Minutes of the 3rd Meeting in 2018 of the Agriculture, Fisheries, Commerce, Industries, Tourism and Recreation Affairs Committee of District Council

Date: 11 May 2018 (Friday) Time: 9:35 a.m. – 11:36 a.m. Venue: Conference Room, Council (“TPDC”)

Present Time of Arrival Time of Withdrawal Chairman Mr. YU Chi-wing, Ken Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting

Vice-chairman Mr. LI Kwok-ying, BBS, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting

Members Mr. AU Chun-wah 10:23 a.m. End of the meeting Mr. CHAN Cho-leung, MH Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHAN Siu-kuen, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHOW Yuen-wai 9:38 a.m. End of the meeting Mr. KWAN Wing-yip 10:02 a.m. End of the meeting Mr. LAU Yung-wai Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LI Wah-kwong, Rex Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LO Hiu-fung 10:17 a.m. End of the meeting Mr. TAM Wing-fun, Eric, MH Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. TANG Ming-tai, Patrick Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Ms. WONG Pik-kiu, BBS, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. WOO Kin-man, Clement Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. YAM Kai-bong, Francis Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. YAM Man-chuen 9:38 a.m. End of the meeting

Co-opted Members Mr. LAM B Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LO Chi-ping Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. MO Ka-hung, Joseph Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting

Secretary

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Ms. LIU Ka-man, Mandy Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Executive Officer (District Council) 2 / Tai Po District Office (“TPDO”) / Home Affairs Department (“HAD”)

In attendance

Mr. CHAN Lap-wai Senior Assistant Shipping Master / North / Marine Department (“MD”) Mr. CHAN Yiu-wa, Andrew Chief Health Inspector 1 / Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) Mr. HUNG Sze-sik Deputy District Leisure Manager (Tai Po) 1 / Leisure and Cultural Services Department (“LCSD”) Ms. LUI Lok-sze Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) (Tai Po) / LCSD Mr. NG Chi-keung, Barry Senior Librarian (Tai Po) / LCSD Mr. LEUNG Cheuk-ming, Rico Senior Manager (New Territories East) Promotion / LCSD Mr. WU Tip-ming, Wilson Senior Field Officer (Agricultural Extension) / Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (“AFCD”) Ms. TSOI Wing-yan, Connie Fisheries Officer (Aquaculture Management) 2 / AFCD Mr. LEE Yu-sau, Terence Senior Executive Officer (District Council) / TPDO / HAD Mr. CHAN Hoi-ming, Peter Senior Liaison Officer (1) / TPDO / HAD Ms. TSE Ka-ying, Kimmy Liaison Officer (1A) / TPDO / HAD Mr. NG Chi-kin, Eric Executive Officer (District Council) 4 / TPDO / HAD

Applicant for absence

Dr. LAU Chee-sing Member

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed participants to the meeting and announced the following:

(i) Mr. WU Tip-ming, Wilson, Senior Field Officer (Agricultural Extension) of the AFCD attended the meeting on behalf of Ms. WOO On-ting, Amy.

(ii) Mr. HUNG Sze-sik, Deputy District Leisure Manager (Tai Po) 1 of the LCSD succeeded Ms. NG Wing-yin to attend the meetings from now on.

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(iii) Ms. LUI Lok-sze, Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) (Tai Po) of the LCSD accompanied Mr. HUNG Sze-sik to attend the meeting.

(iv) Dr. LAU Chee-sing was unable to attend this meeting due to other commitments. He had submitted his notice of absence to the Secretariat. Pursuant to Order 51(1) of the TPDC Standing Orders, the District Council (“DC”) would only give consent to a DC Member’s application for absence from meeting filed on grounds of sickness, jury service, attendance at another meeting or activity on behalf of the DC, attendance at a Legislative Council or Executive Council meeting, confinement or paternity leave. Pursuant to the above requirements, his application was not approved.

I. Confirmation of the minutes of the 2nd meeting in 2018 of the ATRC on 9 March 2018 (TPDC Paper No. ATR 24/2018)

2. The Chairman reported that the Secretariat had not received any proposed amendments, and as no Members proposed any amendments at the meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed.

II. Report on the assistance provided for the agricultural industry by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and matters concerning the mariculture industry in March and April 2018 (TPDC Paper No. ATR 25/2018)

(1) Assistance provided for the agricultural industry by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

3. Mr. Wilson WU introduced Appendix I to the captioned paper and reported as follows:

(i) Between March and April 2018, the AFCD had provided free farm machinery lending services, included lending of weed burners and brush cutters for 50 times, cultivator tillers for 77 times, and other services such as spraying of fertilisers or pesticides on plants and pest control for 46 times. The department did not hold any technical seminars at Tai Lung Experimental Farm or agricultural area during the above period.

(ii) The Local Organic Watermelon Festival would be held at Tai Po Farmers’ Market from 30 June to 2 July 2018.

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4. Members did not have any comments or questions.

(2) Matters concerning the mariculture industry

5. Ms. TSOI Wing-yan, Connie introduced Appendix II to the captioned paper and reported as follows:

(i) Between March and April 2018, the AFCD had inspected a total of 28 fish culture zones (“FCZs”) where 14 of which were located in Tai Po District.

(ii) The AFCD received one fish disease report from Yim Tin Tsai FCZ in Tai Po District during the above period, and the species affected was Pompano. The department conducted on-site investigation and took samples for testing on 15 March 2018. The test discovered cankers, missing of one eyeball, and issues such as the presence of a great amount of gas bubbles in the fish grills in the samples. The bacteria had been isolated and identified as Vibrio alginolyticus. The test showed that the fish in the FCZ suffered from gas bubble disease and were infected with Vibrio alginolyticus. The condition of the FCZ concerned had improved after the AFCD suggested the fish farmers concerned how to deal with the situation and improve the mariculture environment.

