Minutes of the 4th Meeting of the HKSAR Fourth Term of Wong Tai Sin District Council (Summary Translation) Date: 15 May 2012 (Tuesday) Time: 2:30 p.m. Venue: Conference Room, Wong Tai Sin District Council, 6/F, Lung Cheung Office Block, 138 Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon Present: Chairman: Mr. LI Tak-hong, MH, JP Vice-chairman: Dr. WONG Kam-chiu, MH Wong Tai Sin District Council Members: Ms. CHAN Man-ki, Maggie Mr. CHAN On-tai Mr. CHAN Wai-kwan, Andie Mr. CHAN Yim-kwong, Joe Mr. HO Hon-man Mr. HO Yin-fai Mr. HUI Kam-shing Mr. KAN Chi-ho, BBS, MH Ms. KWOK Sau-ying Mr. LAI Wing-ho, Joe Mr. LEE Tat-yan, MH Mr. MOK Chung-fai, Rex, MH Mr. MOK Kin-wing Mr. MOK Ying-fan Mr. SHUM Wan-wa Mr. SO Sik-kin Ms. TAM Heung-man Ms. TAM Mei-po Mr. TING Chi-wai, Roy Mr. WONG Kam-chi, MH, JP Mr. WONG Kit-hin Mr. WONG Kwok-tung Mr. WONG Yat-yuk Mr. WU Chi-wai, MH Mr. YUEN Kwok-keung, Stephen [5](1)20120607-4_DC[M4](15.5.12)-e.doc 1 Absent with Apologies: Ms. CHAN Yuen-han, SBS, JP Mr. WONG Kwok-yan In attendance: Mr. LEUNG Cheuk-man, Director of Food and FEHD ) Re.: Clement, JP Environmental Hygiene ) Item III(i) Mr. FAN Yung-kai Assistant Director (Operations)2 FEHD ) Ms. HO Wing-yin, Winnie Deputy Head Pre-Kowloon East ) Re.: Development Office ) Item III(ii) Ms. LAI Man-foon, Vivian Senior Town Planner Pre-Kowloon East ) Development Office ) Mrs. TAM CHEUNG Regional Officer/ ICAC ) Re.: Kwai-ying, Dorothy Kowloon East/ Sai Kung ) Item III(v) Ms. MING Yuen-man Senior Community Relations ICAC ) Mr. SHIU Wai-chuen, District Officer (WTS) WTSDO William, JP Mr. CHOW Oi-wang, Toby District Commander HKPF (Wong Tai Sin) Ms. Lily NG District Social Welfare Officer SWD (Wong Tai Sin/Sai Kung) Mrs. SUNG CHEUNG Chief Housing Manager HD Mun-chi (Wong Tai Sin, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and Islands) Mr. CHUI Si-kay, Peter Senior Engineer/6 (Kowloon) CEDD Mr. AU Siu-fung, Kelvin Senior Transport Officer / TD Wong Tai Sin Mr. HO Ming-tong District Environmental Hygiene FEHD Superintendent (Wong Tai Sin) Mr. LAM Hok-hay, George District Leisure Manager LCSD (Wong Tai Sin) Mr. CHUNG Chan-yau, Senior Executive Officer WTSDO Patrick (District Management) Mr. TING Tin-sang Senior Liaison Officer 1 WTSDO Ms. PANG Suk-wah, Phyllis Senior Liaison Officer 2 WTSDO Ms. TANG Wai Lan, Cecilia Executive Officer I WTSDO (District Council) Secretary: Ms. LAM Pui-fun, Maggie Senior Executive Officer WTSDO (District Council) [5](1)20120607-4_DC[M4](15.5.12)-e.doc 2 Opening Remark by the Chairman The Chairman welcomed all to the 4th meeting of the Wong Tai Sin District Council (WTSDC), in particular Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH) Mr. Clement LEUNG, JP and Assistant Director (Operations)2 of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) Mr. FAN Yung-kai who attended the meeting for agenda item III(i). 2. The Chairman welcomed Mr. Toby CHOW, the newly appointed District Commander (Wong Tai Sin) of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) who replaced the outgoing Mr. David Michael GUNTON; as well as Mr. HO Ming-tong, the newly appointed District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wong Tai Sin) of FEHD who replaced the outgoing Mr. WONG Wai-wan, MH. He also welcomed Transport Department (TD)’s Senior Transport Officer/Wong Tai Sin Mr. Kelvin AU and Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD)’s Senior Engineer/6 (Kowloon) Mr. Peter CHUI, who stood in for Mr. Vincent FAN and Mr. Anthony LO respectively. 3. The Chairman informed Members that Ms. CHAN Yuen-han, SBS, MH and Mr. WONG Kwok-yan were absent from the meeting with apologies. 4. The Chairman drew Members’ attention to the revised agenda and a list of proposed discussion time for agenda items of the 4th meeting tabled. Members raised no objection to the list. 5. The Chairman informed Members that the group photo taking session before the meeting had to be postponed due to the rain. Members would be informed of the new date in due course. I. Confirmation of the Minutes of the 3rd Meeting of WTSDC held on 13 May 2012 6. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) requested that the minutes of meeting be amended as follows: (i) The entire Para. 62(ii) should read as – “LCSD noted that WTSDC supported the open space in north of the ex-San Po Kong Flatted Factory be reserved for the development of TWGHs HCYD. The department would shelve the 11-a-side football pitch project before an alternative site was identified.” (ii) The entire Para. 62(iii) should read as - [5](1)20120607-4_DC[M4](15.5.12)-e.doc 3 “Open spaces in San Po Kong were planned to be the wind channels, which would improve environment of the area and support the development of KTDA. The development plan in question was underpinned by long and extensive discussion and consultation involving various stakeholders. Also, HD would adopt a PRH design that was compatible with the surrounding, and would develop the open spaces concurrently to improve the environment. The cooperation between LCSD and HD in this regard would improve the quality of open spaces.” 