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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Owing to heavy usage, many of the facilities of the 24 year old City Hall are understandably worn and need to be refurbished. The Urban Services Department has been identifying such items with a view to maintaining and, where necessary, improving the standard of services of the City Hall.
The facilities provided backstage admittedly are not what present day artists would expect but due to space constraints and intensive usage regrettably there isn't much that can be done at present.
8. MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question (in English):-In letter to a newspaper last month, a critic claimed that tickets for a particularly popular film being shown for the opening of the International Film Festival were virtually monopolized by ‘insiders', and that the public did not get a fair share. What is the truth of the complaint; how many complimentary tickets were allocated, and how many offered for sale to the public? If, as it seems, this was a particularly popular film, why weren't more screenings arranged?
Mr. Lawrence H. L. Fung, Chairman of THE CULTURE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns the issue of complimentary tickets to 'Ran', an opening film for the 10th Hong Kong International Film Festival, carrying with it an accusation that tickets for particularly popular film being shown in the opening of the International Film Festival are 'virtually monopolized by insiders'.
This accusation of 'virtually monopolized by insiders' is untrue. It is however a common practice for presenters of cultural and entertainment events to reserve a quota of tickets for complimentary issue to guests, critics and other people who have contributed to the event. The Hong Kong International Film Festival is no exception.
Against this background the Council continued this year to express its gratitude to those who contributed to 1986 Festival by inviting them to the opening films, one of which was 'Ran'. For this inaugural screening of the film, a total of 259 tickets was sold to the public and 200 were issued to overseas and local guests, critics, film distributors, producers and film-makers who had made available their films to the Festival free of charge. The issue of complimentary tickets is monitored very carefully by the Department and unused tickets are released for public sale.
Only three screenings of 'Ran' were arranged during the Festival because this is the maximum number permitted under the regulations of the International Federation of Film Producers Association, of which the Hong Kong International Film Festival is a member. Furthermore, the film 'Ran' has just been released commercially.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. PETER CHAN (in English): Mr. Chairman, I would accept the explanation but since we can only have 3 screenings for sale of the tickets, can we have one special screening for the critics, the press and whoever contributed to our Film Festival? Since it is free of charge, it is not one of these three rather than half of the tickets for sale and half of the tickets given to these people and probably not enough otherwise so that nobody would have an outcry and we have 459 tickets for these critics, press and people who contributed to the Film Festival instead of 200. At the same time, in the proper screening, we have a 200 or more tickets for sale. Can the Committee consider this for the next International Film Festival, since it has been so successfully organized?
MR. LAWRENCE FUNG (in English):—I do not think my learned colleague's suggested remedy is a workable one. As I said in my answer, 3 showings per film whether there is an entrance charge or not. It is restricted by the International Federation of Film Producer Association for all Film Festivals and we are a member of that Association. So it is not up to the Urban Council to do additional screenings even though we have all the goodwill to do so is a circumstance beyond our control.
9. MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question (in English):—How many people have taken part in the Urban Council's learn-to-swim courses over the past five years? What is the success rate of these courses? In view of the obvious popularity of the scheme with public, what steps have been taken to expand these course so that more beginners can learn to swim?
MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG, Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, replied as follows (in Cantonese):—This question asks:—
(a) how many people have taken part in UC Learn-to-Swim courses over the past five years;
(b) what is the success rate of these courses; and
(c) what steps have been taken to expand these courses so that more beginners can learn to swim.
47 800 people have taken part in UC Learn-to-swim courses over the last five years, the annual figures being-
1981 7837
1982 7 284
1983 7 306
1984 8.958
1985 16715
The aim of the courses is to promote water safety by teaching beginners to float, to tread water and to swim short distances. Almost all participants learn to float successfully and more than 60 per cent of those who enrol are able to swim 10 metres by the end of their course, which is of 15 hours' duration.