(iii) The AFCD received three red tide reports in the waters of Tai Po District during the above period. The first red tide was discovered in Shuen Wan Typhoon Shelter on 20 March 2018, and was formed by the common and non-toxic Noctiluca scintillans. The second red tide was discovered in Tolo Harbour, including Yim Tin Tsai, Yim Tin Tsai East and Lo Fu Wat FCZs on 17 April 2018, and was formed by the uncommon and non-toxic Takayama tuberculata. The third red tide was discovered in Tolo Harbour, including Yim Tin Tsai FCZ, on 24 April 2018, and was formed by the uncommon and non-toxic Takayama tuberculata and the common and non-toxic Scrippsiella trochoidea. The department had reminded the fish farmers concerned to pay attention to the condition of the fish rafts and pump in oxygen in a timely manner. No relevant fish death report was received by the department during the period.

(iv) There were a total of 120 accredited fish farms in at present, where 32 of them were located in Tai Po District. As at March 2018, the total sales volume of quality fish products had exceeded 476 000 catties and the sales volume of that in March was approximately 6 000 catties.

6. Mr. TANG Ming-tai, Patrick enquired what the AFCD would suggest so as to improve the water quality of Yim Tin Tsai West as regards the afore-mentioned fish diseases.

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7. Ms. TSOI said that after carrying out tests on water quality and bacteria, the department found out that the fish suffered from gas bubble disease and were infected with Vibrio alginolyticus while the water quality of the FCZ was normal. The gas bubble disease was caused by rapid and excessive pumping of air into the FCZ by fish farmers, which led to an imbalance between the amount of dissolved oxygen and nitrogen in the water. As a result, gas bubbles entered the tissue of the fish and caused the disease. The department had suggested the fish farmers concerned increase the aeration, so as to remove the saturated gas from the water body, foster biodegradation, and restrain the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

(Post-meeting note: Fish suffering from the disease would have lower immunity and therefore be infected by pathogenic bacteria easily. The department had also suggested the fish farmers adopt Good Aquaculture Practices so as to reduce the likelihood of the disease.)

III. Report on the quantity of refuse collected from the Tolo Harbour in March and April 2018 by the Marine Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (TPDC Papers No. ATR 26/2018 and ATR 27/2018)

8. Mr. CHAN Lap-wai reported that the MD collected 14.7 tonnes and 15.2 tonnes of floating refuse in the inner waters of Tai Po District in March and April 2018 respectively.

9. Mr. CHAN Yiu-wa, Andrew reported that the FEHD collected 4.65 tonnes and 4.83 tonnes of coastal refuse at Tolo Harbour in March and April 2018 respectively.

10. Ms. WONG Pik-kiu expressed concern over the environmental hygiene of River. She commented that Lam Tsuen River ran through Mui Shue Hang towards Wang Fuk Court, and one of the sources of floating refuse in Lam Tsuen River was the numerous vessels parked in the river (especially under Kwong Fuk Bridge). She indicated that even the vessel owners who parked their vessels there told her that they did not want to see too many vessels parked there and obstructed the river channel. She opined that these vessels should not be parked in Lam Tsuen River. Even though the MD’s representative attended the meetings of the Agriculture, Fisheries, Commerce, Industries, Tourism and Recreation Affairs Committee (“ATRC”) on a regular basis, matters concerning the sludge in Lam Tsuen River were followed up by the Environment, Housing and Works Committee (“EHWC”) of which the MD, which was specialised in dealing with vessel related matters, was not a Member. She hoped that the issues concerning the environmental hygiene of Lam Tsuen River such as sludge, floating refuse and sewage discharge, etc., could be resolved through inter-departmental collaboration. She

- 6 - had no preference as regards which Committee should follow up on the matters concerned, yet did not want to split up the issues to be followed up by different Committees.

11. Mr. CHAN Lap-wai responded as follows:

(i) The MD had earlier received a letter from Mr. LAU Yung-wai as regards the parking of electric speed boats in Lam Tsuen River. The patrol section of the department had followed up on the matter, and the patrolling officers had also paid attention to the vessel parking situation in Lam Tsuen River during their regular patrols. It was understood that all the vessels currently parked under Kwong Fuk Bridge and in the area of Lam Tsuen River had valid licences. Under the prevailing legislations, the locations concerned were not restricted area. Therefore, parking of the vessels concerned in the afore-mentioned waters was not against the maritime law. If the vessels concerned were parked too close to each other and obstructed the river channel, the department would take corresponding action and request the vessels concerned to reserve a river channel of at least 10 metres (“m”) wide for the passage of emergency rescue vessels. The department had been monitoring the afore-mentioned situation and the patrolling and prosecuting officers would advise the vessel owners to make improvement if their vessels were found to be obstructing the river channel.

(ii) Dwelling vessels in the waters of Hong Kong were regulated by the relevant legislations. The department would take law-enforcement action on vessels found to be used for dwelling without the dwelling vessel licenses.

(iii) The department had not discovered any substantial amount of marine refuse or floating oil caused by vessels parked in the river channel. The officers of the department patrolled on the sea and on shore on a frequent basis, and the owners or persons in charge would be prosecuted if their vessels were found to be dumping refuse or oil into the sea.

12. Mr. YAM Kai-bong, Francis’s comments and questions were as follows:

(i) Equipped with fishing tools, many of the vessels in Lam Tsuen River were believed to be speed boats for marine activities.

(ii) He enquired the MD that while vehicles in general would be penalised for random parking, would vessels avoid penalties as long as they were parked outside the restricted waters? If so, it would be more convenient for members of the public to replace their vehicles with vessels for travelling to certain locations, and they would not have to worry about the shortage of parking spaces.

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(iii) Some of the vessels parked in the upstream of Lam Tsuen River had attracted birds to stay and enjoy the breeze. However, their droppings had led to environmental hygiene issues.

13. Mr. CHAN Cho-leung’s comments were as follows:

(i) At an earlier EHWC meeting, he proposed installing a closed-circuit television system at the bridges near Lam Tsuen River to strengthen the surveillance, so as to minimise the marine refuse issue caused by the vessels in the river channel.

