(Translation)

Minutes of the 12th Meeting of the 5th Wan Chai District Council Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Date: 19 September 2017 (Tuesday) Time: 2:30 p.m. Venue: District Council Conference Room, Wan Chai District Office, 21/F Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Present Chairperson Mr NG Kam-chun, Stephen, BBS, MH, JP

Vice-chairperson Dr CHOW Kit-bing, Jennifer, BBS, MH

Members Ms NG Yuen-ting, Yolanda, MH Mr LEE Man-lung, Joey Ms LEE Kwun-yee, Kenny, MH Ms LEE Pik-yee, Peggy Mr LAM Wai-man, Wind, Anson Mr WONG Wang-tai, Ivan, MH Miss YEUNG Suet-ying, Clarisse Mr CHENG Ki-kin Dr TANG King-yung, Anna, BBS, MH Ms CHUNG Ka-man, Jacqueline

Representatives of Core Government Departments Mr CHAN Tin-chu, Rick, JP District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department Miss WONG Wing-yee, Amy Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department

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Ms CHAN Siu-ping, Daphne Senior Liaison Officer (Community Affairs), Home Affairs Department Mr KAN Kai-yan District Commander (Wan Chai), Hong Kong Police Force Mr CHAN Kit-fung Police Community Relations Officer (Wan Chai District), Hong Kong Police Force Mr KWOK Ching-fai Sub-Unit Commander (Patrol 1) (North Point Division), Eastern District, Hong Kong Police Force Miss YIP Hau-yu, Hannah District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai), Social Welfare Department Mr LAM Chi-keung Chief Engineer/ Hong Kong (2), Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr LEUNG Kam-wing Senior Estate Surveyor/Land Control & Lease Enforcement (District Lands Office/Hong Kong East, West & South), Lands Department Mr LUK Chi-kwong Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong East), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Miss LEE Pui-ling, Becky District Leisure Manager (Wan Chai), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr LAU Chi-keung District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wan Chai), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr HO Kwan-hang, Albert Chief Transport Officer/Hong Kong, Transport Department

Representatives of Other Government Departments and Organisations Mr CHAN Ka-shun, Carlson, JP Commissioner for Labour Miss YIM Lai-kwan, Cindy Senior Labour Officer (Employment Services) for agenda (Operation), Labour Department item 1 Miss LAU LEE-kwan, Vivian, JP Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Mr LI Ka-kei Assistant Director (Operations)1, for agenda item 2 Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

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Mr Sky YIP Senior Construction Engineer – Operations Civil & Major Pedlinks, MTR Corporation Limited Mr Nathan MAK Construction Engineer II – Operations Civil & for agenda item 4 Major Pedlinks, MTR Corporation Limited Ms Dorothy LAU Assistant Public Relations Manager – External Affairs, MTR Corporation Limited Mr KAM Chun-cheong, Patrick Senior Executive Officer (District Management), for agenda Wan Chai District Office item 7 Dr LUK Chun-yin Country Parks Officer/Hong Kong, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Mr SO Chi-ho Engineer/E1, Drainage Services Department Mr TAI Lap-for, Frankie Senior District Engineer/HNW (Acting), for agenda Highways Department item 8 Mr CHAN Kai-yin, Derek District Engineer/Wan Chai, Highways Department Mr SO Shui-shan, Isaac Landscape Architect/Vegetation Maintenance (Hong Kong Central & West), Highways Department Mr CO Tak-chi Senior Divisional Occupational Safety Officer, Labour Department Mr CHAN Ping-tim, Timothy Occupational Hygienist, Labour Department Mr TO Chi-hung Engineer/Construction (6), Water Supplies Department for agenda item 9 Mr LAU Yun-leung Distribution Project Manager, Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited Mr KUM Sung-kwong Senior Engineer (Distribution Project Section), Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited Ms Anna WONG Vice President of the Organizing Committee, Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2018 Mr Kenji LEUNG Sports Consultant and Cycling Coach of the

Organizing Committee, Vita Green Cycling for for agenda Health Marathon Challenge 2018 item 16(a) Ms Jaymee HO Assistant Marketing Manager of the Organizing Committee, Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2018

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Absent with Apologies The Hon TSE Wai-chun, Paul, JP

Secretary Ms WU Lai-shan, Alexandra Senior Executive Officer (District Council)/ Wan Chai, Home Affairs Department

Action Opening Remarks

1. The Chairperson welcomed Mr Carlson CHAN, Commissioner for Labour (CL) and Miss Cindy YIM, Senior Labour Officer (Employment Services)(Operation) to the 12th meeting of the Wan Chai District Council (WCDC) to exchange views with WCDC Members. The Chairperson also extended welcome to Mr KWOK Ching-fai, Sub-Unit Commander (Patrol 1) (North Point Division), who attended the meeting on behalf of the Eastern District of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF).

2. The Chairperson told the meeting that the Hon Paul TSE had informed the Secretariat prior to the meeting that he would be unable to attend today’s meeting due to other engagements. According to Section 51(1) of the Standing Orders of WCDC, the Council should only give consent to notifications of absence filed on the grounds of sickness or attendance of another meeting or an activity on behalf of the Council. Therefore, Mr TSE would be regarded as being absent from the meeting.

3. The Chairperson asked Members to note the papers and the agenda with suggested discussion time on the conference table. He reminded them that a maximum of three minutes were allowed for each Member to speak in respect of each agenda item.

Meeting with Head of Department Item 1: Visit by Commissioner for Labour

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Action 4. The Chairperson asked Mr Carlson CHAN to briefly introduce the work of the Labour Department (LD).

5. Mr Carlson CHAN briefed Members on LD’s key areas of work and their latest progress, including the employment services provided to different groups of people, Work Incentive Transport Subsidy Scheme (WITS), statutory minimum wage (SMW), working hours policy, labour relations, Supplementary Labour Scheme, occupational safety and health (OSH) and the proposed abolition of the “offsetting” of severance payment and long service payment (LSP) with the Mandatory Provident Fund.

(Mr Anson LAM and Ms Jacqueline CHUNG joined the meeting at 2:50 p.m.)

6. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Outsourcing was a very common practice in Hong Kong. Even the Government had engaged many outsourced workers, such as cleansing workers. Many cases revealed that active intervention from LD was required to improve the protective equipment and working environment of the frontline outsourced workers. For instance, many frontline outsourced cleansing workers engaged by the Government were required to clean up the streets after typhoons or rainstorms. More often than not, they had to use garbage bags to make their own raincoats. Since they were given only a few pairs of gloves every year, they sometimes had to bring their own gloves for work and even had to find a place for changing uniforms.

(ii) CL might have heard of the Mira Place incident in which a member of the public lodged a complaint against a cleansing worker who changed clothes in a baby care room after work. The cleansing worker was immediately dismissed by Mira

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Action Place. The incident later aroused extensive concern among various organisations, and after their active intervention, the cleansing worker was reinstated. She opined that frontline workers might not want such incidents to be made public for fear that their employers might get angry and fire them. They were helpless indeed. She suggested the Government intervene to safeguard the rights of outsourced workers, assist them in fighting for their benefits and improve their working environment and personal safety.

(iii) CL had mentioned LSP just now. In fact, outsourced workers would automatically lose their LSP after the outsourced contractors changed to another one. In many cases, outsourced workers had to sign a new employment contract with the new employer, or were asked by the existing employer to give written consent for voluntary resignation. As a result, they might lose their LSP accumulated over the years. The Baptist University incident happened earlier was an example. All these cases required the attention of the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB). Now that the Baptist University incident was left unsettled. She believed that there would be repeated recurrence of similar cases in the future.

7. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) There was a perception among the general public that the employment support services provided by LD covered lower-level jobs only. Noting from CL that the services had been extended to cover some higher-level positions, she hoped that LD could enhance publicity in this respect to enable more members of the public could be benefitted.

(ii) She opined that LD should review the labour relations issue concerning foreign domestic helpers (FDHs). Hong Kong had

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Action the highest growth in the number of FDHs in the world, with over 300 000 FDHs currently. There had been labour disputes involving FDHs, and FDHs had put strains on areas including the highly insufficient medical services and necessary ancillary facilities. She therefore hoped that LD could further review its FDH policy, or form a monitoring committee to study how the FDH policy and quality of monitoring could be enhanced.

(iii) The occupational safety of building maintenance and management hinged on the knowledge of the owners’ corporations (OCs). She believed that apart from working with property management companies, LD could enhance communication with OCs and provide them with more information about the prevention of accidents while carrying out building maintenance works and the rights and obligations of OCs.

8. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Given their small size, many buildings in Wan Chai could not afford to engage a proper cleansing company. The minority owners had to share the additional cost arising from the increase in SMW following its regular reviews, and the management fees were also very expensive. Therefore, a lot of OCs chose to engage self-employed persons to conduct the building cleansing work. In case the self-employed persons who were not covered by any insurance policies had an accident, the OCs concerned might have to bear a major share of responsibility. She enquired whether LD would offer more guidance to OCs, advise them not to recruit self-employed persons and explain the consequences of doing so. She also enquired if LD could assist OCs in requesting self-employed persons to set up a company or to take out insurance, with a view to reducing

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Action the risks borne by OCs or minority owners.

(ii) She noticed that a significant number of FDHs and even some expatriates who entered Hong Kong as visitors had engaged in other work and hence breached their conditions of stay. Take Wan Chai District as an example. A considerable number of foreign visitors were engaged in illegal work at bars. She enquired how LD and the Immigration Department (ImmD) could step up co-operation to combat such problem.

9. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) WITS had been implemented for several years. She enquired if LD and the Transport Department (TD) would work together to encourage the public, including those living in the remote areas to join the workforce. She continued to enquire if LD would review the effectiveness of WITS, and further enhance the scheme to encourage more people, especially the new immigrants and women living in the remote areas to return to the workforce.

(ii) There was an acute manpower shortage in the construction industry. She believed that the community would agree that it was a big problem and a major obstacle to Hong Kong’s development. She enquired if LD had any measures for addressing the problem or any plans to work with other government departments to attract more young people to join the construction industry, such as providing training opportunities, employment services and training facilities, etc.

(iii) She enquired if the Government could make reference to Germany’s practice in vocational education. Apart from

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Action providing university education, programmes jointly organised by institutions and enterprises could also be provided to enable students focused on or good at technical skills to commence their working life at an earlier stage.

(iv) She considered the manpower requirement projection a broad issue. There was a strong correlation between the working population and the types of industries or sectors providing the driving force for Hong Kong’s future economy. She enquired if LD would, in collaboration with the Census & Statistics Department (C&SD), conduct a study and collect relevant data with a view to identifying the industries that needed to be further strengthened in the future. Relevant institutions could then make use of their training or learning quotas to meet the future needs. The learning quotas for industries which no longer provided the driving force for Hong Kong’s economic development could be reduced. She enquired if LD could provide the data to relevant departments for follow-up actions.

10. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) She pointed out that LD had provided comprehensive information in recent years through its resource centres, youth employment services and online database, with a view to reaching out to a wider audience.

(ii) Nowadays, Hong Kong had a relatively high employment rate. There had been discussions in the women’s sector in recent years about whether more measures should be introduced to encourage more women to join the workforce, in order to address the manpower shortage in certain jobs. She enquired if LD had any measures in this respect.

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Action (iii) According to the information on hand, there were about 149 800 short-term contract employees in 2016. They were not entitled to any contract gratuity, rest days, statutory holidays and paid leave. The protection offered to them was relatively lower, and they were in the same situation as the self-employed persons mentioned earlier by Ms Peggy LEE. She enquired if LD would consider the protection offered to short-term contract employees in the near future with a view to introducing enhanced measures to help them.

