The minutes were amended and confirmed on 3.9.2019.

Minutes of the Third Meeting of Yuen Long District Council in 2019

Date : 25 June 2019 (Tuesday)

Time : 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Venue : Conference Room, Yuen Long District Council, 13/F., Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long

Present Time of Arrival Time of Withdrawal Chairman: Mr SHUM Ho-kit, JP (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Vice-chairman: Mr WONG Wai-shun, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (2:10 p.m.) Members: Mr CHAM Ka-hung, Daniel, (Beginning of the meeting) (2:30 p.m.) BBS, MH, JP Ms CHAN Mei-lin (Beginning of the meeting) (2:50 p.m.) Mr CHAN Sze-ching (9:50 a.m.) (End of the meeting) Mr CHEUNG Muk-lam (Beginning of the meeting) (3:55 p.m.) Mr CHING Chan-ming (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Ms CHIU Sau-han, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr CHOW Wing-kan (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr KWOK Hing-ping (Beginning of the meeting) (2:30 p.m.) Mr KWOK Keung, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) The Hon KWONG Chun-yu (Beginning of the meeting) (11:55 a.m.) Ms LAU Kwai-yung (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr LEE Yuet-man, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) The Hon LEUNG Che-cheung, (Beginning of the meeting) (12:00 noon) SBS, MH, JP Mr LEUNG Fuk-yuen (9:50 a.m.) (1:35 p.m.) Mr LEUNG Ming-kin (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr LUI Kin, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) The Hon LUK Chung-hung, JP (11:50 a.m.) (2:30 p.m.) Ms MA Shuk-yin (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr MAK Ip-sing (Beginning of the meeting) (2:00 p.m.) Mr MAN Mei-kwai, Jimmy (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr SIU Long-ming, MH (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr TANG Che-keung (Beginning of the meeting) (2:30 p.m.) Mr TANG Cheuk-him (Beginning of the meeting) (2:35 p.m.) Mr TANG Cheuk-yin (Beginning of the meeting) (2:35 p.m.) Mr TANG Hing-ip, BBS (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr TANG Ho-nin (Beginning of the meeting) (11:15 a.m.) Mr TANG Ka-leung (Beginning of the meeting) (3:00 p.m.) Mr TANG Lai-tung (Beginning of the meeting) (11:00 a.m.) Mr TANG Sui-man (Beginning of the meeting) (12:30 p.m.) Mr TO Ka-lun (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr WONG Cheuk-kin (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Ms WONG Wai-ling (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr WONG Wai-yin, Zachary (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Mr YIU Kwok-wai (Beginning of the meeting) (2:00 p.m.)

- 1 -

Mr YOUNG Ka-on (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting) Ms YUEN Man-yee (Beginning of the meeting) (End of the meeting)

Secretary: Ms PANG Ka-fong, Cindy Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Yuen Long District Office Assistant Ms WONG Man-ting, Mandy Executive Officer I (District Council), Secretary: Yuen Long District Office

In Attendance Mr YUEN Ka-lok, Enoch, JP District Officer (Yuen Long) Mr NG Lak-sun, Nixon Assistant District Officer (Yuen Long) 1 Ms OR Lai-kum, Christina Senior Liaison Officer (3), Yuen Long District Office Mr HUI Wai-ming, Kenneth Liaison Officer i/c (Rural 5), Yuen Long District Office Ms KEE Wing-yin, Fionn Chief School Development Officer (Yuen Long), Education Bureau Mr TSOI Ka-wai District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yuen Long), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr LAM Chi-keung, Desmond Chief Engineer/West 1, Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms CHAN Ching-han, Peggy District Lands Officer/Yuen Long (District Lands Office, Yuen Long), Lands Department Mr NG Ping-tong, Gordon Administrative Assistant/Lands (District Lands Office, Yuen Long), Lands Department Mr CHAN Hon-ming, Louis Deputy District Commander (Yuen Long), Hong Kong Police Force Mr LEUNG Tsz-kin Police Community Relations Officer (Yuen Long District), Hong Kong Police Force Mr WONG Pui-chun Chief Manager/Management (Tuen Mun and Yuen Long), Housing Department Ms LUNG Lai-seung, Wendy District Leisure Manager (Yuen Long), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr NG Yuk-man, David District Planning Officer (Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West), Planning Department Ms CHU Wing-yin, Diana District Social Welfare Officer (Yuen Long), Social Welfare Department Mr KWONG Ka-yin Chief Transport Officer/New Territories North West, Transport Department

Item II Mrs YEUNG HO Poi-yan, Permanent Secretary for Education, Education Ingrid, JP Bureau Mrs CHENG CHAU Shing- Secretariat Press Officer (Education), Education sing, Linda Bureau Ms CHAN Chin-woon, Principal Education Officer (New Territories), Cynthia Education Bureau

- 2 -

Ms KEE Wing-yin, Fionn Chief School Development Officer (Yuen Long), Education Bureau Ms LI Wai-yi Senior School Development Officer (Yuen Long)2, Education Bureau

Item III Miss LAU Lee-kwan, Vivian, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene JP Mr FORK Ping-lam Assistant Director (Operations) 3, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr TSOI Ka-wai District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yuen Long), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Absent Mr LAI Wai-hung (Absent with apologies) Mr TANG Yung-yiu, Ronnie (Absent with apologies)

* * * *

Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed Members and departmental representatives to the third meeting of the Yuen Long District Council (“YLDC”) in 2019.

2. The Chairman particularly welcomed Mr LEUNG Fuk-yuen, the newly elected Member of the Shap Pat Heung West Constituency, to the meeting.

3. The Chairman extended a particular welcome to Ms CHAN Ching-han, Peggy, the newly appointed District Lands Officer/Yuen Long (District Lands Office, Yuen Long) who succeeded Ms CHAN Suet-ching, Angela. On behalf of the YLDC, he thanked Ms. CHAN Suet-ching, Angela for her assistance rendered to the Council in the past.

4. The Chairman also welcomed the following departmental representative to the meeting:

Leisure and Cultural Services Department Leisure Manager, Yuen Long Ms LUNG Lai-seung, Wendy (Stood in for Mr WONG Shu-yan, Francis, Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories North))

5. Before the commencement of the meeting, Members and departmental representatives, by their own choice, observed a minute of silence for any people who lost their lives over the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance.

- 3 -

6. As for the agenda, the Chairman said Mrs YEUNG HO Poi-yan, Ingrid, JP, Permanent Secretary for Education (“PS(Ed)”), would first meet with Members and Miss LAU Lee-kwan, Vivian, JP, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (“DFEH”), would then attend today’s meeting to share her views with Members on the issues of environmental hygiene in the district. As the questions raised by Members fell into the ambit of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”), the Chairman suggested discussing the third and fourth agenda items together. The items were namely Meeting with the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene and “a request for the FEHD to step up anti-rodent efforts and contain rodent infestation”. The Chairman said that as the PS(Ed) and the DFEH both had other official duties to perform after the meeting, he hoped that Members would manage their time well and keep their speeches brief.

7. The Chairman suggested referring three items proposed for discussion to the Traffic and Transport Committee (“T&TC”). The first item was proposed by Mr LEE Yuet-man, MH, Mr SIU Long-ming, MH, Mr TANG Cheuk-him, Mr CHOW Wing-kan, Mr KWOK Hing-ping and Mr WONG Cheuk-kin, namely “Condemning the Buildings Department for turning a deaf ear to the dissenting views of the YLDC by relaxing the pre-set trigger level for suspension of works at the construction site of the Light Rail Tin Wing Stop to 150 mm while approving resumption of the building works there”. Mr LEE Yuet-man, MH proposed the other two items, namely “The planning and timetable of the MTR Northern Link project” and “Trains on the Tuen Mun South Extension line would get too crowded for passengers at Tin Shui Wai Station to board”.

8. The Chairman suggested referring two items proposed for discussion by Mr CHAM Ka- hung Daniel, BBS, MH, JP to the Town Planning and Development Committee (“TP&DC”) and the Environmental Improvement Committee (“EIC”) respectively. They were namely “the investigation and prosecution involving the infringements by an e-waste warehouse in Ha Tsuen of the Town Planning Ordinance, the Buildings Ordinance and the Lands Resumption Ordinance” and “the investigation and prosecution regarding the infringements by an e-waste warehouse in Ha Tsuen of environmental ordinances”.

9. Separately, the Chairman referred Members to a revised agenda distributed at the meeting, saying the motion relating to the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance had been deleted from the agenda. The Chairman apologised to Members and explained why the change had been made. He said that the Secretariat informed him earlier about the receipt of the motion. As the motion involved a subject that was not only of great concern to Members, but was also a highly sensitive, non-local issue, he could not decide or give any clear instruction to the Secretariat as to how the motion should be dealt with. This caused the Secretariat to misunderstand him and include the motion in the agenda. The Chairman also noted that the Secretariat had received notifications from Mr TO Ka-lun, Mr MAK Ip-sing and Ms CHAN Mei-lin regarding their requests to make oral statements at the meeting. Together with Mr Zachary WONG’s statement that had not been dealt with because of the adjournment of the previous meeting, there could be a total of four oral statements to be made at the meeting. The Chairman said the motion was about the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, and that all the oral statements were also about the same issue, as indicated by the notifications of the four Members to the Secretariat. The Chairman said that, after days of consideration, he decided not to approve the motion and the statements pursuant to Orders 16 and 25 of the YLDC Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”).

10. The Chairman said that disapproval of the abovementioned motion and statements had been

- 4 -

the toughest decision he had ever made since his assumption of chairmanship under the current YLDC term. He said that Hong Kong had been engulfed by incessant conflicts since the Government proposed legislative amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. There had been a series of massive marches and protests, coupled with clashes between police and protesters. The Chairman said he could not make the decision after many days, and quoted a bible story in his explanation for the decision. He said that he was aware of Members’ serious concern about the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, but noted that the amendment bill involved international law and international relations and was entirely an issue outside the district. He hoped that the YLDC would focus on discussion of district issues and political issues would be discussed through other political platforms. The Chairman said that, as a DC Chairman, he was responsible for maintaining harmony in the Council and leading its day-to-day operations. He did not want this platform for promoting public participation in district affairs to degenerate into a battlefield for political wrestling.

11. The Chairman also said that if he allowed Members to discuss, vote or deliver statements on the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance at the meeting, this would only drag them into fierce battles of insulting words and force them to state their position on the contentious issue. Discussing or raising motions about the issue in the District Council could not help change the situation. Hong Kong was a community with a high degree of speech freedom. When an issue was not discussed in the DC, people could still make their voices heard about the issue through other platforms. The Chairman said that the mass movements in the recent month had made the Government introduce a concrete change - the suspension of the extradition bill was officially announced on 15 June this year. In a statement of apology, Chief Executive Carrie LAM CHENG Yuet-ngor made it clear that the Government had stopped the legislative exercise relating to the Ordinance and there was no timetable to re-launch the suspended bill. Perhaps some members of the public might think that the Government’s refusal to retract the bill suggested that it could be taken back to the legislature in the short term. Given the existing political atmosphere, however, this was unlikely to happen within the current term of the Legislative Council. The Chairman said that if the Government forcibly pushed for the bill again without any consensus-reaching process, he would voice objections immediately.

12. The Chairman said he was aware that Members might hold different views about his decision, and that the public might not fully understand the rationale behind his decision. As he faced a dilemma, his friends gave him a few pieces of advice, such as postponing or cancelling the meeting or allowing Members to decide on their own whether to discuss the issue. However, he said that it would be irresponsible to accept the advice, quoting Mencius as saying, “If I reflect on myself and find myself to be right, I will go forward even if I am confronted by an army of one hundred thousand.” Considering what he had done to be right upon repeated reflection, he said that he should make a decision and shoulder all the responsibility alone, even if he was confronted by all YLDC Members and residents of Yuen Long District.

13. Lastly, the Chairman hoped Members could look ahead, mend the rift in society, stop internal discord and restore Hong Kong to calm as fast as possible. He also hoped Members could start afresh, rebuild trust and work together to improve community livelihoods with a tolerant and accommodating frame of mind.

14. Some Members expressed their views about the decision on the agenda, and some others

- 5 -

disagreed with the Chairman.

15. The Chairman said what he had made was a decision on the agenda, not a suggestion for Members, so there should be no more discussion on the issue.

16. The Chairman declared adjournment of the meeting to restore the order in the DC Conference Room.

Item I: Confirmation of the Minutes of the Second Meeting of Yuen Long District Council in 2019 17. The minutes of the second meeting of the YLDC in 2019 were confirmed.