(ii) He appreciated the MD for reminding the vessels to reserve room for passage. (iii) Many of the vessels parked in Lam Tsuen River were fishing vessels, which usually travel between Lam Tsuen River and Tolo Harbour for marine activities on a daily basis. Members of the public could in fact use vessels as their means of transportation once they had obtained the relevant license for piloting a vessel.

(iv) He and Mr. LI Wah-kwong, Rex had been appealing to the public not to throw litter onto the sea.

14. As the clearing of river channel was under the purview of the EHWC, the Chairman asked the Secretariat to invite the MD to attend the EHWC meetings in future for the discussion of the agenda item concerned. Besides, matters concerning the regulation on the application of vessel licenses should be within the MD’s scope of work. He suggested the department pay attention to the parking of vessels in Lam Tsuen River, so as to avoid obstructing the river channel and creating potential safety issues.

15. Mr. CHAN Lap-wai said that according to the maritime law, it was not against the law unless the vessels were parked in areas assigned for the parking of specific vessels on the local chart, such as fairways, dangerous goods anchorage, etc., in places that obstructed the entrance of typhoon shelters, in the fairways of typhoon shelters, or in the principal fairways. It was different from the vehicles on the road regulated by the Road Traffic Ordinance. However, patrolling officers of the MD would verify the information of the vessels parked in the afore- mentioned river channel, and remind the owners to keep the river channel smooth and not to throw litter onto the sea.

16. Ms. WONG Pik-kiu would like to resolve the environmental hygiene issues in Lam Tsuen River through the council’s discussion. She pointed out that the Drainage Services Department (“DSD”), the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”), the Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”) and the FEHD would report on the clearing of rubbish and sludge in Lam Tsuen River at the EHWC meetings. However, the MD’s representative was not a Member of the EHWC which already had a great number of agenda items at present. She

- 8 - said that the DC had in the past set up Working Groups for matters that could not be resolved by different Committees and reported the progress to the Committees. As many members of the public were highly concerned about the environmental hygiene issues in Lam Tsuen River, she suggested setting up a Working Group for this agenda item and inviting the five afore-mentioned departments to attend the Working Group meetings for focused discussion to resolve the issues concerned. If this agenda item was to be followed up by the EHWC, she would ask the MD to send representatives to attend the relevant meetings. Also, the MD should also contact the owners of the vessels parked in Lam Tsuen River prior to the meeting, so as to report at the next meeting on the numbers of vessels currently parked in Lam Tsuen River, of the vessel owners the MD could contact, and of the licensed and unlicensed vessels. She commented that the vessels currently parked there had obstructed the river channel of Lam Tsuen River. Even though the floating refuse issue in Lam Tsuen River at present was not too serious due to the strengthened and frequent clearing by the departments, she hoped that this agenda item could be followed up by the relevant meetings on a continued basis, so as to come up with solutions to resolve the various problems in Lam Tsuen River.

17. Mr. LAU Yung-wai commented that certain parts of Lam Tsuen River were relatively narrow. He enquired whether the MD had the authority concerned to take law enforcement action as regards reserving a 10 m wide river channel as a passage, or it could only issue advice.

18. Mr. CHAN Cho-leung said that to his knowledge, none of the fishing vessels in Lam Tsuen River was illegally parked there. He suggested the MD contact the relevant vessel owners and stakeholders to co-ordinate the parking arrangement of the vessels in the river channel, and remind them not to throw litter onto the river.

19. Mr. WOO Kin-man, Clement indicated that he enquired the MD about the parking of vessels in Lam Tsuen River in 2016, and the department’s reply at that time was the same as today’s. He had no objection to the parking of vessels in Lam Tsuen River by the fishermen, but hoped that the MD could properly supervise the parking of vessels.

20. Mr. LEE Yu-sau, Terence indicated that at the previous meeting, the ATRC resolved to forward the agenda item regarding the clearing of Lam Tsuen River to the EHWC for follow-up actions, and invited the DSD, the EPD, the CEDD and the FEHD to attend the meetings concerned. As suggested by Members earlier on, the Secretariat would invite the MD to send representative to attend the EHWC meetings from now on, so as to discuss the agenda item regarding the clearing of Lam Tsuen River. After this meeting, the Secretariat and DC Members concerned would study whether to set up a Working Group for this agenda item, or forward the agenda item to an existing Working Group for follow-up actions.

21. Mr. CHAN Lap-wai indicated that he would relay Members’ concern to the relevant

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divisions of the department after the meeting, so as to follow up on the matters regarding the obstruction of river channel by parked vessels, as well as the environmental hygiene issues of Lam Tsuen River. He would also work with the Secretariat to follow up on the matters concerning the attendance at the relevant DC meetings.

22. The Chairman asked the Secretariat to forward the minutes of the meeting regarding this agenda item to the EHWC for notice and continued follow-up actions in future.

IV. Report on the response to community activities held in March and April 2018 and the planned community activities to be held in May and June 2018 in Tai Po by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (TPDC Paper No. ATR 28/2018)

23. Mr. HUNG Sze-sik introduced Appendix I to the captioned paper and reported as follows:

(i) The LCSD organised 95 recreation and sports activities in March and April 2018 with a total of 1 961 participants.

(ii) The LCSD planned to organise 150 recreation and sports activities in May and June 2018 with an estimated number of participants of around 3 784. Apart from training courses on long distance running, ball games, dance and fitness, other activities such as the lawn bowling league, basketball competitions, activities for the elderly, activities for people with disabilities, swimming training courses, life-saving training courses and seminars on horticulture, etc. would also be organised.

24. Mr. LEUNG Cheuk-ming, Rico introduced Annexes A to E of Appendix II to the captioned paper.

25. Mr. NG Chi-keung, Barry introduced Annexes 1 to 3 of Appendix III to the captioned paper. He reported an update in Annex 1 of Appendix III. As an additional activity was organised in April, the number of participants had increased correspondingly. The updated information showed that between March and April 2018, the LCSD organised 62 promotional activities in Tai Po Public Library with 44 118 participants in total.

