ii) the organiser needed to look for instructors for the stretching courses via Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China (“PFA”) and pay the fixed-price instructors’ fee to the association. Members might enquire of PFA about the matters; (iii) the content of the activity included carrying out foot examination for participants by foot care specialists and providing custom-made insoles as a souvenir for joining the activity if necessary; (iv) in order to benefit more people in need, the organiser hoped to apply for sufficient resources first and make the insoles subject to the condition of the participants. The expense on souvenirs would be on an accountable basis; (v) he did not object to following up Members’ views in WGHSC.
165. The Chairman asked WGHSC to note Members’ views. As there was still sufficient time, he suggested the working group review the details of the activity with the organiser before submitting the application to DC for consideration.
166. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu agreed with the above suggestions and raised the following views: (i) this application reflected the limitations of DC on restricting the gifts and - 34 - Action by services to be provided in subsidised activities; (ii) the high cost of gifts for the activity violated the funding principles of DC.
167. The Chairman asked WGHSC to follow up on Members’ views and review the details of the activity.
(e) District development of Sham Shui Po (SSPDC paper 225/18)
168. The Chairman introduced Paper 225/18.
169. Mr YUEN Hoi-man said that most of the issues of concern in the paper had been discussed before in DC meetings, but he had reservations about the development of a multi-purpose building for education, social welfare and medical facilities at the open space in Mei Lai Road. He also enquired whether the above paper expressed DC’s stances on the issues.
170. The Chairman responded as follows: (i) no motions were moved in the above paper. Members were welcome to express their views; (ii) some Members had mentioned building a primary school at the open space in Mei Lai Road. Residents’ views had to be sought in respect of such suggestion and the discussion about it could be continued next year.
171. Ms LAU Pui-yuk raised the following views: (i) she thanked DC Chairman and Vice-chairman for submitting the above paper, which provided a clear direction for the future developments in the district; (ii) she supported the relocation of Pang Tsai and establishment of a cloth market; (iii) she hoped to promote the establishment of a bazaar at Yen Chow Street Hawker Bazaar or Tung Chau Street Temporary Market to boost the economy in the district; (iv) the progress on redevelopment of private buildings in the district was slow. She hoped that this issue would be discussed in future DC meetings and that the process could be expedited, with a view to improving the quality of living of the residents in the areas concerned and increasing housing supply.
172. Mr Vincent CHENG raised the following views: (i) he thanked DC Chairman and Vice-chairman for submitting a paper about the district development of Sham Shui Po in the future; (ii) many people in the district who were on the waiting list for public rental housing (“PRH”) were currently living in sub-divided units. However, rental prices kept increasing, which made their lives even harder. He hoped that feasible short, medium and long-term housing measures would be discussed in future DC meetings. He also urged the Transport and Housing Bureau (“THB”) to construct transitional housing as soon as possible to solve the acute housing problem in the district; (iii) the Policy Address had earlier mentioned and supported the redevelopment of Tai Hang Sai - 35 - Action by
Estate, but no government department had followed up yet. He hoped that THB or HD could provide suitable units to house the residents affected by the redevelopment. The Council could also discuss the issue proactively with relevant government departments to accelerate the redevelopment progress; (iv) he hoped that the Council would communicate with government departments to address issues relating to the redevelopment of Shek Kip Mei Estate; (v) medical facilities in Cheung Sha Wan were insufficient and failed to cope with residents’ needs. He hoped that the expansion plan of Caritas Medical Centre could be included in the district development of Sham Shui Po.
173. The Chairman said that he agreed with Members’ views. He pointed out that revitalisation of industrial buildings and construction of transitional housing could be implemented as short-term measures to increase housing supply.
174. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views and enquiries: (i) Paper 225/18 drew a mid-term conclusion for the current-term Council by listing the issues that had been discussed by the Council in the past two to three years. However, the discussions about most of the issues were still ongoing; (ii) some Pang Tsai hawkers had expressed worries about the completion of relocation in 2019 and 2020. They opined that the Government had not been handling the relocation proactively and only relied on the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) to communicate with them. However, the establishment of the cloth market could not be done solely by a single government department. Therefore, he requested that 2019 and 2020 not be used as the time frame for the relocation of Pang Tsai; (iii) various district developments required active cooperation from the government departments. However, submission of written responses by departments in meetings might not be enough. He hoped that the Chairman would request departments to send representatives to attend meetings.