(iv) SMW had benefitted many grassroots citizens since its implementation. However, there were many single buildings in Wan Chai. Following the introduction of SMW, owners and OCs had different considerations in staff recruitment. In the past, they might employ elderly persons as they were given lower pay. Now they would raise the job requirements as they had to pay the same wage. As a result, some elderly persons could not join the workforce and had to rely on support. As SMW had been in force for some time, she enquired if LD had received any such cases for assistance, if their situation had been considered and if there were any ways to help these elderly persons. Given their lower educational level, they might have difficulty in finding a job following the implementation of SMW. She hoped that LD could assist these grassroots citizens.

11. The Chairperson announced that the first round of speeches ended here, and invited Mr Carlson CHAN to respond to Members’ comments and enquiries.

12. Mr Carlson CHAN gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) Regarding outsourced workers, some government departments provided public services by way of outsourcing.

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Action LD would ensure that the outsourced service contractors were in compliance with the requirements of the relevant labour legislation. In this connection, a standard employment contract was made which included various basic requirements under the labour legislation. All government departments required outsourced service contractors to sign the standard employment contract with unskilled workers.

(ii) A Member had just mentioned that some outsourced workers had to make their own raincoats or bring their own equipment to work. If employees were not provided with sufficient OSH protection, LD would refer the cases to the relevant departments, and contact the relevant outsourced contractors and staff to understand the situation. In LD’s opinion, employers had a statutory obligation to provide employees (including contract staff) with a safe and healthy working environment. Upon receipt of complaints about any employers’ failure in providing necessary suitable protective equipment (such as gloves) for staff, LD would send officers to the workplaces for investigation, and urge the employers to discharge their general duties by complying with the requirements of the relevant OSH legislation. If Members had information about such cases, they could refer them to LD for investigation and follow-up actions.

(iii) Member might have read some reports about outsourced service contractors of the Government asking their staff to sign a voluntary resignation agreement after the completion of the outsourced service contract. If workers in such cases requested intervention by LD, LD would examine the actual situation and render suitable assistance. If an employer had to dismiss an employee after the completion of an outsourced service contract, the employer should provide

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Action compensation to the employee in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the labour legislation instead of asking the employee to sign a voluntary resignation agreement. If an employer dismissed an employee who had served a period of two years under a continuous contract on the ground of redundancy, the employer should pay the employee severance payment. If an employer laid off an employee who had served a period of five years or above under a continuous contract, the employer should pay the employee LSP.

(iv) In providing conciliation service for cases involving outsourced workers, LD had found that in some cases, the employers asked the employees to work in another workplace upon the completion of their outsourced service contract. However, the employees decided to stay at the original workplace where he/she had already served for a period of time to work for the new outsourced service contractor. Under such circumstances, LD would assist the employers and the employees to settle any disputes through consultation. If the employers were found to have violated the relevant requirements of the labour legislation, LD would take follow-up action.

(v) As regards employment support, the “Higher Education Employment Information e-Platform” designed for persons with higher education had been one of the key areas of work of LD recently. The e-platform had been well received since it was launched at the end of last year. As at end-August 2017, the e-platform had more than 11 000 average daily page views. To step up publicity on the e-platform, LD had already contacted relevant organisations, including the employment services and student organisations of local and overseas universities as well as the overseas and

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Action mainland Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices to promote the e-platform to local university graduates and persons with higher education outside Hong Kong, including the second generation of Hong Kong emigrants who were interested in working in Hong Kong. Through this e-platform, they could obtain information on Hong Kong’s employment market as well as search and apply for suitable job openings.

(vi) Regarding LD’s support for FDHs and the related monitoring, FDHs were vulnerable as they came from overseas countries to work in an unfamiliar environment in Hong Kong. Therefore LD had attached great importance to offering protection to them. It was recognised that FDHs, with its number reaching over 360 000, had made tremendous contribution to Hong Kong’s economic development. FDHs helped local families do housework and take care of their elderly and children, enabling the local women to join the workforce. This was conducive to alleviating the ageing problem in Hong Kong. LD would therefore continue to make every effort to safeguard the employment rights and benefits of FDHs so that Hong Kong could remain an attractive place of work to FDHs. Moreover, regarding expatriates working illegally in Hong Kong, LD would continue to work with ImmD and the Police to take rigorous enforcement actions against illegal employment.

(vii) This year, LD had strengthened its monitoring of employment agencies (EAs), especially the illegal acts of EAs in providing services to FDHs, such as overcharging commission from FDHs. According to the existing legislation, the maximum commission which might be received by an EA from a job-seeker, either a FDH or local

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Action worker, should not exceed 10% of the job-seeker’s first month’s wages he/she received after he/she had been successfully placed in a job (about $400 for FDHs). Failure to do so would be an offence in law. It should be noted that the commission was a one-off fee instead of a monthly charge. LD also suggested imposing heavier penalties for overcharging by EAs. The Legislative Council was scrutinising the relevant proposed legislative amendments which sought to increase the fines and introduce imprisonment terms. LD had also promulgated the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies which set out the expected service standard and professional ethics of EAs. Violation of such requirements would affect EAs’ applications for licence renewal and even lead to revocation of their licences.

(viii) Members had given a number of valuable comments on OSH just now. They suggested LD strengthen communication with property management companies and OCs to enable OCs to gain a better understanding of their responsibilities. LD would continue to proactively carry out the work in this respect. In fact, if accidents occurred when workers were carrying out maintenance works at an owner’s place of residence or building, the owner or OC concerned might have to bear considerable risks and responsibilities. Therefore, it was necessary for employers/principal contractors to take out employees’ compensation insurance as required by the law.

(ix) Whether a person was an employee or a self-employed person could not simply be told by referring to his/her post title or contract title. Instead, it depended on how he/she provided his/her service. According to court cases, the court had a set of criteria and considerations for determining

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Action whether a person should be regarded as a self-employed person, such as whether the person had to bring his/her own equipment/tools to work, and the control of the alleged employer over the work arrangement of the alleged self-employed person. Even if a person was referred to as a contractor or self-employed person in the contract or agreement made between the both parties, the employer was still required to fulfill his/her responsibilities under the relevant labour legislation if an employer-employee relationship existed in essence.

(x) LD completed the review on WITS in 2016, and had implemented the relevant enhanced measures. Regarding the level of subsidy, according to the data collected by C&SD in carrying out the General Household Survey for the fourth quarter of 2016, the average monthly expenses of WITS target recipients on public transport for travelling to and from work was $427, and that for those working across districts was $477. Therefore, the current full-rate subsidy of $600 per month was considered appropriate. LD would vet the applications in accordance with the requirements of WITS, and the eligible applicants would be granted WITS. The Government was now conducting an overall policy review of the Low-income Working Family Allowance Scheme (LIFA). In the review, the Government would also examine interface issues between LIFA and WITS.

(xi) It was worth considering how to assist young people to join the construction industry. In fact, many major infrastructural projects would commence which would require a large number of construction workers. Apart from having recruitment difficulties, the construction industry had an ageing workforce. The situation would worsen in the absence of new blood. In view of this, the

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Action Development Bureau, in collaboration with the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the trade and LD, had made tremendous efforts to encourage young people to join the industry. CIC had organised formal training programmes for young people who aspired to join the construction industry, with a view to assisting them with career planning and helping them enhance their technical skills. After taking office as CL, he had from time to time conducted site visits, during which he saw many young people participating in the infrastructural projects, showing that many of them were willing to join the construction industry. In fact, there had been improvements in the working environment and management of works sites, especially those of relatively large-scale projects. Together with the attractive pay level, the number of young people joining the construction industry had been increasing.

(xii) To assist local construction workers to find jobs and employers of the industry to recruit workers, LD had set up the Construction Industry Recruitment Centre (CIRC) in the CIC Kowloon Bay Training Centre for construction employers to organise job fairs if they had any job vacancies. Besides, CIRC would co-organise recruitment activities with CIC from time to time. These measures had been effective in assisting more local workers and young people to find suitable jobs in the construction industry.

(xiii) As for the manpower projection and vocational training, the Vocational Training Council had made a great deal of effort in this respect, including organising many vocational training programmes for young people. The Employees Retraining Board had also offered various training programmes to assist the unemployed and the job-seeking public to acquire vocational skills to dovetail with the

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Action requirements of the employment market. Manpower planning fell within the ambit of LWB instead of LD. A dedicated section under LWB was tasked to formulate the strategies for the development of human resources.

(xiv) Regarding the employment of women, SMW provided an incentive for women to join or re-enter the labour market. Since the implementation of SMW, the total employment had increased by more than 290 000, 70% of which were women. He pointed out that in addition to raising the income of low-paid employees, employees earning more than SMW were also given a pay rise due to the knock-on effect on pay hierarchies. When the pay level of low-paying sectors increased, other sectors would raise their wages as well in order to maintain their competitiveness, thus benefitting the employees concerned.

(xv) SMW had provided an incentive for women to join or re-enter the labour market. In addition, LD had rolled out a series of measures to enhance its employment support for middle-aged and elderly job seekers, including organising thematic job fairs and introducing the “Employment Programme for the Middle-aged”, which encouraged employers through the provision of an on-the-job training allowance to recruit middle-aged and elderly job seekers aged 40 or above and to offer on-the-job training to them. To meet the needs of some elderly job-seekers and women who were more interested in part-time jobs due to personal, family or other reasons, LD had set up a dedicated webpage under its “Interactive Employment Service” website with a view to providing information on part-time job vacancies, and organised from time to time district-based job fairs on part-time employment to assist them in looking for suitable jobs.

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Action

(xvi) In view of the concern that some employees were not entitled to some of the employment rights and benefits offered under the Employment Ordinance (the Ordinance) because they could not meet the continuous contract requirement under the Ordinance (i.e. employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more, with at least 18 hours worked in each week), LD had repeatedly discussed the issue with the representatives of employees and employers at the meetings of the Labour Advisory Board, but no consensus had yet been reached on the issue. Practical operational issues such as the calculation of benefits of these employees including their annual leave, maternity leave and paternity leave were also involved. In fact, some employees might choose to serve in part-time positions due to personal needs. They could also enhance the flexibility of the labour market. LD would continue to study the continuous contract requirement under the Ordinance.

(xvii) Some Members had expressed concern over whether the implementation of SMW would affect the employment opportunities of the elderly persons. Relevant data revealed that there was no reduction in the local employment rate since the introduction of SMW. Instead, there was an increase in the overall number of private job vacancies. At present, the labour market remained tight, and there was no concrete evidence showing that the implementation of SMW had reduced the employment opportunities of the elderly persons. As he had mentioned before, under the impact of the knock-on effect, when the wage level of low-paying jobs increased as a result of the introduction of SMW, the wages of other jobs would also increase in order to maintain the competitiveness. Different enterprises would recruit their

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Action staff according to their needs. For instance, some positions might have higher requirements. A pay rise would attract more young people to join the sectors concerned. As a Member had just pointed out, there were quite a number of single old buildings in Wan Chai District. OCs could also recruit elderly persons according to their needs.

13. The Chairperson thanked Mr Carlson CHAN for his detailed response. He said that the employment rate was exceptionally high in Hong Kong, and young people were welcomed to join the workforce. In fact, university was not the only way to success. There were success stories in all professions. It was very important to encourage young people to develop their interests and unleash their potential in order to gain a sense of achievement. The income of construction workers, for instance, had been substantially increased over the years. The workers would gain a greater sense of achievement if their working environment and uniforms could also be improved, which would be far more effective than providing economic incentives alone. He believed that LD had made tremendous efforts in this respect, and hoped that LD could pay more attention to the career pathways for young people, with a view to fostering a more vibrant labour market in Hong Kong. The Chairperson thanked Mr Carlson CHAN for paying a visit to WCDC.

Item 2: Visit by Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene

14. The Chairperson welcomed Ms Vivian LAU, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH) and Mr LI Ka-kei, Assistant Director (Operations)1 of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) to the meeting to exchange views with Members of WCDC. The Chairperson invited Ms LAU to briefly introduce the work of FEHD.