26. Members’ comments and questions were as follows:

(i) Mr. Francis YAM said that the district free entertainment programmes organised by the LCSD were of great variety. However, as many of them were held at outdoor venues, such as the podium of a housing estate or the piazza of an LCSD

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park, etc., many had told him that quite a number of activities in summer had been cancelled due to rain in short notice. He understood that it was difficult to re-organise an activity after its cancellation. Therefore, he suggested the LCSD consider borrowing the community halls under the purview of the TPDO in advance during rainy season to organise activities there, so as to prevent the activities from being cancelled due to rain and thus wasting resources. He also enquired about the statistics as regards the activities cancelled due to rain and typhoon last year and this year.

(ii) Mr. LAU Yung-wai commented that fitness exercise training courses were always popular among the elderly people. He requested the LCSD to provide more fitness exercise training courses about two years ago, and the department had, for a while, provided three to four fitness exercise training courses which were always full. However, the department only provided one fitness exercise training course at present. Over the last few months, many elderly people had told him that they would like to join this kind of fitness training course that allowed them to do stretching without any equipment. Therefore, he hoped that the LCSD could provide more fitness exercise training courses. In addition, he indicated that the usage rate of Black Box Theatre was only 35% in February 2018 but 85% in March. Therefore, he enquired about the reasons for the usage rate of Black Box Theatre being less than 40% in February.

27. Mr. Rico LEUNG responded as follows:

(i) The statistics as regards the outdoor free programmes cancelled due to rain in 2017/18 would be provided for Mr. Francis YAM after the meeting. Besides, as regards the suggestion of holding programmes indoors or at the community halls during the rainy season, the Entertainment Office of the LCSD would take the weather factor into consideration when scheduling the programmes in future. (Post-meeting note: In 2017/18, the LCSD organised 48 district free entertainment programmes in Tai Po District, of which 4 had been cancelled due to rain or typhoon. The actual number of programmes performed was 44.)

(ii) As regards the low usage rate of Black Box Theatre in February 2018, since it was the Chinese New Year and many people preferred travelling overseas that month, it was estimated that there would be less audience. Therefore, the LCSD and venue users seldom scheduled programmes during the Chinese New Year, which explained the low usage rate in February.

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28. Mr. HUNG said that the department noted the suggestion of providing more fitness exercise training courses. The department would consider the suggestion where resources permitted.

29. The Chairman commented that the programmes provided by the LCSD were always of high quality and it would be a pity if they were cancelled because of rain. He suggested the LCSD change the venue of the programmes to indoor community halls, which were also more spacious and comfortable. Besides, he suggested the LCSD contact all DC Members to help disseminate programme information to the public and enhance publicity.

V. Vetting of district minor works proposals to be recommended to the District Facilities Management Committee (TPDC Paper No. ATR 29/2018)

30. The Chairman welcomed Mr. NG Chi-kin, Eric, Executive Officer of the TPDO to the meeting for this agenda item.

31. The Chairman said that the District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”) would invite DC Members to submit minor works project proposals each year. Among the works project proposals submitted by DC Members this year, 11 had to be examined by the ATRC to decide whether to recommend them to the DFMC’s Working Group on District Works (“WGDW”) for consideration and according priority.

32. Mr. LAU Yung-wai said that he had earlier written to the LCSD reflecting the need for additional drinking fountains in Tai Po Tau Playground. He was pleased to note that the department had accepted his suggestion to install two drinking fountains at the venue concerned through the district minor works this year.

33. The ATRC agreed to recommend the afore-mentioned 11 works project proposals to the WGDW of the DFMC.

VI. Allocation of DC Funds to the ATRC in 2018/19 (TPDC Paper No. ATR 30/2018)

34. The Chairman reported that at the meeting on 3 May 2018, the TPDC approved the funding of $9,611,000 to the ATRC for the 2018-19 financial year (including a surplus funding of $592,000). Details of the estimated funding allocation had been set out in TPDC Paper No. ATR 30/2018.

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35. The Chairman continued that the funding allocation for the long-term training programmes for Tai Po athletes had increased by $210,000 this year. Members could propose training programmes and hosting organisations to the Secretariat by 21 May 2018.

36. Members noted the afore-mentioned matters.

VII. Report of working group

37. Mr. TAM Wing-fun, Eric, Chairman of the Working Group on Promotion and Publicity (“WGPP”), reported as follows:

(i) The WGPP did not hold any meeting recently. (ii) The Tai Po Celebrates the Birthday of Tin Hau Blessing Parade co-organised by the WGPP and the Tai Po Old Market Tin Hau Temple in Tai Po Market Social Event Control Committee had concluded successfully. The WGPP would write to invite local organisations to organise other activities for the promotion of the local economy.

(iii) The WGPP had approved to continue adopting the procurement procedures for the maintenance service for Tai Po Fun mobile app (“Tai Po Fun”), and to invite local organisations to update the content and help promote Tai Po Fun according to the decision made at the meeting on 13 February 2018. Members were welcomed to recommend local organisations, by 21 May 2018, to co-organise activities for the promotion of the local economy with the WGPP as well as update and promote Tai Po Fun.

(iv) In response to Members’ comments at the previous ATRC meeting, the papers concerning the quantity and price information of the promotional materials produced by the WGPP in 2017/18 (see Annex 1) had been tabled. Members were welcomed to comment on the matters concerning the production of promotional materials in 2018/19.

38. Members’ comments and questions on the matters concerning the production of promotional materials in 2018/19 had been consolidated as follows:

(i) Mr. YAM Man-chuen commented that the mobile phone stands with card holder produced last year were not well-received by the members of the public.

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(ii) Mr. Francis YAM indicated some elderly people had told him that they preferred red lai-see packets to the golden ones produced last year. Therefore, he suggested producing lai-see packets in other colour this year.