Item II: Meeting with Permanent Secretary for Education 18. The Chairman particularly welcomed Permanent Secretary for Education (“PS(Ed)”), Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP to the meeting with Members. He also welcomed the following representatives of the Education Bureau (“EDB”) to the meeting:

Chief Information Officer (Education) Mrs CHENG CHAU Shing-sing, Linda Principal Education Officer (NT) Ms CHAN Chin-woon, Cynthia Chief School Development Officer (YL) Ms KEE Wing-yin, Fionn

19. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP said she had the great pleasure to visit the YLDC and provide a brief overview on the work of the EDB. She also expressed welcome to views from Members on education issues, while inviting Ms Fionn KEE to give a PowerPoint presentation on the work of the Bureau.

20. Ms Fionn KEE briefed Members on the EDB’s education policies and measures.

21. The Vice-chairman said residents in Yuen Long Town had all along been plagued with the problem of insufficient school places in Yuen Long West (School Net 73) and Yuen Long East (School Net 74). Many Yuen Long residents had sought help from DC Members after their children had been allocated to primary schools in Tin Shui Wai District, an adjacent school network. They had to take long, meandering bus rides to school because of EDB’s measure of borrowing school places from neighbouring school nets. He hoped the Bureau could improve the existing arrangements. On the other hand, he noted that many land sites near Yuen Long Station and YOHO Town had been planned and set aside for educational use, but the EDB had yet to commence any works there. He asked whether the Bureau would consider building schools on the sites to increase the provision of school places. He also pointed out that kindergarten places were in shortage in Yuen Long District and kindergarten premises had to comply with EDB’s requirements. He suggested that the relevant requirements be relaxed to allow kindergarten operators to have a wide choice of locations, adding that more market competition could create downward pressure on rents. On the other hand, he remarked that the YLDC had consistently fought for many years for an international school in Yuen Long District, home to more than 600 000 people, in order to provide local students with a wide choice of education programmes. However, the EDB turned down the suggestion, citing sufficient school places in the district. This caused many students who wished to

- 6 -

study in international schools had to travel long distances to do so in other districts. Some parents who wanted to enroll their children in international schools had no choice but to relocate to other districts. This would only weaken the sense of belonging among Yuen Long residents, thereby hindering the long-term development of the district. He suggested that the EDB conduct a detailed study of the issue.

22. Mr Daniel CHAM, BBS, MH, JP suggested that the EDB should reserve land in Yuen Long District for the construction of international schools to create more choices for local students who wished to further their studies and to support the diversification of education. He pointed out that there were international schools in districts such as Tai Po, Tuen Mun and Sha Tin, but the Government had no plans to build one in Yuen Long, although the population of the district would increase to one million because of new development areas, such as Hung Shui Kiu, Kam Tin South and Yuen Long South. It had just been mentioned during the EDB’s briefing that there would be no shortage of international primary and secondary school places in the five school years from 2018/19. However, it took time to complete an international school as the stages of planning, site identification and construction could only be completed in five to seven years. He opined that the development of education should be balanced in various districts, and hoped there would be no unbalanced development of education in various districts. On the other hand, there were residents of other nationalities in Yuen Long District, and different parents had different needs for their children’s education. Unlike Sha Tin and Tuen Mun, there were no higher education institutions in Yuen Long, where large quantities of land sites in the three new development areas could be reserved for educational use. He suggested the EDB discuss with the Planning Department or the Civil Engineering and Development Department the possibility of generating more land in the new development areas for the construction of international schools and higher education institutions, so that students of the district would not have to commute to schools in other districts. Secondly, he welcomed the resumption by the EDB of Chinese History as an independent compulsory subject at the junior secondary level from the 2018/19 school year, saying that students, as Chinese people, must learn about Chinese history. He enquired whether the Chinese History curriculum would be similar to the previous one and whether it would cover the recent history of China after the Qing dynasty. He suggested that if the curriculum content was to be altered, members of the education sector should be consulted with in-depth studies to be conducted before a decision was made.

23. Mr CHAN Sze-ching said that a student had jumped to his death from a building at Tin Shing Court recently, and his parents revealed that he had hinted to his classmates a few hours beforehand about his suicidal thoughts. Some students had reported the matter to teachers, but the school-based social worker did not know it. Mr Chan cast doubts about the effectiveness of the “one school social worker for each school” policy, saying that the tragedy could not be prevented after warning signs became apparent. Regarding the resumption of Chinese History as an independent compulsory subject at the junior secondary level, he suggested the curriculum content should be enhanced by including the movements against the “three evils” and the “five evils” and the June Fourth Incident. He said that students should face the history, learn the history and study the history, good and bad, so that they would not be influenced by views at neighbourhood level and learn the truth. Furthermore, he queried whether teachers could adopt a balanced approach in teaching if the above-mentioned historical events were included in the curriculum. He suggested that the teaching guidelines formulated by the EDB should require teachers to teach in a balanced manner, and that other measures should be taken to address the situation.

24. Mr CHEUNG Muk-lam said that many school students nowadays attended tutorial classes.

- 7 -

Primary school students paid at least $2,000 for tutorial classes every month, which could be a major financial strain for their families. Many parents hoped the EDB could provide subsidy to eligible private tutorial schools in a bid to improve tutorial services, so that children and parents taking their children to tutorial classes would not have to commute to other districts for the classes. On the other hand, he noted that many children had to commute to schools in other districts. Because of the new development areas, Yuen Long’s population would grow rapidly in future, but the traffic problem of the district remained unmitigated. He considered that this was due to inadequate planning. He said the EDB and the Transport Department should play a key role in the provision of sufficient school places in the district to meet demand, which was driven by population growth. Separately, he suggested the EDB should re-launch national education to instil a stronger sense of national identity in young people.

25. Mr CHOW Wing-kan said that Yuen Long would become the major source of housing supply in Hong Kong in future. As the district was experiencing a baby boom with large numbers of young families relocating there, demand for kindergarten services was expected to surge in the next decade. No kindergartens in urban areas were found on the street-level floor because of land price and rental issues. Furthermore, according to an operation manual for kindergartens, no kindergarten should be located above or below a floor where a restaurant was in operation. This presented the biggest obstacle for school sponsoring bodies. If a kindergarten opened earlier than such a restaurant, the kindergarten was allowed to continue to operate. However, if the kindergarten closed, and there was another school sponsoring body applying to open a new kindergarten at the same place, a licence would not be granted. Therefore, he suggested that the EDB relax application requirements and allow school sponsoring bodies to open a kindergarten as long as they had satisfied the requirements as set out in the Fire Services Ordinance. He said that if the Bureau failed to ensure an adequate supply of kindergartens, even more children would have to commute to kindergartens in other districts. On the other hand, regarding the problem of “time-limited” primary schools, he suggested some schools in Tin Shui Wai (School Net 72) increase the number of classrooms to accommodate students from Yuen Long West (School Net 73) and Yuen Long East (School Net 74). Furthermore, as large numbers of flats to be completed in Tin Shui Wai in the next few years would lead to population growth, he suggested that the plan to demolish The Church of Christ in China Fong Yun Wah Primary School in Tin Shui Wai should be put on hold to avoid wastefulness. He said the school should continue its operation to absorb new students during the transition period. On the other hand, there had been class boycotts at quite a few secondary schools in Tin Shui Wai recently. Some students skipped examinations while some students had conflicts with their parents. Their schools did not know how to handle the situation. He suggested the EDB issue explicit guidelines to schools to help them deal with class and exam boycotts.

26. Mr LEUNG Fuk-yuen said that he, as a school manager and supervisor of a number of schools over the last years, had found many problems emerging in schools from the outset of the Occupy Central protests, such as students’ participation in class boycotts and marches. He said that secondary school students were not yet mentally mature but there had been even primary school students influenced by their teachers. He said there were major flaws in the current education system and schools should not advocate any political thoughts. He opined that the EDB had the responsibility to protect students from political influences and devise guidelines for teachers. He also said that students should develop their independent thinking ability so as not to be incited to commit unlawful acts.

27. Mr LEE Yuet-man, MH said that there should be an international school in Yuen Long

- 8 -

District otherwise students wishing to study in international schools would attend such schools in other districts or move out of the district. The EDB had said that school sites had been reserved in the new large-scale residential development areas of Yuen Long District, but no school sites had been reserved in the new major residential development areas of Tin Shui Wai in Areas 112 and 115, nor at the temporary depot site of The Kowloon Motor Bus Company at Tin Pak Road, Tin Shui Wai. He suggested the EDB actively consider the possibility of reserving a school site in any of the areas expeditiously for construction of an international school. On the other hand, he said that some parents residing in Tin Shui Wai had opted for English-medium secondary schools in Yuen Long Town for their children, causing them to commute a long way to school. He suggested relaxing the restrictions for Tin Shui Wai secondary schools on offering classes with English as the medium of instruction. On the other hand, he noted that two kindergartens in Kingswood North were under rental pressure to increase tuition fees as they were located in the rental properties of private-sector developers. This would add to parents’ financial burden. He hoped that the Government would explore ways for private developers to reduce rents for the kindergartens and provide subsidy to them for reducing tuition fees.

28. The Hon LEUNG Che-cheung, SBS, MH, JP said that protectionism was prevalent in the local education scene, citing that schools would oppose construction of any new schools in their areas for fear that their student intakes might be affected. He suggested that the EDB introduce a policy to promote competition among local schools lest their opposition would lead to a decline in student population at Direct Subsidy Scheme (“DSS”) schools and international schools. He hoped that the Bureau would consider expanding the provision of schools as appropriate for students to benefit from a diverse education. On the other hand, schools had been victims in the chaos arising from the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. Although the EDB had voiced objections to the class boycott, some school principals went so far as to say that it was up to students to decide on their own whether to take part in the class boycott. He said that as the class boycott raised social and ethical issues, the Bureau should not express disapproval only. He opined that it was correct to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, but some people tried to mislead students at school. He agreed to a Member’s suggestion that the EDB should develop guidelines to stop teachers from putting their personal political stances before education. He also suggested the Bureau review the existing education policy to prevent young people from being radical.

29. Mr LUI Kin, MH said that there were many ethnic minority groups residing in Yuen Long District, but a survey found about 65% of ethnic minority students had difficulty in learning Chinese and 75% of their families did not write Chinese. He suggested the EDB offer courses such as Learning Chinese as a Second Language to help ethnic minority students seek employment in future. He also suggested assessment tests be held according to their Chinese proficiency levels so that they could learn Chinese at a suitable level to survive the entire education system. On the other hand, the additional funding mechanism for admission of non-Chinese-speaking (“NCS”) students needed review. Under the current mechanism, public sector primary and secondary schools and DSS schools offering local curricula would be granted additional funding ranging from $800,000 to $1.5 million annually, if they admitted ten or more NCS students. Those school admitting nine or fewer NCS students could apply for additional funding of $50,000. Under the mechanism, the difference of only one NCS student admitted by primary and secondary schools could mean a vast difference in additional funding. Although some schools admitted many NCS students, funding to them already reached the ceiling. Therefore, he hoped the Bureau would review the mechanism to help ethnic minority students improve their Chinese proficiencies. This could enable them to seek employment more easily in future. Separately, he hoped that the EDB would look at the issue that some teachers spread political misinformation across campus. He said the teachers of the primary school that his

- 9 -

children were attending took a partisan stance during their classroom talks about the recent protests and demonstrations. Primary school students were simple-minded and apt to be influenced by others. He suggested the EDB develop guidelines to stop teachers from peddling political propaganda at school.

30. Mr MAK Ip-sing showed concern about insufficient school places in Yuen Long Town, which caused children to commute to schools in Tin Shui Wai. He proposed construction of a new primary school in Yuen Long Town to meet the demand. On the other hand, he noted that many students missed out on subsidised university places because of their shortage, and proposed the need for additional provision. He also suggested the EDB allocate resources for more teaching posts to reduce teacher stress while enhancing subsidies for student extracurricular activities. On the other hand, some teachers and students took part in class boycotts in response to the proposed legal amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. The EDB issued guidelines to the schools, asking them to deal with the participating teachers in accordance with the Codes of Aid, the Employment Ordinance and school-based education policies. He said the Bureau’s act was tantamount to creating “white terror”, in an attempt to exert pressure on education workers. He opined that it was the Government’s attempt to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance which caused the uproar, and that such a Government would not gain the support of young people.