15. Ms Vivian LAU said that the work of FEHD covered a wide range of areas which were mainly grouped under food safety and environmental hygiene. On environmental hygiene, FEHD adopted a three-pronged

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Action approach, i.e. stepping up cleansing, taking enforcement action and carrying out educational and publicity work. She then briefed Members on the latest situation of the major areas of work in Wan Chai District, including district cleansing work, prevention and control of mosquitoes and rodents, shopfront extensions, management of the public markets and the Assistance Scheme for Hawkers of Wan Chai District, etc.

16. Ms Vivian LAU concluded that FEHD had been in close contact with District Councils (DCs). DCs had been the important partners of FEHD since the services provided by FEHD were closely related to people’s daily life, and DCs served as a platform for reflecting the views of the local communities. She said that Mr LAU Chi-keung, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wan Chai) (DEHS) and Mr LI Ka-kei, Assistant Director (Operations)1, who was responsible for the work of Hong Kong Island were present at the meeting. They hoped to listen more to Members’ views and to work hand in hand with them, with a view to achieving better environmental hygiene in Wan Chai District.

17. The Chairperson thanked Ms LAU for the detailed introduction, and invited views from Members.

18. Mr CHENG Ki-kin raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Recently, many local residents had told him about the worsening problems caused by rodents and cockroaches in the district. Rodents were seldom seen in the main streets such as Hennessy Road in the past, but they were frequently seen now. He noticed that gullies had become home to rodents and cockroaches. He hoped that FEHD could work out a solution to the problem.

(ii) Recently, directly distributed vegetables and pork were available on the market. He enquired how FEHD conducted safety testing of this type of food.

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Action

(iii) The sale of directly distributed vegetables had led to the use of open space as storage areas. Such trading activities had turned the streets into distribution areas. Goods and foam boxes were left in open areas for the whole day. At present, no legislation might be in place to address such problem and therefore a grey area existed. He enquired if FEHD would consider introducing new legislation or measures to address the use of open space as storage areas.

(iv) He had handled some water seepage cases where FEHD and the Buildings Department (BD) were unable to identify the source of water seepage after following up the cases for over half a year. The affected residents therefore commissioned private surveyors or surveying agents at their own cost which could identify the source of water seepage once an inspection was carried out. He enquired if FEHD could improve the techniques used by the Joint Offices for Investigation of Water Seepage Complaints (the Joint Offices) in handling water seepage complaints.

19. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) DEFH had just mentioned that of the areas in Wan Chai District, Tin Hau had a particularly serious mosquito problem. He clarified that the mentioned area covered Victoria Park and Tai Hang as well, including many parks under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Despite the enhanced anti-mosquito efforts made by the Superintendent, the ovitrap index could not be controlled. He enquired if the area covered by the ovitrap could be slightly adjusted to prevent the public from misunderstanding that among the 13 constituencies in Wan Chai District, only Tin Hau had such a serious mosquito

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Action problem.

(ii) He thanked the Superintendent for allocating additional resources to remove the rubbish on the hillside near the bus stop at Lai Tak Tsuen which had been accumulated there for years. Moreover, he called for DEFH to deploy additional manpower to address the environmental hygiene problem caused by pigeon feeding. It was also hoped that FEHD would adopt a multi-pronged approach to tackle the environmental hygiene problem by stepping up law enforcement, public education and publicity.

(iii) The Joint Offices had drawn public criticism. In some cases, the Joint Offices and BD were unable to identify the source of water seepage even after following up on the cases for one to two years. In fact, some new technologies were available on the market including using laser to detect the source of water seepage. He called for FEHD to step up its effort in this respect with a view to saving the public bringing their cases to court or engaging outside professionals at their own cost.

20. Mr Ivan WONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Following the earlier suspension of waste paper collection by the Mainland, the streets of 18 districts were full of carton paper. This showed that FEHD had been relying on elders to remove carton paper. He queried if FEHD had an unwritten rule that there was no need for its cleansing contractors to arrange for manpower to remove carton paper. They could rely solely on elders to do such a job in 18 districts, from which the elderly could only earn a meagre amount even lower than the minimum wage.

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Action (ii) It could be seen from the suspension of waste paper collection that Hong Kong might be faced with major problems once the Mainland changed its policy. He opined that the Administration should work out a long term cooperation mechanism with the Mainland in respect of waste collection, so that both parties could maintain communication. This could prevent the local environmental hygiene from being affected by the Mainland policies.

21. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments:

(i) There was a large number of street food stalls in Wan Chai and Causeway, which had caused many problems including fume and odour, street obstruction by their customers, indiscriminate disposal of commercial waste by the stall operators and their customers, etc. These problems had caused great distress to the local residents. FEHD had been adopting a tolerant approach in monitoring these street food stalls. Prosecution would only be considered after the offenders were given advice first and then a warning. She was of the view that FEHD should take rigourous enforcement action, step up prosecution or even suspend the licences of the offenders in order to produce a deterrent effect.

(ii) A lot of people always gathered outside the methadone clinic, causing serious hygiene problems. Despite the joint operations conducted by FEHD and the relevant departments from time to time and the sting operations conducted by the Police, a crowd of people was frequently seen in the above-mentioned area. To facilitate their gathering, they placed tables and chairs there which were picked from refuse collection points. During scavenging operations conducted by FEHD, they would claim the articles, making

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Action it impossible for FEHD to remove them. After the officers of FEHD left, they would place the tables and chairs there again. She opined that leaving private property in public places should not be tolerated. It was impossible to tackle the problem if only unclaimed articles could be removed. She appealed to DFEH to remove barriers and lift restrictions in tackling districts issues which had plagued members of the public for a long time. New mindset and new policies should be adopted to resolve such issues.

22. Dr Anna TANG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) The resident population and transient population of Wan Chai District were over 100 000 and over 600 000 respectively. Regarding urban management, she enquired how FEHD determined the resources allocated to Wan Chai District, and if the allocation of resources would be based on the proportion of resident population and transient population. Given its large transient population, Wan Chai District should be given more resources.

(ii) Regarding rodent control, she mentioned the introduction of contraceptive baits to tackle the rodent problem in 2005 and 2013. Such method was not imaginary. International magazines carried reports on such method a long time ago. Chinese cities such as Wuxi, Jilin and Guangzhou were also studying contraceptive baits for rodents. She hoped that FEHD would use scientific methods including the introduction of contraceptive baits to alleviate the rodent problem.

(iii) Before 1999, there was an incinerator in Sai Wan for cremation of pet carcasses, but such service was not available now. She enquired what method was used by

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Action FEHD for disposing of pet carcasses, and requested FEHD to remind the public not to dump their pet carcasses as ordinary waste. Besides, there were agents which provided pet carcass cremation services. She hoped that FEHD could provide information about these services.

23. Dr Jennifer CHOW raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Despite the fact that FEHD had carried out a lot of work and spent substantial manpower and resources, the work results were unsatisfactory. Many hygiene blackspots in the district were included in the Action Checklist repeatedly. In fact, the cityscape and the environment of Hong Kong was worse than before, leaving a worse impression on visitors. She called for FEHD to adopt visionary strategies and new ideas to improve the environmental hygiene of Hong Kong. Focused measures should be implemented with a view to bringing about on-going improvement and ensuring resources be put to good use.

(ii) The nuisance caused by feral pigeons was a tough nut to crack. She hoped that in addition to education and publicity, FEHD would adopt advanced technologies to address the nuisance caused by feral pigeons and illegal feeding of feral pigeons.

(iii) There were a large number of private buildings in the district, many of which were not monitored by any party. Not being regulated by the Government and in the absence of sufficient resources, private buildings had many problems which had been left unresolved. For example, many vacant stalls could be found on Jupiter Street and Mercury Street. As they would not be resumed by the Government, they had become mosquito and rodent hotbeds. She appealed to

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Action FEHD to tackle such problem by adopting more groundbreaking strategies.

(iv) In the past, FEHD conducted street washing on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but now street washing was only conducted once a week. Moreover, only general washing was carried out without using a high pressure water jet. There were a large number of restaurants in Victoria Park constituency area and the environmental hygiene of the public market was poor. She was of the view that without improving the street washing method or stepping up the monitoring of the contractors’ performance, it was impossible to improve the environment and hygiene of the district.

24. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments:

(i) Hygiene was the policy area that residents of Wan Chai District were most concerned about. They considered it a pressing issue that needed to be resolved urgently. The number of street washing in the district had substantially reduced. Major streets such as Queen’s Road East was washed once a month or even once every one month and a half. In fact, the number of vehicles in Hong Kong had been increasing. Wan Chai was a commercial district with heavy vehicular flow. Its roadside was covered with heavy dust and street washing was therefore particularly important.

(ii) She found during her visits to the district that the problem of water dripping from air-conditioners in the district was rather serious. She had relayed such problem to the District Environmental Hygiene Office. She had approached the relevant owners and found that different groups of people were living in the units in question.

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Action Many of them worked at night and returned in the morning. They were unlikely to answer the door if officers from FEHD went to the units for inspection in the morning. Therefore, she suggested FEHD pay more visits in the afternoon.

(iii) With increasing environmental awareness, members of the public used the three-colour waste separation bins (three-colour bins) more frequently. She called for FEHD to facilitate the implementation of the environmental protection policy by increasing the frequency of the work for clearing the three-colour bins. She noted that FEHD would deploy additional manpower to carry out the clearing work. It was hoped that the work would produce good results.

(iv) The rubbish bin on Johnston Road was always full at night with rubbish being dumped at its sides. The hawker area at Gresson Street was full of rubbish every night, looking as if it was a refuse collection point. Besides, a large number of bagged rubbish could be seen at Hennessy Road every night. The indiscriminate disposal of rubbish in the district was serious during night time, resulting in worsening hygiene conditions. She hoped that DFEH would follow up on the problem.

(v) Regarding the nuisance caused by feral pigeons, 18 fixed penalty notices were issued in Wan Chai District last year. The number of prosecutions was no doubt inadequate. There were six to seven wild bird feeding blackspots in the district, meaning that on average, only two fixed penalty notices were issued in each blackspots every year. This could hardly produce any deterrent effect for bird feeding lovers. In fact, many people fed feral pigeons outside the Methodist Church at five to six o’clock early in the morning,

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Action leading to congregation of feral pigeons and their fast breeding. She hoped that FEHD would deploy additional manpower to address the issue.

(vi) The roller shutter of the Luard Refuse Collection Point (RCP) had been fixed, but a grab-mounted lorry collecting refuse outside the refuse collection point could still be seen. She called for FEHD to arrange for the refuse collection vehicle to collect refuse inside the refuse collection point.

(vii) She was delighted to note that there would be an increase in the manpower of FEHD. She hoped that FEHD would closely monitor the effectiveness of the work after an increase in its manpower and conduct a timely review.

25. Miss Clarisse YEUNG raised the following comments:

(i) As regards water seepage problem, the Joint Offices would be unable to handle the cases if the water seepage came from rainwater instead of waste water. In fact, such kind of water seepage problem might affect the safety of the residents. She hoped that FEHD could address the situation where the Joint Offices had no power to handle the water seepage cases at the policy level.

(ii) Many residents of Tai Hang attached great importance to waste recovery, but the existing number of recovery points could not meet the demand, and the three-colour bins were always full. In view of the suspension of waste collection ordered by the Mainland, she suggested the Government make use of resources to enable more waste and plastic waste to be collected and recycled in Hong Kong. At present, there were some waste paper recycling devices available on the market which could produce more than ten

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Action sheets of A-4 paper within a minute. Such a daily recovery rate could meet the demand of medium-sized enterprises. She suggested FEHD should, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), take the lead in introducing a waste paper recycling device in each district which could enable the public to witness the upcycling of the waste paper. This was the best environmental education. Moreover, she hoped that the Government would devote greater efforts to promoting waste reduction at source, such as encouraging members of the public to use less plastic tableware.

26. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments:

(i) She thanked the Superintendent for his assistance in relaying her views to FEHD. She was pleased to note that FEHD had launched public education by introducing the “Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak” with a view to encouraging the public to pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene.

(ii) It was believed that FEHD had learnt a big lesson in upgrading the fire safety of the hawker areas. Take Jardine’s Crescent as an example. FEHD initially adopted a rather hardline approach. A consensus was eventually reached after FEHD reached out to the public and discussed with them. She hoped that FEHD would follow this direction when implementing food and environmental hygiene policies in the future.

(iii) She called for FEHD to pay attention to whether a pleasant walking experience could be provided in formulating policies. The concept of “pleasant walking experience” included the accessibility and tidiness of road surface, air freshness, etc. Such concept not only applied to street

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Action hygiene, but also the cultural activities for the local community. Take the introduction of the rubbish bins with smaller openings as an example. Consideration could be given to the effectiveness and the need for a mid-term review. On refuse collection, consideration could be given to providing more convenience to the public and ensuring the opening hours of refuse collection points to meet the needs of the local residents and the environmental standards. If good environmental hygiene could be maintained and a pleasant walking experience could be provided for members of the public, hostility in society would be soothed enormously.

27. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) The work of FEHD covered a wide range of areas and its effectiveness could be easily seen. Take street hygiene in the district as an example. Despite the substantial efforts made by the Superintendent, the hygiene problems were never-ending. In fact, the crux of the matter was whether there was sufficient manpower. An increase of 10% in FEHD’s manpower including 22 additional contract cleansing workers and two additional foremen was still not enough to meet the needs of the entire Wan Chai District. The transient population of Wan Chai District was over 600 000 and there were a large number of shops and restaurants in the district, resulting in a huge amount of rubbish. Bagged rubbish and carton paper could be seen everywhere during night time. Besides, the number of hygiene blackspots had been increasing and they were located in main streets. She urged DFEH to pay attention to the relevant situation.

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Action (ii) Noting that the street cleansing contract for Wan Chai District would expire at the end of this year, she enquired how FEHD would monitor and review the performance of the cleansing contractor and its work effectiveness in the future.

(iii) Regarding the installation of Internet Protocol (IP) cameras at refuse deposit blackspots, the Council had chosen five to six locations for installation of IP cameras. Although it seemed that the proposed locations were close to each other, she opined that such device could help when the manpower was not sufficient.

28. The Chairperson invited Ms LAU to respond to Members’ enquiries.

29. Ms Vivian LAU responded as follows:

(i) FEHD had been coping with a huge workload with over 200 000 complaints handled every year. Nevertheless, staff of FEHD all worked as one team to handle the substantial number of complaints in a positive manner. Staff of all levels acknowledged the fact that members of the public lodged complaints because they found something unsatisfactory. They would spare no effort in assisting the public to solve the problems and providing them with the best municipal services.

(ii) She agreed that providing additional resources was of vital importance. In days to come, she would deploy all the available resources as far as possible to ensure every task would be well completed. The street cleansing contract for Wan Chai District would expire at the end of this year. Under the new contract, the numbers of street washing

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Action vehicles, high pressure hot water cleaner teams and cleansing workers would all increase. Moreover, regarding contract monitoring, two additional foremen were employed in the past two years to share out and step up the monitoring work.

(iii) While acknowledging the importance of providing additional resources, she queried if district environmental hygiene problems could be completely resolved by providing additional resources. It was not fair for the public to criticise government departments for doing a bad job if they maintained their own bad habits, paid no regard to civic responsibility and continued to adopt the “not in my backyard” mentality.

(iv) If Members supported and members of the public accepted the extension of the operating hours of certain suitably located refuse collection points, she was very pleased to do so by deploying the required resources. She agreed that the existing refuse collection facilities should be put to best use to make it convenient for the public to dispose of their refuse. She asked DEHS to follow up on this issue with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee. She also pledged that she would deploy resources to meet the additional costs to be incurred following the extension of the operating hours of the refuse collection points.

(v) The introduction of rubbish bins with smaller openings mainly aimed to spread the message that rubbish bins were different from refuse collection points. Large domestic waste should be dumped in refuse collection points instead of rubbish bins on the streets. Dirty streets should not be merely attributed to the poor work of FEHD. She hoped that the public would pay more regard to their civic

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Action responsibility and stop disposing of large-sized waste into the rubbish bins on the streets.

(vi) She agreed that education and publicity efforts should be stepped up as far as possible, and appealed to Members to assist in the publicity and educational work in the district, including providing assistance in sending out advisory letters and posting up posters as well as attending educational talks and publicity activities.

(vii) Properly wrapped up animal carcasses could be disposed of at public refuse collection points, and animal carcasses so collected would be sent to landfills for disposal. If pet owners did not want their pet carcasses to be left in landfills, they might consider using the pet cremation services available on the market. Most of these agents were located in industrial buildings and their incinerators were licensed by EPD.

(viii) On frequency of street washing, busy streets basically were provided with street washing service once a week or two weeks. Under the new street cleansing contract, there would be an increase in the number of street washing vehicles to meet the needs of the district.

(ix) Rodent infestation stemmed from environmental hygiene, in particular the hygiene conditions of restaurants. Restaurants were required to obtain licences from FHED. FEHD would impose penalties on restaurants with poor hygiene in accordance with the licensing conditions, and their licences would even be suspended in some cases. FEHD would conduct anti-rodent operations at rear lanes with a large number of restaurants. Staff from different divisions and sections would join hands to conduct

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Action anti-rodent operations. For example, Health Inspectors would monitor the restaurants to see if they were in compliance with the licensing conditions, staff from Cleansing Section would step up cleansing of rear lanes, staff from hawker control team would issue fixed penalty tickets against shopfront extensions. To address the rodent problem, actions should be taken to eliminate their food sources and hiding places as well as blocking their dispersal routes. The existing rodent baits aimed to kill them by poisoning. As to whether rodent baits to lower their reproductive capacity should be introduced, FEHD should act with extra caution by making reference to overseas experience to ensure no impact would be caused to the ecological environment. Experts would be sent regularly to attend international conferences and reference would be made to the recommendations announced by the World Health Organization, with a view to eliminating rodents by adopting methods in compliance with the international standards.

(x) It was the responsibility of property owners to maintain their own buildings. Therefore water seepage problem in private buildings should basically be resolved by the owners. The Government would intervene in case the water seepage problem had an impact on environmental hygiene or any long-term water seepage problem had posed a risk to building safety and led to water wastage. The Government could only employ non-destructive methods such as colour water test to help property owners find out the source of water seepage. Moreover, if the cases eventually had to be brought to court, a colour water test was considered reliable evidence by court. Besides, BD was conducting a consultancy study to consider the introduction of more advanced technologies to find out the sources of water

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Action seepage, such as infrared or microwave detectors. The consultancy study would be completed at the end of this year or by early next year. Upon its completion, FEHD would conduct a thorough review of the work of the Joint Offices to consider if it was necessary to make changes in accordance with the recommendations in the consultancy report.

(xi) Feeding of feral pigeons on the streets did not constitute an offence. However, if the feeding activities dirtied any public places, prosecution might be initiated under the relevant public cleanliness legislation. To address the nuisance caused by the feeding of feral pigeons, FEHD should not only initiate prosecution against the offenders or advised them not to do so, but also devote its effort to the necessary cleansing work. Cleansing work with the use of bleach for disinfection was carried out at bird feeding blackspots every day. The Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department had provided FEHD with a pigeon repellent, but no significant effect had been seen. Since due regard should be paid to animal welfare, the Administration should not take any hasty action to kill or catch feral pigeons. The Administration could only address the issue by giving advice to the public, initiating prosecution and carrying out cleansing work. Besides, education and publicity efforts would be stepped up to address the issue.

(xii) Regarding the collection of carton paper, FEHD absolutely had no intention to shirk the responsibility in respect of refuse collection. Since carton paper was recyclable material and had its value, many elderly people collected it and then sold it off. If carton paper lost its value, with the existing resources, it might not be easy for FEHD to cope

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Action with the collection of carton paper. Moreover, waste charging, if implemented, would pose a major challenge to FEHD. FEHD would make every effort to prepare for the implementation of any new policies made by the Environment Bureau (ENB) and EPD.

(xiii) Members’ suggestions on environmental protection and recycling would be relayed to ENB and EPD. The Government had set up the Recycling Fund and the Environment and Conservation Fund to encourage recycling and environmental protection in the community.

(xiv) As regards the environmental hygiene problem caused by the street food stalls at O’Brien Road, some food stalls had followed FEHD’s advice by reducing shopfront extensions and placing rubbish bins outside their shops for collection of rubbish left by their customers. Since the area in question was near an MTR station, FEHD had contacted MTR Corporation (MTRC) to urge it to step up cleansing work. Improvement had been seen in the environmental hygiene of the area concerned. She hoped that the improved hygiene conditions could be maintained, and thanked the Superintendent and colleagues for their efforts.

30. The Chairperson thanked DFEH for the detailed response and the Superintendent for his efforts in handling various complaints. Nonetheless, some issues could not be resolved simply by providing additional resources. Instead, they should be resolved at the policy level. Take the problems in the private rear lanes as an example. The Government could consider resuming private streets by deploying its resources, and then carried out beautification work on all of them. Besides, the Government could consider installing air-conditioners in all public markets by deploying its resources, and removing the requirement that air-conditioners could only be installed with the consent of 80% of

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Action shop tenants. The general public would be benefitted if the business environment of public markets could be improved, leading to a reduction in the number of vacant stalls.

31. Ms Kenny LEE pointed out that Johnston Road was not the only area with rubbish bins full of large-sized rubbish. She agreed that publicity and education were very important. The Government should cultivate people’s civic mindedness since their childhood. Moreover, she thanked the Superintendent for his enhanced efforts in dealing with the refuse problem in the past few days in response to Members’ request. She hoped that the improved condition could be maintained.

32. Ms Vivian LAU made the following response to the Chairperson’s comments:

(i) It was no easy task for the Government to find all the owners of private streets for discussion since most of private streets had the problem of fragmented ownership. If the private streets were basically open to the public and staff of FEHD could have access to them, FEHD would make every effort to carry out cleansing work at those private streets subject to the availability of resources.

(ii) The installation of air-conditioners in many public markets was not anticipated when they came into operation. Technically it was very difficult to install air-conditioners in those markets and they might be required to close completely for a long period of time. Therefore, some shop tenants had made it clear that they would only accept improvement works with no impact on their operation. Besides, although the installation works would cost hundred million dollars, the Government had no intention to recover the cost through the collection of rent. Nevertheless, the future air-conditioning fee should be borne by users, but

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Action some of the shop tenants were not willing to pay such fee. Therefore, at present, installation of air-conditioners could only go ahead with the consent of 80% of shop tenants. If there were voices in society that such threshold should be adjusted, FEHD would be pleased to consider them.

Confirmation of Minutes of Meeting Item 3: Confirmation of Minutes of the 11th Meeting of the Wan Chai District Council

33. The Chairperson said that the Secretariat did not receive any proposed amendments in respect of the minutes of the 11th WCDC meeting. If there were no amendments, the minutes of meeting should be confirmed by means of a motion moved by a Member and seconded by another Member.

34. Mr Joey LEE said that he had an enquiry in respect of the contents of the minutes of the 11th meeting and would ask the Eastern District of HKPF to follow up. He asked the Chairperson if it was necessary to confirm the minutes of meeting first or if he could be allowed to raise the enquiry now.

35. The Chairperson said that the minutes of meeting should be confirmed first, and Mr Joey LEE could raise his enquiry during the discussion of this agenda item or any other business.

36. Mr Joey LEE said that since the enquiry was about the contents of the minutes of the 11th meeting, he hoped to raise it under this agenda item.