(iii) Mr. KWAN Wing-yip said that many DC members used their operational expenses to print calendars on their own each year. As the number of calendars produced by the WGPP and distributed to DC Members last year was more than before, he had printed too many calendars and that was not what he expected. Since he was not a Member of the WGPP, he hoped that from now on, the WGPP could inform DC Members of the number of calendar to be printed next year once a decision had been made, so as to allow DC Members to plan on the number of calendars to be printed on their own.

(iv) Ms. WONG Pik-kiu said that as the DC still had considerable funding unused when the previous financial year was about to end, and it was difficult to invite local organisations to hold activities due to time constraint, the WGPP, therefore, made good use of the funding to produce several souvenirs. During the recent duty visit to Hangzhou, Ningbo and Xiangshan Fishing Harbour by TPDC Members, she noticed that each city had its own 3-dimensional (“3D”) models for introducing its local features. At present, when receiving visiting organisations from the Mainland or other foreign countries, the TPDC would show them a video about Tai Po District and bring them to visit the government departments, as well as facilities such as wet markets and public libraries nearby. She suggested the WGPP consider producing 3D models to introduce the features of Tai Po District this year, so that the DC could utilise the 3D models to highlight the featured attractions in Tai Po District such as , Lookout Tower, Tai Po Complex, etc., for the visitors.

39. The Secretariat indicated that invitation for quotation had to be carried out every time funding allocation had been secured from the ATRC for the production of souvenirs, such as calendars. The Secretariat would report on the number of calendars to be printed next year at the ATRC meeting after the quotation procedure had been completed.

40. Mr. Eric TAM noted the community’s comments on the colour of the lai-see packets produced by the WGPP as reflected by Members. Besides, he asked Members to note that the TPDC had agreed to support the “Lai-See Packet Recycle & Reuse Programme” organised by Greeners Action and had signed the “Eco lai-see Charter” at an earlier meeting. Therefore, there would be fewer lai-see packets distributed to DC Members in the coming year compared to previous years. Furthermore, by the time the proposal was submitted to the ATRC by the WGPP, it had often entered the vetting stage for its funding application. Therefore, he

- 14 - suggested Members not in the WGPP consider joining it, so as to participate in the meetings for the discussion on souvenir production.

41. Mr. Terence LEE said that comments regarding souvenir production would be forwarded to the WGPP for follow-up actions. As for the suggestion of creating 3D models of Tai Po District, there would be studies on the suitable resources for production, and follow-up actions would be taken afterwards.

42. Mr. AU Chun-wah, Mr. KWAN Wing-yip, Mr. Francis YAM, Mr. YAM Man-chuen, Mr. LAU Yung-wai and Mr. CHOW Yuen-wai had submitted the paper titled “Regarding the request to not allocate any funding for Tai Po Fun mobile app” (see Annex 2) before the meeting, and Mr. LAU Yung-wai introduced the paper. Mr. LAU said that while the WGPP was responsible for following up on the matters concerning the promotion of Tai Po District, the ATRC was responsible for the funding allocation. Therefore, it was hoped that the WGPP would follow up on the issue at its next meeting, and discussions on whether Tai Po Fun should be continued would be carried out at the next ATRC meeting.

43. The Chairman suggested the WGPP consider the afore-mentioned Members’ comments, carry out in-depth discussion and deal with the issues regarding the operation and continuation of Tai Po Fun at the WGPP meeting.

44. Mr. Terence LEE said that while the WGPP was responsible for providing suggestions, the funding allocation concerned had to be vetted by the ATRC. As such, the ATRC would deal with the funding allocation of Tai Po Fun at its upcoming meetings, and Members could discuss about its continuation at that time.

45. Mr. Eric TAM noted Members’ comments. He said that as Tai Po Fun was still in operation and Members did not have the expertise to update its content and programme, they had to rely on the company concerned to handle these matters. Therefore, he suggested allowing some time for everyone to collect the relevant information at this stage to foster a more efficient discussion on the matters concerned at the WGPP meetings, so as to try to adopt low- cost solutions or improvement measures while Tai Po Fun was still in operation.

46. Mr. Patrick TANG indicated that he was not a Member of the WGPP and pointed out that there were flaws in the content update of Tai Po Fun. He suggested inviting the development team of Tai Po Fun to the WGPP meetings, so as to allow the development team to understand the requests of DC Members, while enabling the WGPP to understand the difficulties the development team had encountered in operating Tai Po Fun (e.g., low quoted prices or manpower shortage), before deciding whether the mobile app was to be continued. As DC Members printed a lot of banners to promote community activities, he suggested collaborating

- 15 - with departments such as the TPDO and the LCSD, etc., to make good use of Tai Po Fun to promote community activities organised by the relevant departments or the DC, such as the Tai Po Celebrates the Birthday of Tin Hau Blessing Parade.

47. Mr. Francis YAM said that there were many mobile apps operating on a commercial basis in the market that introduced eateries. With income generated by advertisements and other sources, these apps could update their restaurant information quickly. Therefore, it might no longer be appropriate to use public fund to operate this type of mobile apps. On the other hand, he suggested developing a website to introduce the tourist attractions in Tai Po District. As the number of tourist attractions in the district would not suddenly increase, the website concerned would not need frequent updates and too much recurrent expenditure, thus ensuring a proper use of public fund.

48. Ms. WONG Pik-kiu indicated that Tai Po Fun mobile app had been operating for a number of years and some of the shops on the streets had changed frequently. With no dedicated staff managing this mobile app, it would be difficult to have its content updated. She agreed that at this stage, it was necessary to evaluate whether Tai Po Fun should continue to be used for introducing the eateries or tourist attractions in the district, or promoting the matters or activities of government departments and DC Members. She said that even if tender exercise was to be conducted for updating the content of Tai Po Fun, it might not be possible to find a suitable contractor to update the services and use the funding every year. In addition, as the QR code for downloading Tai Po Fun had been printed on all the promotional materials produced by the DC at present, it would not be appropriate to remove Tai Po Fun from the apps store right away.