31. Mr YIU Kwok-wai expressed support for EDB’s plan to include Chinese History as an independent compulsory subject at the junior secondary level. He suggested that the curriculum should also cover the history of modern China to enable students to have a correct understanding of Chinese history. On the other hand, he noted that YLPMS Alumni Association Ying Yip Primary School, which was located next to Grandeur Terrace, closed its day-to-day entrance during the construction of a swimming pool nearby. The school was awaiting approval by the relevant Government departments for its application to build a new entrance with access to Grandeur Terrace. He suggested the EDB and the Housing Department (“HD”) allocate additional resources to the primary school for the construction of the new entrance expeditiously, in order to meet the needs of students leaving school after class. On the other hand, he hoped that the EDB would attend to the impact on schools of the events triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill. He said that the Bureau had not done enough to address the school strikes while the Chinese tradition of showing respect to elders died out with the events sparked by the extradition bill crisis. He hoped that the Bureau would explore ways to stop the dissemination of political propaganda of all sorts on campuses.

32. Mr TANG Cheuk-him expressed concern about the pursuit of further studies in the Mainland by Hong Kong students. He noted that many Hong Kong students opting to study in the Mainland had missed the opportunity to apply for financial assistance under the EDB Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme because of its inadequate publicity. He also expressed concern about the recognition of academic qualifications awarded by Mainland schools, as well as the mutual recognition of academic qualifications acquired in Hong Kong and the Mainland. He was aware of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions, which the Bureau had implemented for students to apply for financial assistance. He enquired whether Hong Kong students who entered a Mainland tertiary institution without joining the scheme would be eligible to apply for financial assistance. On the other hand, he suggested that Hong Kong students studying in the Mainland should also be eligible for student discounts during their stay in Hong Kong, such as student fare concessions.

- 10 -

33. Mr TANG Hing-ip, BBS said the hearts of Hongkongers, especially young people, did not seem to have returned to the country 22 years after the reunification. Regardless, The Motherland had not only made considerable progress on many fronts in the past 22 years, but also surpassed Hong Kong in respect of international reputation, economic growth and people’s livelihood. Mainlanders became more open-minded and enjoyed greater freedom. He was of the opinion that lawyers and members of the religion, education and media sectors had all exerted pressure on the Government because the EDB had done almost nothing over the years. He hoped that, when the situation improved, the Government could step up education and publicity efforts and pay heed to public opinion, in order to get Hong Kong back onto the right track expeditiously.

34. Ms CHAN Mei-lin suggested the EDB release the Central Allocation for Primary One Admission results earlier, so that parents could have sufficient time to apply for supplementary places at their preferred schools. On the other hand, she pointed out that about 19 000 students left secondary schools every year but the number of subsidised university places offered annually had been frozen at about 15 000 for many years. That meant there would be several thousand secondary school graduates who could not enroll in local publicly-funded degree programmes. She hoped the Government would allocate more resources to more students wishing to receive university education locally. Separately, she said that teachers had to undertake onerous administrative tasks apart from their teaching duties. She suggested the EDB augment school manpower to enable teachers to focus on teaching for the benefit of students. On the other hand, she suggested the Bureau increase the number of school social workers and enhance counselling for students experiencing stress at school. Lastly, she expressed concern about excessive homework for students. She said that students had spent too much time on studies and did not get enough rest. She hoped the EDB would pay more attention to the issue.

35. Mr TO Ka-lun was of the opinion that education was about the teaching of good personal conduct, not about any prevocational and training centres that turned young people into money- making machines to blindly pursue socio-economic growth. He hoped that the EDB could turn the situation around in education. Otherwise, when people ate rice dumplings at the Dragon Boat Festival, they could not recall why patriotic poet Qu Yuan drowned himself. Wen Tianxiang said, “Confucius taught us to sacrifice ourselves for benevolence. Mencius taught us to sacrifice ourselves for righteousness. Only by acting righteously could we become benevolent. What would we learn from the works of the sages? That is, we would have nothing to be ashamed of, now and thereafter.” It was the reason behind the learning of good personal conduct. He believed that the Government had never made any effort in developing students’ character and morals, other than devoting resources to a myriad of projects, such as vocational training. On the other hand, he noted that the EDB had increased interference in schools and exerted more influence on their managements. He hoped that the Bureau would allow a free atmosphere in the education sector so that teachers could enlighten their students about different schools of thought and good personal manners.

36. Mr Zachary WONG said that quite a few Members had spoken of politics - an issue which he thought could be avoided - given that all the Secretaries and Under Secretaries of Bureaux of the SAR Government were politically appointed officials. Over the past decade or so, the EDB had rolled out numerous educational reforms. However, whenever this happened, the Bureau would be blamed for creating even more chaos. Many senior Government officials had sent their children to study abroad or at international schools, rather than at conventional secondary grammar schools in Hong Kong. He called on international schools to admit more students to maximise their choices,

- 11 -

and suggested the Government establish subsidised international schools to benefit students from the local community. He did not believe that if there were more international schools, there would be fewer conventional school students, citing that the majority of Hong Kong people were so patriotic as to send their children to study at local schools. On the other hand, he said that although the education sector opposed the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, teachers would go to work as usual and would not join student strikes. Regardless, the EDB went so far as to write to school principals, asking them for information about the class boycott. He considered the Bureau’s act as creating “white terror”, saying that Hong Kong people were entitled to stage strikes and class boycotts.

37. Mr LEUNG Ming-kin said that, as the manager of several schools, he hoped the EDB should provide training courses for both parents and school managers. On the other hand, he suggested the EDB support the retention of the only existing rural schools with some of them attended by ethnic minority students. He said he did not want the schools to shut down. He agreed that there should be a higher education institution in Yuen Long District, given its large population and the fact that there were only 11 DSS and private primary and secondary schools. He suggested that there should be also a tertiary education institution or even an international school in any of the new development areas of the district. He suggested that training for post-secondary students should be based on the concepts of “Doctors of Reasoning and Ideas” and “Book Sharing”, which were introduced some time ago by a few university professors. He also said that Hong Kong should cooperate and nurture technology talents, given its position as an international innovation and technology (“I&T”) hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He suggested taking Yuen Long as a pilot case for the establishment of a university or an education centre focused on artificial intelligence and innovative technologies. Lastly, he said that children spent too much time at home and interacted with the outside world only using their smart phone. He hoped they could stay closer with nature.

38. Mr KWOK Keung, MH said that politics should not tangle with education, but this was not the case with schools having ceased to be places for honing talent. Although many school principals and teachers were supportive of students taking part in class boycotts and demonstrations, he did not agree that the EDB had attempted to create “white terror” through its request for information from schools about class boycotts. He said that students considered their teachers more important to themselves than their parents. They were also more easily influenced by teachers. It would be a cause for concern that if teachers made their political stances known in schools, such as opposing the Government, their students accepted their views and took to the streets with them. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (“HKPTU”) was an influential trade union. Among its members were 70-80 percent of teachers in Hong Kong. He took the view that the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance were fine because its purpose was to transfer fugitive offenders to another jurisdiction for trial. However, the impact of the amendments bill had been deliberately exaggerated, prompting many people with no confidence in the rule of law in the Mainland to take to the streets. As sponsoring bodies of certain schools, both the HKPTU and certain religious groups had a strong presence in Hong Kong society. Therefore, as they expressed support for the class and teaching boycott, teachers and students became afraid of nothing. The EDB could do nothing about the situation, other than calling on them not to boycott classes and keeping a weather eye. He suggested that the Bureau perform its gatekeeper’s role properly and slash subsidy for schools supportive of class boycotts, in order to stop them from poisoning the minds of any more students.

39. Mr TANG Ka-leung said that it was the Government’s responsibility to provide free

- 12 -

education. As Hong Kong had regular fiscal revenue, the Government should increase education subventions further. He noted that rural children had to commute to schools in other districts. They travelled about 30 to 50 minutes per trip and spent more than $600 a month on public transport. As those commuting to work received a cross-district public transport fare subsidy, the Government should have regard to the conditions of school children in rural areas, where residents were predominantly low-income earners. He had spotted a mother cycle her child to school on the road dangerously to simply save up several hundred dollars required for travelling to and from school. He hoped the EDB would understand the plights of rural school children and provide public transport subsidy to them to help relieve their families’ financial burdens.

40. The Chairman said the YLDC had discussed the issue of a lack of international school in Yuen Long District with the EDB in the previous term. The issue had also been raised at a previous YLDC meeting. According to the EDB’s reply at that time, in the 2017/18 school year, international schools across the territory provided 23 000 places at primary level and 19 800 places at secondary level. In Yuen Long District, there were 125 primary international school places with none at secondary level. This showed an uneven distribution of international schools across the 18 districts, so he suggested the Government develop an international school in Yuen Long District. On the other hand, he quoted the EDB as just saying in its briefing that Chinese History would be reinstated as an independent compulsory subject for the junior secondary level. He concurred with the suggestion of one of the Members that the curriculum should cover China’s modern history as well as the history of the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China. He suggested that as there were many sensitive issues in the modern history of China, people of good standing in the field should be commissioned to develop the curriculum with an impartial stance, in order to uncover an authentic representation of history for students. He opined that Hong Kong nowadays was so politically charged that it had become more necessary than ever to teach students history in the correct light so as to prevent them from being misled by unreliable information circulating in the community.

41. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP gave a consolidated reply as follows:

(1) The Government was committed to developing a vibrant international school sector through various measures mainly to meet the demand for international school places from non-local families living in Hong Kong and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment. Currently, international schools in Hong Kong offered students of different nationalities a variety of non-local curricula, such as the British, French, Japanese and Korean, as well as the International Baccalaureate (“IB”) programmes. International schools in Hong Kong formed a part the private school system. Most of them were situated on private school premises or sites. They would only be allowed to be registered as international schools after fulfilling the requirements in relation to the development of international schools. According to a study conducted earlier, there would be a shortage of international school places in Hong Kong. Some foreign chambers of commerce had also reflected that the shortage of international school places would make it more difficult to recruit talent from abroad and upset foreign investors’ confidence to invest in Hong Kong. Therefore, the EDB had set aside vacant school premises or sites for the development of international schools. School sponsoring bodies allocated school premises or sites would be required to specify in the service contract that they would admit not less than 70% non-local students. In vetting a proposal for the opening of an international school, the EDB would consider the proportion of non-local students admitted as one of the

- 13 -

factors for giving approval. On the other hand, the curricula of local schools were not in any way inferior to those of their foreign counterparts. Every year, there were a considerable number of Hong Kong students admitted to tertiary education institutions in other countries thanks to international recognition of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (“HKDSE”) examination results;

(2) Unlike international schools, primary and secondary schools were planned according to district population. The Bureau assessed the provision of international school places having regard to the territory-wise situation. Many international school students had to commute to other districts where the schools were located, given their limited numbers. On the other hand, some long- established international schools with branch campuses in different districts, such as schools of the English Schools Foundation (“ESF”), opened no new branch schools in recent years. Taking note of Members’ views, the EDB said the Government would take into active consideration districts with more abundant supply of land, such as Yuen Long District, when it came to the allocation of vacant school premises or sites for international school development in future;

(3) Regarding the numbers of DSS schools and private schools in Yuen Long District, as the modus operandi of private schools was self-financing and market-driven, the Government basically would not provide land to school sponsoring bodies for opening private schools. In addition, DSS schools were not government-run. Under the existing policy, aided schools could apply for conversion into DSS schools if they satisfied the criteria and conditions for joining the scheme. As the objective of the Direct School Scheme was to provide parents with more choices in selection of schools for their children, the EDB would not take the initiative to request schools to transform into DSS schools;

(4) The development of most of tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong had its historical reasons. They might not have branch campuses in other districts. As Hong Kong was positioned as a global innovation and technology hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and owing to the tight supply of land in urban districts, colleges and universities in need of establishing research centres were most likely to consider doing so in districts with more abundant supply of land, such as Yuen Long District;

(5) Regarding the issue that a lack of primary school places caused children to attend schools in other districts, primary school places were under pressure over the past few years with the arrival of doubly non-permanent resident students (“DNR students”) in Hong Kong for education. However, the numbers of DNR students had declined substantially since the implementation of the zero-quota policy from 2013. 2019 also witnessed a year-on-year drop in overall Primary One enrolments in Yuen Long District. To meet the transient increase in the demand for primary school places, the EDB has adopted flexible arrangements to increase the provision of primary school places when necessary. If the demand was addressed by increasing the number of schools, the EDB would be concerned that declining student intake might result in under-enrollment, thus adversely affecting the development of schools in the district. On the other hand, this year’s overall rate of parental satisfaction with Primary One allocation results was higher than those in the past few years. The EDB believed that the provision of primary school places across the territory would remain stable in the next few years, and

