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DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):—it is very hypothetical because of the interim measures we are taking and there will be no Peeping Tom to be successful to have an inside view and also the future permanent rectification work would not allow any view from outside.
4. MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN asked the following question (in Cantonese):- During winter, swimmers prefer to have hot baths after swimming. At present, it appears there is no supply of hot water for showering in gazetted beaches in urban area, e.g., Repulse Bay. I wonder therefore if the Council could provide such service to the public. In addition, would the Council consider the feasibility of using solar energy for providing such supply in order to save energy?
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question is in two parts and I will answer each of them separately.
The first part is whether the Council can provide hot water at beaches, such as Repulse Bay, during the winter.
Members may wish to note that except for Deep Water Bay, we effectively close our beaches in the winter and all services are suspended from December to February. Therefore there is no need for hot water except, perhaps, at Deep Water Bay.
The average usage in winter at Deep Water Bay is only about 70 a day and it is not cost-effective to provide hot water for such small numbers. In any case, these are enthusiasts who make a virtue of braving the cold!
The second part is whether the Council will consider the feasibility of using solar energy for providing hot water.
For the reasons I have given, this is not worth pursuing in respect of winter bathers. Members may wish to know that the pilot solar energy installation at Stanley public bathhouse has not been a financial success. An Architectural Services Department assessment shows that it will take 60 years to recover the capital costs, by which time the life expectancy of the equipment will have long expired. For these reasons, it would not be economical to pursue solar energy, at least until someone finds a way of substantially reducing the cost of buying and installing it.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask Mr. CHAN a question. On what ground can Mr. CHAN ascertain that the enthusiasts can make a virtue of braving the cold? They are enthusiasts but they are not necessarily willing to brave the cold. After taking an ice-cream, they might like to have a cup of hot tea. They might be enthusiasts but they are scared of the cold. After emerging from the water, they would like to have a hot shower. Why can't we provide this kind of facility for them?
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MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as far as I know, people who are enthusiasts of cold bathers are not so keen in having hot showers. If there are people who like to take a hot shower after having a swim in winter, I would like to know them. I know a Mr. MA in Cheung Sha Wan with a beard wouldn't like to take a hot shower after a cold bath.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the suggestion of providing hot showers in the bathing beaches has been raised by many of the enthusiasts. Since there is such a need, why can't we meet their expectation and provide better facilities for them? This is the first question. Secondly, solar energy...
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, solar energy is really very costly; otherwise, there shouldn't be any need for the oil crisis. If Mr. CHAN is of the view that the information is not concrete enough, then I can in the near future make available the data provided by the Architectural Services Department to Mr. CHAN. In fact, it is really very costly, and we can have further discussion later after deliberation.
5. MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in English):- What progress is being made on the subject of changing existing legislation so that those caught littering can be given the option of paying a fine under a fixed penalty system or appearing in Court on littering charges?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns the possibility of adopting a fixed penalty system of mandatory fines for littering offences.
This subject was discussed as an agenda item at the Public Health Select Committee at its meeting on 7 November 1990. Whilst noting the observations of the Department that there were both practical enforcement problems and legal difficulties in applying a fixed penalty system to littering offences, some Members felt that there might be merit in such a system, possibly to be introduced alongside the existing system of summons and court appearance.
Members of the Public Health Select Committee, after a long discussion, agreed that they needed more time to consider the issue further. They thus decided that a working group of the Select Committee should be set up under my chairmanship with 12 Councillors as members. Because most of our Councillors went on a Beijing trip, we have not yet convened the first working group meeting. The Standing Committee of the Whole Council, at its meeting on 4 December 1990, ratified this decision of the Public Health Select Committee. Further development, I think, will have to await the discussions arising from the working group.
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