37. The Chairperson allowed Mr Joey LEE to raise the enquiry.

38. Mr Joey LEE raised the following comments/enquiries:

(i) Regarding paragraph 110 of the draft minutes of the 11th

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Action meeting, he pointed out that he reported the matter to the Police at 2:30 p.m. that day. A person claimed to be a police officer called him at 3:32 p.m. informing him that he just took over the shift 15 minutes ago and therefore would arrive at the scene later. Moreover, as regards item 3 of paragraph 112, according to the response given by Mr YEUNG Chin-wing, Sub-Unit Commander (Patrol 3) (North Point Division), Eastern District, the Police received a complaint call at 2:39 p.m. that day and police officers arrived at the scene at 2:53 p.m., but no illegal parking was found.

(ii) He had been waiting at the scene from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and not a single police officer came to the scene. However, Mr YEUNG Chin-wing claimed that police officers arrived at the scene at 2:53 p.m., and said that a detailed investigation would be conducted in respect of his enquiry. Regarding such false and inaccurate information, he queried if the results of the investigation carried out by the North Point Police Station of the Eastern District were inconsistent with the truth. He questioned if Mr YEUNG Chin-wing or he had given a false account of the matter.

(iii) Audio recording of the proceeding of the WCDC meeting was available and such remarks were also recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Given the seriousness of the allegation against him, he demanded the North Point Police Station and the Eastern District to give a clear and true account instead of fudging the issue.

39. Mr KWOK Ching-fai said that the North Point Police Station had been taking rigourous enforcement action against illegal parking at Tin Hau Temple Road. The Police had completed the preliminary investigation into the matter and a disciplinary review had commenced.

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Action If there was sufficient evidence, a disciplinary hearing would be conducted and the officers in question would be subject to disciplinary action.

40. Mr Joey LEE criticised Mr KWOK Ching-fai for evading the issue. He said that the time he mentioned in his enquiry was completely different from that given in the response by the Police. According to the Police, police officers had arrived at the scene, but he did not see any of them that day. He criticised the Police for not carrying out an in-depth investigation into the matter. He continued that the response given by the Police seemed to accuse him of making a false allegation against the Police. This was a serious accusation. He queried if the staff of the North Point Police Station or he told lies, and demanded the Police to give a clear response.

41. Mr KWOK Ching-fai explained that since the investigation had not been completed at this stage, the Police would not make any conclusion to avoid unfairness.

42. The Chairperson asked the Police when the investigation report was available. He hoped that the Police could provide a concrete timetable.

43. Mr KWOK Ching-fai said that the Police would inform Mr Joey LEE of the results once the investigation was completed, and Members’ understanding in the matter would be highly appreciated.

44. Mr Joey LEE said that the Police should not only inform him of the results, but also give a response at the meetings of the full Council and the Development, Planning and Transport Committee. The Police should explain who should be blamed and find out if the North Point Police Station, the Eastern District or he told lies. The Police should not give a response to him only.

45. The Chairperson asked if the Council could be informed of the results of the investigation.

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Action

46. Mr Joey LEE asked the Police to give a concrete timetable and explain clearly the incident at a meeting. He continued that the Eastern District and the North Point Police Station should issue a written apology to him if the investigation found that the Police had made a substantially false allegation against him.

47. The Chairperson hoped that the Police would provide the Council with a written report, and requested the Police to provide a concrete timetable for the investigation.

48. Mr KWOK Ching-fai promised that Mr Joey LEE and the Council would be informed of the results once the investigation was completed.

49. Mr Joey LEE requested the Police to report on the progress of the investigation at the next meeting of the full Council even if the results of the investigation were not available. The matter should not be left unsettled by the use of delaying tactics.

50. The Chairperson said that the next meeting would be held on 14 November, and hoped that a conclusion could be made by that time. Otherwise, the Police should report on the progress of the investigation. He enquired if the Police could complete the investigation within this timeframe.

51. Mr KWOK Ching-fai said that the investigation results were believed to be available before the next meeting.

52. Since Members proposed no other amendments at the meeting, the minutes of the 11th WCDC meeting were confirmed by means of a motion moved by Mr Joey LEE and seconded by Ms Peggy LEE.

(Mr Joey LEE and Mr Anson LAM left the meeting at 5:15 p.m.)

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Action Discussion Items Item 4: MTR Wan Chai Station Lee Tung Street Subway – Reprovisioning of Children’s Playground in Southorn Playground (WCDC Paper No. 63/2017)

53. The Chairperson said that noting WCDC’s grave concern over the reprovisioning of children’s playground in Southorn Playground including the related design plan, play equipment and works schedule, MTRC wished to report to WCDC on the matter before procurement of various play equipment. MTRC also hoped that the playground could be handed over to LCSD after the entire project was completed by the end of this year. In view of the above, he agreed to allow MTRC to report to Members on the works progress at today’s meeting.

54. The Chairperson welcomed Mr Sky YIP, Senior Construction Engineer – Operations Civil & Major Pedlinks, Mr Nathan MAK, Construction Engineer II – Operations Civil & Major Pedlinks and Ms Dorothy LAU, Assistant Public Relations Manager – External Affairs of MTRC to the meeting.

55. Ms Dorothy LAU thanked WCDC for giving them time to report to Members on the latest progress of the reprovisioning of children’s playground in Southorn Playground. Ms LAU briefed Members on the background of the project, details of which were summarised as follows:

(i) At present, MTRC was carrying out the Wan Chai Station Lee Tung Street Subway Works which was expected to be completed by the end of 2017. During the construction period, MTRC had made use of the area where some facilities of the Southorn Playground were situated, including the children’s playground. MTRC was making arrangements for the reprovisioning of the children’s playground facilities which was expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

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Action

(ii) MTRC had been maintaining close liaison with LCSD in the course of the design, and had collected views from Members at the meeting of the District Works and Facilities Management Committee of WCDC held in July. MTRC continued to discuss with LCSD after the meeting, and listened to the views of the Member of the constituency concerned and the local community.

(iii) MTRC wished to take this opportunity to explain in detail the reprovisioning plan formulated after taking into account the views from various parties. Mr Sky YIP would introduce the two themes of the design plan and the features of the proposed facilities.

56. Mr Sky YIP gave a brief introduction as follows:

(i) The project site of the reprovisioning works was about 530 square metres in area, which was equivalent to the size of 1.3 basketball courts, or one fifth of a soccer pitch. Excluding the greening facilities, the area of the recreational facilities of the playground would be equivalent to a basketball court.

(ii) Before reprovisioning, the playground was provided with two sets of multi-play equipment and two sets of saddle mate.

(iii) According to the design brief, the children’s play area was proposed to be divided into two, with one for children aged 2 to 5, collectively known as “toddlers”, and the other one for children aged 5 to 12, collectively known as “elder children”.

(iv) After listening to Members’ views, it was necessary to provide more facilities for toddlers in the play area for use by young children. Therefore, the existing plan had been

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Action slightly adjusted to include three sets of play equipment for toddlers and two sets of play equipment for elder children.

(v) As for the design theme, noting that Wan Chai District was a concrete jungle, MTRC had a strong hope that a colourful or green space could be provided in the community. Therefore, MTRC came up with two themes, namely “Dynamic Fun Land” and “Jungle World”. To highlight the themes, different colours would be used and facilities with special features would be provided.

(vi) On selection of play equipment, MTRC would mainly choose multi-functional play equipment with inclusive features to meet the needs of children of different ages. Besides, some new equipment with distinctive features was also included in the design plan to add fun to the playground.

(vii) The first theme was “Dynamic Fun Land”. Under this theme, the playground would be covered with deep red floor mats and mainly provided with dynamic equipment. The environment would be full of colours as shown in the design plan. Regarding the play area for elder children, two sets of equipment would be provided. The first set was multi-play equipment comprising a transfer platform, a stationary cycler and a climbing frame, all of which were conducive to the physical training and muscle development of children. The second set was the equally dynamic equipment “Twister”, which could be used by one to two children each time. The play area for toddlers would be provided with three sets of play equipment. The first set was multi-play equipment comprising a transfer platform, a climbing installation for physical training and a tic-tac-toe play panel; the second set was a new sensory fire engine which enabled toddlers to play the role of firefighters by driving the fire engine; and the third

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Action set was a saddle mate with sound, which could be used by four children each time.

(viii) The second theme was “Jungle World”. Under this theme, the playground would be covered with deep green floor mats to complement the theme. All the facilities would be mostly in green and brown to create the jungle effect. The play area for elder children would be made up of a set of multi-play equipment as shown in the plan just mentioned, but green and brown colours would be mainly used in this area in order to be consistent with the theme. As for the play area for toddlers, in addition to the multi-play equipment, there would be a sensory play panel and two sets of saddle mate, all of them would be in the same colour tone to match the jungle theme.

(ix) The above two themes which had their own characteristics were proposed for Members’ consideration. Apart from the play equipment, it was proposed in the plan that six sheltered seats would also be reprovisioned for the public to relax under the shade. Regarding replanting of trees, it was proposed in the plan that four trees would be replanted. Together with the existing eight trees, there would be a total of 12 trees in the children’s playground. As for the species of the four trees to be replanted, MTRC suggested planting Asoka Tree or Tabebuia chrysotricha which had a stronger aesthetic appeal and unique characteristics. MTRC had preliminarily discussed with LCSD and the Member of the constituency concerned, and opined that Asoka Trees was more suitable for planting at this children’s playground, as it had a smaller extent of defoliation than Tabebuia chrysotricha. Moreover, it was proposed in the plan that vertical greening would be provided on the ventilation facilities of the children’s playground, making the facilities blend in with the

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Action surrounding. At present, it was proposed that Parthenocissus dalzielii would be planted as it could grow easily, and the busy traffic in Wan Chai District would be conducive to its growth.

57. Ms Dorothy LAU added that she was grateful for the advice provided by LCSD and the Member of the constituency concerned in working out the plan, and noted that the Member of the constituency concerned had collected views from members of the public. Due to time constraints, she had prepared the relevant supplementary information for Members’ perusal. She enquired if Ms Peggy LEE would raise the views from the residents.

58. Ms Peggy LEE thanked LCSD and MTRC for proposing two different designs shortly after the last meeting, and raised the following comments regarding the proposed designs:

(i) She had preliminarily conducted a questionnaire survey in the constituency concerned with the issuance of 3 000 questionnaires. The respondents generally tended to choose “Jungle World”. They were of the view that Wan Chai was a district with high density. If the playground could be transformed into a green world surrounded by trees and with play equipment designed to complement the theme, children could enjoy the green environment and tranquility.

(ii) Regarding the facilities to be provided, the majority of residents hoped that swings could also be provided. At present, the swing at the Spring Garden Lane Sitting-Out Area was the only one in the entire Wan Chai District. Perhaps due to space constraints, such facility was not provided in other parks. Many questionnaires collected in the survey were filled out by children. They all expressed their hope for the provision of swings in the children’s playground,

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Action showing that there was a strong desire for swings among the general public, including both adults and children. She opined that some relatively large facilities such as a sensory fire engine should not be considered since it was large in size but with not much space for children to play. Children could only sit inside for photo-taking. On the contrary, installation of swings could free up more space.

(iii) Regarding the replanting of trees, the residents said that they chose the species mentioned earlier by LCSD because less leaf shedding could prevent children from slipping.

(iv) A large number of members of the public hoped that a water dispenser would be provided in the playground. She had already relayed such view to LCSD and MTRC for consideration.

(v) Regarding the installation of a slide, the residents opined that consideration could be given to the provision of a spiral slide wherever possible, as the slide in the proposed plan was relatively short. She suggested LCSD make reference to the more exciting slide provided at Wong Nai Chung Road Crescent Garden in Happy Valley. Since two sets of play equipment would be provided, with one for toddlers and the other for elder children, the above-mentioned type of slides could be considered for the enjoyment of elder children.