- 14 -

predicted a decrease in the number of students attending schools in other districts. On the other hand, new development areas would lead to a significant increase in the population of Yuen Long in future. The EDB had maintained close liaison with the Planning Department about the reservation of land for the construction of public sector schools in the new development areas according to the existing mechanism. The Bureau would also take forward works related to the construction of school premises in the new development areas in due course, after having careful regard to the schedules for occupation of the flats there and the actual enrollment situation;

(6) All along, Chinese History had been an elective subject in the senior secondary curriculum, but the EDB had confirmed Chinese History would be taught as an independent compulsory subject at the junior secondary level. Since the beginning of 2014, there had been professional deliberations and consultation between the education sector and relevant select committees about the Chinese History curriculum for at the junior secondary level. Last year, the Bureau announced the revised curriculum frameworks of junior secondary Chinese History (Secondary 1-3), which would include major aspects of modern and contemporary periods of China. The EDB would provide teachers with professional training and teaching resources. Teachers were free to select teaching materials of the Bureau as well as textbooks submitted to the Bureau for vetting. They could even opt to develop suitable teaching materials on their own;

(7) The EDB had never advocated excessive homework, and instead called on schools to avoid arranging homework assignments focused on mechanical drills and repeated copying or those which were excruciatingly difficult or could not enhance students’ interest in learning. The Bureau expected schools to devote more effort in fostering students’ creativity, problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills, with more inspirational elements in teaching and assignments. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the EDB would disburse an annual provision of about $900 million to public sector schools and DSS schools through the Life-wide Learning Grant (“LWL Grant”) to support schools in taking forward, on the present foundation, life-wide learning with enhanced efforts to organise more out-of-classroom experiential learning activities in various curriculum areas, such as museum visits and volunteering, in order to broaden students’ horizons and foster their whole-person development.

(8) The EDB was committed to encouraging and supporting the early integration of non-Chinese speaking students (notably ethnic minority students) into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. In this connection, the Bureau had implemented the Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework (“Learning Framework”) in primary and secondary schools since the 2014/15 school year. The Learning Framework was drawn up in consultation with teachers and language experts with a view to assisting teachers in helping non-Chinese speaking (“NCS”) students overcome the difficulties in learning Chinese as a second language through a “small-step” learning approach. However, the Learning Framework was not meant to provide NCS students with a separate Chinese Language curriculum with simpler contents. As NCS students regarded Hong Kong as their home, it was imperative for them to be proficient in Chinese to demonstrate their competitiveness in respect of further

- 15 -

studies and career pursuits with a view to integrating into the local community. If a separate Chinese Language curriculum with simpler contents and examination papers with lower benchmarks were provided for NCS students, it would be neither conducive to enhancing their Chinese proficiency nor to increasing their opportunities for further studies or employment. Instead, the problem might be left to drag on. In addition, the EDB provided Applied Learning Chinese (for NCS students) courses at the senior secondary level, starting from the 2014-15 school year. Pegged at the Qualifications Framework Levels 1 to 3, the courses aimed at providing an additional channel exclusively for NCS students to obtain an alternative Chinese language qualification, in order to prepare them more adequately for further studies or employment. The EDB would continue to review and refine the measures, and help schools step up the support for NCS students in learning Chinese. In this light, the Office of The Ombudsman earlier released a direct investigation report called “Government’s support for non- Chinese speaking students”, and recommended a review of the additional funding mechanism for admission of NCS students. Under the mechanism, additional funding given to primary and secondary schools admitting nine NCS students was a far cry from the amount for schools admitting ten. Admission of one more or one less NCS student could be a totally different thing. The EDB said that the Government should set out relevant conditions for the provision of funding to schools to ensure proper use of public funds. Relevant levels set according to the number of NCS students would provide a relatively objective criterion, but would inevitably lead to the setting of a dividing line. Irrespective of which level was used for setting the line, there would be a difference of one NCS student. The difference would affect the eligibility and the amount of funding that could be allocated to each school. According to the actual experience gained from the implementation of the existing funding arrangements, the Office’s recommendations and the views of the stakeholders (including members of the industry in particular), the EDB would review and refine the relevant measures in a timely manner whenever it was considered necessary to do so, and would announce the results of the review as soon as possible.

(9) The EDB was aware that non-profit-making kindergartens faced the different aspects of pressures, such as rental expenses, and thus calculated subsidies for kindergartens under the existing arrangements according to the prevailing market rentals as assessed by the Rating and Valuation Department with a view to alleviating their rental burden. As the Bureau was aware that some prevailing rents in the market were higher than the subsidy, it would in future review the Kindergarten Education Scheme, including rent subsidy, and then look at the rental burden borne by kindergartens. Regarding the difficulties of finding premises for operating a kindergarten, the EDU would discuss with other Government departments the possibility of relaxing the restrictions on kindergarten locations. The Bureau also hoped that more premises suitable for operating a kindergarten would become available. In the planning stage of a new housing estate, the relevant departments would seek advice from the EDB about the reservation of space for kindergarten use. The Bureau would also identify more potential venues for operating a kindergarten, such as those inside government properties;

(10) Regarding the suggestion that central allocation results for Primary One places should be released earlier, the EDB said that the existing procedures for allocating

- 16 -

Primary One and Secondary One places had been established after extensive consultation and prudent consideration. The Bureau would examine the suggestion in more detail;

(11) With regard to the suggestion of increasing the number of teachers and strengthen the support of administrative staff, it was already announced in the Chief Executive’s 2018 Policy Address that, starting from the 2019/20 school year, all public sector schools and DSS schools would be provided with resources for hiring additional administrative staff in order to reduce the administrative work of teachers and principals. Starting from the 2017/18 school year, the teacher-to- class ratio for public sector primary and secondary schools was increased by 0.1 across the board. Public sector schools could also continue to convert the Senior Secondary Curriculum Support Grant and the Career and Life Planning Grant into regular teaching posts to augment the manpower, thus relieving teachers’ workload. In addition, the EDB had been providing additional teachers to public sector schools in different areas. In respect of integrated education, schools had been provided with Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators to cater for students with special educational needs. In comparison with other countries, the existing overall teacher-pupil ratios of Hong Kong were not below international standard;

(12) In response to a group’s earlier call on teachers and students across the territory to boycott classes in opposition to the proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the EDB reiterated its opposition to the class boycott in a letter to the supervisors and principals of all the schools in Hong Kong, so as to ensure that students could receive proper care at school and take part in classroom learning activities according to learning schedules. While the lesson time allocated to the relevant subjects for studying and discussion of current affairs was sufficient, teachers should expound different views in the community to students in a balanced manner and from different perspectives. Furthermore, even prior to the issue of the letter, the EDB had noted that staff members of some individual schools had been contemplating a class boycott and some students had been emotionally disturbed by the incident. Regarding this, Regional Education Officers of the Bureau had called the schools to understand whether there had been any special circumstances and whether they required assistance. The officers had never asked the schools to produce a list of teachers and students who had taken part in class boycotts. Instead, the officers had only enquired with the schools about the numbers of absent teachers and students to understand whether they had sufficient teachers to cater for students. The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools (“HKAHSS”) had also said that the EDB had not required the schools to submit the list. The EDB hoped that people would stop spreading the rumour about the Bureau creating “white terror”, and would make comments based on facts;

(13) Students needed to understand their country. The EDB encouraged schools to enhance students’ knowledge about different aspects of their country. As different subjects mentioned their country, teachers should adopt a balanced, fact- based approach to teaching. The Bureau offered students about 100 000 quotas every year to join at least one Mainland exchange programme in their respective primary and secondary stages, while at the same time encouraging schools to offer more Mainland exchange opportunities, such as the Sister School Scheme. Schools might make their own choice of various exchange activities provided by

- 17 -

the Bureau;

(14) The EDB was currently conducting a holistic review of the school curriculum at the primary and secondary levels. A public consultation would be launched on Friday by The Task Force on Review of School Curriculum, which was formed by professionals, and a consultation paper had been prepared for soliciting views and suggestions from different sectors of the community in respect of challenges and opportunities brought about by social changes, fostering of students’ whole- person development, and nurturing of the values in them desired for students of the 21st century; and

(15) At present, Hong Kong students could pursue further education in the Mainland via three pathways. The first was to sit for the Joint Entrance Examinations for Universities in the PRC, which was held in Hong Kong. However, fewer students would opt for this pathway. The second was to join the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions. There were 102 Mainland higher education institutions participating in the scheme last year. The EDB would also hold the Mainland Higher Education Expo in December every year to provide students with details of the Scheme and the participating institutions. The third pathway was to enter Mainland higher education institutions separately. Certain institutions might request a recommendation letter from the applicant’s secondary school principal, but there had been many successful cases about this admission pathway. On the other hand, the EDB implemented the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme (“MUSSS”). Under the scheme, the “means-tested subsidy” was a full-rate subsidy of HK$16,800 per annum and the “non-means-tested subsidy” was a flat- rate subsidy of $5,600 per annum. Many students had applied for the scheme before. Regarding the suggestion that Hong Kong students pursuing studies in the Mainland should also be eligible for concessionary travels during their stay in Hong Kong, the EDB took the view that the MUSSS scheme had been able to render appropriate assistance to them. If the suggestion was adopted, the EDB would have to offer the same concessions to Hong Kong students pursuing their studies abroad for the sake of fairness. The suggestion, therefore, had to be deliberated with due care.

42. Mr TANG Ka-leung said that the majority of rural households earned low incomes. He enquired whether the EDB could provide subsidy for school bus travel lest there should be any more parents cycling their children to school on the road dangerously to save up a school bus grant of more than $600.

43. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP said the EDB had taken note of Members’ aforementioned suggestions, and that the travel subsidy currently available for students aimed at subsidising their home-school travels on public transport.

44. Mr KWOK Keung, MH said that various organisations in Hong Kong, such as the HKPTU, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and the Hong Kong Church of Christ, were all influential bodies. Their appeal for class boycott would indirectly encourage their schools to take part, and it was not enough for the EDB to only request schools and teachers to maintain political neutrality. The

- 18 -

Bureau should do its utmost to stop any actions advocating class boycotts.

45. Mrs Ingrid YEUNG, JP said that the HKPTU, a trade union formed by teachers, had its own political stance and views on many social issues that were not pertinent to education. It was the same case for individual school sponsoring bodies. There was no direct correlation between their views and whether they had affected teachers or students’ participation in class boycotts. According to the information collected by the EDB, there were no schools that had encouraged their students to take part in class boycotts. While there were schools that made it clear that students should not join class boycotts, there were also schools that did not support class boycotts but allowed students to decide on their own whether to take part. In fact, different schools had different ways of addressing the incident. The EDB would exchange views with schools and members of the education sector and provide focused support for schools to handle different situations.

46. In concluding the discussions, the Chairman thanked the Permanent Secretary for Education for her availability to attend the meeting and respond to Members’ enquiries.

(Post-meeting Note: The Secretariat circulated a report inside a set of PowerPoint presentation slides to Members on 26 June 2019 for their reference.)

Item III: Meeting with the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene

Item IV: Question from Member: Mr CHAM Ka-hung Daniel, BBS, MH, JP proposed to discuss “a request that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department step up anti-rodent efforts and contain rodent infestation” (YLDC Paper No. 41/2019) 47. The Chairman extended a particular welcome to Miss Vivian LAU, JP for attending the meeting with Members. He also invited Members to take note of Paper No. 41, which was about a proposal by Mr CHAM Ka-hung, Daniel, BBS, MH, JP on discussing “a request that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department step up anti-rodent efforts and contain rodent infestation”, and the reply from the DFEH on the issue. The Chairman also welcomed the following representatives of the FEHD:

Assistant Director (Operations) 3 Mr FORK Ping-lam District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent Mr TSOI Ka-wai (Yuen Long)

48. Miss Vivian LAU, JP briefed Members on FEHD’s work on the district’s environmental hygiene, and the progress of the construction of the public market in Tin Shui Wai.

