1981 — Page 52

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 52 of 146

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, the Council will certainly continue to promote such healthy sports for the benefit of all children and of course, the positive approach is to keep on reminding and educating swimmers and let swimmers learn the importance of water safety.

MR. FRANCIS CHAINE (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, are there any regulations saying that, for example children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians or can they enter the pool by themselves.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, there is no such restriction that they must be accompanied by their guardians and children can enter the pool by themselves.

MR. LAWRENCE FUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, is it in order for me to seek a point of clarification on Question 1, as I tried to attract your attention several times.

CHAIRMAN (in English):—We'll finish this question first.

MR. CHAINE (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to further ask, since Mr. HU said absolute safety cannot be guaranteed, I wonder whether we could lay down a rule that children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, even if they are accompanied by their parents but once they enter the pool through the turnstile, provided that the parents and children are of different sex, they still have to go to different changing rooms, one for male and one for female. So, they still have to be separated once they enter, there is such possibility.

MRS. SELINA CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. HU through you, that I understand that, in this particular case, an investigation will be conducted by the department and submitted to the Council, in case the Coroner will not order an inquest. I was wondering whether an investigation is a standing procedure in case of an accident, whereby the department will automatically conduct an investigation and report to the Council regardless of what stand the Coroner takes and this also relates to the accident with the boxer, Mr. CHAN earlier, and I am just wondering whether it is a standing procedure in case of an accident.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, to my understanding, anything of importance especially when a fatal accident is involved, the department will automatically take action and they will carry out investigations and I can ensure that the department will carry it out in practice.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. C. K. CHAN (in English):—I understand that there are some private clubs, they have very strict regulations regarding the swimming pool that children under a certain age cannot enter the pool area without being accompanied by their parents. I wonder whether the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee can refer this matter to the Select Committee for consideration and also try to consult other private clubs on their regulations regarding children safety and then we discuss it in the committee and try to see whether we can work out some safer regulations and put more responsibilities on the parents who bring children to the swimming pools.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, I certainly will bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee.

DR. KIM CHAM (in English):—Mr. Chairman, to avoid future tragedies of this kind, I wonder whether it is possible to prohibit children of a certain age, let's say, the very young to enter the main pool but restrict the use to the children's pool or the other shallower pools.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, as I've answered to Mr. C. K. CHAN, I will certainly bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee.

MR. HOWARD YOUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, in relation to the question raised by Dr. CHAM just now, in the investigation whether there ought to be restrictions on children entering the swimming pools, may I also ask whether the Chairman of the committee will consider that in fact, in Hong Kong not all parents will have the time to accompany their children to the swimming pool during recreation hours and that it is not unusual to find that there are some children who are quite proficient in swimming even though their ages might be 7 or 8.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, since this is just a statement, it is not necessary for me to answer.

MRS. CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, following upon my question earlier, I'd like to ask Mr. HU whether there is a time limit with which the department can work within in regard to conducting an investigation and publishing the report, because I'm sure that a tragedy of this nature is of great public interest and I feel that some kind of time limit ought to be imposed and the investigation results announced.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, up to this moment, the department is not too sure whether the Medical Department would order an enquiry into this case. But in any case, the department has already carried out its own investigation.

MR. AMBROSE K. C. CHOI (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, in our swimming pools, do we have enough life guards during opening hours? Do our life guards do their jobs and keep the swimmers safe?