(vi) Concerning the safety and law and order issues of the playground, a considerable number of residents expressed that since the playground was in close proximity to the carriageway, extra care should be given to the design of the entrance. Besides, the residents were also worried that after the reprovisioning of the playground, street sleepers might occupy it on a long-term basis, thus affecting the safety of the

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Action children playing there. She asked the Police and LCSD to take note of the future security issue.

59. Miss Clarisse YEUNG said that if “Jungle World” was chosen as the theme of the playground, she suggested the Administration design the various facilities as musical instruments to complement the theme. In addition, she agreed that swings were important facilities and hoped that more swings could be provided in her constituency. She continued that no sand pit was included in the design plan. According to some academics with knowledge in children’s facilities, sand pits could help children unleash their potential such as creativity. She hoped that the Administration could re-consider such views. Miss YEUNG also supported the installation of a water dispenser in the playground, as drinking water was very important. She pointed out that the provision of hand-washing facilities in the playground was equally important since children might dirty their hands when they were playing around. She hoped that the project could be carried out smoothly, and enquired whether Asoka Trees was a local species.

60. Dr Anna TANG raised the following comments:

(i) She was pleased to learn that public engagement was allowed in the course of the works project, during which the Member of the constituency concerned had put in a great deal of effort. She believed that if relevant views could be taken into account in the design stage, both adults and children would be happy with the playground and enjoy the time spent in there.

(ii) She opined that if the “Jungle World” design was adopted for the playground, the floor mats would be mostly green in colour. She had visited some other parks before and noticed that colourful floor mats would fade more easily. Therefore, she reminded the departments concerned to choose durable materials or replace the floor mats regularly.

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Action

(iii) She agreed that children loved playing swings very much. Since she noticed that swings in other parks were easily damaged, she hoped that the swings would be made of stronger materials and regular maintenance would be conducted.

(iv) She expressed concern over the management of the playground, and called for the Administration to set the opening hours of the playground. The playground should be closed at night in order to prevent street sleepers from entering it. She said that the Administration could make reference to the general opening hours of other playgrounds which were from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

61. Ms Dorothy LAU noted from Members’ views expressed just now that the general public hoped for the provision of swings in the playground. MTRC would make every effort to introduce this element into the design. Regarding the provision of swings, Mr Sky YIP would explain how this element could be incorporated into the latest design. Members were asked to refer to the two-page PowerPoint slides on hand.

62. Mr Sky YIP said that since it took time for MTRC to prepare the necessary information after receiving the relevant views, only a draft plan had been drawn up for perusal and discussion by Members at the moment. Under the draft plan, a swing set with two seats suitable for toddlers would be provided to replace the relatively static play panels. He indicated that due to space constraints, coupled with the need for a safety zone for every facility as well as the hope for maintaining the diversity of facilities, it was suggested making slight adjustments to the flower-bed area. He asked for Members’ understanding in this regard. He asked Members to refer to the part marked in red in the draft plan, which was at the moment considered suitable for the provision of a saddle mate. He said that the swing set was proposed to be installed at the centre of the playground. Under this plan,

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Action the location of the flower-bed had to be slightly adjusted. It was hoped that the facilities could meet the interests of more children as demanded by the residents.

63. Ms Dorothy LAU added that Members’ views about various new facilities including water dispenser, sand pit and hand-washing facilities were noted. She continued that the installation of those facilities required discussion with LCSD, and MTRC would seek views from the Member of the constituency concerned. Regarding replanting of trees, Mr Sky YIP and Mr Nathan MAK would give a response.

64. Mr Sky YIP said that he had made reference to the information on tree species and confirmed that Asoka Trees were native to India and Guangzhou, and were planted in mainland China. This species was commonly seen and should be suitable for growing in Hong Kong.

65. Ms Dorothy LAU supplemented that in response to a Member’s concern over the materials and quality of the play equipment, MTRC would request the supplier of the play equipment to provide supporting documents to prove that the materials were safe and reliable. The relevant plan and supporting documents would be submitted to LCSD for approval and safety assessment.

66. Ms Becky LEE added that subject to the availability of sufficient space, LCSD would study the feasibility of installing a water dispenser and hand-washing facilities in the playground as suggested by a Member. Regarding the management issue, the children’s play equipment would be managed in accordance with the management mode of Southorn Playground with fixed opening hours when it was handed over to LCSD. The existing opening hours of Southorn Playground were from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. She noted Members’ comments, and promised to keep an eye on the management of the playground. Street sleepers would be prohibited from staying in the playground after it was closed.

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Action 67. The Chairperson asked LCSD if it had anything to add or any further comments regarding the tree species.

68. Ms Becky LEE stated that Asoka Trees were relatively small-sized flowering trees suitable for planting in Wan Chai District. This tree species could also be found in some of the leisure venues in Wan Chai District.

69. The Chairperson enquired if LCSD would plant Tabebuia chrysotricha as well.

70. Ms Becky LEE said that Tabebuia chrysotricha was a deciduous tree and was therefore not very suitable for planting in the vicinity of children’s play equipment.

71. The Chairperson concluded that LCSD would plant Asoka Trees instead of Tabebuia chrysotricha. Parthenocissus dalzielii would be planted on the ventilation facilities for vertical greening. He enquired if Members had any further comments.

72. Ms Dorothy LAU supplemented that the target of the works schedule was to complete the relevant works by the end of December 2017.

73. The Chairperson said that Ms Peggy LEE had suggested just now the installation of a slide suitable for all ages, just like the one provided at Wong Nai Chung Road Crescent Garden in Happy Valley. However, it seemed that there was no sufficient space in the playground to be reprovisioned. He enquired about the feasibility of installing such type of slides.

74. Ms Dorothy LAU responded that a draft plan should be obtained from the supplier and measurements should be taken before deciding the feasibility of installing such type of slides. She promised to further

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Action consider the suggestion after the meeting.

75. The Chairperson said that Ms Peggy LEE had earlier completed a questionnaire survey. The majority of the residents chose “Jungle World” as the theme of the playground. It was agreed that the works project should be implemented in this direction. He said that the Council fully supported the work in this respect, and acknowledged the comments and efforts made by the Member of the constituency concerned.

Item 5: Organisational Structure of 2018 Wan Chai Festival Organising Committee (WCDC Paper No. 64/2017)

76. The Chairperson informed the meeting that the 5th term of WCDC agreed at its 10th meeting to establish “2018 Wan Chai Festival Organising Committee” (the Organising Committee) to carry out the preparatory work for Wan Chai Festival to be held next year. The Organising Committee held its 1st meeting on 19 July 2017 during which preliminary discussion on the preparatory work for Wan Chai Festival was held, and the organisational structure and composition of the Organising Committee were proposed.

77. The Chairperson asked Members to refer to the proposed organisational structure and composition of the Organising Committee at Annex 1, and invited them to express their views.

78. Since Members raised no comments, the proposed organisational structure and composition of the Organising Committee as shown in the paper were endorsed by means of a motion moved by Dr Jennifer CHOW and seconded by Ms Peggy LEE.

Written Questions Item 6: To Strongly Request the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to Promptly Follow up on and Address the Poor

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Action Hygiene Conditions of Wan Chai District (WCDC Paper No. 79/2017)

79. The Chairperson asked Ms Jacqueline CHUNG, Ms Kenny LEE, Dr Jennifer CHOW and Dr Anna TANG who raised the written questions if they had anything to add.

80. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG supplemented as follows:

(i) DFEH had just given a preliminary response to some questions. She hoped that DEHS of FEHD could respond actively to Members’ further enquiries, if any. Although FEHD had given a written reply regarding the eight areas of concern mentioned in the paper, DEHS could provide WCDC with any latest information.

(ii) Regarding rodent infestation, she enquired about the arrangements for the next anti-rodent operation in designated target areas.

(iii) On nuisances caused by feral pigeons, she considered that the issuance of only 18 fixed penalty notices by FEHD over the past year was indeed too inadequate to effectively tackle the serious problem of feral pigeons in the district.

(iv) Apart from Luard Road RCP, the lack of ancillary facilities for temporary RCPs in Wan Chai District also merited attention. She hoped that DEHS could provide more information on the future arrangements and planning for Gloucester Road RCP.

(v) She enquired about the monitoring arrangements upon expiry of the existing street cleansing contract of Wan Chai District at the end of this year. Even if the new contract was improved, the compliance of the actual services with the

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Action new contract should be monitored. She called for a substantive response from DEHS.

(vi) DFEH had highlighted the grave importance of education just now. Many “three-nil” buildings in the district had engaged private cleansing contractors for refuse collection, who often left the refuse at local refuse depots outside normal refuse collection hours probably due to inadequate knowledge, turning such depots into new RCPs. As far as she knew, DEHS had the relevant information on hand. She urged DEHS to give a response.

81. Ms Kenny LEE supplemented as follows:

(i) According to the written reply from FEHD, the department had employed 22 additional contract cleansing workers in June 2017. Moreover, two additional Foreman grade officers had been deployed in the last two years to step up monitoring of the performance of cleansing contractors. She enquired if their effectiveness in monitoring the contractors had been assessed.

(ii) The mixed performance of cleansing workers employed by various cleansing contractors had affected the hygiene conditions of the district. If the quality of cleansing workers could be maintained at a certain level, coupled with enhanced publicity and education, the local hygiene conditions were likely to be improved.

(iii) The hygiene conditions outside Star Street RCP had worsened. At night, lots of bagged refuse were disposed of outside the RCP, and rats were often spotted. She hoped that DEHS would consider extending the opening hours of the RCP to midnight or advancing the opening hours to early

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Action morning to facilitate refuse clearance.

82. Dr Anna TANG supplemented as follows:

(i) She thanked DEHS for his efforts in improving the hygiene conditions of On Lok Lane, a private street, and hoped that the improved hygiene conditions could be maintained.

(ii) Pigeon lovers did not feed wild pigeons at fixed locations but across the territory. Some people who fed wild pigeons in the district were from other districts. It was by no means easy to find them. She suggested setting up a territory-wide patrol team to conduct intensive patrols all over the territory.

(iii) She saw it necessary to solve the problem of wild pigeon feeding through both educational and punitive measures. While the public should be educated about the impacts of feeding wild pigeons on others, repeated offenders should be punished. Some people threw a large amount of bird feed on the ground or even on tree roots, which could hardly be swept away.

83. Dr Jennifer CHOW supplemented as follows:

(i) Based on the written reply from FEHD, the existing street cleansing contract of Wan Chai District would be improved after its expiry at the end of this year. She enquired how long it usually took to see an improvement in the local hygiene conditions upon expiry of the contract.

(ii) FEHD had neither proposed new measures nor made new promises to address the problem of wild pigeons. In her opinion, other than the use of diluted bleach, the department

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Action could take focused actions upon receipt of reports and strengthen its follow-up work. Besides, although pigeon repellants might not be very effective, she enquired whether trial use of more pigeon repellants would be considered.

(iii) Tin Hau was an area with serious mosquito infestation. She called for more specific and proactive anti-mosquito operations such as on the rooftops of private buildings or in private rear lanes. She suggested FEHD take further actions to remove stagnant water and minimise mosquito breeding.

84. The Chairperson invited Mr LAU Chi-keung to respond.

85. Mr LAU Chi-keung gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) The existing street cleansing contract of Wan Chai District would expire at the end of this year. Specific improvements to be made upon commencement of the new contract were as follows: (1) daytime street washing vehicles would be increased from three to four; (2) daytime high pressure hot water cleaner teams would be increased from six to seven; (3) about 40 additional cleansing workers would be employed, representing an increase of 20%; (4) two additional waste trucks would be deployed to collect bagged refuse; and (5) toilet attendant services would be provided in the daytime and evening for 15 out of a total of 18 public toilets in Wan Chai District, while toilet attendants would only be available in the daytime at the remaining three public toilets with lower usage at Lin Fa Kung, Bowen Road and Wan Chai Ferry Pier Public Transport Interchange.

(ii) Two additional foremen had been deployed to step up monitoring. An inspector post would also be created in

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Action November this year. It was believed that with enhanced manpower, monitoring efforts could be strengthened.