49. Mr Daniel CHAM, BBS, MH, JP praised Mr TSOI, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yuen Long), for his effort and dedication. While the DFEH said a new Chief Health Inspector post had been created in the district, he proposed the provision of additional frontline staff and resources for procuring outsourced street cleaning services and equipment such as pressure washer surface cleaners. He said among the five cases of infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (“HEV”), four were reported in Hong Kong. As covered by the media, anti-rodent work of the department

- 19 -

had been ineffective and costly. He also enquired with the department on the effectiveness of rodent control techniques on trial in terms of the control of the rodent population growth and elimination of rodent black spots. He hoped that enforcement action would be stepped up against unauthorised extension of business area by shops and restaurants, which led to rodent infestation as a result of the worsening of the environment. He suggested that the department should curb the recurrence of unauthorised extension of business area by restaurants in Yuen Long town before the problem got worse. Besides, Tin Shui Wai residents were highly concerned about the construction progress of the Tin Shui Wai public market. He asked the department for the detailed design and timetable for fund seeking, and urged that the project be accelerated. On anti-mosquito work, he called on the management offices of private housing estates in his constituency to conduct weekly mosquito elimination exercise. He hoped the departments would coordinate their efforts in stepping up mosquito control in public areas so that the measure could be more effective.

50. Mr LEUNG Ming-kin said the work of FEHD was highly commendable. For example, the department would support areas not covered by the District-led Administration Scheme (“DAS”), and pest control measures were adequate. He agreed that the installation of Internet Protocol (“IP”) cameras at illegal refuse dumping black spots had a deterrent effect. In addition, new designs such as compactors and solar energy system were adopted at the new refuse collection points (“RCPs”), in the hope of improving environmental hygiene and removing odour. He said in view of the smooth operation of the new public toilet at the Lok Ma Chau – Huanggang Cross-boundary Shuttle Bus Terminus, he suggested that such toilets be built at Tai Lam Tunnel Bus Interchange and rural areas. Lastly, he praised the Superintendent in recognition of his significant contribution to the district.

51. Ms YUEN Man-yee complimented the former and incumbent Superintendents for their committed service. She said two RCPs, in Shui Bin Wai Estate and at Town Park Road North respectively, were installed in her constituency of Shui Bin Wai. She agreed that the installation of IP cameras at the Town Park Road North RCP could effectively address the problem of illegal refuse disposal. However, the RCP was run at a temporary basis since it was set up some two decades ago. After years of communication, the department finally drew up a plan in 2012 to build a permanent RCP near the temporary RCP site. However, more than six years had passed, but no details were released. Since both Castle Peak Road and Yuen Long Park were accessible from Town Park Road North, setting up a permanent RCP there would help improve environmental hygiene. She hoped under the leadership of DFEH, the construction timetable and detailed design would be made available to public as soon as possible.

52. Mr WONG Cheuk-kin hoped the DFEH would note the large number of rat holes in the flower beds in Tin Shui Wai. He said rodent activities, mostly found in drains previously, were now extended to flower beds. He thanked the FEHD staff for conducting an inspection and carrying out anti-rodent measures immediately after receiving his views. He hoped the department would continue to take heed of the issue. Furthermore, he reflected that waste accumulation had turned Tin Chung Court RCP into a pest breeding ground. After a coping strategy was devised between the former Superintendent and management office of Tin Chung Court, the problem was tackled with satisfactory results. However, because of a relapse of the problem, he suggested that IP cameras be installed to monitor people who littered there and prosecution be instituted. He also took the opportunity to thank the cleansing service contractors of Tin Chung Court and Central Park Towers for their swift responses to the public and Members. Again, he expressed appreciation to FEHD staff.

- 20 -

53. Ms CHAN Mei-lin said she was the DC member of the Tsz Yau Constituency in Tin Shui Wai. She said there were numerous people feeding feral pigeons, resulting in large quantities of droppings in the area. Whereas the cleansing service contractor would perform cleansing operation swiftly after the department’s health inspector received notification, feral pigeon droppings would accumulate day after day. Due to insufficient manpower, daily major cleansing operation was not feasible. She suggested cleansing workers be equipped with handy tools to remove pigeon droppings once discovered. Although FEHD health inspectors and cleansing workers were dedicated in their work, the problem persisted mainly due to inadequate manpower resources. She hoped that the Director would allocate more resources to increase manpower and cleansing frequencies. She also said mosquito bites on the kids would develop blistering, signaling the seriousness of mosquito infestation in the district. Besides, she hoped the department would take more vigorous anti-mosquito actions because they would breed quickly in stagnant water. She also indicated that rodent infestation had been severe, saying that while toxic baits were used inside and outside the housing estates and rats were caught after the setting of rodent traps, the measures could not achieve optimal results due to the lack of manpower to serve the vast area of Yuen Long. In this regard, she asked the Director for additional resources. Meanwhile, she said residents were looking forward to the completion of the proposed public market in Tin Shui Wai which was close to her constituency after closure of Tin Yiu Market in recent years. She hoped the Director would follow up on the construction schedule of the public market so that it would serve the neighbourhood as soon as possible.

54. Mr TANG Hing-yip, BBS appreciated the Superintendent for being highly competent, saying that he had attended and made quick response to Members’ views. In rural areas, while the sanitary conditions of public toilets greatly improved after a considerable number of aqua privies had been converted into flushing toilets, the RCPs were built on waste lands without any ancillary installations, giving an impression that refuse had been piling up there. He hoped the department would start improvement works on the RCPs in rural areas, including provision of concrete floor slabs, fences and designation of refuse collection areas. Apart from creating better public perception and addressing littering, the works would enhance environmental hygiene in rural areas.

55. Mr TANG Cheuk-yin said waste treatment methods in Hong Kong fell behind the neighbouring regions. Over the years, all District Superintendents had been working up to the requirements of the job, but the upgrading of RCPs was far from satisfactory. As what the Member had said previously, rural RCPs were built in areas falling short of ancillary facilities. For example, without water pipes, cleansing could hardly be done. Local residents in Kam Tin constructed their own RCPs equipped with IP cameras because some of the concrete-made RCPs completed in early years were abandoned. By doing so, environmental hygiene significantly improved. He therefore suggested that all RCPs be installed with IP cameras. He also pointed out that anti-rodent work of the pest control team was far from effective. In rural areas where animal carcass collection points were poorly managed, environmental hygiene was affected by improper disposal of animal carcass.

56. Mr SIU Long-ming, MH expressed gratitude to the former and incumbent Superintendents for their tireless efforts in improving environmental hygiene in the district. He took the feeding of feral pigeons as an example. Installation of IP cameras, wire fences and hoardings was effective in mitigating the problem. However, he noted that some people fed the feral pigeons by throwing food from the ground to the rooftop of the footbridge, saying that the department should assign its staff to inspect the place in early morning. Besides, he reflected that unauthorised extension of business

- 21 -

areas and piling rubbish by shops along Hop Choi Street and Wang Fat Path had made the pavements and carriageways narrower and caused adverse effect on the environment. He proposed that as a deterrent, IP cameras should be installed, together with provision of more manpower resources.

57. The Hon LUK Chung-hung, JP said the hygienic conditions of the nullah adjacent to Tin Hang Estate were relatively poor. It was learned that a service contractor would have regarded a cleansing job be completed when the roads and streets were clean. He enquired whether there was a requirement on the minimum service hours for cleansing work outsourced. If so, he proposed that attendance time of cleansing workers be recorded by an attendance recorder with reference to the practice of the HD to prevent contractors from giving a false report of working hours, or requesting workers to provide service at different districts that would affect cleansing standard. He was aware from media reports that the cost of catching a rat was 3,000 some dollars. He said in addition to control at source, rodents should also be caught. He asked whether previous methods were used, and whether new methods would be introduced to control rodents.

58. Mr TANG Cheuk-him thanked FEHD staff for their hard work in Yuen Long, an extensive area with rich resources. He said cockroach infestation had taken place in Tin Shui Wai in recent years. Although Tin Shui Wai residents had kept their homes and RCPs clean, many were troubled by the cockroaches. Pointing out that there was no cockroach infestation in Tuen Mun or other areas, he hoped the department would be concerned about cockroach infestation in Tin Shui Wai. He also said that both departmental staff and contract cleansing workers had made great efforts in their work. As they had to work under the scorching sun, he hoped the DFEH would allow them to take sufficient rest.

59. Mr YIU Kwok-wai commended the FEHD team and recognised the work of the former and incumbent Superintendents. However, there were still limitations in the department’s work due to practical difficulties. He pointed out that both the Superintendents and cleansing contractors endeavoured to improve environmental hygiene in the district but they faced the problem of insufficient manpower. He hoped the department would provide more resources. In fact, the FEHD alone could not improve environmental hygiene because cockroaches and rodents would appear in housing estates or parks apart from public areas. In light of that, he enquired whether Government departments would set up an effective pest control mechanism. He pointed out that joint meetings were held only when infection cases of HEV were reported, but the effort was ineffective. He enquired whether it was due to inadequate anti-rodent work and outdated approaches and hoped the department would look into the problem. He also suggested that the department step up efforts in anti-mosquito work. Lastly, he urged the department to give an account of the detailed design of the public market at Tin Fuk Road to Members and the public as soon as possible. As a Member from Tin Shui Wai North, he hoped the department would make it convenient for Tin Shui Wai North residents by constructing a complex with a public market and a cooked food centre there.

60. Ms LAU Kwai-yung praised the former and incumbent Superintendents for their work. She said she understood the workload of FEHD frontline staff was heavy in view of the fact that the department was responsible for handling most of the matters at district level. As pressure washer surface cleaners were effective in cleaning pavements, she recommended that more should be provided and flexible deployment within the district be allowed to enhance utilisation. She also hoped the department would continue its pest control work to prevent infectious diseases from breaking out in the district. As what the Member had just said, residents had reflected that there

- 22 -

were limitations in some work despite cleansing contractors’ utmost effort to improve environmental hygiene. She considered that the unsatisfactory service was attributable to insufficient manpower as she knew that some cleaning workers were tasked to clean large areas. In view of that, she suggested that cleansing contractors arrange workers to carry out their duties in smaller areas or deploy additional manpower. While the poor environmental hygiene in the district was a sign of inadequate public education, she proposed that education should be stepped up by hanging banners in the district. Lastly, she reflected that smokers would gather at cigarette butt containers provided by the department, which in turn would affect the health of passers-by. On the contrary, removing the containers would cause more smokes to litter the planting beds. Therefore, she advised that the department step up enforcement in the black spots of littering.

61. Mr Jimmy MAN commended the department for inviting him to inspect the newly designed public container toilet at Lok Ma Chau - Huanggang Cross Boundary Shuttle Bus Terminus earlier. However, given the high pedestrian flow, he considered the water closet cubicles inadequate. At present, there were two wash basins for each of the male and female toilets. He suggested that the department draw on overseas practices and provide two shared wash basins outside the toilets to increase the interior space. On the inspection day, he made an enquiry and noted that the monthly rent of public container toilets was $60,000. He believed that the rental expenditure would be high with an increase in water closet cubicles. Also, he proposed that the department improve the design by expanding the septic tank first and Members be invited to inspect. He hoped the design would be multi-purpose and resource-saving.

62. Ms WONG Wai-ling recognised the work of FEHD staff and workers of cleansing contractors in the district. She also hoped the department would allocate more resources to address the problems. She expressed her gratitude to the FEHD staff for visiting the area and discussing measures to improve the environmental hygiene with the HD, which was responsible for the cleaning work in her constituency of Tin Wah Estate. For instance, rat guards installed in Tin Wah Estate in 2018 to prevent rodents from climbing up the building floors were highly effective. Despite that, rodents were still seen on podiums or the ground. Therefore, she hoped the department would step up rodent prevention and control. She had, together with the FEHD and the HD, also examined installing rat guards on podiums or the ground. For areas other than the housing estate, the FEHD was crucial for keeping them clean. Taking the abandoned planting bed near T Town as an example, she said that even the department had placed rat baits there, many rodents and rat holes were found in the planting bed because it was close to a wet market. She hoped the department would pay more attention to the problem. Lastly, she hoped the department would announce the construction timetable of the public market in Tin Shui Wai as soon as possible.

63. Ms MA Shuk-yin commended the FEHD staff for their quick response to Members’ comments. She thanked the department and property management company for their coordinated efforts in rodent disinfestation in her constituency of Tin Yiu Estate. A Member said installing rat guards could prevent rodents from climbing up building floors. However, rat guards did not work very well in Tin Yiu Estate. To her understanding, the varied outcomes were a result of different rat guard designs among housing estates. In view of that, she suggested that the FEHD discuss rat guard designs with the HD and install rat guards that could effectively prevent rodents from climbing up building floors in all housing estates in Hong Kong. She believed that rodents could reproduce rapidly once they had reached the building floors and residents could hardly trace their hiding places. Once, rodents were seen in more than five households on the same floor but with dedicated work over months, residents reflected that the problem of rodent infestation had improved. She hoped

- 23 -

Government departments would adopt a cross-the-board design of rat guards and establish more effective cooperation to continue to solve the problem. Furthermore, she said that it had been very inconvenient for residents to buy fresh produce since the closure of Tin Yiu Market, so she hoped the department could advise the works schedule and design proposals for the public market in Tin Shui Wai. She also raised concern about the noise nuisance arising from the construction of the public market in Tin Shui Wai. She hoped the department would remind cleansing workers to lower the noise level when collecting refuse in the morning after the completion of the market.