175. The Chairman responded as follows: (i) the paper mentioned that it was hoped that the relocation of Pang Tsai could be completed in 2019 and 2020 but this could be handled flexibly. The aim of setting the time frame was to provide an indicator for the department concerned, urging it to accelerate the process; (ii) regarding the district development projects mentioned in the paper, he would request the government departments concerned to discuss with the Council directly. For example, the Council would urge the departments to implement the redevelopment of Tai Hang Sai Estate with the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation Limited as soon as possible and would urge THB to speed up the construction of transitional housing and the redevelopment of old housing estates; (iii) he asked the representatives from government departments present at the meeting about their views on the above paper.
176. The District Officer said that the nine projects mentioned in the paper involved different policy agendas. SSPDO would, as always, coordinate the efforts of different - 36 - Action by government departments and try its best to promote and implement the policies DC supported.
177. Ms Agnes LEE responded as follows:
(i) The Leisure and Cultural Services Department paid close attention to the cultural and leisure services as well as the recreational and sports facilities in SSP District. The 2017 Policy Address had included a new sports centre at Lai Chi Kok as one of the projects for conducting technical feasibility study in the next five years.
(ii) The Department was looking into the proposed development area of the above sports centre proactively and hoped to submit a discussion paper in the 18th meeting of the District Facilities Committee (“DFC”) to seek members’ views.
[Post-meeting note: The Department submitted a paper (DFC Paper 86/18) in the 18th DFC meeting on 15 November this year for discussion by members.]
178. Mr Vincent CHENG said that he hoped SSPDO would pass on the suggestions put forward by the Council on transitional housing to THB and also hoped that the Bureau would work out the details as soon as possible.
179. The District Officer responded that SSPDO had been discussing the construction of transitional housing with THB and would report to DC on the progress in a timely manner.
180. Mr Keith WONG responded as follows:
(i) TD had carried out an assessment in respect of the establishment of an underground car park and confirmed that it was necessary to construct an underground public car park at the “Government, Institution or Community” site in Po Lun Street in Sham Shui Po to address the demand for parking spaces.
(ii) The Department would use the number of parking spaces in the temporary public car park near the site and its usage rate as well as the parking situations in nearby streets as references, and carry out a technical assessment with the Architectural Services Department to determine the number of public parking spaces to be built. - 37 - Action by
181. Mr SUM Siu-hin responded as follows:
(i) FEHD had spared no effort to improve the environmental hygiene in SSP District and held a number of talks on hygiene as well as on mosquito and rodent control for schools, housing estates, hawkers, licensed restaurants, market stalls, etc. for publicity and education purposes.
(ii) To combat fly-tipping, the staff of the Department had personally distributed over 2 000 letters in “three-nil buildings” to inform the residents of the locations of FEHD’s refuse collection points nearby. They had also taken the initiative to cover the damaged parts of the back doors and metal gates facing rear lanes with wire mesh for “three-nil buildings” and installed rat guards at pipes.
(iii) The Department had set up mobile broadcast stations in Pei Ho Street Market, Po On Road Market, Lai Wan Market and Un Chau Street Municipal Services Building, appealing to the public to step up cleansing as well as anti-mosquito and anti-rodent work.
(iv) The Department had taken the initiative to contact HD for inspection of anti-mosquito and anti-rodent facilities in housing estates, provision of professional and technical advice on mosquito and rodent control as well as enhancement of anti-rodent measures in the peripheries of housing estates.
(v) The Department had introduced the first street washing vehicle equipped with a high pressure hot water floor washing device in Hong Kong in March this year for washing streets and removing stubborn stains. As the outcome was significant, five street washing vehicles would be put into service starting from January 2019 to enhance the street washing service.
(vi) The rainy season and the typhoon earlier might have affected rodents’ area of activity and rodenticides might have been washed away as a result of the Department’s frequent cleansing work at rear lanes. The Department had noticed such situation in September this year, and therefore, it would refill rodenticides after heavy rains and request its staff not to place rodenticides until they had finished cleansing rear lanes.
182. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) he thanked FEHD for making efforts to improve the environmental hygiene problems in SSP District and the outcomes were obvious; (ii) he suggested the Department use overseas pest control methods as - 38 - Action by references, adding sterilising or contraceptive ingredients into rodenticides to reduce the reproduction rate.
183. Mr TSE Chick-lam responded as follows:
(i) The construction of Hoi Ying Estate had recently been completed and people would start moving in late this month or early next month.
(ii) The construction of Lai Tsui Court (formerly named as Lai Chi Estate) in Tonkin Street was expected to be completed next year.
(iii) The construction of many housing estates in West Kowloon area would be completed in the next two years, which would improve the housing supply in the district.
184. Ms Wendy CHAU responded as follows:
(i) SWD was constantly looking for suitable land sites in districts for construction of social welfare facilities and paid close attention to the development projects in the district. The Department was willing to cooperate with PlanD and other government departments and explore the feasibility of setting up suitable social welfare facilities in individual development projects, taking into consideration the locations, areas, nearby environment, service supply and demand, etc. of these projects.
