HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
At present, most children play rooms are restricted to children between 4 to 9 years old. However, children aged 2 or 3 are also allowed to use the facilities under their parents' guidance at children play rooms and children activity rooms.
The second part of the question asks whether the Department could set aside a period of time during the opening hours of the children activities rooms exclusively for the use of children aged 4 or below under their parents' guidance.
Theoretically speaking, the Department can respond to such request and set aside a period of time during the opening hours of the children activities room for the use of children aged 4 or below under their parents' guidance. However, while implementing such proposal, the Department also has to take care of the needs of other users of the indoor games halls. For example, some hirers of venues or participants of recreational and sports activities held at the games halls have to leave their children who are in the age group of 4 to 9 in the children activities rooms temporarily. If the rooms are reserved for children aged 4 or below, it will not be able to cater for the needs of these elder children. Moreover, these games halls users have a greater need for children activities rooms, and such use fulfills the original purpose of the activities rooms. Hence, the Department has reservation on the proposal of setting aside a period of time exclusively for the use of children aged 4 or below.
The third part of the question asks whether the Council would design some activities rooms suitable for use by children aged 4 or below when new rooms are planned.
When new children activities rooms are planned, the Department will, subject to availability of space, consider dividing the room into 2 sections. One for meeting the needs of children aged 4 to 9 and the other exclusively for use by children aged 4 or below under their parents' guidance.
The fourth part of the question asks about the short- and long-term solutions worked out by the Department on this matter.
In fact, the Department has taken into account the needs of children aged 4 or below. Hence, additional activities suitable for use by children in this age group are provided in all new children activities rooms. For instance, children activities room in the UC Wong Nai Chung Complex Indoor Games Hall (which was opened in September last year) provides facilities suitable for children as young as 3 years old; and children activities room in Kowloon Tsai Park (set up in November last year) has facilities suitable for children as young as 2 years old. The Department will keep in view the usage of these facilities in order to facilitate the formulation of policies in future.
As short-term measures, the Department will consider the feasibility of setting up children activities rooms for children aged 4 or below in existing venues.
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