(iii) As regards anti-rodent work, FEHD had launched an anti-rodent operation in designated target areas in Wan Chai District between May and July 2017. Such operation would also be conducted in Causeway Bay between September and November. After reviewing their effectiveness, another anti-rodent operation in designated target areas might be conducted early next year. The department would optimise the use of resources and take appropriate actions in the light of the prevailing circumstances.

(iv) Luard Road RCP, albeit small in size, had a large average daily refuse throughput of about 25 tonnes, involving not only domestic and restaurant waste, but also oversized waste such as bedsteads, furniture and wooden cabinets. Since oversized waste had to be collected by a bulky grab-mounted lorry that could not enter the RCP completely, the surrounding area would be enclosed during refuse collection in order not to affect pedestrians. The area would also be cleansed in a timely manner afterwards.

(v) He thanked Members for their assistance, and said that FEHD and the relevant department had jointly repaired the roller shutter at Luard Road RCP. A meeting had also been held to warn the contractor against deliberate opening of the roller shutters. In the event of default, a default notice would be issued and a fine would be imposed as a punishment.

(vi) The department would follow up on the problem of Star Street RCP. Given the large amount of waste in Wan Chai District, the opening of the RCP at night might cause

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Action nuisance and lead to public complaints. At present, flexible opening of side door at night was allowed at Gloucester Road RCP for waste disposal after restaurants closed in the early morning.

(vii) On the problem of wild pigeons, notwithstanding its respect for the co-existence of humans and pigeons, FEHD did not encourage the fouling of public places due to pigeon feeding. However, it was extremely difficult to prosecute the offenders involved, who were mostly elders. Some even came from outside the district.

86. The Chairperson asked Members if they had any other follow-up questions.

87. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments:

(i) As told by some members of the public, some frontline officers of FEHD had turned a blind eye to littering without taking enforcement actions. These frontline officers had explained that they were responsible for monitoring hawking activities instead of environmental hygiene. In fact, the public expected the frontline officers to assist in dealing with various problems that fell under the purview of FEHD by such ways as giving advice or issuing summons. She hoped that the department would allow a flexible division of labour.

(ii) Recently, tyres outside Luard Road RCP had been moved back inside, improving the cityscape significantly. She did not understand why the problem could be tackled recently but had remained unresolved in the past. She hoped that the improvement could be maintained.

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Action 88. Ms Yolanda NG raised the following comments:

(i) Wan Chai was a commercial, residential and tourist district where residents and shops had low self-discipline as well as incompatible needs. In view of the deteriorating hygiene conditions in the district, the department should allocate more resources and strengthen its manpower. Nevertheless, she wondered if FEHD had reduced the resources allocated to refuse clearance and street cleansing owing to the 1% reduction in the overall administrative expenses of all government departments.

(ii) The relatively poor hygiene conditions of street food stalls in the district, especially those along Cannon Street, had affected the cityscape and aroused concerns over food safety. Despite the slight results from FEHD’s enhanced enforcement efforts, shops tended to revert to their old ways soon after the enforcement actions. She suggested that apart from stringent enforcement, new policies should be considered. For example, disposal of bagged refuse on streets at midnight should be prohibited.

(iii) Some streets were frequently cleansed since their hygiene conditions were the frequent subjects of complaint. However, streets like Jardine’s Bazaar had never been cleansed throughout the year, thus causing public discontent. She hoped that the department could strike a balance.

(iv) To address the incessant street problems associated with low public self-discipline, she suggested allocating more resources to promote public education with innovative means.

89. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and

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Action enquiries:

(i) A refuse dump occupying two traffic lanes was found outside Bowrington Road Market near Chan Tong Lane because the cleansing contractor concerned had disposed of refuse around Bowrington Road Market (South Block) RCP rather than at Gloucester Road RCP. FEHD’s increased refuse clearance had, to a certain extent, encouraged the cleansing contractor to keep disposing of waste indiscriminately. Therefore, both immediate prosecution and publicity were highly crucial.

(ii) She enquired about the planning for Gloucester Road RCP which had been in operation on a temporary basis for over two decades. She also called on the department to provide a concrete timetable and stop evading the question.

(iii) Although on-street litter bins had been reduced to 1 000, more three-colour bins had been provided. Many people treated the three-colour bins as temporary RCPs and left their refuse near them or crammed them with refuse. She enquired of the department what public education strategies were in place to educate the public about the proper use of the three-colour bins.

90. The Chairperson invited Mr LAU Chi-keung to respond.

91. Mr LAU Chi-keung responded as follows:

(i) A myriad of matters from hawker control to street cleansing fell under the purview of FEHD, and various officers of the department had different responsibilities and authorities. However, the department had instructed its staff to refer public complaints to the relevant officers for follow-up even

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Action if they were not authorised to handle the cases.

(ii) FEHD had devoted a great deal of effort to improve the hygiene conditions of Luard Road RCP, including replacing the roller shutter and assisting staff of the cleansing contractor concerned in operating and using the deodourisation system in the RCP correctly. As for the accumulation of tyres outside the RCP, the department had taken the initiative to contact and advise the relevant garage to dispose of its tyres on the day when a grab-mounted lorry was arranged for refuse collection, so as to avoid early accumulation of tyres outside the RCP. If the trial arrangement at Luard Road RCP was proven successful, the department would consider implementing the same at other RCPs gradually.

(iii) With regard to staffing arrangements, the department would increase its manpower as far as possible. Costs of the new street cleansing contract would be increased by about 40% in a bid to enhance manpower deployment.

(iv) On public education, in recognition of the need to start education from early childhood, the department would conduct more publicity campaigns featuring popular children’s characters like “Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak”.

(v) In response to the recent carton paper crisis, FEHD had increased the frequency of refuse collection and solved the problem of refuse accumulation at Bowrington Road. It would be the department’s prosecution strategy to issue a warning letter to the shop involved first, followed by prosecution in case of continued non-compliance.

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Action (vi) The proposed exchange of the site of Gloucester Road Temporary RCP with the adjacent site of the Drainage Services Department (DSD) offices for the construction of a permanent RCP had been shelved in that the latter had been occupied for the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project. Nevertheless, FEHD had requested the Lands Department to reserve the site to FEHD upon completion of the SCL project so that the feasibility of constructing a permanent RCP there could be studied. FEHD had already stepped up management of the RCP by, inter alia, urging the cleansing contractor not to pour water to the area outside the RCP and to pull down the roller shutters to minimise odour.

92. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG supported the Government in implementing its policies in accordance with the law. She also called on FEHD to take immediate enforcement action without delay.

93. Ms Kenny LEE also expressed her support for law enforcement as well as her willingness to assist in enhancing publicity.

(Dr Jennifer CHOW and Ms Yolanda NG left the meeting at 6:05 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. respectively.)

Item 7: To Strongly Request the Authorities Concerned to Improve the Receiving Capability of the Mobile Communication System of Wan Chai Activities Centre and Upgrade its Network to Provide Wifi Coverage (WCDC Paper No. 80/2017)

94. The Chairperson welcomed Mr Patrick KAM, Senior Executive Officer (District Management) of the Wan Chai District Office (WCDO) to the meeting, and asked the four Members who raised the written question if they had anything to add.

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Action 95. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG said that according to the written reply from WCDO, WCDO “has contacted the various mobile network service providers to request them to improve the insufficient mobile network coverage at the above location, and has submitted an application to the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer of the Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB) for setting up a Wifi network at the above location”. She enquired how long it would take to complete the relevant work.

96. The Chairperson invited Mr Patrick KAM to respond.

97. Mr Patrick KAM responded as follows:

(i) WCDO had contacted various mobile network service providers. They were following up on the issue.

(ii) Regarding the provision of Wifi coverage, WCDO had submitted the relevant application in which the urgency of the matter was emphasised. He thanked Members for raising the written question which enabled the department concerned to have a better understanding of the pressing need for such network, thus expediting the processing of the application. Commencement of the necessary works would follow upon approval of the application. WCDO would report to the Council on the progress of the work which was expected to be available early next year.

98. Ms Peggy LEE said that the issue had been discussed years ago, but no improvement had been made. It seemed that one had to be cut off from the outside world when attending a meeting at the Wan Chai Activities Centre. If WCDO had followed up on the issue earlier, Members would not need to raise the written question again at today’s meeting. She could not understand why such issue had dragged on for so many years, and called on all relevant parties to expedite the necessary

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Action work.

99. Mr CHENG Ki-kin said that space should be reserved for the installation of repeaters in order to provide Wifi coverage. He enquired if there was any space for the installation of such devices.

100. Mr Patrick KAM responded that WCDO noted Members’ comments, and would expedite follow-up actions. Besides, the service providers were identifying locations for the installation of repeaters. According to the information available at the moment, the service providers might install the devices on the first floor of the market.

101. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG hoped that WCDO could report on the latest progress at the next full Council meeting.

102. The Chairperson asked Mr Patrick KAM to continue to actively follow up on the item.

Item 8: To Raise Grave Concern over Tree Collapses Caused by Typhoons Hato and Pakhar To Strongly Request the Authorities Concerned to Review the Safety Requirements for Tree Planting in Urban Areas and to Replant Healthy Trees in the District (WCDC Paper No. 81/2017)

103. The Chairperson welcomed Dr James LUK, Country Parks Officer (HK) of AFCD, Mr SO Chi-ho, Engineer/E1 of DSD, Mr Frankie TAI, Acting Senior District Engineer/HNW, Mr CHAN Kai-yin, District Engineer/Wan Chai and Mr Isaac SO, Landscape Architect/ VM(HKC&W) of the Highways Department (HyD) to the meeting. The Chairperson asked the four Members who raised the written question if they had anything to add.

104. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG said that tree collapses occurred from time

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Action to time in urban areas due to strong wind or heavy rainstorms when the Black or Red Rainstorm Signal was in force. She had noticed that the volumes of tree crowns and tree trunks of trees in urban area were not in proportion. Together with insufficient soil volume, sturdy trees were likely to succumb to strong winds. It was worrying to note that some tree collapsed on pavements which were in close proximity to the entrances/exits of residential buildings. She continued that the exceptionally strong typhoons this year had blown down all the trees in the vicinity of Happy Valley. She had also noticed that the trees in the above area had large tree crowns but small tree trunks, and were planted in small soil volumes. She suggested the Government make reference to overseas experience with a view to achieving safe tree planting and ensuring pedestrian safety. She hoped that the departments concerned could give a response.

105. Dr James LUK said that trees in Wan Chai District under the management of AFCD were mainly found in country parks. Generally speaking, the growing environment in country parks was entirely different from that in urban areas. For instance, the soil area for trees in country parks was subject to fewer limitations. Nevertheless, AFCD would from time to time make reference to suitable overseas examples with a view to enhancing the tree planting methods in country parks.

106. Mr CHENG Ki-kin said that he had raised such issue in his previous term of office. He stressed that greening efforts should be made with the emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Suitable growing conditions including the space available and the size of tree pits were vital for the growth of trees, and all these conditions were subject to limitations. It was meaningless to focus on quantity alone.

107. Ms Kenny LEE said that she was particularly concerned about the trees on the slope of Bowen Road. After the two severe typhoons, she had conducted site visits to Bowen Road and found that FEHD had removed the fallen branches and leaves on roadside within a short period

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Action of time. However, some trees on the slope were on the verge of collapse. Some tree trunks or branches were even hanging on the slope and would fall off in any minute. She enquired if the relevant departments had any measures to remove dead branches.

108. Dr Anna TANG hoped that the departments concerned could step up tree inspection, especially when the typhoon season was approaching. Pruning would be required for overgrown branches. She understood that the departments concerned had to consider public concerns such as birds’ nests on the trees or objections from the local residents to tree felling. She took the trees planted next to Wan Chai Park and Morrison Hill Swimming Pool as an example. With overgrown branches, the trees were too big and overloaded. Most of the overgrown branches had sagged. However, no pruning had been carried out. The delay in pruning might be the result of public opposition. She opined that apart from stepping up inspection, it was necessary to provide public education to enable the public to obtain knowledge of tree safety and maintenance.

