Minutes of the 11Th Meeting of Culture, Leisure & Social Affairs Committee (2012-13) Central

Minutes of the 11th Meeting of Culture, Leisure & Social Affairs Committee (2012-13) Central and Western District Council

Date : 14 November 2013 (Thursday) Time : 2:30 pm Venue : Conference Room 14/F, Harbour Building 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Present: Chairman Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP*

Vice-chairlady Miss SIU Ka-yi

Members Mr CHAN Choi-hi (2:30 pm - 4:23 pm) Mr CHAN Hok-fung* Ms CHENG Lai-king* Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan (2:30 pm - 4:31 pm) Mr CHEUNG Yick-hung, Jackie (2:30 pm - 4:51 pm) Mr HUI Chi-fung (2:39 pm - 6:10 pm) Mr IP Kwok-him, GBS, JP (2:30 pm - 2:35 pm) (4:50 pm - end of the meeting) Mr KAM Nai-wai, MH* Dr Malcolm LAM (2:30 pm - 4:00 pm) Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney (2:30 pm - 5:17 pm) Miss LO Yee-hang (2:30 pm - 2:55 pm) (4:14 pm - end of the meeting) Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP (2:30 pm - 5:50 pm) Mr WONG Kin-shing (2:30 pm - 6:00 pm)

Co-opted Members Mr CHAN Wing-hang* Mr Ng Wing-yan, MH (2:42 pm - end of the meeting) Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing* Ms LEUNG Shuk-yi, Emily* Mr Edward CHEUK (2:30 pm - 5:45 pm) Mr WONG Sai-kit*

Remarks: *Members who attended the whole meeting ( ) Time of attendance of Members

Guests

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 1 - Item 4 Mr NG Wing-shun, Vincent Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission's Core Group for Public Engagement Mr LEUNG Kong-yui Member of the Harbourfront Commission's Core Group for Public Engagement Mrs KANG LEUNG Wing-yee, Winnie Principal Assistant Secretary (Harbour), Development Bureau Mr YU Wai-shing, Frederick Assistant Secretary (Harbour) Special Duties, Development Bureau/ Secretary of the Harbourfront Commission's Core Group for Public Engagement

Item 5 Ms HO Pui-ling, Doris Head, Policy and Project Co-ordination Unit, Chief Secretary of Administration's Private Office Ms Joyce CHEUNG Senior Economist (Policy and Project Co- ordination Unit), Chief Secretary of Administration's Private Office

Item 6 Miss WONG Shuk-fan, Elisa Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms LEE Wing-yee, Winnie Manager (Hong Kong West) Marketing, Programme and District Activities, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Item 7 Dr LUK Che-chung Cluster Chief Executive (Hong Kong West)/ Hospital Chief Executive (Queen Mary Hospital/Tsan Yuk Hospital), Hospital Authority Dr Sidney TAM Deputy Hospital Chief Executive 1, Queen Mary Hospital, Hospital Authority Ms Winnie YIP Cluster General Manager (Administrative Services), Hong Kong West Cluster, Hospital Authority

Item 8 Ms PANG Kit-ling District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands), Social Welfare Department Ms LAU Wah-chun, Medina Assistant Superintendent, Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Ms KWAN Chui-ping, Leda Supervisor, Lok Kwan District Support Centre, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Item 9 Ms PANG Kit-ling District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands), Social Welfare Department Ms LEUNG Mui-chun Senior Social Security Officer (Hong Kong

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 2 - Island), Social Welfare Department

Item 10 Mr LAM Yuk-chiu General Manager (Retail Business), Hong Kong Post Office

Item 11 Mr YIP Ming-bor District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Central/Western), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr LAW See-hon, Sean Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 1, Environmental Protection Department

Item 12 Mr LAW Kin-chung, Christopher Co-founder, Very Hong Kong Festival Foundation Association Mr Billy KWAN Curator, Very Hong Kong Festival Foundation Association Ms Martha TSANG Event Manager, Very Hong Kong Festival Foundation Association

In Attendance: Miss CHOW Ho-kiu, Cheryl, JP District Officer (Central and Western) Mr CHAN Yun-man, Winston Assistant District Officer (Central and Western) Ms WONG Ming-wai, Cynthia Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Central and Western District Office Ms TSE Bik-san Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands) (Atg), Social Welfare Department Ms Doris CHUN Senior Community Relations Officer, Independent Commission Against Corruption Mr CHEUNG Wing-fat Senior School Development Officer (Central Western and Southern) 2, Education Bureau Dr Jamie SIN Senior Medical and Health Officer (Community Liaison), Department of Health Mr LAU Kar-ming Police Community Relation Officer (Central District), Hong Kong Police Force Mr LAI Fai-keung Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinator, Police Community Relations Office, Central District, Hong Kong Police Force Mr TSOI Kwok-ming Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinator, Police Community Relations Office, Western District, Hong Kong Police Force Miss WONG Shuk-fan, Elisa Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms LEE Wing-yee, Winnie Manager (Hong Kong West) Marketing, Programme and District Activities, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms CHOW Pui-shan, Cindy Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) Central and Western, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 3 - Secretary Executive Officer (District Council) 5 Miss YAU So-shan, Susan Central and Western District Office

Absent with Apologies: Mr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph Mr MAN Chi-wah, MH Mr NG Siu-keung, Thomas, MH, JP

Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed all to the 11th meeting of the Culture, Leisure & Social Affairs Committee (CLSAC) (2012-2013) under the Central and Western District Council (C&WDC). The Secretariat had received notifications of absence from District Council (DC) Meetings from Mr Thomas NG, Mr Man Chi-wah and Mr Joseph CHAN before the meeting, indicating that they could not attend the meeting due to other commitments.

Item 1: Adoption of the A genda

2. As there were no comments from Members, the agenda was adopted.

Item 2: Confirmation of the M inutes of the 10 th CLSAC M eeting on 19 September 2013

3. As Members had no comments on the minutes of the 10th CLSAC meeting, the minutes were confirmed.

Item 3: Chairman’s R eport

4. The Chairman reported that the 1st meeting of the Non-standing Preparatory Working Group on Central and Western District Literary Trail of Hong Kong was held on 23 October 2013. The working group had endorsed to add Lu Xun who was associated with the Central and Western (C&W) District in the list of litterateurs to be introduced in the proposed literary trail, making the total number of litterateurs to seven.

5. Moreover, the working group had tentatively scheduled the Literary Day on 1 March 2014 at Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall and the opening ceremony of the Film Shows on 7 March 2014 at Rayson Huang Theatre of the University of Hong Kong.

Item 4: Proposed Establishment of a Harbourfront Authority - Phase 1 Public Engagement Exercise (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 50/2013) (2:35 pm – 3:25 pm)

6. Mrs Winnie KANG, Principal Assistant Secretary (Harbour) of the Development Bureau (DEVB), presented the paper on the proposed establishment of a Harbourfront Authority.