Page 52 of 146

Edit History

2026-05-15 09:38:01 · NVIDIA / meta/llama-4-maverick-17b-128e-instruct

Live

View comparison

AI Proofread

Page 52 of 146 62 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, the Council will certainly continue to promote such healthy sports for the benefit of all children and of course, the positive approach is to keep on reminding and educating swimmers and let swimmers learn the importance of water safety. MR. FRANCIS CHAINE (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, are there any regulations saying that, for example children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians or can they enter the pool by themselves. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, there is no such restriction that they must be accompanied by their guardians and children can enter the pool by themselves. MR. LAWRENCE FUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, is it in order for me to seek a point of clarification on Question 1, as I tried to attract your attention several times. CHAIRMAN (in English):—We'll finish this question first. MR. CHAINE (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to further ask, since Mr. HU said absolute safety cannot be guaranteed, I wonder whether we could lay down a rule that children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, even if they are accompanied by their parents but once they enter the pool through the turnstile, provided that the parents and children are of different sex, they still have to go to different changing rooms, one for male and one for female. So, they still have to be separated once they enter, there is such possibility. MRS. SELINA CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. HU through you, that I understand that, in this particular case, an investigation will be conducted by the department and submitted to the Council, in case the Coroner will not order an inquest. I was wondering whether an investigation is a standing procedure in case of an accident, whereby the department will automatically conduct an investigation and report to the Council regardless of what stand the Coroner takes and this also relates to the accident with the boxer, Mr. CHAN earlier, and I am just wondering whether it is a standing procedure in case of an accident. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, to my understanding, anything of importance especially when a fatal accident is involved, the department will automatically take action and they will carry out investigations and I can ensure that the department will carry it out in practice. HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 63 MR. C. K. CHAN (in English):—I understand that there are some private clubs, they have very strict regulations regarding the swimming pool that children under a certain age cannot enter the pool area without being accompanied by their parents. I wonder whether the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee can refer this matter to the Select Committee for consideration and also try to consult other private clubs on their regulations regarding children safety and then we discuss it in the committee and try to see whether we can work out some safer regulations and put more responsibilities on the parents who bring children to the swimming pools. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, I certainly will bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee. DR. KIM CHAM (in English):—Mr. Chairman, to avoid future tragedies of this kind, I wonder whether it is possible to prohibit children of a certain age, let's say, the very young to enter the main pool but restrict the use to the children's pool or the other shallower pools. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, as I've answered to Mr. C. K. CHAN, I will certainly bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee. MR. HOWARD YOUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, in relation to the question raised by Dr. CHAM just now, in the investigation whether there ought to be restrictions on children entering the swimming pools, may I also ask whether the Chairman of the committee will consider that in fact, in Hong Kong not all parents will have the time to accompany their children to the swimming pool during recreation hours and that it is not unusual to find that there are some children who are quite proficient in swimming even though their ages might be 7 or 8. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, since this is just a statement, it is not necessary for me to answer. MRS. CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, following upon my question earlier, I'd like to ask Mr. HU whether there is a time limit with which the department can work within in regard to conducting an investigation and publishing the report, because I'm sure that a tragedy of this nature is of great public interest and I feel that some kind of time limit ought to be imposed and the investigation results announced. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, up to this moment, the department is not too sure whether the Medical Department would order an enquiry into this case. But in any case, the department has already carried out its own investigation. MR. AMBROSE K. C. CHOI (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, in our swimming pools, do we have enough life guards during opening hours? Do our life guards do their jobs and keep the swimmers safe? Page 52 of 146

Baseline (Original)

Page 52 of 146 62 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the Council will certainly continue to promote such healthy sports for the benefit of all children and of course, the positive approach is to keep on reminding and educating swimmers and let swimmers learn the importance of water safety. MR. FRANCIS CHAINE (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, are there any regulations saying that, for example children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians or can they enter the pool by themselves. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, there is no such restriction that they must be accompanied by their guardians and children can enter the pool by themselves. MR. LAWRENCE FUNG (in English):--Mr. Chairman, is it in order for me to seek a point of clarification on Question 1, as I tried to attract your attention several times. CHAIRMAN (in English):-We'll finish this question first. MR. CHAINE (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to further ask, since Mr. HU said absolute safety cannot be guaranteed, I wonder whether we could lay down a rule that children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians. MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, even if they are accompanied by their parents but once they enter the pool through the turnstile, provided that the parents and children are of different sex, they still have to go to different changing rooms, one for male and one for female. So, they still have to be separated once they enter, there is such possibility. MRS. SELINA CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. HU through you, that I understand that, in this particular case, an investigation will be conducted by the department and submitted to the Council, in case the Coroner will not order an inquest. I was wondering whether an investigation is a standing procedure in case of an accident, whereby the department will automatically conduct an investigation and report to the Council regardless of what stand the Coroner take and this also relate to the accident with the boxer, Mr. CHAN earlier, and I am just wondering whether it is a standing procedure in case of an accident. MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, to my understanding, anything of importance especially when a fatal accident is involved, the department will automatically take action and they will carry out investigations and I can ensure that the department will carry it out in practice. HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL Page 52 of 146 63 MR. C. K. CHAN (in English):—I understand that there are some private clubs, they have very strict regulations regarding the swimming pool that children under a certain age cannot enter the pool area without being accompanied by their I wonder whether the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee can parents. refer this matter to the Select Committee for consideration and also try to consult other private clubs on their regulations regarding children safety and then we discuss it in the committee and try to see whether we can work out some safer regulations and put more responsibilities to the parents who bring children to the swimming pools. MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I certainly will bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee. DR. KIM CHAM (in English):—Mr. Chairman, to avoid future tragedies of this kind, I wonder whether it is possible to prohibit children of a certain age, let's say, the very young to enter the main pool but restrict the use to the children's pool or the other shallower pools. MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, as I've answered to Mr. C. K. CHAN, I will certainly bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee. Mr. Howard YOUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, in relation to the question raised by Dr. CHAM just now, in the investigation whether there ought to be restrictions on children entering the swimming pools, may I also ask whether the Chairman of the committee will consider that in fact, in Hong Kong not all parents will have the time to accompany their children to the swimming pool during recreation hours and that it is not unusual to find that there are some children who are quite proficient in swimming even though their ages might be 7 or 8. MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, since this is just a statement, it is not necessary for me to answer. MRS. CHOW (in English): Mr. Chairman, following upon my question earlier, I'd like to ask Mr. HU whether there is a time limit with which the department can work with in regard to conducting an investigation and publishing the report, because I'm sure that a tragedy of this nature is of great public interest and I feel that some kind of time limit ought to be imposed and the investigation results announced. MR. HU (In English):-Mr. Chairman, up to this moment, the department is not too sure whether the Medical Department would order an enquiry into this case. But in any case, the department has already carried out its own investigation. MR. AMBROSE K. C. CHOI (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, in our swimming pools, do we have enough life guards during opening hours. Do our life guards do their jobs and keep the swimmers safe?