109. Miss Clarisse YEUNG said that she had received from time to time complaints from residents against tree felling by the departments concerned. She mentioned the trees which had withered in the vicinity of Bowen Road, and opined that the departments concerned should conduct a comprehensive assessment regarding the impact of the trees on various aspects including pedestrian safety. She continued that it was generally difficult for the general public to obtain the relevant assessment reports. Since trees were managed by various departments, there was a lack of consistency in the handling methods such as the time of tree inspections and the engagement of consultants for assistance. Besides, she mentioned the trees affected by the recent typhoons. She had noticed that quite a number of contractors were ineffective in pruning trees because they could not find a good place to carry out the pruning or even because there were too many trees for pruning. Trees with ineffective pruning would endanger members of the public. This might also result in the trees being affected by diseases or fungal infection, thus posing a greater threat to the

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Action local residents. She hoped that the departments concerned could take note of these problems. Miss YEUNG told the meeting about a good tree planting example for reference. She had earlier joined HyD to conduct compensatory planting in Tai Hang. The landscape architect of HyD had offered a lot of advice and maintained good communication with the community, showing that good work could be done with concerted efforts.

110. The Chairperson asked the departments concerned to note Members’ comments and consider them in addressing the tree management issues in the future.

Item 9: Relaying of Underground Water Mains outside the Church at Fenwick Street (WCDC Paper No. 82/2017)

111. The Chairperson welcomed Mr CO Tak-chi, Senior Divisional Occupational Safety Officer and Mr Timothy CHAN, Occupational Hygienist of LD, Mr TO Chi-hung, Engineer/Construction (6) of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), Mr LAU Yun-leung, Distribution Project Manager and Mr KUM Sung-kwong, Senior Engineer (Distribution Project Section) of the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) to the meeting. The Chairperson asked Ms Kenny LEE and Dr Anna TANG who raised the written question if they had anything to add.

112. Ms Kenny LEE and Dr Anna TANG replied that they had nothing to add for the time being.

113. The Chairperson asked the representatives of LD, WSD and Towngas if they had anything to add in respect of the written replies submitted earlier. Representatives of the relevant departments and Towngas replied that they had nothing to add.

114. Ms Kenny LEE thanked the representatives of government departments and stakeholders for attending the meeting. She said that

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Action Members expressed grave concern over the relaying of underground water mains being carried out outside the church at Fenwick Street. Many church goers had told her during the signature campaign that they hoped for the completion of the works on or before 30 November 2017, so that the road surface could return to its original state. She enquired if the departments concerned could meet such request.

115. Mr LAU Yun-leung said that the relevant works were conducted jointly by Towngas and WSD, which were expected to be completed by the end of November 2017. Additional information could be provided by WSD.

116. Since the works of WSD and Towngas were scheduled to be carried out simultaneously, Ms Kenny LEE enquired whether the works of WSD could be completed together with that of Towngas on 30 November 2017.

117. Mr TO Chi-hung explained that the works location of WSD was more complicated than that of Towngas. After the completion of the gas main laying works by Towngas in the subway across Hennessy Road, WSD would need to construct a valve chamber next to the church which would take some time, and therefore the works could be completed by mid-December 2017 the earliest.

118. Ms Kenny LEE said that she attended this meeting to reflect public expectations to the authorities concerned. She explained that members of the public generally hoped that WSD could complete the works by mid-December, which had already been delayed for a year and a half. In view of the seriousness of the matter, she followed up on the issue by submitting a written question to the Council. She again enquired if WSD could guarantee the completion of the works by mid-December and return the road to the public. She pointed out that the works which gave rise to noise nuisance and environmental hygiene problems had been affecting the public. Besides, the church needed to prepare for the Christmas caroling activity in December. She requested WSD to undertake to complete the

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Action works by mid-December having regard to the needs of various stakeholders.

119. Since the works were being carried out in front of Chinese Methodist Church, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Dr Anna TANG declared her interest as a member of the church. She clarified that she attended this meeting on behalf of members of the public instead of the church. She had earlier held several meetings with the representatives of WSD and Towngas. As Ms Kenny LEE had said, the works had been delayed for a year and a half, and there should be no further delay. In view of the more than a thousand signatures collected from members of the public which reflected their expectations, it was necessary for WSD to give the actual works completion date at today’s meeting. WSD was urged to make a response.

120. The Chairperson asked the representative of WSD if an actual completion date could be provided.

121. Mr TO Chi-hung explained that the first part of the relevant works involved the subway across Johnston Road and extended to the tramways in that area.

122. Ms Peggy LEE believed that all Members had a good understanding of the content of the works. She pointed out that there had been several delays in the implementation of the works project, and stressed that Members wanted to know whether WSD could complete the works on or before 15 December 2017. She requested WSD to answer with a straight yes or no.

123. Mr TO Chi-hung said that WSD had been working with Towngas and the relevant contractor to monitor the works progress on a weekly basis. The estimated completion date was 15 December 2017.

124. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of government

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Action departments and Towngas for attending the meeting.

Information Papers Item 10: Report of the Wan Chai District Fight Crime Committee (WCDC Paper No. 65/2017)

125. The Chairperson asked Mr KAN Kai-yan, District Commander (Wan Chai) of HKPF if he had anything to add.

126. Mr KAN Kai-yan said that he had reported to Members at the last meeting that there were a total of ten telephone deception cases between April and May 2017. He pointed out that the number of such cases had reduced to seven between June and July 2017, showing a declining trend.

127. The Chairperson commended the Police for their effectiveness in combating telephone deception.

128. Ms Peggy LEE hoped that the Police could include the statistics on drug offences in the overall crime situation in preparing the next report to enable members of the public to obtain knowledge of the fight of the Police against drugs.

129. Mr KAN Kai-yan said that the number of arrests in relation to drugs would be provided in the next report.

Item 11: Progress Report of the 212th Meeting of the Wan Chai District Management Committee (WCDC Paper No. 66/2017)

130. The Chairperson asked Members to note the above-mentioned paper.

Item 12: Progress Reports of Promotion Committees/Working Groups/Organising Committees Directly under the WCDC

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Action (WCDC Paper No. 67/2017)

131. The Chairperson asked Members to note the above-mentioned paper.

Item 13: Progress Reports of Committees of the WCDC (a) Community Building and Housing Affairs Committee (WCDC Paper No. 68/2017) (b) Cultural and Leisure Services Committee (WCDC Paper No. 69/2017) (c) District Works and Facilities Management Committee (WCDC Paper No. 70/2017) (d) Development, Planning and Transport Committee (WCDC Paper No. 71/2017) (e) Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee (WCDC Paper No. 72/2017) (f) Funding and General Affairs Committee (WCDC Paper No. 73/2017)

132. The Chairperson asked Members to note the above-mentioned papers.

Item 14: Summary of Meetings of Area Committees (WCDC Paper No. 74/2017)

133. The Chairperson asked Members to note the above-mentioned paper.

Item 15: Financial Statement of the WCDC Funds for 2017/18 (WCDC Paper No. 75/2017)

134. The Chairperson asked Members to note the above-mentioned paper.

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Action

Item 16: Any Other Business (a) “Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2018” (WCDC Paper No. 76/2017)

135. The Chairperson said that Vita Green Charitable Foundation would again organise a cycling marathon which was scheduled for 28 January 2018, and WCDC was invited to be an assisting party to jointly promote cycling in Hong Kong. As he hoped the relevant government representatives could provide their views during the discussion of the above invitation, he decided to submit the invitation to the WCDC meeting today for discussion.

136. The Chairperson welcomed Ms Anna WONG, Vice President, Mr Kenji LEUNG, Sports Consultant and Cycling Coach and Ms Jaymee HO, Assistant Marketing Manager of the Organizing Committee of Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2018 to the meeting, and invited them to brief Members on the event so that the Council could decide on whether to be its assisting party.

137. Mr Kenji LEUNG briefly introduced the event as follows:

(i) Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge, currently in its seventh year running, would be held at Lung Wo Road in Central on 28 January 2018. Temporary closure of the above location would be effective from 1:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on that day. He explained that the fund raised by this event would mainly be donated to organisations such as the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association. He also pointed out that an estimated 2 000 participants would be competing in this event in different categories. The event was open to public, and serving athletes from the Hong Kong Team would be invited as

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Action well.

(ii) Most of the temporary road closures would take place in Central including the orange and green parts in the diagram which indicated the area around Lung Wo Road and part of Yiu Sing Street near the Ferris wheel respectively. During the event, Wanchai-bound motorists would not be able to use Lung Wo Road and had to use Des Voeux Road Central via Connaught Place for Wan Chai.

(iii) Roads to Central Government Offices would not be closed and hence were not affected. Only the main trunk road, Lung Wo Road, would be completely closed on both sides.

138. Ms Peggy LEE enquired about the risk to be borne by WCDC as an assisting party; and whether an assisting party would be held responsible in case of accidents.

139. Mr Kenji LEUNG explained that the organiser had already taken out public liability insurance and would bear all liabilities in case of accidents; the organiser would also handle all the applications to government departments for road closures and venue usage.

140. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG said that WCDC had been invited to become a supporting organisation of various events in the past. She enquired whether WCDC had been the supporting organisation or assisting party for this event according to the records of the Secretariat. She also pointed out that the two roles were different in terms of responsibility and capacity.

141. Ms Anna WONG said that WCDC had been the assisting party of the event in the last few years, but had declined to be the assisting party last year due to time constraints in submitting supplementary documents.

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Action 142. The Secretary added that according to the records of the Secretariat, WCDC had not agreed to be the assisting party of the event last year but had agreed so in the previous few years.

143. District Officer (Wan Chai) enquired whether the Organizing Committee had invited other DCs to become assisting parties of the event.

144. Ms Anna WONG said that the Organizing Committee had also invited other DCs of Hong Kong Island including the Islands District Council (IsDC), Eastern District Council (EDC) and Central and Western District Council (C&WDC) to be the assisting parties. C&WDC had yet to reply. Besides, the Eastern District Sports Association and the Wanchai Sports Federation Limited had both agreed to be the assisting parties of the event.

145. District Officer (Wan Chai) enquired whether none of the above three DCs had replied.

146. Ms Anna WONG explained that the practice of IsDC was to allow each Member to reply by fax, and the Organizing Committee had already received several Letters of No Objection by now as the temporary closure measures for this event would not affect the Islands District. She explained that the IsDC was consulted because the temporary road closure measures at Lung Wo Road might affect those travelling by ferries.

147. District Officer (Wan Chai) asked the representatives of the Organizing Committee to confirm whether all the other three DCs of Hong Kong Island had been invited to be the assisting parties but had yet to formally reply.

148. Ms Anna WONG responded that it was the case. She added that EDC would be minimally impacted by the event while Central and Western and Wan Chai Districts would be the main areas to be affected.

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Action 149. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of the Organizing Committee for attending the meeting.

150. Ms Kenny LEE enquired of TD whether it had received any traffic complaints due to the event in the past seven years.

151. Mr Albert HO said that TD had not received any complaints about the traffic arrangements during the event last year.

152. After discussion, the Chairperson announced that the Council did not agree to be the assisting party of the event but agreed to be its supporting organisation.

153. The Chairperson informed the meeting that as there would not be enough Members present to meet the quorum soon, he suggested seeking advice on the remaining items from Members by circulation of papers. The suggestion was agreed unanimously by all Members present at the meeting.

Item 17: Date of Next Meeting

154. The Chairperson announced that the next meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 14 November 2017 (Tuesday).

Adjournment of Meeting

155. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

Wan Chai District Council November 2017

These minutes of meeting were confirmed on 14 November 2017.

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