7. Mr Vincent NG, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission's (HC) Core Group for Public Engagement, indicated that the HC and DEVB shared the vision to create an attractive, vibrant, accessible and sustainable harbourfront for public enjoyment. He pointed out that the current development of the harbourfront was stuck in a bottleneck. The conventional approach under which the Government developed and managed the harbourfront was

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 4 - acceptable but not optimum. There was a need for an institutional change to unleash the potential of the harbourfront. The HC had studied many overseas cases on harbourfront management and had made reference to the experience of local public organisations. The Legislative Council had also visited overseas cities and studied their successful cases. The HC believed that establishing a dedicated statutory body with vision and mission, and a body that could combine advocacy and execution was of utmost importance. That body should be able to design and manage the harbourfront in a holistic, innovative and flexible manner.

8. Mr F r ederick YU, Assistant Secretary (Harbour) Special Duties of the DEVB/Secretary of the HC's Core Group for Public Engagement, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the background of harbourfront development and enhancement, the development progress over the years, as well as the challenges and opportunities in harbourfront development. Currently, it normally took five years for the Government to plan and develop a harbourfront promenade, and might be longer if there was competition for resources with other leisure and recreational facilities. Moreover, the Government’s division of work in developing and managing harbourfront sites had made the development of harbourfront subject to different statutory frameworks, which was not conducive to creative design. For example, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) had been effective in managing district-based passive open space under the Pleasure Grounds Regulation (PGR). However, when it came to larger-scale waterfront parks and promenades, tailor-made management rules were necessary. Subsequent to the completion of Central – Wan Chai Bypass, a new waterfront area would be released near Central and Wan Chai for development into a vibrant place. The HC had explored different options to meet the above challenges and seize the opportunities. It was finally proposed to establish a dedicated statutory body with dedicated resources and sole priority to pursue integrated planning, design, construction, operation and management of harbourfront projects in a holistic manner.

9. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung declared interest as a member of the HC. He supported the proposed establishment of a Harbourfront Authority and believed that it could facilitate the development of the harbourfront. Currently, there was frequent competition for harbourfront sites among different departments and this had given rise to management problem. He expected that with the establishment of the proposed authority, the problem would be solved by developing a continuous promenade. He considered that the proposed authority could hopefully increase the flexibility in management and room for development. He also pointed out that as statutory bodies did not have as much resources as the Government, the proposed Harbourfront Authority should ensure that it could sustain operation.

(ii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi indicated that the establishment of new organisations should be handled prudently from the point of view of public administration. He was neutral about the establishment of the Harbourfront Authority but opined that all relevant factors should be considered holistically before making a decision. He had concern about the efficiency and resource allocation of the proposed authority as well as its coordination with other departments. It was also important to ensure the proper use of the resources allocated to the authority. He hoped that the proposed Harbourfront Authority would get the public and Members from the 18 DCs involved.

(iii) Mr Sidney LEE thought that more Government resources should be invested in harbourfront development. If the development of the harbourfront had been hindered by the terms of reference and role of the HC over the years,

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 5 - establishing the proposed authority might be a breakthrough. He hoped the HC and the concerned departments would disclose more details of the authority later, such as the terms of reference and the mode of management. He indicated that it had always been the aspiration of the C&WDC and the public to develop the harbourfront and to have a continuous promenade; therefore he supported the establishment of the authority.

(iv) Ms CHENG Lai-king pointed out that there was a mixed performance among existing public organisations. She asked whether legislation was required for the establishment of the proposed authority and enquired about the service target of the authority. She cited the example of the Wine and Dine Festival, saying that the current harbourfront management was chaotic and used for making profit. She doubted whether the harbourfront was entirely a public land and why the C&WDC was not consulted regarding the Wine and Dine Festival. She indicated that the authority should be established for the public and was worried that the harbourfront would be reduced to a private clubhouse in future. She hoped that the activities held at the harbourfront would be aimed at the general public and should not be costly. However, some activities designed for everyone to enjoy, such as the Colour Run, were not approved. Besides, she also showed concern over the salaries of the future chairperson of the authority and how the laws would ensure the fair operation of the authority. She needed more information about the authority before taking her stance.

(v) Mr HUI Chi-fung indicated that the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee and HC had raised many creative ideas and suggestions in the past but they had not yet been realised to date. He was tempted to support the establishment of an authority by drawing on the C&WDC’s past experiences in handling matters related to the harbourfront. He agreed that both the development and management of the harbourfront should be entrusted with the same organisation. However, he was also worried whether the authority could reduce bureaucratic red-tape and actualise creative designs. He cited the example of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) and pointed out that public engagement was inadequate and the organisations engaged were not representative enough. He held that the proposed authority should engage different organisations and the public as stakeholders of the harbourfront. In addition, by the WKCD had experienced severe cost overrun. The authority should have better planned the use of resources and formulate relevant rules before its establishment to optimise the use of resources so that it could gain the support of the public and maintain its sustainability.

(vi) Mr Jackie CHEUNG was worried about the terms of reference and membership of the authority. He thought that the involvement of the community and C&WDC in the harbourfront project was of great importance. He cited the example of the harbourfront in the C&W District, saying that the Working Group on the Central and Western District Harbourfront had been established under the C&WDC to relay and voice the opinions of residents. He doubted how ready the authority was to accept the opinions of residents and whether the authority would be slanted to the business sector. Moreover, given that land resources in the C&W District were scarce and community facilities were already insufficient, he was worried that the proposed authority might compete for resources with the local community. Before the details and membership of the authority were finalised, he had reservation about the establishment of the authority.

(vii) Mr WONG Kin-shing showed concern over the terms of reference of the

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 6 - authority. He said that even the C&WDC was a consultative body, its requests for governments departments to carry out improvement works had been postponed for a few years. He worried that the proposed authority would exist in name only if it could not coordinate well with other departments. He also considered that the transparency and public involvement of the authority were of great importance and that special attention should be paid to the opportunities for the public to express their views and the readiness of the authority to accept their opinions. He continued that currently the harbourfront was not well accessible as it was separated from the public by newly built roads. He suggested using people movers or environmental friendly shuttle buses to shorten the distance between the harbourfront and the public.

(viii) Mr WONG Sai-kit indicated that the HC and DEVB should provide information about the operation and terms of reference of overseas dedicated organisations in harbourfront management for public inspection.

(ix) Mr YIP Wing-shing said that the harbourfront in various districts were developed separately, which had made the harbourfront in Hong Kong as a whole lack accessibility, continuity and consistency. He therefore supported establishing an authority to coordinate and implement comprehensive planning for the harbourfront. He also pointed out that the public was worried about the organisational structure of the authority. He considered that the authority should be represented by Members of different DCs to make sure that the local situation would be reflected.

(x) The Chairman said that Victoria Harbour was a natural landscape in Hong Kong that ought to be properly managed for public enjoyment and he agreed with establishing an authority. The C&WDC had to negotiate with various departments in the handling of matters related to the harbourfront. If an authority was to be established, hopefully it could take the role of a coordinator and facilitator to solve the technical problems in harbourfront planning, thereby obviating the need for the C&WDC’s efforts. He also said that the authority should be monitored by the public and be represented by members of the local community and professionals to increase its management transparency. He hoped the establishment of the authority could build a better harbourfront for members of the public.

