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standing empty while people are wanting to get in the concerts, be sold or the first-come-first-served basis and as they would be rather expensive seats I can't imagine this would cause them any trouble with those who use them MR HU (in English):-Mr Chairman, as I mentioned, if we offer them for sale, there will be uncontrolled use and that practice has been badly abused Therefore the Council, at a previous select committee meeting, decided that the tickets would not be for sale.
3 MR JOHN MACKENZIE asked the following question (in English):- (a) Are any steps being taken to improve the general decor and services of the City Hall, particularly: (i) to improve procedures for booking tickets, and (ii) to introduce Close-circuit Television in the lobby so that late-comers can be better controlled and undue disturbance avoided for Concert and other audiences? (b) As the surrounding areas of the City Hall are becoming increasingly unsightly with cracked and stained paving stones, and vehicles of all types parked at Queen's Pier and at the entrance to Tamar, can the Urban Council take steps to improve the City Hall environment and, particularly, to convert the harbour area from Tamar entrance to the Star Ferry into a pedestrian precinct?
MR F. K. Hu, CHAIRMAN OF THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-The first part of Mr MACKENZIE's question concerns steps which have been or are being taken to improve services at the City Hall. To improve the ticket selling service, the City Hall Management have recently taken three steps altogether. Firstly, the Box Office now opens at 11.30am instead of 12.15pm; secondly, separate ticket windows have been provided for Concert Hall and Theatre functions; and thirdly, an additional Box Office has also been provided for special events such as festivals. As a long term issue, consideration is also being given to the possible installation of a computerized ticket selling system.
A closed-circuit television system was put into operation recently to transmit Concert Hall functions to a television monitor placed near the entrance of the Concert Hall. Late-comers to concerts may observe the performance until a convenient break in the programme occurs to permit their admission without causing undue distraction to the audience.
Turning now to the second part of the question which concerns the state of the surrounding areas of the City Hall, the Public Works Department has a scheme for resurfacing the pavement in Edinburgh Place and around the City Hall with a type of surface which can easily be maintained. The new pavement will be so designed as to minimize disruption when works requiring access to underground services have to be carried out. The resurfacing work is expected to be completed in 1981 upon the completion of a new seawater pumphouse serving the air-conditioning systems of the City Hall and other Government buildings. However, the Public Works Department will be requested to carry out the work in phases so that improvement may be introduced at an earlier date.
The question of better control of illegal parking in the area between the City Hall and Queen's Pier has been taken up with the Commissioner for Transport. It is hoped that much stricter control may be exercised over unnecessary parking in the vicinity.
Since vehicular access to the main entrance of the City Hall facing the harbour has to be maintained, it is not desirable to exclude all traffic to Edinburgh Place. At present the harbour area between Queen's Pier and Star Ferry Pier is already a pedestrian precinct.
MR MACKENZIE (in English):--Mr Chairman, may I ask the Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Select Committee if he is aware that there have been numerous complaints as to the quality of service from the booking office and, in view of this, will he monitor currently the new arrangements which have been made and keep the Cultural Affairs Select Committee informed of the current situation?
MR HU (in English):-Mr Chairman, the better service of the Box Office is always in the mind of the Select Committee. I will bear Mr MacKenzie's point in mind and have the services reviewed periodically.
DR KIM Y. S. CHAM (in English):-Has the Council considered selling City Hall tickets through ticketing agents, for instance, similar to those in London or other cities in the world?
MR HU (in English): ---Mr Chairman, the point raised by Dr CHAM has been considered in the past and it is a complicated problem. I think the Select Committee will look into this question again.
MR HOWARD H. W. YOUNG (in English):—Mr Chairman, in relation to that part of the answer on computerization and procedures for booking the City Hall, when the problem is going to be discussed in future, will the Committee consider that ticket sale need not necessarily be through one centre or terminal on the computer, but possibly through future cultural complex or even through libraries perhaps?
MR B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):—A point of order. What is this noise, a squeaky noise, that has been interrupting the goings on of the meeting?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Mr TINSON, can you answer this question?
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