49. The Chairman said that several years ago, there was a craze of mobile apps that recommended dining hotspots throughout the territory. However, as far more resources had been committed to the commercial apps than to Tai Po Fun, and these apps were able to provide real-time updates, the ATRC should evaluate and change the positioning of Tai Po Fun, so as to reduce the maintenance expenditure due to changes in restaurant information.

50. As someone who was working in the information technology sector, Mr. YAM Man-chuen commented that $100,000 was insufficient for the development of an effective mobile app, and was concerned whether the expected outcome in terms of capital usage for Tai Po Fun could be achieved. He indicated that the public nowadays usually visited the internet for entertainment information and tourist attractions in each district, and seldom looked for mobile apps with such information from the app store. He suggested making reference to the tourism boards in foreign countries which promoted the tourist attractions in the district through their websites. When visiting these tourist attractions, visitors would go shopping at the nearby shops, thus giving a boost to the local economy.

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51. Mr. LAU Yung-wai’s comments were as follows:

(i) The ATRC had to consider whether mobile app was still a suitable medium to promote Tai Po District. He also indicated that the mobile apps developed by other districts had been heavily criticised as well.

(ii) For the development of a mobile app, a funding of around $100,000 might not be sufficient. The product was quite different from what Members expected and the download rate of Tai Po Fun, since its release in 2014, was approximately 6 000 only. Critics said that the failure of these mobile apps lay in their inability to develop wide area connections, as each district developed its own mobile app and spent tens of thousands of dollars on their update and maintenance. He opined that the funding concerned of the 18 districts could be pooled together for the development of a single mobile app, which could increase the funding available for development and reduce costs, and might lead to a better outcome.

(iii) The municipal councils in Japan had developed websites to introduce the activities, famous places, tourist attractions and recommended routes for visit, etc., in the cities, with links to the official websites of the tourist attractions. Such a practice was worth considering. Meanwhile, the DC could also consider designing a mascot or logo for promotion and publicity.

(iv) According to the information provided by the Secretariat, it was unable to hire any organisation to update the content of Tai Po Fun last year, and he expected that it might not be able to hire any organisation to carry out the update this year either. However, as the expenditure on maintenance service still had to be paid, it might give rise to criticism. He added that even though the developer carried out an update in 2016, the information of many eateries in his constituency (Tai Po Old Market) had not been updated. He was concerned that no other organisation would be willing to take over if the developer itself was not capable of getting the job done.

(v) He agreed with improving the situation with other measures, such as developing a website, so as to promote Tai Po District and attract visitors.

52. Mr. CHOW Yuen-wai commented that the eatery information in Tai Po Fun was not detailed enough. For instance, there were many fast food chains in the district, yet Tai Po Fun had the address of only one of the branches in the district. As for other eateries, there was only basic information such as the name, address and category, while detailed information such as customers’ reviews was not available. Therefore, he opined that there was a lot of room for improvement in Tai Po Fun. He indicated that the practice of Kwai Tsing District to develop a dedicated website for its signature project schemes was worth learning from. Besides, he said that Tai Po Fun updated its content and disseminated information as regards the district activities

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or souvenir distribution only once every few months. As the mobile app could perform the same functions as the website, he suggested developing a website or a social media page to disseminate the relevant promotional information on a regular basis.

53. Mr. LO Hiu-fung said that he was not a Member of the WGPP and enquired whether the ATRC had to vet the funding application concerning Tai Po Fun at this meeting. If not, he suggested inviting the developer to attend the WGPP meeting for further discussion. Besides, he indicated that the target users of Tai Po Fun were young people. However, nowadays they rarely downloaded this kind of mobile app and preferred looking for information on the internet. Also, the lack of message board function in the app had also made the promotion efforts rather unilateral.

54. The Chairman asked the Secretariat to forward the ATRC’s comments to the WGPP for follow-up discussion. He also hoped that Members not in the WGPP could attend the relevant meetings to provide comments on this matter. Besides, he suggested all Members recommend local organisations, by 21 May 2018, for co-organising programmes to promote the local economy with the WGPP.

VIII. Applications for DC funds (TPDC Paper No. ATR 31/2018)

55. The Chairman welcomed Ms. TSE Ka-ying, Kimmy, Liaison Officer of the TPDO to the meeting for this agenda item.

56. The Chairman suggested referring to previous practices by splitting the allocation listed under Other Activity Applications of the ATRC in the current financial year into two parts, with 60% for the first half of the financial year (i.e., April to September 2018) and 40% for the second half (i.e., October 2018 to March 2019) for local organisations to apply for hosting activities.

57. Members agreed with the above suggestion.

58. The Chairman invited Members to declare their interests regarding the 25 DC Funds applications submitted to this ATRC meeting for vetting as necessary.

59. The Secretary reported as follows:

(i) Pursuant to Orders 48(9) and 48(10) of the Standing Orders, a Member had to declare interests if he found that he had direct personal interests, pecuniary

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interests or other interests in an application for DC Funds under consideration, or had links with the benefitted party or the potential benefitted party.

(ii) The Secretariat had compiled a declaration form (see Annex 3) based on the information collected. It had set out the links between Members and the hosting, partnering or co-hosting organisations concerned as indicated by means of different colours whether Members held a substantive or non-substantive position. She asked Members to check the information contained in the declaration form and make amendments or give supplementary information where necessary. In addition, she asked Members to declare interests if they had any direct personal interests, pecuniary interests or other interests in the applications for DC Funds under consideration.