10. Mr Vincent NG of the HC thanked Members for their concerns on the harbourfront. He gave a consolidated reply to enquiries and comments of Members and pointed out that the authority would be established for the people of Hong Kong. The HC participated in the development of the harbourfront with the vision of “returning the harbour to the people” over the past nine years. He said that the Victoria Harbour was a world-class landmark but the harbourfront of Hong Kong at present was far from being a world-class harbourfront. He said that various bodies such as the C&WDC and the HC had been working hard under the current structure with a view to creating a vibrant and diversified harbourfront. However, the development of the harbourfront had reached a bottleneck. Unlike many famous overseas harbourfront sites which were not managed in the form of parks, harbourfront sites in Hong Kong were generally considered as public spaces which were tantamount to parks. As a result, the harbourfront was managed by the LCSD under the PGR. The PGR had restricted not only the management model but also the design of harbourfront. If the harbourfront was zoned as a park, the development of the harbourfront in Hong Kong would remain stagnant. The purpose of establishing a Harbourfront Authority was to pursue planning, design, operation, management and promotion of the harbourfront by one single organisation. He understood that Members had worries about establishing an authority. The HC would

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 7 - consolidate Members’ view on issues such as accountability, efficiency and budgets of the authority after Phase I of the public engagement exercise. He stressed that the HC would not give in to any difficulties but would put forward solutions to resolve the problem. The objective and vision of the commission was to “discuss with the people, return the harbour to the people”. He said that the harbourfront of the Victoria Harbour was as long as 73 km. The authority would not plan the development of such a spacious site which was 73 km long in one go. The establishment of the authority was a directional change. The authority would proceed step by step and would start with the strategic location in Central. It would only extend to other harbourfront sites after accumulating a certain degree of experience. The HC would talk about issues such as terms of reference, financial budget and accountability in Phase II of the public engagement exercise.

11. Mr Frederick YU of the DEVB added that if Members had further views on the establishment of the authority, they could fill in and return the questionnaire enclosed in the consultation digest to the HC before 4 January 2014. Members could refer to the last page of the consultation digest for details. Moreover, Members could continue to express their views by participating in the remaining two public forums to be held on 23 November and 28 December 2013.

12. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the DEVB and HC for attending the meeting.

Item 5: Public Engagement Exercise on Population Policy (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 51/2013) (3:25 pm – 4:36 pm)

13. Ms Doris HO, Head, Policy and Project Co-ordination Unit of the Chief Secretary of Administration's Private Office, briefed Members on the public engagement exercise on population policy in 2013 and collected Members’ views on the policy concerned. Ms Doris HO said that the consultation paper focused the discussion on certain important issues of population policy and would not duplicate the work of other commissions such as the Elderly Commission. The objective of the population policy had addressed both economic and social developments. Other than developing and nurturing a population to support the economic development of Hong Kong, it was also hoped that members of the public would envisage their future as being in Hong Kong and fully realise their potential. The population policy would conduct research in the following three areas: existing population, new sources of population and ageing population. Moreover, Ms Doris HO briefly explained the Government’s position on population cap, the OWP scheme and type II children.

(i) Ms CHENG Lai-king pointed out that while releasing the labour force of women, it was also necessary to provide support for them. The care services and ancillary support for children and chronic patients were insufficient in the community and women could not go to work at ease. As housewives did not earn any income, their values in the society were often ignored. Moreover, she said that if the 200 000 doubly non-permanent resident children applied under the single-way permit scheme for reunion with their parents in Hong Kong, there would be an influx of 400 000 people into Hong Kong. She held that a population cap was essential in the long-term development of Hong Kong. She hoped the Government could guarantee that Hong Kong people were able to

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 8 - enjoy the welfare they were entitled to, e.g. education.

(ii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi opined that the 21st century was an age of competition for talents. He agreed that the talents admitted into Hong Kong were insufficient and the Government should attract talents of various countries, including Southeast Asia, by the ancillary resources of Hong Kong. He hoped that the Government could well-plan the policy on talent admission and set specific targets.

(iii) Mr HUI Chi-fung opined that it was too early for the Government to refuse taking back the authority of vetting One-way Permits (OWPs). If the Government could not predict the quality of new arrivals and their arrival schedule, it would be impossible to make corresponding arrangements by the population policy. In addition, he said that before encouraging childbearing, the Government should provide a stable living environment for families, such as reasonable property prices. Moreover, family-friendly policies would also help create an atmosphere that was conducive to encourage childbearing in the community. Last but not least, he pointed out that introducing standard working hours was also part of the strategy to encourage childbearing as this could allow parents to have more time to take care of their families.

(iv) Mr CHAN Hok-fung opined that the population policy did not take other social issues into account and thus failed to demonstrate the vision of Hong Kong. The population policy had to be aligned with other policies, as in the case of economic restructuring which had to be supported by different types of talents. He said that the population policy merely looked into the issue of labour force without considering the overall development of Hong Kong. The Government should look at the proportion and quality of Hong Kong’s population at the macro level so as to tie in with its long-term development in future.

(v) Mr Sidney LEE opined that as the community and culture would keep changing, it was difficult to predict the social development in 20 years’ time. He shared the view of Mr CHAN Hok-fung that the population policy only considered local issues but had disregarded the interaction between Hong Kong and other places in the world. He said that the whole world was also under evolution. If the interaction between Hong Kong and other places was not taken into account, the population policy would not be able to address the social changes after 20 years.

(vi) Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing said that the population policy had not mentioned the support offered to different groups of population of the community, such as newly married couples with housing problems. Moreover, he was concerned about the problem brought about by the 200 000 doubly non-permanent resident children. They had already put pressure on school places in the North District. The Government had to introduce corresponding policies to assist those new emigrants in Hong Kong. He said that some Hong Kong-style schools in Shenzhen could provide places for doubly non-permanent resident children.

(vii) Mr WONG Sai-kit opined that the consultation paper had focused on discussing how the population policy could maintain Hong Kong’s competitiveness, but the policy objective for each item was not mentioned, such as the targeted fertility rate and the benefits that would bring to the economy if the policy objectives were achieved.

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 9 - (viii) Miss SIU Ka-yi said that at present, whether couples would consider having children depended on their sense of commitment and financial burden. Given the lack of child care services in the community, parents had to give up their work. The lack of kindergarten places was also a concern for many parents. On the economic front, many young couples had to choose between purchasing homes and having children. She proposed that the policy could encourage childbearing using the following approaches: providing tax concessions, providing free early childhood education, expanding the scope of child care services available in the community and creating a family-friendly environment in workplace.

(ix) The Chairman said that Hong Kong lacked natural resources and people was only the resources that maintained a sustainable social and economic growth. He put forward three suggestions to increase human resources: (1) The Government should review extending the retirement age as soon as possible since most people who had reached their retirement age were still willing and able to continue contributing to the society. Furthermore, many young generations needed the financial assistance from their parents in purchasing homes. (2) Mainland graduates with local degrees were important human resources of Hong Kong but they chose not to work in Hong Kong because of various factors. The Government should retain them in Hong Kong by supportive policies. (3) Many overseas Chinese and their later generations would like to return to Hong Kong. The Government should render assistance to them as far as possible, especially in housing. He also pointed out that the Mainland’s policies would affect the development of Hong Kong, but the relationship between the Mainland’s policies and Hong Kong’s development was not addressed in the consultation paper. Lastly, he appreciated the policy which fostered “active ageing” and opined that elderly people could continue contributing to the community through voluntary or part-time work.