64. Mr LUI Kin, MH thanked the former and incumbent Superintendents for their work in street cleansing and management of markets and hawkers, which resulted in an improved environment. Earlier, the FEHD had established a task force to tackle unauthorised extension of business area by restaurants and remarkable results were achieved. However, after redeployment of the task force, the problem relapsed at these black spots. Usually, the business area of the restaurants would be extended after the departmental staff went off duty, causing nuisance to residents. Therefore, he suggested that a task force station in Yuen Long. Apart from that, he said that most residents of tenement buildings disposed of rubbish in the refuse containers on the ground as they could hardly employ cleaning workers. He believed that the situation would worsen after the Government had implemented the municipal solid waste (“MSW”) charging and he was worried that cleaning workers of tenement buildings would resign out of the fear of having to be held liable. To tackle the above problems, he held that the Government should intervene and designate the FEHD to lead the industry to set up a joint venture. Moreover, he was concerned that the public could not use the niches they had purchased after the Private Columbaria Ordinance had come into effect. He enquired with the department on its ways to assist the public members.

65. As the Chairman of the EIC for several terms, Mr LEUNG Fuk-yuen held that the former Superintendents were very competent. Although the FEHD was a huge team of civil servants, it was tedious for its staff to work in Yuen Long given its vast expanse. He opined that the department should divide Yuen Long into three areas, i.e. Yuen Long Town, Tin Shui Wai and rural areas. In view of the rapid population growth in the district, the department should adopt modern management approach and equipment. For example, the FEHD should make more use of solar power in public toilets and install more IP cameras at RCPs. He would meet the Secretary for Food and Health regularly to reflect the problem of inadequate resources in the district. Under the DAS, Government departments worked together to facilitate environmental hygiene improvement. He hoped the DFEH could reflect the situation to the bureau so that more resources would be allocated to enable better cooperation between FEHD teams and other Government departments.

66. The Vice-chairman commended the Superintendent for his proactive attitude in following up Member’ requests and improving environmental hygiene in the district, although he had assumed the office for only a few months. He pointed out that the approaches and time required for addressing stagnant water in construction sites on government land and private land were different and such problems were more frequently found in new development areas or surrounding rural areas. He thanked the Superintendent for his past assistance in tackling the above problems and suggested that the department step up inspection. Apart from that, in the highly-populated Yuen Long District, residents reflected that some streets were dirty. While he understood that waste was unavoidable in areas with restaurants, he proposed that the department request service contractors to increase the number of street cleansing operations. Furthermore, he enquired whether feeding feral pigeons was a criminal offence. He pointed out that feeding animals was prohibited under the Summary Offences Ordinance, yet Government departments had apparently not enforced the law. The DC had queried

- 24 -

the Government about the issue through the EIC but no progress had been made. Lastly, due to the recurrence of unauthorised extension of business area by restaurants, he hoped the department would send more task forces to enforce the law and follow up illegal hawking at Sun Yuen Long Centre.

67. Mr LEE Yuet-man, MH appreciated the work of the Superintendent. He pointed out that problems were eased because Members’ requests to the Superintendent could be conveyed to the frontline staff effectively, despite the large team size. Taking drain clearing as an example, contractors used to shirk their duty with an excuse that they could not remove the drain covers. However, the Superintendent acted quickly by borrowing equipment from the Headquarters so that the problems of accumulated rubbish and pest breeding in drains were solved. He pointed out that after the strike of Typhoon Mangkhut in the previous year, trees fell and holes were left on the ground. Numerous rat holes were also found in planting beds. He hoped the department would follow up the issue. As regards rodent prevention and control, he suggested that the department employ new poisonous baits and draw on LCSD’s practice of placing rodent cage traps in parks. Lastly, he still considered the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Tin Shui Wai Bus Depot at Tin Pak Road to be the most suitable site for constructing the public market in Tin Shui Wai. Since the final site had been identified, he hoped the department would construct the public market and provide all- round facilities as soon as possible.

68. Mr KWOK Hing-ping commended the Superintendent and his team for their dedication. He pointed out that weeding and anti-mosquito work in the same area were carried out by various departments including the FEHD, the LCSD, Lands Department (“LandsD”), Highways Department (“HyD”) and Drainage Services Department but there was a lack of coordination among them. Lately, he had raised a weeding request but it took more than three months for departments to follow up the request so that the frontline staff could carry out anti-mosquito work afterwards. Moreover, he discovered that some workers from the cleansing contractors swept leaves into the drains, causing blockage and making it difficult for departments to spray larvicidal oil. Lastly, given serious mosquito infestation in Tin Chak Estate and rodent infestation in wet markets under Link, he hoped the DFEH could allocate more resources to Yuen Long District.

69. Mr KWOK Keung, MH praised the work of the former and incumbent Superintendents and Mr WONG Chin-ip, Chief Health Inspector, as well as the coordinated efforts of the Yuen Long District Office (“YLDO”) and the Hong Kong Police Force. He pointed out that the Ovitrap Index for Aedes albopictus had once dropped to zero, which reflected that the department’s anti-mosquito work had been effective. Residents were all satisfied and he hoped the department would continue to combat mosquitoes. On the other hand, he hoped the department could strengthen its communication with tenants of Link and educate them about rodent disinfestation. He also reflected that the RCP at the main road in Kam Tin was derelict and its surroundings were accumulated with disused articles. Refuse collection vehicles in operation would run over them, leading to damage to the road and discharge of foul water from the RCP. Therefore, he suggested that the department rebuild the RCP with robust materials.

70. Mr CHOW Wing-kan suggested that the department treat food waste properly, saying that the department should reduce food sources for rodents in addition to using poisonous baits for rodent control. He pointed out that at present, more than 3 000 tonnes of food waste were produced daily but only 20% of which could be treated by the Organic Resources Recovery Centre (“ORRC”) each day. He advised that the department develop effective strategies to recover food waste from

- 25 -

restaurants and households as this could reduce not only waste loads to landfills, but also refuse accumulated in rear lanes. He said that some restaurants illegally discharged waste into sewage outfalls and storm drains and some snack shops even disposed of refuse in planting beds where rodents could forage for food. He proposed that the department clear storm drains properly and step up enforcement by instituting prosecution against restaurants for illegal sewage discharge. Moreover, since the FEHD public market at Tin Fuk Road would take at least five years to complete, residents requested the department to expedite the construction of the public market. Also, they hoped the department would provide a temporary market by, for example, transforming Tin Sau Bazaar into a wet market or building a temporary market at the refuse collection vehicle depot under the FEHD. Furthermore, as the existing site at Tin Fuk Road was quite distant from Tin Shui Wai North, residents proposed building a Tin Shui Wai North public market at Hong Kong Girl Guides NT West Centre, Wan Yat Plaza or Tin Sau Bazaar. Lastly, he commended the department’s staff for their proactive working attitude and detail-mindedness in handling Members’ requests and regular progress reports to Members. He hoped the staff would keep up their efforts.

71. Ms CHIU Sau-han, MH said the efforts of the Superintendent and his team were well- recognised. She reflected that residents in Tin Shui Wai North would like to have a public market constructed in the north. Speaking of anti-rodent work, she pointed out that there were many rat holes in planting beds in the district, such as those along Tin Shui Road. She enquired whether it was appropriate to build large planting beds near wet markets or restaurants, believing that other areas also encountered such problem. She hoped the department would review the locations of planting beds before building. Moreover, because there were illegal refuse disposals at RCPs in the housing estates, she suggested that the department allocate more resources to install IP cameras there to reduce staffing needs.

72. Mr CHEUNG Muk-lam commended the Superintendent and his team for their work and receptiveness to public opinions. He described the FEHD’s work as “immediately effective”. He agreed on the proposed design of easy-throw aluminium RCP by the DFEH. As regards the outsourcing practice of cleansing services, he enquired whether the department selected contractors based on the lowest bid. Meanwhile, he expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the previous cleansing contractors. If “awarding contracts to the lowest bidders” would result in affected service quality of cleansing contractors, the department needed a review. Furthermore, he held that the department’s enforcement actions and publicity work were complementary to each other. As drivers often littered the planting beds when driving, frontline staff had to keep on cleaning up. This exemplified that the department should step up promotion of maintaining environmental hygiene. He also advised that the department allocate more resources to the task force for long-term enforcement actions.

73. Mr CHAN Sze-ching praised Ms TONG Shuk-ting, Chief Health Inspector for her serious working attitude. For handling water dripping from air-conditioners, he suggested that the department simplify the handling procedures if water dripping case at the household was proved. For instance, it could issue a warning letter to the tenants first, followed by penalty tickets if the situation did not improve.

74. Mr Zachary WONG said since the department had decided not to build public markets in early years, Link had monopolised wet markets in the district. As a result, residents and tenants had to bear the higher price burden and pressure of rents and leases respectively. With the DC fighting

- 26 -

for a solution over the years, the department had finally planned to build a public market at Tin Fuk Road in Tin Shui Wai by road decking. He opined that the department’s proposal of providing 100 stalls in the market was inadequate, and suggested an increase in the number of stalls. In view of residents’ high demand for wet markets, he proposed that the department build temporary markets in containers on vacant land at the southern, middle and northern parts of Tin Shui Wai, saying that it would be a more efficient and cost-saving way of starting the operation of wet markets. He hoped the department would consider his suggestion to counter the price surge in the district.

75. Miss Vivian LAU, JP gave a consolidated response as follows:

(1) She thanked Members not only for their views, but for their recognition and appreciation for the work by the regional team. As the FEHD and Members shared the common goal of providing a clean environment for the public, the department would continuously strive to do the best in relevant work. In handling local issues, the department would listen attentively to views expressed and respond swiftly, while continuing to maintain communication and uphold team morale. For example, if any priority considerations were involved in the handling of local issues, the department would explain the reasons to Members;

(2) With a duration of two years, the current contract between the department and the cleansing service contractor would expire shortly. In the contracts newly signed with cleansing service contractors of other districts, the department introduced additional requirements for them. Whether it was about allocating more resources to cleansing service contractors or about increasing manpower or financial resources for the frontline staff of the department, she, as the Director, pledged to bid for more resources;

(3) Apart from intensifying cleaning work, the department had attached great importance to public education and addressed certain environmental hygiene problems at source. In future, the department would strengthen co-operation with the District Offices and Members, educate the public on the awareness of keeping their community clean and arrange with Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak about staging outreach events to propagate the message of keeping the district clean;

(4) There were two enforcement teams in Yuen Long District to deal with littering offences, which outnumbered their counterparts in other districts. The department would step up enforcement efforts in future;

(5) The FEHD understood that a public facility with inadequate ancillary facilities or designs that failed to meet public demand would bring about environmental hygiene problems. For example, if the ground of a refuse collection point (“RCP”) was uneven or its environmental hygiene conditions were unsatisfactory, members of the public might tend to think that they did not need to keep the place clean. According to the department’s experience in refurbishing public toilets in other districts, a public toilet with aesthetically pleasing designs could minimise repair and maintenance works in future and bring up a positive attitude in the users, making them care more about the facilities;

(6) The FEHD would introduce new methods of street cleaning. For example, the high-speed rotary cleaners introduced by the FEHD were put into use in Yuen Long as soon as they had proved effective in Kowloon. At present, the department had

- 27 -

in place six such machines. If Members thought that the machine could address the needs of the district, the department would actively consider purchasing additional ones and would even consider revising the contents of the contract with the cleansing service contractor;