(ii) The Department was gradually adding social welfare facilities into the development projects in the district, such as those of So Uk Estate, Pak Tin Estate, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Hai Tan Street/Kweilin Street, Pei Ho Street, etc.
185. The Chairman raised the following views: (i) apart from government land, he hoped that SWD would proactively add social welfare facilities into development projects on private land, such as Tai Hang Sai Estate, so as to support the overall development of the community; (ii) if the closure of Cheung Sha Wan Cooked Food Market and the implementation of the Yuen Fat/Kerry project was confirmed, he hoped that SWD could consider building social welfare facilities at these locations.
186. Mr Raymond LEE responded as follows:
(i) The Civil Engineering and Development Department had completed the - 39 - Action by
demolition of the buildings used previously as Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir this year and had passed the site to HD for construction of public housing.
(ii) The Department was carrying out Sham Mong Road/Tonkin Street West footbridge works as planned.
(iii) The above works together with the proposed Sham Mong Road/ Hing Wah Street West and Sham Mong Road/Yen Chow Street West footbridge works would create a sound pedestrian network, providing 24-hour barrier-free access roads that were safe and convenient for nearby schools and residential complexes (including the development project of HD at the Northwest Kowloon Reclamation Site 6, Aqua Marine, the development project above MTR Nam Cheong Station, etc.). The said works would also strengthen the connection of the section of Sham Mong Road between Hing Wah Street West and Yen Chow Street West with major streets nearby.
187. The Chairman enquired when the Sham Mong Road/Tonkin Street West footbridge (bridge no. 2) would be opened.
188. Mr Raymond LEE responded that the works concerned were expected to be completed in the third quarter of next year.
189. The Chairman said that the Police had spared no effort to maintain law and order in the district and helped handle the street sleeper problem proactively. He then said that the views concerned and the above paper were noted by the Council, if Members had no other enquiries.
(f) The “Lantau Tomorrow” plan is a waste of manpower and money Strongly oppose the Government “reclaiming land blindly” (SSPDC Paper 226/18)
190. Ms NG Yuet-lan introduced Paper 226/18.
191. The Chairman said that the Secretariat had invited the Development Bureau (“DEVB”) to attend the meeting but the party concerned could not send representatives to attend the meeting. He asked Members to refer to the written response by DEVB (Paper 238/18).
192. Mr YUEN Hoi-man said that the stance of the Democratic Party on the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan was as follows: (i) the Democratic Party did not oppose all reclamation - 40 - Action by plans. However, the Chief Executive had put forward the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan in the Policy Address abruptly, and the proposal concerned was not the “East Lantau Metropolis development” plan the Task Force on Land Supply had been discussing all along. The Party opined that this was improper, and therefore opposed the plan; (ii) the figures provided by advocates and critics of reclamation were all not very accurate and were merely projections; (iii) if the reclamation project was carried out using the bundling approach, the 1 700-hectare reclamation works would create tremendous financial pressure on the Government. The Party opined that the Government needed to formulate a halfway-out proposal for the plan; (iv) the Party requested the Government to carry out public consultations seriously.
193. Mr Vincent CHENG raised the following views: (i) he opposed the motion which requested the Government to withdraw the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan in the paper because it was a very irresponsible act to cancel the plan lightly before knowing the details; (ii) he deeply understood the predicament of waiting anxiously for PRH that residents of sub-divided units were in. Also, the overall land supply in Hong Kong was not enough to support its development in the long term; (iii) the figures in the paper were merely estimates made by members of the public. They were not actual figures, and thus had no reference value; (iv) he hoped that the Government could provide more documents to enable the public to understand it; (v) the Sustainable Lantau Office had been in operation for many years and the Government had announced the Sustainable Lantau Blueprint. Therefore, it was incorrect to say that the Government had never discussed the development of Lantau Island.
194. Mr KONG Kwai-sang said that the stance of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood (“ADPL”) on the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan was as follows: (i) many land sites in Hong Kong, such as brownfield sites, sites of military camps, government sites, etc., were available for use currently. The Government had put forward the reclamation plan without planning carefully how to make good use of the said sites in the first place, which was not an ideal practice; (ii) according to the earlier discussion about Hong Kong 2030+, 200 to 300 hectares of land would be enough to satisfy the future housing demand in Hong Kong. In-depth studies on how to use existing land resources should be conducted first, with a view to making good use of idles sites to satisfy the demand; (iii) ADPL opposed the “Lantau Tomorrow” development plan.
195. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu raised the following views: (i) the incumbent Chief Executive had been chosen through “small circle” election, lacking public’s mandate. He doubted whether the Government could decide the future long-term development on behalf of Hong Kong and use $500 to 1,000 billion of the reserves without consultation; (ii) reclamation was not necessary to solve the problem of residents of sub-divided units - 41 - Action by waiting painfully for PRH. Simply by buying back Tai Hang Sai Estate, the Government could have a site to construct housing, fulfilling the housing need in the short term. He hoped that Members would not use the pressing problems in the district as an excuse to support the Government.
196. Mr Kalvin HO raised the following views: (i) as it was expected that the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan would not start to supply housing until 20 years later, the plan could not solve the pressing housing problems of residents of sub-divided units in the short term; (ii) there were 19 military sites in Hong Kong, covering 2 700 hectares of land in total. Most of the sites were in prime urban locations and the infrastructures nearby were well developed. It would already be enough if half of the land could be rezoned for development use; (iii) sites under private recreational leases should be well used. For example, the Fanling Golf Course site should be taken back for housing development, which could benefit hundreds of thousands of people; (iv) transitional housing or PRH could be constructed in idle government sites; (v) instead of using methods that could immediately solve the housing problems, the Government chose to waste public money on reclamation.
197. Mr LEUNG Man-kwong raised the following views: (i) the response paper clearly stated that the suggestion about reclaiming 1 000 hectares of land had been made based on an option proposed by the Task Force on Land Supply for the “East Lantau Metropolis development”, while the suggestion about an artificial island formed by the remaining 700 hectares was at the stage of technical data collection at the moment, and the data was collected to provide references for long-term planning. He suspected that the intention of describing the plan as a 1 700-hectare reclamation project was to exaggerate the facts, causing unnecessary panic; (ii) it was not acceptable to interpret the “Lantau Tomorrow” plan as evidence that the Government solved land problems only by reclamation. The Government did not state that short- and long-term land planning could not be carried out concurrently; (iii) he opposed the motion in the paper and did not approve of using political goals to obstruct the implementation of the plans about future long-term development of Hong Kong by the Government. However, he opined that the Government could carry out consultations that were more extensive.
198. Mr YAN Kai-wing said that the Chief Executive had mentioned in the 2017 Policy Address that the Government would continue to install barrier-free facilities such as lifts in existing PRH estates so that people with needs could move around freely in the community, achieving universal accessibility. One year had passed but the initiative concerned had yet to be fully implemented to benefit the public. The “Lantau Tomorrow” plan mentioned in the 2018 Policy Address was a very long-term plan. He was worried that the Government could not fulfil its promise and therefore he was unable to support the plan. - 42 - Action by
199. The Chairman asked Members to vote on the motion in Paper 226/18.
200. The meeting voted on the motion by open ballot and the result was as follows:
For: Ms Zoé CHOW, Mr CHUM Tak-shing, Mr Kalvin HO, Mr KONG Kwai-sang, Mr LEUNG Yau-fong, Ms NG Yuet-lan, Mr TAM Kwok-kiu, Mr YAN Kai-wing, Mr YEUNG Yuk, Mr YUEN Hoi-man (10)
Against: Mr Ambrose CHEUNG, Mr CHAN Wai-ming, Mr CHAN Kwok-wai, Ms Joephy CHAN, Mr Vincent CHENG, Mr Aaron LAM, Ms LAU Pui-yuk, Mr Dominic LEE, Mr LEE Wing-man, Mr LEUNG Man-kwong, Mr Dennis WONG (11)
Abstain: (0)
201. The Chairman announced the voting result: 10 Members voted for the motion, 11 Members voted against it and no Member abstained. He announced that the motion was not carried.
Item 4: Reports from Committees and Working Groups under the District Council
(a) Reports from Committees
(i) Report from the District Facilities Committee (SSPDC Paper 227/18)
(ii) Report from the Community Affairs Committee (SSPDC Paper 228/18)
(iii) Report from the Environment and Hygiene Committee (SSPDC Paper 229/18)
(iv) Report from the Transport Affairs Committee (SSPDC Paper 230/18)
(v) Report from the Housing Affairs Committee (SSPDC Paper 231/18)
(vi) Report from the Committee on the Sham Shui Po Signature Project (SSPDC Paper 232/18)
202. Mr Vincent CHENG added that as bids had been received for all the tendering exercises, the estimated budget for the Working Group on Public Transport Services - 43 - Action by under the Transport Affairs Committee increased from $500,000 to $682,500.