(x) Ms Emily LEUNG pointed out that the retirement age was generally set at 55 at present in the private sector. She proposed that the Government should implement policy to encourage the private sector to give their staff a choice to extend the retirement age. If the retirement age was extended to 65, it would coincide with the Mandatory Provident Fund retirement age, thereby providing better retirement protection to the elderly.

(xi) Mr Jackie CHEUNG worried that Hong Kong might not be able to accommodate the annual 50 000 residents on OWPs. Based on the assumption that there were 50 000 new arrivals each year, the population of Hong Kong would exceed 10 million in 50 years’ time (i.e. there would be 1 000 persons per square kilometre). While he agreed that the aim of the OWP scheme was to facilitate family reunion, he opined that the Government should review the daily quota of 150 OWPs; otherwise, many social problems would arise. To maintain Hong Kong’s population capacity, he proposed that the issuance of OWPs to mainland spouses in new cross-border marriages for family reunion in Hong Kong should be ceased.

(xii) Mr YIP Wing-shing agreed that the population policy should be reviewed regularly having regard to the long-term development of Hong Kong. He agreed that, as stated in the consultation paper, it was undesirable to impose a population cap, otherwise Hong Kong would lose its vibrancy with the ageing of

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 10 - the population. He said that the current policy would affect the future development of Hong Kong. Therefore, the population policy should be considered at a macro level. He also pointed out that the decline in fertility was attributable to the worries of young people about their prospects in career development, housing and education. In this connection, the Government should take care of the need of young couples.

15. In response to Members’ enquiries and views, Ms Doris HO replied as follows:

(i) The consultation paper focused on the discussion of population policy without repeating issues that were being dealt with by other government commissions or bureaux. If there were too many issues, the discussion would become superficial and it would be difficult to achieve the aim of the consultation to help formulate specific measures.

(ii) Economic development was very important to Hong Kong. Only through sustained economic development could sufficient tax revenue be generated to cover various public expenses. Thus Hong Kong had to maintain its competitive edge or else it would be caught up by neighbouring cities or the room for Hong Kong to handle social and poverty problems would be narrowed. She stressed that both quality and quantity of local talents were equally important to economic development. If there were insufficient local talents, talent admission had to be considered to maintain Hong Kong’s competitive edge.

(iii) The Government would consider the views of Members on the ways to increase fertility rate. She said that the experience of Singapore reflected that there might not be a direct correlation between housing problem and fertility. Although the local government provided sufficient housing support for families, it still could not boost the fertility rate.

(iv) The Basic Law stated that the approval of OWPs fell within the remit of the Mainland. The policy objective of the OWP scheme was to allow family reunion. The need for reunion should not be differentiated by the age, education or financial status of applicants. Thus no additional conditions other than family reunion should be imposed on the scheme.

(v) As for the data estimated by Mr Jackie CHEUNG, she said that other than the residents who settled in Hong Kong on the OWP scheme, natural increase (births less deaths every year) was another source of population growth. Hong Kong still saw a positive growth at present but ageing would lead to a negative natural increase after 20 years. The population was projected to reach 8.47 million in 2041, but the Government had pointed out in the 2003 report that Hong Kong could accommodate a capacity of 8.7 million.

(vi) Doubly non-permanent resident children might be able to supplement the future labour force of Hong Kong but the effect could not be seen until some ten years later. The urgent task at present was to make proper planning to alleviate the problem of doubly non-permanent resident children coming to Hong Kong to receive education or other services.

(vii) As for the review of retirement age, the Government had started with reviewing the retirement age of civil servants. As young people joined the working force at a later age at present, the labour force of the overall population would be further

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 11 - reduced if their retirement age remained unchanged.

(viii) The number of mainland students admitted by a publicly-funded university must not exceed 20% of the approved student number target for that university. The scheme which allowed non-local graduates to stay in Hong Kong for one year was well received and was a way to attract talents to stay and settle in Hong Kong. The consultation paper had also proposed immigration facilitation measures for the convenience of emigrants returning to Hong Kong. As some returnees possessed professional skills, it would be more attractive for them to return to Hong Kong if local professional institutions could relax the requirements on recognition of overseas professional qualifications.

(ix) She thanked Members for their views on population policy. If Members had further suggestions on population policy, they could submit their views to the Secretariat of the Steering Committee on Population Policy by 23 February 2014.

16. The Chairman closed the discussion on the item and thanked the representatives of the Chief Secretary of Administration's Private Office for attending the meeting.

Item 6: Arts and Cultural Activities Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in the Central and Western District (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 45/2013) (4:36 pm – 4:38 pm)

17. Miss Elisa WONG, Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West of the LCSD, reported to Members the arts and cultural activities organised in the C&W District from September 2013 to January 2014 as well as the usage of the Sheung Wan Civic Centre from October to November 2013.

18. The C h airman said that the School Arts Animateur Scheme was well-received by schools and the usage of the Sheung Wan Civic Centre was also very satisfactory. He thanked the LCSD representatives for attending the meeting.

Item 7: Update on the Queen Mary Hospital Redevelopment Project – Conversion of the Senior Staff Quarters (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 48/2013) (4:38 pm – 5:04 pm)

19. Mr LUK Che-chung, Cluster Chief Executive (Hong Kong West)/Hospital Chief Executive (Queen Mary Hospital/Tsan Yuk Hospital) of the Hospital Authority (HA) briefed Members on the redevelopment works of the Senior Staff Quarters (SSQ) of the Queen Mary Hospital (QMH). The SSQ would be converted into a pathology building while the existing pathology building would be converted into a new component of the hospital. The HA planned to submit the estimated expenditure of the redevelopment works to the Legislative Council next year. The relocation of the pathology building might take several months after the SSQ was converted into the new pathology building, but laboratory services would not be suspended. The HA would plan the subsequent redevelopment of the existing pathology building and the nearby traffic management scheme in the coming two years and would consult the C&WDC by then.

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 12 - 20. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung believed that the HA had decided on a proposal which had minimised interruption to the hospital operation but he was concerned about the potential impact on road safety exerted by dump trucks used in the QMH redevelopment project. Since the QMH was served only by one access road at present, he was worried that the road system would be overloaded if construction vehicles of the project would also use that road. He asked if there were alternative routes for construction vehicles so that the main access to the QMH would be less vulnerable to overloading.

(ii) Mr KAM Nai-wai proposed the HA to give Members a full picture of the QMH redevelopment project in future discussion before seeking Members’ advice on individual works. He supported the redevelopment project proposed by the HA, but it was not mentioned in the presentation about the impacts of the project on the residents nearby and their views about the project. He hoped the HA would provide the residents’ views accordingly. Lastly, he was worried that the movement of construction vehicles would interrupt the current hospital operation. He enquired whether the HA had conducted any traffic or environmental impact assessments.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king and Mr WONG Kin-shing asked where the staff residing at the SSQ would be relocated. Besides, Ms CHENG Lai-king queried whether the Pathology Buildings to be demolished had any historical interest.

(iv) Mr WONG Kin-shing said that he agreed to the SSQ redevelopment project in principle and appreciated that the HA took a proactive approach to meet the owners’ corporations (the OCs) of buildings near the site. He thought that the project would go more smoothly with the OCs’ consent.