2026-05-15 09:38:01 · Baseline

View content

Page 52 of 146

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the Council will certainly continue to promote such healthy sports for the benefit of all children and of course, the positive approach is to keep on reminding and educating swimmers and let swimmers learn the importance of water safety.

MR. FRANCIS CHAINE (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, are there any regulations saying that, for example children between the ages of 8 and 10 have to be escorted by their guardians or can they enter the pool by themselves.

MR. HU (in English):—Mr. Chairman, there is no such restriction that they must be accompanied by their guardians and children can enter the pool by themselves.

MR. LAWRENCE FUNG (in English):--Mr. Chairman, is it in order for me to seek a point of clarification on Question 1, as I tried to attract your attention several times.

CHAIRMAN (in English):-We'll finish this question first.

MRS. SELINA CHOW (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. HU through you, that I understand that, in this particular case, an investigation will be conducted by the department and submitted to the Council, in case the Coroner will not order an inquest. I was wondering whether an investigation is a standing procedure in case of an accident, whereby the department will automatically conduct an investigation and report to the Council regardless of what stand the Coroner take and this also relate to the accident with the boxer, Mr. CHAN earlier, and I am just wondering whether it is a standing procedure in case of an accident.

MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, to my understanding, anything of importance especially when a fatal accident is involved, the department will automatically take action and they will carry out investigations and I can ensure that the department will carry it out in practice.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Page 52 of 146

MR. C. K. CHAN (in English):—I understand that there are some private clubs, they have very strict regulations regarding the swimming pool that children under a certain age cannot enter the pool area without being accompanied by their I wonder whether the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee can parents. refer this matter to the Select Committee for consideration and also try to consult other private clubs on their regulations regarding children safety and then we discuss it in the committee and try to see whether we can work out some safer regulations and put more responsibilities to the parents who bring children to the swimming pools.

MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I certainly will bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee.

MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, as I've answered to Mr. C. K. CHAN, I will certainly bring this point up in the Recreation Select Committee.

Mr. Howard YOUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, in relation to the question raised by Dr. CHAM just now, in the investigation whether there ought to be restrictions on children entering the swimming pools, may I also ask whether the Chairman of the committee will consider that in fact, in Hong Kong not all parents will have the time to accompany their children to the swimming pool during recreation hours and that it is not unusual to find that there are some children who are quite proficient in swimming even though their ages might be 7 or 8.

MR. HU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, since this is just a statement, it is not necessary for me to answer.

MRS. CHOW (in English): Mr. Chairman, following upon my question earlier, I'd like to ask Mr. HU whether there is a time limit with which the department can work with in regard to conducting an investigation and publishing the report, because I'm sure that a tragedy of this nature is of great public interest and I feel that some kind of time limit ought to be imposed and the investigation results

announced.

MR. HU (In English):-Mr. Chairman, up to this moment, the department is not too sure whether the Medical Department would order an enquiry into this case. But in any case, the department has already carried out its own investigation.

MR. AMBROSE K. C. CHOI (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask, in our swimming pools, do we have enough life guards during opening hours. Do our life guards do their jobs and keep the swimmers safe?

1981 — Page 52

Edit History

Comments

Private Research Note