HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Mr. Joseph Chan Yuek-sut (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, we have not received any information on this matter. If Mr. Wu has such information, please let us have them so that we will step up our liaison with the Housing Department on rodent control. Of course if they need our help or the help of the Department of Health we will certainly do our part.
(3) MR. WU CHI-WAI asked the following question (in Cantonese):—According to feedback from the public, not only are Urban Council swimming pool complexes not fully open to the public during non-peak hours and outside swimming seasons, this is also the case even during peak hours and swimming seasons (e.g. the diving pool at Morse Park was not open last year). I would like to ask:
(a) Are the design and manning scale of the swimming pool complexes planned on the basis of full operation? If not, what are the planning criteria for these pools?
(b) In the past three years, how many swimming pool complexes were not fully open? Why were they not open, and during which periods were they closed? (Please list out information for each swimming pool complex.)
(c) If all the swimming pool complexes are to be fully open, what are the manning scales required and what are the actual strengths of lifeguards? (Please list out information for each swimming pool complex.) Can the manpower cope with the demand for full operation of the pools? If not, is there any plan for full operation of swimming pool complexes? What are the details of the plan? If there is no such plan, what are the reasons?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question is in three parts. The first part asked whether the design and manning scale of the swimming pool complexes were based on full operation and if not what were their planning criteria. The second part asked how many swimming pool complexes were not fully opened in the past three years and the reasons and periods of the closures. The last part asked about the manning scales required if all swimming pool complexes were to be fully opened, the actual strength of lifeguards, and the existing resources and manpower plans, if any, to cope with the demand for full operation of swimming pool complexes.
Firstly, on the design of the swimming pool complexes, the present situation is that all the complexes were designed to allow some individual constituent pools to be closed as and when not required for use. For example, during the early part of the day when very few small children are within the pool complex, the children's pool may not be opened until later in the day when more children are present. This happens only during the low season. During the peak periods and in summer, all swimming pools are open to the public, except in the case of certain diving pools, e.g. the one in Morse Park, when the number of users was very low. However, such diving pools will definitely be opened to the public when the users make a prior booking or by request to the pool management on the spot. If the pool management think that the request is reasonable then the
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