(v) The Chairman also appreciated that the HA met the representatives of the affected OCs and hoped that it could report the consultation outcomes to the C&WDC. He was concerned that the movement of construction vehicles would exert an impact on the traffic near the hospital. He also would like to know if the link bridge of the redevelopment project would connect all buildings in the hospital complex.

21. In response to Members’ enquiries and views, Dr LUK Che-chung of the HA replied as follows:

(i) With regard to Mr KAM Nai-wai’s view, the HA would first present the progress of the whole redevelopment project in future presentations. The HA had carried out traffic and environmental impact assessments on the project, and there was no objection.

(ii) The HA had met the OC of Royalton and would then communicate with the representatives of Radcliffe. The SSQ was located behind the two residential buildings. In addition, and works only involved conversion in which the height would not be altered. He was confident that the residents would support the project.

(iii) The HA shared the same concern over the impact on traffic by construction

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 13 - vehicles. If accidents happened at the early section of Pok Fu Lam Road leading to the hospital and caused congestion, the HA had a contingency plan in place to divert ambulances or other vehicles via Ebenezer School. In the worst case, vehicles could access via the staff parking spaces at QMH Nurses’ Quarters Block A. The rear section of the access to the hospital would be widened in the coming three months.

(iv) The Pathology Buildings to be demolished had undergone assessment and both of them were not found to have any significant preservation values. The link bridge would connect all the buildings in the hospital complex.

22. Dr Sidney TAM, Deputy Hospital Chief Executive 1 of QMH, added that there were two pathology buildings at present and one of them was the University of Hong Kong Pathology Building. The building started operation since January 1959 and was not declared as a monument. Healthcare staff had set up a museum in it to keep memorable items over the years. Those items would be relocated to the new pathology building. The other pathology building was built by the HA in the 1970s with a very modern design. It was believed that it did not have any specific historical value.

23. The Chairman thanked the representatives of HA for attending the meeting.

Item 8: District Support Centre for Persons with Disabilities (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 53/2013) (5:04 pm – 5:25 pm)

24. Ms PANG Kit-ling, District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands) of the Social Welfare Department (SWD), briefed Members on the relocation plan of the District Support Centre for Persons with Disabilities (DSC). The DSC was operated by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) and was subvented by the SWD since January 2009. There was not a permanent site for the DSC due to a shortfall of premises available for welfare purposes in the C&W District. The existing premises of the DSC were owned by the TWGHs. As the DSC did not have sufficient space and was located on different floors, the DSC had been operating with considerable inconvenience. The SWD had identified premises at street level with an area of about 3 000 square feet at Queen’s Road West. The representatives of the Architectural Services Department, Buildings Department (BD), TWGHs and SWD had visited the site and opined that it was suitable for use as the DSC. The SWD would like to consult Members on the relocation of the DSC to Queen’ Road West.

25. The C h airman said that the department had met him and Mr WONG Kin-shing to discuss the relocation plan before the meeting. He pointed out that the C&WDC had all along been concerned about the disabled and supported rehabilitation work. He believed that Members could advise on the relocation issue and invited discussion on the paper. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr WONG Kin-shing said that he had discussed the relocation issue with the SWD. He reminded the department to consult the owners of the building and requested the representatives of the department and the TWGHs to meet the OC. He had contacted the chairman of the OC and a meeting would be arranged in the following week. Mr WONG Kin-shing said that the OC chairman was a bit worried probably because he did not understand the activities of the disabled and the operation of the DSC . However, the stance of the OC chairman had become more neutral after visiting the website of the TWGHs. He hoped that the relocation issue could be handled smoothly after the meeting next week. He

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 14 - further said that he strongly supported the relocation of the DSC as it would not affect nearby traffic since the road outside the new site was even and parking of vehicles was allowed.

(ii) Mr KAM Nai-wai supported the relocation of the DSC but he said that there was inadequate publicity for the service of the centre. As a DC member, he did not know much about it. Thus he hoped that the DSC would step up promotion after relocation so that the community could make good use of its service. Moreover, he said that the new site was also rented and was not a permanent site for the DSC. He enquired the SWD whether it had internally asked the Government to accord priority to the setting up of a permanent DSC in redeveloped communities. He was disappointed that the SWD had not put forward a need for relocation in the redevelopment projects of Queen Street and First/Second Street.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king enquired about the lease term of the new premises of the DSC. She hoped that the department could negotiate for a longer lease term so that renovation cost would not be wasted on the one hand; and the disabled did not have to change to other service locations on the other hand.

(iv) Mr YIP Wing-shing supported the assistance provided to the disabled and their families by the DSC. He agreed with Mr KAM Nai-wai that the DSC had to step up promotion to enable the community to know and care more about the disabled. Moreover, he said that there would be new developments in Sai Wan in the coming years and the SWD could consider providing relevant facilities for the disabled in the new community.

(v) Mr CHAN Wing-hang enquired whether the number of service recipients would be increased and whether additional resources such as rehabilitation tools and health care professionals would be provided following the centre expansion at the new premises.

(vi) T h e C h airman strongly supported the relocation of the DSC. The new premises were suitable for use as a service centre for the disabled as it was convenient for parking and allowed short-term staying of vehicles for picking up/dropping off passengers.

26. Ms PANG Kit-ling of the SWD thanked Members for supporting the relocation of the DSC and responded to the enquiries and views of Members as follows:

(i) Although the new premises were larger than the old one, it was still smaller than the standard provision of about 5 000 square feet. The DSC did not only serve the C&W District but also the Southern District and the Islands. The SWD was identifying sites in the three districts and hoped there would be a service point for the disabled in each of the districts.

(ii) The property owner of the premises understood the DSC’s operational needs and thus proposed a lease term of five years. The financial burden of the SWD would increase because of renting the new premises and it would utilise its internal funds to flexibly cover the additional rent. The department also hoped to operate the DSC in government or subsidised properties in the long run to reduce financial burden.

(iii) The redevelopment projects of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) had to be finalised at an early stage but the arrangement of setting up the DSC was only

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 15 - confirmed in 2008. Thus there was no opportunity for the SWD to put forward the proposal in the community redevelopment project at that time. The SWD had now put the request for setting up the DSC in all redevelopment projects and new planning projects of the Government.

(iv) The DSC was originally designed as a standard centre for the disabled. Thus the SWD allocated the resources expected for a standard centre and the TWGH also provided the service of a standard centre. Upon relocation of the DSC, the scale and resources would remain unchanged. The DSC currently had to borrow other venues to provide services owing to limited space. It was hoped that the DSC could make better use of resources at the new premises. Moreover, the TWGHs could acquire more equipment for the disabled with a larger area.

(v) The SWD understood that the OC would have concerns about the setting up of the DSC. They would contact the OC later to explain to them the service of the DSC to ease their worries.

27. Ms Medina LAU, Assistant Superintendent of TWGHs Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex, agreed that the existing site of the DSC would affect its publicity efforts. The new DSC would be located at street level and therefore could facilitate publicity. The target recipients of the DSC’s service were the disabled. At present, the publicity efforts done by TWGHs for the DSC included promoting social inclusion in regular schools, special schools and public places as well as accepting cases referred by rehabilitation organisations to receive services at the DSC. The range of service would not be expanded at the new site, but the service quality would be enhanced. In the past, the DSC had to borrow and use different venues for certain services, thereby affecting the service quality. The DSC would provide quality services and procure more equipment on the new premises to better suit the needs of persons with disabilities.