60. Members agreed with the information contained in the declaration form.

61. The Chairman suggested that for Members who had declared their links with the hosting, partnering or co-hosting organisations of activities, if they held non-substantive positions in the organisation without involving any pecuniary interests or other interests, they could participate in the discussion and voting in connection with the funding applications concerned. If they held substantive positions in the organisations concerned without involving any pecuniary interests or other interests, they were not required to withdraw from the meeting while the funding applications concerned were being examined, but should remain silent during the discussion and abstain from resolution or voting in connection with the funding applications concerned. Nevertheless, the ATRC could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

62. Members agreed with the Chairman’s suggested approach.

63. The Chairman indicated that if Members were satisfied that the 25 DC Funds applications below fell within the ambit of DC Funds, they could consider endorsing the applications.

(1) Six funding applications submitted by Tai Po Sports Association

64. The Chairman reminded that Mr. LI Kwok-ying, the Vice-chairman, Mr. CHAN Siu-kuen and Mr. MO Ka-hung, Joseph, who were shown holding substantive positions in the captioned organisation in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

65. As regards the six funding applications submitted by Tai Po Sports Association (“TPSA”), Members’ comments and questions were as follow:

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(i) Mr. Francis YAM enquired the TPSA about the ways to select representatives for inter-district competitions, and whether any trials, selections or preliminary competitions had been held.

(ii) Mr. AU Chun-wah suggested the ATRC set up a system for random-checking on the activities. He indicated that at every meeting, the Working Group on Facilities Management under the DFMC would randomly check the statements of receipts and payments of the activities held by organisations that rented the community centres / community halls. He suggested the ATRC randomly check different kinds of funded activities every month, and deploy DC Members by drawing lots to inspect the operation of the activities, so as to illustrate that the DC would ensure the fairness in funding allocation and monitor the usage of such fund. Although such a practice would increase the workload of DC Members, he opined that the DC was duty-bound in this regard, and the practice could also instil public confidence. He suggested the Working Group on Review of Guideline on Allocation of District Council Funds (“WGRG”) consider incorporating the above suggestion into the Guideline on Allocation of District Council Funds at its meeting this year.

66. The Secretary responded as follows:

(i) After Members had expressed their concern over athlete selection for inter- district competitions last year, the Secretariat had conveyed their comments to the captioned organisation. Selections would be held for every event this year and Tai Po residents were welcome to participate in them. The TPSA would put up promotional posters of the selections at venues under its purview and those of the LCSD.

(ii) Through the selections, coaches in charge of the events would select participants who had attained a certain skill level to join the teams. If any misconduct had been found in team members in future, they might be disqualified and replaced by participants on the waiting list.

(iii) Members of the public were welcome to participate in the selections for the 33rd New Territories Inter-district Swimming Gala in person or by submitting their results in swimming competitions in 2018. The organisation concerned would compare their results with those of the trial participants, and choose the participants with the best results in each group to join the team. They would undergo training and participate in inter-district competitions for Tai Po District in future.

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(iv) DC Members were welcome to attend all DC-funded activities. However, the ATRC had not yet set up any random checking mechanism for the activities. Members could put forward the suggestion concerned at the WGRG meeting this year. If the suggestion was approved, it would be incorporated into the Guideline on Allocation of the District Council Funds, so that the organisations applying for funding would be aware of it.

67. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $28,928 to the TPSA for organising the 17th New Territories Inter-District Volleyball Competition;

(ii) allocate $28,604 to the TPSA for organising the 17th New Territories Inter-District Tennis Competition;

(iii) allocate $29,030 to the TPSA for organising the 18th New Territories Inter-District Football Competition;

(iv) allocate $27,832 to the TPSA for organising the 33rd New Territories Inter- District Swimming Gala;

(v) allocate $8,392 to the TPSA for organising the 7th New Territories Inter-District Rugby Championship; and

(vi) allocate $74,810 to the TPSA for organising the 4th Tai Po Soccer Sevens Championship (2018-2019), and to waive the funding ceiling for the expenditure item marked  in Appendix VI to the paper.

68. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed under “District Recreation and Sports Activities” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(2) Two funding applications submitted by Tai Po Primary Schools Area Committee of Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation

69. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $7,000 to the Tai Po Primary Schools Area Committee of Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation (“TPPSAC”) for organising All Hong Kong Inter-Area Primary Schools Badminton Competition, and exempt the organisation from holding the activity within 30 days after this ATRC meeting was held; and

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(ii) allocate $22,000 to the TPPSAC for organising All Hong Kong Inter-Area Primary Schools Swimming Competition, and exempt the organisation from holding the activity within 30 days after this ATRC meeting was held.

70. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed under “District Schools Sports Activities” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(3) Three funding applications submitted by Tai Po District Arts Advancement Association

71. The Chairman reminded that Ms. WONG Pik-kiu and Mr. CHAN Cho-leung, who were shown holding substantive positions in Tai Po District Arts Advancement Association (“TPDAAA”) in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

72. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $18,160 to the TPDAAA for organising Tai Po Children Choir (II); (ii) allocate $46,316 to the TPDAAA for organising Chinese Musical Instrument Class (II); and

(iii) allocate $17,574 to the TPDAAA for organising Integrated Dance Class (II).

73. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed under “District Arts and Cultural Activities” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(4) Seven funding applications submitted by local groups

74. Mr. AU Chun-wah enquired whether it was the first time Sunny Friends Club applied for funding.

75. The Secretariat responded that it was not the first time Sunny Friends Club applied for funding as it had applied for funding in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

76. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $13,186 to Fei Sing CLUB for organising Singing You the Best Songs;

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(ii) allocate $12,000 to Sunny Friends Club for organising Cantonese Opera Performance by Sunny Friends;.

(iii) allocate $12,000 to Kwong Ping House Mutual Aid Committee for organising Celebration of Parents with Chinese Opera Performance;

(iv) allocate $9,620 to the Incorporated Owners of Yat Nga Court for co-organising Chinese Opera and Songs Entertainment for the Elderly by Yat Nga 2018 with the Resident Association of Yat Nga Court;

(v) allocate $14,620 to Tai Po Pun Chung Community Education Centre Company Limited for organising the Celebration of the 21st Anniversary of the Reunification of the HKSAR (Integrated Show);

(vi) allocate $12,000 to the Incorporated Owners of Tai Wo Estate for organising Delightful Music for the Elderly; and

(vii) allocate $23,300 to the Wisenice Club for organising Celebration of Parents with Songs and Melodies Carnival.

77. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed under “Application for Other Activities” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(5) Three funding applications related to the Long-term Training Programme for Tai Po Athletes

78. The Chairman reminded that Mr. LI Kwok-ying, the Vice-chairman, Mr. CHAN Siu-kuen and Mr. Joseph MO who were shown holding substantive positions in the TPSA in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

79. Mr. Eric TAM indicated that the original purpose of the elite training programme was to nurture athletes to participate in territory-wide competitions or events in the Hong Kong Games for Tai Po District. As there were stringent requirements for participating in these events, athletes capable of competitions should be selected for training when recruiting elite athletes, so as to avoid misallocation of resources. He asked the Secretariat to remind the hosting organisation to pay attention to the above matters.

80. The Chairman asked the Secretariat to forward the Member’s comment above to the TPSA after the meeting.

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81. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $53,192 to the TPSA for organising Swimming Training for the Elite Athletes in Tai Po District;

(ii) allocate $57,590 to the TPSA for organising Tennis Training for the Elite Athletes in Tai Po District; and

(iii) allocate $53,416 to the TPSA for organising Volleyball Training for the Elite Athletes in Tai Po District.

82. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed under “Long-Term Training Programmes for Tai Po District Athletes” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(6) Four funding applications submitted by local groups for co-organising activities with Tai Po District Youth Programme Committee

83. The Chairman reminded that Mr. LI Kwok-ying, the Vice-chairman, Mr. CHAN Cho- leung, Mr. CHAN Siu-kuen, Mr. Patrick TANG and Ms. WONG Pik-kiu, who were shown holding substantive positions in Tai Po Rural Committee (“TPRC”) in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the following discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

84. The ATRC resolved to:

(i) allocate $33,200 to the TPRC for co-organising One-day Tour in Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence and Lei Yue Mun with Tai Po District Youth Programme Committee (“TPYPC”); and

(ii) allocate $63,000 to the TPRC for co-organising the 21st Tai Po Countryside Football Cup with the TPYPC and Tai Po Tsat Yeuk Village Office.

85. The Chairman reminded that Mr. LAM B, who was shown holding a substantive position in Sai Kung North Rural Committee (“SKNRC”) in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask him to provide supplementary information where necessary.

86. The ATRC resolved to allocate $46,000 to the SKNRC for co-organising Family Tour in Summer 2018 with the TPYPC.

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87. The Chairman reminded that Ms. WONG Pik-kiu and Mr. CHAN Cho-leung, who were shown holding substantive positions in the TPDAAA in the declaration of interests form, had to remain silent during the following discussion and abstain from resolution or voting. The ATRC, however, could ask them to provide supplementary information where necessary.

88. Mr. AU Chun-wah’s questions were as follows:

(i) Why would the activity have to hire nine judges at $700 each? Would the payment be made in cash or in other methods?

(ii) Why would the activity require four masters of ceremony (“MCs”) and why would it cost $300 each?

89. The Secretariat responded that the activity would be held in two days, one for the preliminary round and one for the final. The preliminary round of the competition would require six judges and two MCs while the final three judges and two MCs. According to the Guideline on Allocation of District Council Funds, the expenditure ceiling for judges was $700 each. Therefore, the expenditure concerned had not exceeded the limit.

90. The ATRC resolved to allocate $66,500 to the TPDAAA for co-organising Tai Po District Summer Youth Singing Competition cum Prize Presentation Ceremony 2018 with the TPYPC.

91. The Chairman reported that the expenditure for the afore-mentioned activities would be listed in “District Youth Activities Committee” under “Other Activities Programme” of the ATRC in the 2018-19 financial year.

(7) Amendments to two activities that had secured the funding approval of Tai Po District Council

92. The Chairman reported the following amendments to activities that had secured the TPDC’s funding approval:

(i) The TPDAAA had written to inform that the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts of the Education University of Hong Kong and Tai Po Children Choir had been added as the co-hosting organisations for the activity School Choir Partnership Scheme Concert 2017-2018, while the total amount of funding allocation remained unchanged; and

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(ii) The Owners’ Incorporation of Casa Marina II had written to change the date and time of the activity FUN Carnival 2018 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. on 5 May 2018 to 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. on 12 May 2018, while the total amount of funding allocation remained unchanged.

93. Members noted the above amendments.

IX. Any other business

(1) Occupational safety and health promotion programmes 2018 (TPDC Paper No. ATR 32/2018)

94. The Chairman reported that the Occupational Safety and Health Council (“OSHC”) had written to the Secretariat a few days ago inviting the TPDC to participate in this year’s occupational safety and health promotional programmes, and the OSHC would provide a subsidy of $40,000. The OSHC had invited the TPDC to participate in the occupational safety and health activities before. However, as the activities had become way less popular over the years, the TPDC had stopped organising the activities concerned since 2014. He suggested the TPDC not to organise the activities concerned this year as well.

95. Members agreed with the above suggestion.

(2) Mid-Autumn Festival celebration 2018

96. The Chairman reported that since 2008, the TPDC would gather the resources to organise a large-scale Mid-Autumn Festival celebration activity for the residents in the district every year. Except 2017, the ATRC had been co-organising the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration activities with the local groups every year, and Tai Po Societies Fraternal Association (“TPSFA”) had indicated its interest in co-organising the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration activity with the ATRC this year.

97. The ATRC agreed to co-organise this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration activity with the TPSFA.

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X. Date of next meeting

98. The next meeting would be held at 9:30 a.m. on 13 July 2018 (Friday).

99. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:36 a.m.

Tai Po District Council Secretariat June 2018