(7) With regard to rodent control work, the FEHD had strengthened cooperation with other departments. To enhance coordination, the department acquired a better understanding through the District Officer about the rodent prevention and control work of various departments in the district. Among them were the District Office, the LCSD, the Education Bureau, the Lands Department, the HD and the HyD. As a Member said that the LSCD had carried out rodent disinfestation operations effectively, the FEHD said it had also provided technical advice to the LCSD and would also make reference to the latter’s practices for self-improvement. The Under Secretary for Food and Health had also coordinated an inter-departmental meeting for discussion about pest control work. At the meeting, the department proposed to strengthen the management of rear lanes, such as by blocking rat holes, and to discuss with the HyD the arrangements for road resurfacing works, in the hope of minimising pest infestations. As the HD was responsible for the management of more than 180 housing estates, the FEHD had also discussed with the HD issues relating to anti-rodent work, which included the provision of the design of rat guards and advice on locations for their installation. The FEHD and the HD would work together to step up rodent disinfestation efforts at seven housing estates, including Tin Yuet Estate, and draw on the experience at other housing estates. Furthermore, as the FEHD was responsible for the issue of restaurant licences, it had the responsibility to ensure the cleanliness of food premises and strengthen control in this regard;

(8) Some Members queried about the appropriateness to build flower beds in the midst of a rodent infestation. As flower beds were designed for exposure to greenery and environmental improvement, members of the public might not want them to become rodent breeding hot spots. The FEHD would follow up on the issue of whether it was possible to retrofit other facilities for environment improvement, while at the same time discussing with other departments, such as the HD and the LCSD the necessity of building flower beds. The RCPs recently built by the department did not include a flower bed to avoid relevant problems;

(9) Regarding the outsourcing of cleansing services, the FEHD would introduce new technologies to help lessen the workload of cleaning workers. On the issue of whether cleaning services should be contracted out according to the “lowest bid wins” principle, the Government put in place measures in April this year to protect non-skilled workers engaged by service contractors, one of which was to enhance the scoring mechanism in tender evaluation. In the past, price was a key consideration in government-initiated tender exercises. Now, price and factors, such as technology, both carried the same weight. Therefore, the department would outsource the cleansing services based on the new criteria, with the new contract to be awarded in the third or fourth quarter this year. This was expected to improve the service of cleansing contractors and the remuneration of cleaning workers;

(10) As regards the feeding of feral pigeons by the public as reflected by Members, she had conducted an on-site inspection at Pearl House. At present, the department

- 28 -

was installing baffles and wire mesh fences on footbridges and would deploy additional manpower there for law enforcement. As the feral pigeon feeders might be well-intentioned animal lovers, the department would step up public education efforts in this regard and publicise the message that feeding feral pigeons would give rise to environmental hygiene concerns.

(11) After the meeting, the FEHD would discuss with pest control specialists how to enhance anti-cockroach measures;

(12) It was confirmed in the Policy Address that a public market would be built in Tin Shui Wai. As the FEHD recognised the public’s demand for a public market, it would expedite the construction process. According to the briefing session just now, the department had commissioned a consultancy study to improve the design for the public market based on Members’ comments. As an innovative, elevated design was adopted for the public market, the department would seek to optimise space use and study the load-carrying capacity of the structure, with priority consideration given to ways to enhance competition and maximise the number of stalls. According to the proposed preliminary design, there would be 80 stalls in the public market - each with a minimum area of 16 square metres - comparing favourably with other public markets in the district. Given Members’ opinion that stalls were insufficient in the design, the department was considering lightly shrinking the sizes of the stalls to increase their numbers, while looking at developing the market as one with stalls mainly offering “wet” goods. With at least 100 stalls in the current design, the department was exploring the possibility of increasing the number of stalls further and would consult Members again upon completion of the technical study;

(13) Regarding the site selection for the public market, transport was a key factor for the FEHD to consider, while the department would consider Tin Shui Wai as a whole, rather than the southern and northern parts of the district separately. The department concluded from the success of 90-odd public markets under its purview that site selection was an important factor affecting their success. Considering that many Tin Shui Wai residents took LRT and West Rail trains, the department identified a site beside the West Rail Tin Shui Wai Station for the construction of the public market. When the Government was planning a new town, such as the Tung Chung New Town Extension and the Kwu Tung North New Development Area, the department would look for a site there for construction of public market to avoid unavailability of such sites after completion of the new town. In the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area, for example, the site identified by the department for construction of public market was adjacent to the West Rail Hung Shui Kiu Station;

(14) As regards Members’ suggestion for the establishment of a temporary market, the department hoped they would understand the establishment of a temporary market was also subject to physical constraints, such as the availability of fresh water supply, drainage and sewerage facilities and loading/unloading spaces. It was not easier to establish a temporary market than a public market; and

(15) Due to time constraints, she failed to fully respond to Members’ views and said that the Superintendent would continue to follow up with them. She also took this opportunity to remind her colleagues at the Yuen Long District Environmental

- 29 -

Hygiene Office to have positive attitudes towards work regardless of its unpleasant nature. She also hoped they could keep communication with Members and maintain environmental hygiene at the community level.

76. Mr TO Ka-lun said that YLDC Members had visited Tokyo, the national capital of Japan, and found the trip a rewarding experience. He did appreciate the environmental protection policy of Tokyo and the local community-wide participation in policy implementation. Taiwan and the Philippines had also achieved success in environmental protection work. However, Hong Kong’s environmental protection policy remained unchanged. While Japan instilled through education in their citizens a stronger sense of environmental protection, Hong Kong’s efforts to enhance environmental awareness through public education were undesirable. He opined that the Government’s environment protection policy was implemented in the absence of coordination among departments. As for the issue of food waste recycling, for example, although there was already an Organic Resources Recycling Centre in Siu Ho Wan, it was still impossible to create a city-wide network for food waste recycling. He cited his family as an example, saying that the average weight of food waste collected from each household per day was 0.034 kilograms, a far cry from the target of 1.41 kilograms as set by the department. He said the FEHD’s objective in this regard had not been clear enough, and enquired what objective had been provided by the department in relation to the quantities of food waste collected in future, so that Hong Kong could catch up with Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. He cited the reward and punishment system of Japan for the department’s reference.

77. Mr TANG Ka-leung said that he suggested the Director pay visits to RCPs in rural areas to explore solutions. He noted that it was not enough for the cleansing contractor to remove rubbish only once a day, but was pleased to learn about the department’s plan to allocation more resources after expiry of the existing contract. On the other hand, he noted that rural areas were highly infested with mosquitoes as recent heavy rain resulted in overgrown weeds along roadsides with mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water. He had received no replies six months after relaying the problem to different departments. He enquired which department was responsible for weed control, and hoped that the Director could address the mosquito problem in rural areas through inter-departmental collaboration.

78. Miss Vivian LAU, JP gave a consolidated response as follows:

(1) The department would relay Members’ views to both the Environment Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”). Subject to Members’ approval, the department would implement the proposal regarding the development project of re-provisioning a Hung Shui Kiu RCP, located at the intersection of Hung Yuen Road and Hung Ping Road. The department had spent 10 years looking for a suitable site at Hung Shui Kiu, and had completed the preliminary design and got ready to consult the District Council. However, as the department learned about Members’ wish to have environmentally-friendly recycling facilities retrofitted at the RCP, it would discuss with the EPD the arrangements for setting up an environmental recycling centre at the RCP to optimise land use. This was although consultation with the District Council would be slightly postponed accordingly. The RCP would be set up in a complex along with a community recycling centre, the first of its kind in Hong Kong;

- 30 -

(2) The Under Secretary for Food and Health was the coordinator of an inter- departmental committee for discussion of anti-mosquito work. Amid the dengue fever outbreak last year, there were 29 local cases of the disease with more serious cases reported in the neighbouring regions of Hong Kong. Considering that dengue fever might become an endemic disease, the Government made a great effort in combating mosquito problems. As the department also found that other departments faced the problem of resource constraints in carrying out anti-mosquito operations, it allocated $91 million to them in the past year to strengthen pest control efforts; and

(3) She welcomed reporting by Members to Superintendents of locations in the district where anti-mosquito efforts had to be stepped up, so that follow-up action could be taken. Even if the location was not under FEHD’s purview, it would assist with referral of the case. She understood that, in the handling of district issues, it was sometimes difficult to divide work tasks among the departments involved, so there was a need for a single department to play a coordinating role. If there was any work in need of co-ordination by the department, she would do her utmost to secure more resources and do a good job along with other departments.

79. In concluding the discussions, the Chairman thanked the Director for attending the meeting and exchanging views with Members on improving environmental hygiene. Members expressed particular concerns about the progress of the public market project in Tin Shui Wai, and hoped the Director could take heed of Members’ views and explore with her team ways to improve environmental hygiene in the district.

Item V: Question from DC Members: Mr WONG Wai-yin, Zachary, Mr MAK Ip-sing, Ms CHAN Mei-lin, Mr TO Ka-lun and the Hon KWONG Chun-yu proposed to discuss “the criteria which Government departments used for judging public opinions” (YLDC Paper No. 42/2019) 80. The Chairman referred Members to Paper No. 42, which was “the criteria which Government departments used for judging public opinions” proposed for discussion by Mr WONG Wai-yin, Zachary, Mr MAK Ip-sing, Ms CHAN Mei-lin, Mr TO Ka-lun and the Hon KWONG Chun- yu. He also asked Members to take note of the replies from the Planning Department (“PlanD”), Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”), Transport Department (“TD”) and HyD. The Chairman said that the HyD representative was absent from the meeting due to other official commitments. He invited the following permanent departmental representatives to respond to Members’ questions:

Planning Department Senior Town Planner/Special Duties Mr AU Yu-lun, Alan

Civil Engineering and Development Department Chief Engineer/West 1 Mr LAM Chi-keung, Desmond

Transport Department Chief Transport Officer/New Territories North Mr KWONG Ka-yin West

- 31 -

81. Mr Zachary WONG said in many cases, Government departments did not listen to views on an issue unanimously agreed by Members and would even shelve a project when a minority of the public or just one person raised objection. On the contrary, the Government would insist on certain works projects when it considered that they should be taken forward despite Members’ opposition. Therefore, he enquired about the criteria which Government departments used for judging public opinions. Although the Government departments’ standard replies were that Members’ views had been respected, that was not the case. Taking the proposed amendments to Fugitives Offenders Ordinance as an example, he said public opinion remained unheeded although more than a million citizens demonstrated against the Extradiction Bill.

82. Mr TO Ka-lun said the written replies from the departments did not respond to the question about the criteria used for judging public opinions. Members raised the question because they hoped quantifiable standards would be adopted. By using a quantifiable criterion, departments would make a decision having balanced different views, rather than judging by the number of supporting and opposing people. In June, he spent 45 minutes discussing the Public Order Ordinance, Cap. 245 with different police officers in Admiralty to learn about their understanding of the ordinance and four police officers gave their own answers. This reflected that there were no objective criteria inside the Government. Even though more than a million people took part in protests to press for five demands, the Government did not respond to any of them and apologised reluctantly. He was concerned that other civil servants would follow their example, which would gradually affect the work of other departments and in turn the public.

83. Mr Desmond LAM of CEDD said the department had always been respectful of Members’ views. When launching construction projects, the department would maintain sufficient communication with Members and consider views of different stakeholders. However, works projects had to be implemented to meet policy, planning and design needs, and some constraints should also be considered, whether physical or on-site. If the department could not adopt the DC’s valuable advice on a project, it would explain to the DC thoroughly. He added that the department would take forward works projects based on relevant design criteria and PlanD’s outline zoning plan (“OZP”), and would, wherever possible, adopt the views of the DC after consultation. Nevertheless, he hoped Members would understand that there might be some physical or on-site constraints when the project was carried out.

84. The Chairman said Members had just reflected that in case of objection by a minority of the public or just one person during works project consultation, Government departments would claim that there was opposition and asked Members to help work out a solution before implementing the works project. However, Government departments should understand that sometimes, some of these opposing views were not only unreasonable but also difficult for Members to resolve. In view of that, he asked the department to respond whether the Government would exercise its power to proceed with or shelve the works project when unreasonable opposition arose.

85. Mr Desmond LAM said as to his understanding, the CEDD had not put any projects on hold due to opposition by a public member. Both views from the public and the DC would be taken into consideration as a whole.

- 32 -

86. Mr KWONG Ka-yin of TD said the regional offices were generally responsible for small- scale traffic works projects. When handling the projects, the department would enlist the help of the YLDO to consult local DC Members and the community. If opposing views were received, the department would not make decisions only based on the number of opponents. Instead, it would consider whether to adjust the works design depending on the opposing grounds.

87. Mr Alan AU of PlanD said the department had, according to the Town Planning Ordinance, published the Section 12A applications for amendment of plan, Section 16 applications for planning permission, Section 17 applications for review, and the amendments to new statutory plans and draft/approved plans to consult the public and the DC. The department would extend a written invitation to DC Members who opted to receive planning information to raise their opinions on planning applications. The PlanD would not only reflect public opinions and Members’ views to the Town Planning Board but also respect the views and monitoring from the DC.