28. In conclusion, the Chairman said that the SWD had to explain the relocation of the DSC to the OC of the building. The C&WDC supported the relocation of the DSC. The Chairman closed the discussion on the item and thanked the representatives of the SWD and TWGHs for attending the meeting.

(Post-meeting note: With the assistance of Mr WONG Kin-shing, the representatives of the SWD and TWGHs had briefed the OC of the building with Mr WONG on the services and relocation plan of the DSC on 22 November 2013 and obtained its support.)

Item 9: Request for Expediting the Processing of Applications for “Old Age Living Allowance” (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 46/2013) (5:25 pm – 5:45 pm) 29. The Vice-chairlady chaired the discussion of this item.

30. The Vice-chairlady invited discussion on the paper. The views and questions of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung said that many elderly people had earlier sent their application forms for “Old Age Living Allowance” (OALA) to the SWD by post, but no reply had been received. They were very concerned that their applications had been lost in the mail. He hoped that upon receipt of applications, the SWD could provide interim replies to the elderly, informing

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 16 - and reassuring them that their applications were being processed. He learned from the SWD’s paper that the progress of application had been satisfactory and thought that it might be easier for the SWD to start providing interim replies to the elderly.

(ii) Mr CHAN Wing-hang enquired whether there was sufficient manpower to handle the applications for OALA and whether there would be other administrative measures to expedite the vetting process and respond to the enquiries of the elderly people as soon as possible.

(iii) Ms Emily LEUNG shared her experience of helping her family member with applying for OALA by post. She said that upon posting the application form for about a month, the SWD requested her family member to complete the application form again in its reply, but no reason had been stated. Her family member was very nervous about the application. She thus hoped that the SWD could give a reply promptly and improve the vetting process so that the elderly people could feel reassured.

(iv) The Vice-chairlady said that she had received views from the elderly people, pointing out that they were often unable to access the OALA hotline. She had tried calling the hotline but also failed. She proposed that the SWD should avoid using the voice mail or interactive voice processing system as and when new initiatives were launched in future. This was because the elderly people were resistant to such a kind of phone response.

31. In response to Members’ enquiries and views, Ms PANG Kit -l ing of the SWD replied as follows:

(i) When launching the OALA scheme, the SWD had estimated that there would be more than 400 000 applications from eligible elderly people. The SWD received thousands of enquiry calls each day during the peak period. Although it had requested the staff of hotline 1823 to help answering calls, they were still too busy to answer all the calls. She believed that the current situation had been improved.

(ii) The SWD did not give interim replies to OALA applications under the OALA scheme. The SWD had to balance the manpower in handling replies and vetting applications and finally decided to allocate more manpower resources to process and vet applications.

(iii) With the introduction of OALA, the SWD had increased manpower to handle the applications. Given that not many applications had been received at present, the SWD staff should be able to contact the applicants within a short period of time. If the applications could not be processed within a short period of time, the SWD would consider issuing interim replies.

(iv) She appealed to Members to refer the elderly people who had enquiries about OALA to contact the District Social Welfare Office of the SWD without having to go through the Centralised Team.

32. In response to Members’ enquiries and views, Ms LEUNG Mui-chun, Senior Social Security Officer (Hong Kong Island) of the SWD, replied as follows:

(i) The OALA was rolled out in three phases, namely Auto-conversion, Postal

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 17 - Submission and New Application. Members’ views should be centred on the Postal Submission phase. Upon issuing the first batch of green forms to eligible elderly people on 15 February 2013, the OALA hotline had received 600 or so enquiry calls each day. In view of this, the SWD had increased the total number of lines for the OALA hotline to 15. The department’s own hotline also assisted in handling enquiries and lastly, the 24-hour hotline 1823 also joined the effort.

(ii) On the manpower front, the SWD had set up a Centralised Team to specifically handle applications through Postal Submission. As the New Application phase commenced at a later stage in April 2013, there was a comparatively small pool of staff at the district level. If an application was submitted with all the required documents to the District Social Welfare Office in person, it could be processed immediately. In addition, the SWD had also provided briefings for staff on OALA. As they would process the applications in batches, they should be able to cope with the work pressure.

(iii) Some applicants would receive OALA later than others because the Social Security Allowance Scheme required applicants to have resided in Hong Kong continuously for at least one year. The SWD therefore had to verify applicants’ movement records with the Immigration Department. As data matching with the Immigration Control Automation System was carried out on a monthly basis (on the Saturday following every sixth day of a month). Applicants who submitted applications at the end of the month would receive allowance faster than those who submitted applications at the beginning of the month. Those who submitted the applications with all the required documents at the District Social Welfare Office in person could receive the allowance within two months.

(iv) The number of applications received under the Postal Submission arrangement had decreased. The SWD had received over 400 000 applications from eligible elderly people, which had met the target of the SWD. Among the applications received, 96.6% had been processed and the rest was under processing. As the retrospective payment arrangement of OALA would expire on 31 December 2013, she said that Members could forward the information of applicants who had sought their assistance to the SWD. The SWD would follow up the progress of each individual case. She added that applicants were entitled to apply for the retrospective payment as long as they had submitted the application.

33. The Vice-chair lady commenced the second round of discussion. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i)Mr IP Kwok-him pointed out that OALA was an effective support to elderly people. He understood that the workload of the SWD had increased suddenly but he hoped the department could be considerate of elderly people who were anxious to obtain the allowance. An interim reply card from the SWD could make them feel reassured. Moreover, he also asked whether the SWD had set any performance pledges.

(ii)Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing agreed that the current application process had shown great improvement. He enquired the SWD whether its excessive manpower could be deployed to answer calls of the hotline service.

(iii)Ms Emily LEUNG enquired about the SWD’s publicity on the retrospective payment arrangement.

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 18 - 34. In response to the Members’ enquiries and views, Ms LEUNG Mui-chun of the SWD replied as follows:

(i) The SWD had included a message about the retrospective payment arrangement in the announcements of public interest on television. Elderly people were reminded to submit applications for OALA payment dating back to the previous year by 31 December 2013.

(ii) In response to the suggestion of Mr IP Kwok-him, the SWD would give a card with contact information as an interim reply to applicants who submitted the application to the District Social Welfare Office in person. There should be no more applications through Postal Submission. Moreover, the SWD would remind its staff to try to meet the performance pledge, and to send reply cards or letters to the applicants as soon as possible.

(iii) The manpower additionally employed for OALA was to assist the Centralised Team to process applications under Postal Submission. As the phase of Postal Submission was near completion, the Centralised Team would be dissolved. The excessive manpower would prepare for the review next year. In response to the suggestion of manually operated hotline service, she would remind the operator to reply enquiries as soon as possible.