203. Ms Joephy CHAN added that the Non-Standing Working Group on Wild Bird and Poultry Market Problems under EHC would like to apply for funding of $100,000 to $150,000 to conduct a study on whether the 86 stalls in Cheung San Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market should be merged.
204. The meeting noted and endorsed the content of the aforesaid reports.
(b) Reports from Working Groups directly under the District Council
(i) Report from the Working Group on Festive Celebration and Publicity (SSPDC Papers 233/18 and 234/18)
(ii) Report from the Working Group on Poverty Problems and Ethnic Minorities (SSPDC Paper 235/18)
(iii) Report from the Working Group on Healthy and Safe Community (SSPDC Paper 236/18)
205. The meeting noted and endorsed the content of the aforesaid reports.
Item 5: Report on District Management Committee Meeting (SSPDC Paper 237/18)
206. Assistant District Officer 2 added the following in respect of the District-led Actions Scheme (“DAS”) of SSP District:
(i) Since the last report, the Society for Community Organization, which was responsible for counselling and support services through social workers, had visited 10 884 street sleepers in the 195 outreach visits made, helped 63 street sleepers to be housed, and organised 35 group activities to help them integrate into the society. Up until the end of September 2018, The Salvation Army, which was responsible for support service on physical and psychological health, had visited 2 932 street sleepers in the 211 outreach visits made, provided simple body check-ups, treatments and wound care services to 1 500 persons, and successfully referred 188 persons to receive treatments.
(ii) In respect of counselling and support services through social workers, two items would be added in the coming year, which were life skills training - 44 - Action by
courses and group sports activities, and professional flea control services, with a view to helping street sleepers from different perspectives to quit street sleeping and improving their living environment during the process of getting housed, so that they could integrate further into the community.
(iii) In respect of strengthening support to “three-nil buildings”, 303 target buildings and 84 target locations with poor environmental hygiene were included in DAS. So far, 297 target buildings and all 84 target locations had been provided with cleansing services, with 532 tonnes of refuse cleared in total.
(iv) SSPDO had carried out household visits with 541 owners and recruited 182 Resident Liaison Ambassadors. SSPDO had also helped establish 17 Owners’ Corporations (“OCs”). In respect of buildings with “inactive” OCs, SSPDO had contacted 162 members of 54 OCs, successfully visited 58 buildings with “inactive” OCs and conducted publicity and education campaigns. SSPDO had also helped eight “inactive OCs” to convene residents’ meetings to resume building management work.
(v) The contracts for the abovementioned counselling and support services through social workers and support service on physical and psychological health would expire at the end of November 2018. SSPDO had put the services out to tender, hoping that seamless transition could be achieved in early December. The contracts would last for 12 months, expiring in November 2019.
(vi) In respect of the structures outside Tung Chau Street Temporary Market, up until October this year, SSPDO and relevant departments had conducted 14 joint operations, removing a total of 47 structures which had been confirmed to be vacated or not inhabited by street sleepers after the criminal activities inside had been cracked down on by the Police. SSPDO and relevant departments would continue to work together and pay attention to the environmental hygiene and security problems at the said location.
207. The Chairman thanked SSPDO and all relevant government departments for their continuous efforts.
208. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu enquired about the number of non-Chinese street sleepers living underneath Tung Chau Street Flyover to whom SSPDO or SWD had offered assistance. He said that the backgrounds and needs of these street sleepers were - 45 - Action by different from Chinese street sleepers and resources for them were relatively insufficient.
209. The District Officer responded that SSPDO and other departments adopted a caring approach to street sleepers and treated the locals and non-Chinese without differentiation. Among the street sleepers underneath Tung Chau Street Flyover, those who were non-Chinese constituted a smaller proportion and their number showed a decreasing trend in recent years. Both DAS and the non-government organisations commissioned by SWD were strengthening the support services for street sleepers proactively, which included helping elderly and infirm street sleepers living underneath Tung Chau Street Flyover to apply for PRH as well as looking for accommodation for street sleepers who cannot get PRH, while SWD would allocate PRH units to street sleepers through compassionate rehousing.
210. Mr TAM Kwok-kiu said that due to their backgrounds, non-Chinese street sleepers were not eligible to apply for welfare benefits or to be housed through compassionate rehousing. He hoped that after the meeting, the District Officer would provide the number of non-Chinese street sleepers to whom assistance had been offered.
211. The meeting noted and endorsed the content of the aforesaid report.
Item 6: Any other business
212. Members did not raise any other business.
Item 7: Date of next meeting
213. The next meeting would be held at 9:30 a.m. on 15 January 2019 (Tuesday).
214. There being no other business, the meeting ended at 4:05 p.m.
District Council Secretariat Sham Shui Po District Office January 2019