7. The Chairman commented that the minutes should be a faithful record of the meeting and Government departments should propose amendments before the papers were issued. The amended minutes of meeting were confirmed. II. Progress Report on Matters Arising from the 3rd Meeting of the Wong Tai Sin District Council (WTSDC Paper 40/2012) 8. The Chairman informed Members that both duty visits to Eastern Guangdong, one by WTSDC alone and another jointly with local representatives from various sectors had been cancelled. 9. Members noted the paper. (Mr. Joe LAI and Mr. WU Chi-wai, MH arrived at the meeting at 2:40 p.m.) III(i) Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene’s Visit to the Wong Tai Sin District Council 10. The Chairman welcomed DFEH Mr. Clement LEUNG, JP. 11. Mr. Clement LEUNG, JP said he was glad to visit WTSDC and brief Members on the work of FEHD. He looked forward to discussing local food and environmental hygiene matters with Members. FEHD was the largest civilian department within the Government, with an establishment of about 10 000 civil servants and nearly 10 000 staff employed by its service contractors. FEHD provided a wide range of public services, including food surveillance and control, public market and hawker management, crematorium and cemetery management, licensing and [5](1)20120607-4_DC[M4](15.5.12)-e.doc 4 supervision of food premises, street cleansing and refuse collection, pest control, etc. He briefed Members on FEHD’s major tasks in 2012 as follows: (i) Food Safety The Food Safety Ordinance had become effective on 1 February 2012. The Ordinance required all food importers and distributors to register with FEHD and keep records of the movement of food to facilitate food traceability in case of food safety incidents. To date more than 8 000 food importers and distributors had registered with FEHD. It was hoped that full operation of the Ordinance would improve food safety. FEHD would also table the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation in the Legislative Council (LegCo). The proposed Regulation aimed at regulating the maximum concentration of pesticide residues, including insecticide and chemical plant growth promoters, permitted in food. The Regulation would set out maximum residue limits based on the available standards adopted by major food exporting countries to Hong Kong including China, Thailand, the United States, etc., thus affording better protection to the public. Reportedly green groups criticised that the standard adopted in Hong Kong was not up to international ones. He emphasised that existence of pesticide residues below the prevailing standards would not affect human body, and the introduction of the Regulation aimed at aligning these standards with international ones, so as to protect people from excessive pesticide in food; (ii) Hawker Management After the No.4 alarm fire at Fa Yuen Street last year, FEHD had been criticised by the public, who had also requested the department to improve hawker management. Besides stepping up enforcement efforts, FEHD had also launched two consultation exercises after the fire. One of them was on the proposed introduction of a mechanism for cancellation of hawker licences, which would allow the Administration to take the initiative to suspend or cancel the hawker licences of repeat offenders. The other one was on medium to long term management of hawkers. [5](1)20120607-4_DC[M4](15.5.12)-e.doc 5 Both consultation exercises had been ended. FEHD was now consolidating public opinions received, with a view to publishing the findings in the nearest future. FEHD had also consulted DCs on the said matters, in a bid to strike a balance between hawkers’ livelihood and the need to protect residents from fire risk related to hawking; (iii) Columbaria FEHD noted the public concerns about the inadequate supply of ossuary niches, which had resulted in the long waiting time for public niches. FEHD had carried out district-level consultation exercises on the provision of new columbaria but most respondents were against the idea. FEHD would increase the supply of public niches and draw public attention to certain points to note when purchasing private niches. The Development Bureau (DEVB) had published information on private columbaria which were in compliance with the user restrictions set out in the land leases and the statutory town planning requirements; as well as those occupying Government land illegally, breaching the statutory town planning requirements and/or user restrictions set out in the land leases, to assist the public to make decision with sufficient information.