35. The Vice-chair lady thanked the SWD representatives for attending the meeting.

Item 10: Concern over the Service of Stamp Vending Machines (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 47/2013) (5:45 pm – 5:54 pm)

36. The Vice-chair lady chaired the discussion of this item.

37. The Vice-chair lady invited discussion on the paper. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that the public had to buy additional stamps due to the increase in postage rates. Some people experienced failure to obtain the stamps or changes after inserting coins in the electronic stamp vending machines (ESVMs). He suggested the Hong Kong Post Office (HKPO) keep pace with the times by adapting ESVMs to Octopus auto-payment system for the convenience of the public.

(ii) The Vice-chairlady referred to the HKPO’s written reply which stated that because of the low utilisation and small transaction amount at ESVMs, the HKPO did not have plans for adapting ESVMs to Octopus which was not cost- effective considering the extra operating expense to be incurred. She did not agree with the HKPO and considered that the HKPO should improve service to the public by applying new technologies to facilities.

38. In response to Members’ enquiries and views, Mr LAM Yuk-chiu, General Manager (Retail Business) of the HKPO, replied as follows:

(i) Low-value definitive stamps (including $0.1, $0.2 and $0.5) were available for the convenience of the public to make up for the postage difference. The low- value definitive stamps and two new stamps priced at $1.70 and $3.70 were on sale at post office counters, convenience stores and other outlets. The two new

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 19 - stamps were also available at ESVMs.

(ii) The public could contact the postmaster of the post office concerned or the HKPO’s 24-hour service hotline for refund or other arrangements if there were discrepancies in the change or unavailability of change due to malfunction of ESVMs.

(iii) He agreed that the service should improve with the times. Since the ESVMs had been used for a long period of time, the utilisation rate was low and the amount of every transaction was small, it would not be cost-effective to adapt ESVMs to Octopus considering the extra operating expense to be incurred. Nevertheless, the HKPO was committed to explore other service channels to facilitate the public’s access to purchasing stamps and using the HKPO’s service. The HKPO would consider adapting ESVMs to Octopus when replacing ESVMs in future.

39. The Vice-chairman commenced the second round of discussion. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr KAM Nai-wai asked whether low-value definitive stamps such as $0.1 stamp could be available in convenience stores. He considered that if low-value definitive stamps were available for sale in convenience stores, the public could easily purchase the additional stamps needed after the revision of postage rates.

(ii) The Chairman indicated that adapting ESVMs to Octopus would attract more users. He showed concern over the new stamps which were not denominated and could be used by simply attaching them on envelopes. He asked how the HKPO would handle the stamps if the postage rates were revised again later and what the advantages of such an arrangement were.

(iii) The Vice-chair lady worried that the procedure of requesting refunds would be complicated.

40. Mr LAM Yuk-chiu responded to Members’ views and enquiries and said that various types of low-value definitive stamp packs containing ten stamps were on sale at convenience stores, such as $0.1 stamps sold at $1 per each pack. As he had just mentioned, the HKPO would reconsider the proposal of using Octopus Auto-payment System in future. Currently, there was no expiry time for the two no-value-indicator stamps. The “Local Mail Postage” stamps could be used for sending local mail items weighing not more than 30 grams while the “Air Mail Postage” stamps could be used for sending airmail items weighing not more than 20 grams. The procedure to request refund was not complicated and the staff would process the request promptly.

41. The Vice- c hair lady thanked the representative of the HKPO for attending the meeting.

Item 11: Objection to Burning of Joss Papers in Event Held at Cultural Plaza in Wing Lok Street (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 49/2013) (5:54 pm – 6:15 pm)

42. Mr KAM Nai-wai supplemented the contents of the paper and said that the event in question was a blessing ceremony held before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The site of burning joss papers, as shown in the photos, was centrally located at a crossroad with ashes flying from Morrison Street to the refuse collection point. He noted from the replies of the

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 20 - departments that there was a guideline entitled “Air Control - Points to Note on the Use of Joss Paper Furnaces for Burning Joss Papers” and doubted whether any breaches of the guideline were involved in the event as seen in the photos. It was required under the guideline that furnaces should be far away from residential areas, but there was heavy pedestrian flow during the event and the furnace was only 20 metres away from the residential areas. Moreover, the guideline stated clearly that properly designed furnaces should be used when burning joss papers. For example, there should be sufficient air flow for combustion and there should be a fine mesh filter at the top of the furnace to ensure that there were no emissions of smoke and ash flakes. However, it was shown in the photos that the furnace was not installed with a mesh filter. He enquired which departments would be responsible for taking enforcement action if the event organiser had breached the guideline. Besides, Mr KAM Nai-wai was disappointed that the Fire Services Department (FSD) did not send representatives to attend the meeting.

43. Mr YIP Ming-bor, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Central/Western) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) responded that the FEHD was responsible to assess the application and issue the applicant with a Temporary Places of Public Entertainment Licence (TPPEL). The application was for an event held from 10 am to 9 pm between 20 and 22 September 2013. The FEHD referred the application to relevant government departments, including the Hong Kong Police Force, FSD, BD, URA, Transport Department (TD) and Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for comments in accordance with the prescribed licensing procedures. After deliberation, the FEHD and other departments did not object to the application in principle. The FEHD then issued licensing requirements and conditions, and the comments and guidelines from the above departments regarding the event (including the EPD’s “Air Control - Points to Note on the Use of Joss Paper Furnaces for Burning Joss Papers”) to the applicant for compliance and observance of the licensing requirements and conditions, guidelines and measures. The FEHD issued a TTPEL to the applicant on 20 September when the event commenced. FEHD staff had inspected the site and did find that furnaces were used. While the FEHD opined that worship activities in public places did not constitute a cleanliness offence, it did not encourage the public to burn joss papers on the street unless they burned joss papers in their own metal containers. The FEHD would advise the public not to leave ashes behind after joss papers burning through education and publicity. As shown in the photos, the event organiser burned joss papers in metal containers. The FEHD would consider prosecution only if the event organiser did not intend to remove the ashes. He opined that burning joss papers was a customary ritual. The FEHD’s action might backfire if it took a stern attitude in handling the matter.

44. Mr Sean LAW, Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 1 of the EPD added that the EPD’s “Air Control - Points to Note on the Use of Joss Paper Furnaces for Burning Joss Papers” was passed to the applicant together with the FEHD’s TPPEL. The requirements in the guideline were set at a higher standard for the sake of enforcement action. The furnace in the photos was relatively small in scale and had a cover on top of it to minimise nuisance caused by ashes. It was also shown in the photos that there were not any flying ashes. The EPD therefore did not think that there were serious breaches of the guideline.

45. The C hairman invited discussion on the paper. The views and enquiries of Members were as follows:

(i) Mr IP Kwok-him declared interest for having attended the event. He indicated that the event was a Chinese customary rite. He thought that the appropriate approach for the FEHD to solve the problem of joss papers burning was to advise the public to behave themselves. The public should also be more self-

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 21 - disciplined. He understood that flying ashes caused by the burning of joss papers was a nuisance to the residents nearby. He urged the FEHD to advise the public to clean up after them through education. He also appealed to the affected residents to be more tolerant.

