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statistics on these two venues, no doubt the Department will furnish the details in a written reply.
MR. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, concerning this question, I would also like to ask a supplementary question. I have also noticed that in some children playgrounds, certain play equipment are not in use due to 'repair work' for several months. I really don't understand the reason why the repair of such equipment takes so long to complete for children's use. For example, there is such a problem in the Middle Road Children Playground. My question is: how long does the repair work to the play equipment take?
MR. MARVIN K. T. CHEUNG (in English):-Clearly this is not a supplementary question to the original question. I would suggest that Mr. LI would put it as a formal question to this Council at the subsequent occasion.
5. MS. CARLYE W. L. TSUI asked the following question (in English):- Statistics have indicated that during the period of closure of beaches this summer due to the shark scare, the usage of UC public swimming pools did not increase significantly. The public's general comment was that when comparing beaches with swimming pools the atmospheres are different and that whilst beaches provide a setting for leisurely recreation, standard swimming pools create an environment purely for sports training or serious swimming. Likewise, some of our citizens have commented that Indoor Games Halls are in essence facilities for sports and physical fitness training and that there are very few public venues for family recreation. I would like to ask:
(a) Whether our Urban Services Department has conducted a recent survey on general public needs in regard to leisure service particularly in the light of changing socio-economic patterns;
(b) Whether our Council will review its long-established leisure service provided in the form of conventional Indoor Games Halls and standard public swimming pools and the sets of standards developed in relation to the development of these facilities;
(c) Whether our Council will, in addition to the existing patterns of leisure service, plan new directions in leisure service with less emphasis on sports training and a move towards the provision of community recreational activities; and
(d) Whether our Council will consider the development of leisure complexes providing multi-recreational activities, including leisure swimming pools, various games facilities, cafeterias and even libraries, etc. with a view to providing club-concept recreational services for family enjoyment at low cost.
MR. MARVIN K. T. CHEUNG, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns the Council's policy on the provision of leisure facilities. The first part asks about surveying the needs of the public. The second part is on reviewing current
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standards on the provision of leisure facilities and the last part is about future plans on the provision of such facilities for family enjoyment.
Whilst the Council and the Department had not conducted any specific survey on general public needs in regard to leisure services recently, the 'UC Benchmark Study' conducted in 1990, while general in its scope, showed that the public was generally appreciative of the leisure services provided by the Council and supportive of the type of facilities provided. Furthermore, the needs of the public are constantly monitored through the analysis of statistics on usage rates and patterns, reference to current trends locally and overseas, consultation with the governing bodies of sport as well as feedback from district boards and Councillors.
The policy on the provision of swimming pools and indoor games halls is reviewed from time to time. Reference is made to the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines and the actual demand. The governing bodies of sport are also consulted on the detailed design of these facilities to bring them in line with the latest models in advanced countries. The Council last reviewed the policy on the provision of swimming pools in 1989 and that on indoor games halls in 1988. It was decided then by the Council that the current provision of 14 conventional pool complexes was more than sufficient to cope with the demand. The building of conventional pools has since then been halted and the provision of swimming facilities is confined to building leisure pools on a regional basis. On the other hand, more indoor games halls are being built because the demand for such facilities has not been satisfied. New halls are now designed for a more diversified range of activities such as indoor bowls, indoor archery, netball, gateball and artificial rock climbing in addition to the conventional activities (such as badminton, basketball and volleyball).
The Council will, in addition to the existing patterns of leisure service, continue to plan new directions with more emphasis on the provision of community recreational activities. On recreation programming, we have been organizing more sport-for-all type activities in recent years. Examples of these are learn-to-swim courses, various dances and fitness programmes for different age groups and fun games etc. On recreation facilities, some of our major venues have already been developed into multi-recreational complexes for family enjoyment. These include Hong Kong Park, Kowloon Park, Victoria Park and Lei Yue Mun Holiday Village. Similar consideration will also be given to major facilities under planning including Lei Yue Mun Park and Fung Tak Road Park.
Your suggestion about the development of leisure complexes providing multi-recreational activities with a view to providing club-concept recreational services for family enjoyment at low cost is well-worth pursuing and the Department will bring this to the Select Committee for discussion in due course.
(Mr. Daniel K. T. WONG arrived at 2.50 p.m.)
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