88. Mr Zachary WONG said these replies from the departments were about the principles of handling public opinions but in fact, the Government did not listen to the views unanimously agreed by Members. Therefore, he enquired the department on the relative weightings for the views of DC and those of one or several public members. The CEDD representative responded that an explanation would be given to Members when the department could not adopt their views, which were mainly suggestions on improving local traffic and building new roads. Despite their feasibility, these suggestions were rejected because the department was unwilling to go ahead, not that they were infeasible as the department claimed. In view of that, he enquired about the criteria which Government departments used for judging public opinion again.

89. Mr TO Ka-lun said the question was about the criteria which Government departments used for judging public opinions, so he hoped a detailed account would be given.

90. Mr TANG Hing-ip, BBS pointed out that all departments had kept to the rules when answering the question except the PlanD, which barely accepted Members’ proposals regarding the OZP but gave developers the approval for their applications for high-density residential development, overlooking the living and traffic needs of the local community. Now it gave a grandiose response, saying that DC views would be considered.

91. Mr Zachary WONG said in his second round of speech, he had already requested a response from the CEDD. He wondered why the department gave no further response. The department just replied that it would explain to Members if their views were not adopted but it was the department which did not accept feasible suggestions by Members.

92. Mr Desmond LAM took the Yuen Long South (“YLS”) development of which he was in charge as an example. Currently, the development was at the planning stage and infrastructure and formation works would take place in phases later. The department had listened to the public, for instance, with a plan to build a link to Yuen Long Highway via Tai Kei Leng Road and widen Kung Um Road and Kiu Hing Road to two-way traffic by decking part of the Yuen Long Nullah. The department would build or enhance the road network in relation to the development area in phases according to the OZP and the design parameters, with a view to minimising the impacts of the

- 33 -

increased population on local traffic.

93. Mr Zachary WONG said Members’ suggestion on building a shorter slip road connecting Route 11 for the YLS development was overlooked and declined by the department.

94. Mr CHING Chan-ming said the CEDD had indicated that details of the proposed design of the traffic lights at the junction of La Grove and Shap Pat Heung Road would be announced in mid- 2019, but they were not yet available. In view of the upcoming suspension of DC operation, he hoped the department would promptly give an explanation.

95. Regarding the planning application of converting Harbour Plaza Resort City into residential development, Mr WONG Cheuk-kin said among the signatures he had collected, more than 3 000 residents were against the planning application while only a few of them supported it. He enquired whether the department had quantitative standards for considering public opinions and, if otherwise, whether the decision would be made based on comments of the Town Planning Board (“TPB”). The small number of Member representatives in the TPB would mean public opinions might not be effectively reflected. Therefore, he enquired whether the department could consider applications only after it had enlisted support from the DC. Otherwise, Members’ views would still be neglected by the TPB.

96. Mr LEUNG Ming-kin said concerning the YLS development, Members had suggested nullah decking to tackle traffic congestion at the interchange near La Grove which he found was the quickest solution to the problem. However, there was no response from the department. Also, he added that nullah decking was recommended in the environmental impact assessment report, which meant the Drainage Services Department did not object to it. Apart from that, the CEDD took no further action after it had announced its original plan of building a road to connect Park Signature and Shap Pak Heung Road because the nearby public housing development project had been put off. The department should be held responsible for this.

97. The Chairman concluded that the DC had been raising suggestions on local planning and traffic but Government departments usually replied that there were technical or administrative limitations. He held that the problem stemmed from the nature of DC, which was only a consultative body without the power to decide over the Government’s work. Nonetheless, if the departments continued to judge public opinions with the same attitude, they would encounter more resistance when implementing projects in the future. The people, instead of allowing the Government departments to make a decision for them, hoped to express their views through DC Members regardless of the feasibility of their suggestions. Even though there might be technical constraints, he hoped Government departments could put more effort in responding to the people. He believed that the public would acknowledge that the departments had already adopted the public’s views although the expected results could not be achieved.

Item VI: Suggestion for Appointment to the Regional Advisory Committee of the Hospital Authority (YLDC Paper No. 44/2019) 98. The Chairman asked Members to take note of Paper No. 44, which was about the official

- 34 -

termination of appointment of Mr MAN Kwong-ming as member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Hospital Authority (“HA”) on 11 April 2019. The YLDC was invited to recommend a suitable Member to fill the place. The Chairman added that upon approval of the HA, the appointment would be effective on the date specified by the Board. The term was normally two years but could be adjusted where appropriate, such as an across-the-board date of expiry on 31 March 2020. The Chairman asked Members to make nominations.

99. Mr TANG Ka-leung nominated Mr WONG Cheuk-kin and the nomination was seconded by Mr YOUNG Ka-on.

100. As there were no other nominations from Members, the Chairman asked if Mr WONG Cheuk-kin was willing to serve in the Regional Advisory Committee.

101. Mr WONG Cheuk-kin thanked Members for giving him the opportunity to serve the community utilising his experience in healthcare and elderly services. He said he was not a veteran as much as the previous representatives, and would appreciate if Mr Daniel CHAM could give him advice through experience sharing. He recognised Members had suggested he should follow the practice of Mr Daniel CHAM who had submitted reports, saying that he would strive to do his best. He welcomed other Members who would like to serve in the committee in the future as he believed that proper rotation helped channel more views to the Board.

102. The Chairman announced that Members endorsed that Mr WONG Cheuk-kin be recommended to HA for consideration of appointment as community member in its Regional Advisory Committee.

Item VII: The 2019/20 Work Plan of the Yuen Long District Office (YLDC Paper No. 45/2019)

Item VIII: Report on the work progress of the District-led Actions Scheme 103. Due to time constraint, the Chairman proposed to deal with Item VII, the 2019/20 Work Plan of the Yuen Long District Office and Item VIII, report on the work progress of the District-led Actions Scheme together.

104. Members raised no objection.

105. The Chairman asked Members to take note of Paper No. 45, which introduced the 2019/20 Work Plan of the YLDC. The Chairman invited Mr Enoch YUEN, JP, District Officer (Yuen Long) and Mr Nixon NG, Assistant District Officer (Yuen Long) 1 to brief Members on the paper and report the latest progress of the District-led Actions Scheme (“DAS”).

106. Mr Enoch YUEN, JP said Paper No. 45 set out the work plan of the YLDC in the following year. It covered district administration, community liaison and development, enhancement of local facilities and living environment, building management and signature project. A week before the

- 35 -

meeting, the opening ceremony of Yuen Long District Community Services Building under the Signature Project Scheme was held. He thanked Members for their previous support and advice and hoped after the building was operational, the steering committee formed by three parties could coordinate their efforts in managing the building effectively and serving the resident. As regards rodent infestation, which was just mentioned by the DFEH, he thanked everyone for promoting anti- rodent activities together. He was also grateful to Members for reporting black spots of rodent infestation so that the departments could take follow-up action.

107. Mr Nixon NG presented the work progress of DAS.

108. Mr LUI Kin, MH thanked the YLDO for coordinating inter-departmental operations to clear illegally parked bicycles. However, he held that the number of operations was low and the area covered was small. For example, it took separate enforcement actions to clear one road. Moreover, after Members had provided the YLDO with the information on black spots of illegal parking, it took around two months for clearing operations to be conducted there. Therefore, he suggested that the department allocate additional resources for more frequent operations and coverage of operations be extended.

109. Mr Enoch YUEN, JP appreciated the Member’s comments and noted the suggestion of increasing the operations and extending the operation coverage. The YLDO would discuss resource allocation with other departments to meet the objectives.

110. Mr LEUNG Ming-kin suggested that the department exercise greater flexibility in grass cutting work. He enquired about the feasibility of extending grass cutting work to include roadside dead branches and weeds near drains in addition to cutting weeds that covering the roads or near footpaths.

111. Regarding the management on building maintenance, Mr TANG Hing-ip, BBS enquired whether the department had encouraged owners of old buildings to inspect and maintain the rear lanes. He reflected that floor slabs at rear lanes of old buildings in the district were dilapidated and uneven. The accumulated litter and dirty water there had become breeding grounds of rodents. As he believed that proper management of rear lanes could help tackle rodent infestation, he hoped the department would encourage owners to repair the rear lanes while managing building maintenance.

112. In response to Mr LEUNG Ming-kin’s comment, Mr Nixon NG said the YLDO would carry out grass cutting work depending on the actual circumstances. Where an area such as that alongside a drain was not under the purview of the YLDO, the office would take a coordinating role and refer the cases to relevant departments for follow-ups. As regards Mr TANG Hing-ip’s comment, he said cleansing of rear lanes was part of the work under DAS, but rear lane repairs fell outside the scope of the scheme. Just as what the DFEH had said earlier, the FEHD would discuss the infection of HEV with the HyD. Meanwhile, the HyD was planning road maintenance works and road resurfacing in the 18 districts to prevent stagnant water.

- 36 -

Item IX: Progress reports of Committees (i) Yuen Long District Management Committee (YLDC Paper No. 46/2019) (ii) District Facilities Management Committee (YLDC Paper No. 47/2019) (iii) Culture, Recreation, Community Service and Housing Committee (YLDC Paper No. 48/2019) (iv) Environmental Improvement Committee (YLDC Paper No. 49/2019) (v) Finance Committee (YLDC Paper No. 50/2019) (vi) Town Planning and Development Committee (YLDC Paper No. 51/2019) (vii) Traffic and Transport Committee (YLDC Paper No. 52/2019) 113. The Chairman asked Members to take note of Paper Nos. 46-52 for the progress reports of Committees.

114. Members noted the progress reports of Yuen Long District Management Committee and Committees under the YLDC.

Item X: Any other business

(i) Matters relating to Members joining the Committees under YLDC 115. Members endorsed the following Members’ applications for joining the Committees:

Mr MAN Mei-kwai, Jimmy joined the Environmental Improvement Committee (“EIC”) Mr LEUNG Fuk-yuen joined the EIC, TP&DC, T&TC and District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”)

(ii) Matters relating to profile photos displayed in discussion papers for meetings 116. The Chairman said that the Secretariat had received a mail from a Co-opted Member on 24 May 2019, pointing out that the proposal and profile photo of an individual was shown in Discussion Paper No. 25/2019 for the Working Group on Bus Services meeting on 22 March 2019. Since all discussion papers of the DC were available to public, the Member enquired whether profile photos (of Members or non-Members) could be included in the papers for publicity purposes. As the District Council Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”) did not contain any relevant requirement, the Chairman hoped to consult Members on the matter through discussion so that meetings of the DC, Committees and Working Groups would follow the same practice.

117. Mr TO Ka-lun had no idea about any irregularity in it since photos were displayed in many discussion papers.

118. The Chairman asked the Secretariat to show the Powerpoint slides of the relevant discussion paper for Members’ reference. The Chairman said the question raised by Mr Zachary WONG was about a proposal suggested by Mr CHAN Shu-fai, Eddie with a profile photo of him. As Mr Eddie CHAN was neither a Member nor a Co-opted Member of the YLDC, a Co-opted Member wrote to enquire whether profile photos could be displayed in discussion papers. As the matter was not set out in the Standing Orders and the Chairman did not want to make a personal decision, he wanted to discuss with Members at the meeting to come up with a solution by drawing upon the collective wisdom.

- 37 -

119. Mr Zachary WONG said the suggestion was made by a public member and he definitely could not take it as his own idea. Therefore, he attached the public member’s mail to the Working Group paper for discussion. Since the Standing Orders did not prohibit this common practice among Members, he did not understand why it had to be discussed. He held that Members only needed to comply with the Standing Orders and matters out of the Standing Orders should not be decided by Members.

120. Mr TO Ka-lun said the annex was part of the discussion paper and the Standing Orders conferred the right of submitting discussion papers on Members, so he did not understand why the Co-opted Member who wrote the mail found the practice problematic. Just as what Mr Zachary WONG had said, it would be fine as long as Members complied with the Standing Orders.

121. After listening to Members’ views, the Chairman asked the Secretariat to reply the Co- opted Member that the discussion paper for the meeting did not breach the Standing Orders.

(Post-meeting note: The Yuen Long District Council Secretariat replied to the Co-opted Member with regard to his view on 26 June 2019.)

122. The Chairman declared that the meeting adjourned and thanked departmental representatives and Members for their attendance.

Yuen Long District Council Secretariat September 2019

- 38 -