(ii) Mr CHAN Hok-fung also declared interest for having attended the activity. He understood that burning of joss papers would cause nuisance to the residents nearby and agreed that the public should be taught to be self-disciplined. He suggested the concerned departments should give advice and reminders to the applicants when handling applications to ensure that there would be improvement in similar activities in future. For example, applicants could be advised to move the furnace to another location. In such a way, a balance could be struck between traditional culture and environmental hygiene.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king indicated that she had attended a worship activity The organiser borrowed from the TWGHs a furnace with a cover that could contain the fire in it. She asked the FEHD whether there were any requirements on the standard of furnace. She shared her experience of participating in a worship activity where joss papers were collected and transferred to a special furnace inside the Man Mo temple for burning.

(iv) Mr KAM Nai-wai indicated that the environment of the event was in poor condition with ashes flying everywhere and so many pedestrians. He considered that the blazing fire at the scene had constituted a fire hazard. He asked also the departments whether there were complaint hotlines for public to seek help as similar events were usually organised on weekends. He considered that the location was proven to be inappropriate for organising similar events. He requested the FEHD not to approve such applications in future. He did not object to burning joss papers as long as the event was held at a location where the pedestrian flow was low and the furnace was appropriately placed so that it would not affect the pedestrians. Most importantly, the nuisance caused to residents should be mitigated.

(v) The Chairman respected Chinese customary rites but considered that the event should not affect the residents nearby. He recalled that he had participated in a worship activity several years before. The organiser collected all the joss papers from worshippers and put them in a specially designed furnace for burning. He suggested the FEHD should consider similar practices.

(vi) In response to the Chairman’s suggestion, Mr CHAN Hok-fung indicated that centralised burning was not feasible as most worshippers wished to burn the joss papers by themselves according to his experience. The FEHD could suggest the applicants hire the specially designed furnace from charitable organisations such as the TWGHs.

46. Mr YIP Ming-bor of the FEHD responded that he would consider Members’ views and forward the suggestions to applicants. The FEHD would pay special attention to the location of furnace to mitigate the nuisance to the residents nearby.

47. Mr Sean LAW of the EPD added that the EPD would study the specially designed furnace of charitable organisations and consider advising applicants to use similar environmentally friendly furnaces through the FEHD.

48. The C hairman thanked the FEHD and EPD representatives for attending the meeting.

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 22 - Item 12: Introduction to “Very Hong Kong 2013” (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 52/2013) (6:15 pm – 6:36 pm)

49. Mr Christopher LAW, Co-founder of Very Hong Kong Festival Foundation Association (the Association), briefed Members on the Very Hong Kong Festival and the events to be held. He indicated that the Association was a creative cultural organisation committed to organise free arts, cultural and recreational events in public spaces. The performances of the Association were mainly twofold: performances introduced from other countries and performances by local artists. The Association would organise the Very Hong Kong Festival 2013 from 7 to 15 December 2013 at three public places in the Central Harbourfront, Kowloon East and Wan Chai. One of the events to be held in Central was “Event Horizon”, a public arts exhibition by a British artist Antony GORMLEY. Thirty one life-size sculptural figures would be installed on building rooftops and on the street . Other activities included Open Air Cinema and Open Air Music Concerts which would be held in Central Harbourfront. The internationally renowned pianist Ms Michelle KIM would feature in the Open Air Music Concerts. He invited Members to express their views on the events.

50. Miss Elisa WONG, Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West of the LCSD, indicated that the LCSD was invited by the Association a few months before to co- organise “Event Horizon”, the public arts exhibition by Antony GORMLEY. The Art Promotion Office (APO) under the LCSD had responded proactively to the invitation. The APO had coordinated with several departments such as the Lands Department, Highways Department and TD which were taking follow-up action. The LCSD would respect the views and decisions of every department. Moreover, the LCSD had followed up with every building on the arrangement of placing sculptures.

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung expressed support for holding dynamic events at the Central Harbourfront. However, he was worried that the sculptures installed on building rooftops might make the public misunderstand and would cause chaos. He opined that arts events also had to fit in with the local culture. Moreover, he was concerned about the crowd control of events held at the Central Harbourfront. He suggested that the organiser anticipate the number of participants and provide adequate supporting facilities such as toilets.

(ii) Mr IP Kwok-him supported the arts events of the Association and opined that those events would help enhance the local community’s ability in art appreciation. Nevertheless, he was concerned that it might be windy in December and might have an impact on outdoor events. He also shared the view of Mr CHAN Hok-fung that the locations of placing sculptures might lead to misunderstanding and should be carefully monitored.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king supported to revitalise the harbourfront but she added that it was necessary to provide clear directional signs for the events. She further asked whether the live web cast and mobile phone conferences set out in the paper were available for the public on the spot or at home. She reminded the organiser to check if the service could be adequately supported by Wi-Fi in case the services were provided at the venue.

(iv) M r CHAN Wing-hang raised four questions: (1) Were there any mechanisms to

04cca0d20c88ea3ac4a5bd53713c1698.doc - 23 - evaluate if the expected outcomes were met? (2) As some members of the audience might have no idea about arts, how could the organiser effectively present the themes, objectives and principles of the events? (3) Would the events necessitate any arrangements such as road closure that would influence the public? If there were such arrangements, clear signposts should be put up. (4) Would the organiser follow up on the events upon completion of the events, such as reporting to the public on the output of events?

(v) The Chairman showed his support to the Association’s events and promotion of arts, but the organiser should carefully make the specific arrangements of the events. While keeping an open attitude to arts events, he proposed that a mix of Chinese and Western music should be used in the events so as to highlight Hong Kong’s characteristic of a fusion of Chinese and Western cultures.

52. In response to Members’ views and enquiries, Mr Christopher LAW of the Association replied as follows:

(i) The Association would take Member’s views and suggestions into consideration when organising events. It would pay special attention to the location of sculptural figures to avoid any misunderstandings. Similar events had been held successfully for many times in overseas countries. The Association would carry out public education and publicity through two public relations agencies.

(ii) The attendance of the events and traffic condition would be assessed by a professional transport consulting firm. He anticipated that the attendance would be about 1 000 to 2 000. Thus, road closure was not necessary and the traffic would not be affected.

(iii) In regard to the online events mentioned by Ms CHENG Lai-king, the organiser would videotape the events and upload them onto Facebook and Youtube for public view. The directional signs would be designed by graphic designers to ensure that the signage was clear.

(iv) Admission was free for all events of the Association. If the venue was fully packed with participants, the Association would put up notices at places such as MTR stations to inform the public of the news.

53. The Chairman reminded the Association to manage the crowd. He closed the discussion on the item and thanked Very Hong Kong representatives for attending the meeting.

Item 13: Action checklist on matters arising from the 10th CLSAC meeting (2012/2013) (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 54/2013) (6:36 pm – 6:38 pm)

54. Members noted the matters arising and had no other comments.

Item 1 4 : Reports of working groups (6:38 pm)

55. Members noted the reports of working groups and had no other comments.

Item 1 5 : Any other business

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56. No other business was raised by Members.

Item 1 6 : Date of the next meeting (6:38 pm – 6:39 pm)

57. The Chairman announced that the 1st CLSAC meeting (2014-2015) would be held on 20 February 2014. The paper submission deadline for government departments would be 28 January, while the deadline for Members would be 5 February.

58. The meeting was adjourned at 6:39 pm.

The minutes were confirmed on 20 February 201 4 Chairman: Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP Secretary: Miss Susan YAU

Central and Western District Council Secretariat February 2014

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