Page 25 of 120
14
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCILMR. CHAN CHI-KWAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, can the Vice-Chairman of the appropriate committee elaborate on this offer block loan service to Kaifong Associations and how successful is this service? Have they been taken up?
CHAIRMAN (in English):—Mr. Lawrence FUNG, Mr. C. K. CHAN refers to the last sentence in your answer.
MR. FUNG (in English):—Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am just going to say the block loan arrangement is being arranged. I think the answer is quite clear on this point. What that means is that through the Kaifong Associations and so on, we would be able to supply them with whatever they need as far as books for the residents are concerned, so that the individual patron of the library will not have to make use of the mobile library.
MR. CHAN (in English):—What I mean is that during the past months or years, how many block loans have been taken up by how many Kaifong Associations, if any particulars can be supplied?
MR. FUNG (in English):—I am not in a position to answer that question. Perhaps I can tell Mr. CHAN later.
2. MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question (in English):— (a) What are the daily hours of operation of the new Wan Chai Stadium? (b) What proportion of the time is used for training athletes for international competitions? (c) What proportion of time is given to use by schools?
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):—This question concerns the use of the Wan Chai Sports Ground.
In answer to the first part of the question, the Wan Chai Sports Ground is normally open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The exceptions are maintenance days when it is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays when it is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but these times are extended whenever there is a reasonable need to do so. Until recently, Mondays and Fridays were set aside during the day time for maintenance purposes. However, this arrangement was changed at the beginning of this month and maintenance is being carried out on a trial basis at convenient times between bookings.
In answer to the second part of the question, the Sports Ground has not been set aside for the exclusive use of athletes training for international competitions but on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the ground is used by the Sports Association for the Physically Handicapped whose athletes are training in preparation for the 1980 Olympics for the Disabled to be held in Holland next month. The ground is frequently booked in the evening by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association for training purposes; these sessions are open to all members of the Association.
In answer to the third part of the question, although the Wan Chai Sports Ground is open throughout the year, the season for athletics runs from about October to May. During this period, 50 days are allocated to the Education Department for use by schools. Normally, of course, schools wish to use the Ground on weekdays during term time. The period 1 October 1979 to 31 May 1980 contains 130 such days so that the 50 days allocated represent 38% of the real time available for use by the Education Department and the Hong Kong Schools Sports Association. In March this year that Ground was used on 28 days out of the 31 days.
It is worthy of mention that school children interested in athletics can join the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association and can participate in competitions organized by that association as well as use the Ground for training in the evening.
Finally, I would mention that it is likely that during the summer months the Ground will be used by young athletes under the auspices of the Recreation and Sport Service.
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):—Mr. Chairman, we have been told what happens in the sports ground in the evenings. We have also been told for 50 days the sports ground is used during the daytime for schools. Now there are actually 270 school days in a year, 50 of which are allocated days in the Wan Chai Sports ground. Could we know what happens on the 270-50 days, i.e. more than 220 days a year, excluding of course the days when maintenance has to be done?
MR. Lo (in English):—Mr. Chairman, I have indicated in my reply that the athletic season runs from about October to May. From the end of May to the beginning of October is more or less the close season. It is too hot and there is not much demand for the use of the ground, apart from which the Recreation and Sports Service are going to organize some form of training during the summer months.
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):—Even using the months May to October, that is 240 days, of these 240 days, 50 are given to schools. What happens about 190 other days?
MR. Lo (in English):—That is rather outside the ambit of Mrs. ELLIOTT'S original question but, of course, I will try to answer it. The ground is also used by other organizations in addition to schools. Mrs. ELLIOTT asked for the information as to the number of days on which it is used by schools and that is the answer I can give.
Page 23 of 120
15
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 23 of 120
Page 25 of 120
Page 23 of 12
Fage 25 01 120
14
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. CHAN CHI-KWAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, can the Vice-Chairman of the appropriate committee elaborate on this offer block loan service to Kaifong Associations and how successful is this service? Have they been taken up?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Mr. Lawrence FUNG, Mr. C. K. CHAN refers to the last sentence in your answer.
MR. FUNG (in English):-Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am just going to say the block loan arrangement is being arranged. I think the answer is quite clear on this point. What that means is that through the Kaifong Associations and so on, we would be able to supply them with whatever they need as far as books for the residents are concerned, so that the individual patron of the library will not have to make use of the mobile library.
MR. CHAN (in English):—What I mean is that during the past months or years, how many block loans have been taken up by how many Kaifong Associations, if any particulars can be supplied?
MR. FUNG (in English):-I am not in a position to answer that question. Perhaps I can tell Mr. CHAN later.
2. MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question (in English):- (a) What are the daily hours of operation of the new Wan Chai Stadium? (b) What proportion of the time is used for training athletes for international
competitions?
(c) What proportion of time is given to use by schools?
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT Committee, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns the use of the Wan Chai Sports Ground.
In answer to the first part of the question, the Wan Chai Sports Ground is normally open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The exceptions are maintenance days when it is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays when it is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but these times are extended whenever there is a reasonable need to do so. Until recently, Mondays and Fridays were set aside during the day time for maintenance purposes. However, this arrange- ment was changed at the beginning of this month and maintenance is being carried out on a trial basis at convenient times between bookings.
In answer to the second part of the question, the Sports Ground has not been set aside for the exclusive use of athletes training for international competitions but on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the ground is used by the Sports Association for the Physically Handicapped whose athletes are training in preparation for the 1980 Olympics for the Disabled to be held in Holland next month. The ground is frequently booked in the evening by
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 23 of 120
15
the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association for training purposes; these sessions are open to all members of the Association.
In answer to the third part of the question, although the Wan Chai Sports Ground is open throughout the year, the season for athletics runs from about October to May. During this period, 50 days are allocated to the Education Department for use by schools. Normally, of course, schools wish to use the Ground on weekdays during term time. The period 1 October 1979 to 31 May 1980 contains 130 such days so that the 50 days allocated represent 38% of the real time available for use by the Education Department and the Hong Kong Schools Sports Association. In March this year that Ground was used on 28 days out of the 31 days.
It is worthy of mention that school children interested in athletics can join the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association and can participate in competitions organized by that association as well as use the Ground for training in the evening.
Finally, I would mention that it is likely that during the summer months the Ground will be used by young athletes under the auspices of the Recreation and Sport Service.
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):—Mr. Chairman, we have been told what happens in the sports ground in the evenings. We have also been told for 50 days the sports ground is used during the daytime for schools. Now there are actually 270 school days in a year, 50 of which are allocated days in the Wan Chai Sports ground. Could we know what happens on the 356-50 days, i.e. more than 300 days a year, excluding of course the days when maintenance has to be done?
MR. Lo (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I have indicated in my reply that the athletic season runs from about October to May. From the end of May to the beginning of October is more or less the close season. It is too hot and there is not much demand for the use of the ground, apart from which the Recreation and Sports Service are going to organize some form of training during the summer months.
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Even using the months May to October, that is 240 days, of these 240 days, 50 are given to schools. What happens about 190 other days?
MR. Lo (in English):-That is rather outside the ambit of Mrs. ELLIOTT'S original question but, of course, I will try to answer it. The ground is also used by other organizations in addition to schools. Mrs. ELLIOTT asked for the information as to the number of days on which it is used by schools and that is the answer I can give.
Page 23 of 120
Page 23 of 12
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.