HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The Urban Council does not presently see the provision of additional public lawn bowling greens as a high priority use of its scarce resources, particularly as the Council's two greens are under-utilized as the following statistics show:-
Period Utilization Rate No. of Available UC bowling greens
Sept. 82-Aug. 83 (12 months) 44.41% 1 Sept. 83-Aug. 84 (12 months) 29.15% 1 Sept. 84-Aug. 85 (12 months) 11.51% 2However, the usage pattern will be carefully monitored and if there is an increase in the use of the existing public bowling greens, consideration will be given to developing more of these facilities.
In consultation with the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association, the Department is at present looking into means to promote the usage of the existing bowling greens and is also examining the need for installing floodlighting at the existing greens to extend the hours of use after dusk.
(Mr. B. A. BERNACCHI left at this point—3.40 p.m.)
STATEMENT BY MRS. E. ELLIOTT CHAIRMAN OF THE WORKING PARTY TO REVIEW HAWKER AND RELATED POLICIES, ON THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE WORK OF THE WORKING PARTY. (in English):
As Chairperson of the Working Party to Review Hawker and Related Policies I rise to clarify what the actual position is concerning the work of the Working Party.
First, may I make clear that absolutely no decisions have yet been taken; second, the Working Party can only make recommendations, and not take final decisions; third, before making any recommendations, the Working Party wishes to present a comprehensive consultative document on hawker issues to seek the views of the Urban Council, the new District Boards, the hawker associations, Governments, the press and the public at large.
Therefore I must stress that anything that has been said so far about the Council's future policies concerning hawker matters is pure speculation.
We had hoped to report our findings and recommendations to the Council proper at the end of last year, or early this year, but the hawker problem is a complex one and we have been at pains to study it from every angle, and to consult other Government Departments besides the Urban Services Department. In short, the more we studied the ramifications of the problem, the wider we had to cast our net to ensure that all relevant points were taken into account.
Because we must now enter a fresh round of consultations with the newly elected District Boards, our findings will necessarily be further delayed—but the hawker problem has been with us for many decades, and in the long term a few months either way will not matter much if the end result is a satisfactory one which, hopefully, it will be.
Page 231 of 233
MOTION
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:
'RESOLVED that the Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 be made under section 42 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
He said (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, I rise to move the motion standing in my name:-
'RESOLVED that the Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 be made under section 42 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
The Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 made under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance now before the Council will, when adopted, increase the licence fee for swimming pools.
The swimming pool annual licence fee was last revised in April 1983 to $1,680. Since then, the fee for testing water samples for monitoring pool water quality, which is charged to the Council by the Medical and Health Department, has risen by 240 per cent. This has resulted in a substantial deficit in the cost for administering this type of licence.
In order to help meet the deficit to a certain extent, an increase in the annual licence fee bringing it to $2,000 is proposed. The increase has been carefully considered by the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee and the Standing Committee of the Whole Council, and I am satisfied that due weight has been given to all the implications of the proposal.
Mr. Chairman, I beg to move.
MR. STEPHEN M. L. LAU seconded (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
MR. FREDERICK FUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, on the third paragraph, these are private swimming pools, I do not know why the Medical and Health Department is charging the Council.
Page 231 of 233
has been kept as is, assuming it's part of the original text indicating page information. Further adjustments might be needed based on additional context or specific formatting requirements.HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The Urban Council does not presently see the provision of additional public lawn bowling greens as a high priority use of its scarce resources, particularly as the Council's two greens are under-utilized as the following statistics show:-
Period
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 231 of 233
AB
403
Because we must now enter a fresh round of consultations with the newly elected District Boards, our findings will necessarily be further delayed—but the hawker problem has been with us for many decades, and in the long term a few months either way will not matter much if the end result is a satisfactory one which, hopefully, it will be.
Utilization Rate
44.41%
No. of Available UC bowling greens
1
29.15%
1
11.51%
2
1.
Sept. 82-Aug. 83 (12 months)
Sept. 83-Aug. 84 (12 months)
Sept. 84-Aug. 85 (12 months)
However, the usage pattern will be carefully monitored and if there is an increase in the use of the existing public bowling greens, consideration will be given to developing more of these facilities.
In consultation with the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association, the Department is at present looking into means to promote the usage of the existing bowling greens and is also examining the need for installing floodlighting at the existing greens to extend the hours of use after dusk.
(Mr. B. A. BERNACCHI left at this point-−3.40 p.m.)
STATEMENT BY MRS. E. ELLIOTT CHAIRMAN OF THE WORKING PARTY TO REVIEW HAWKER AND RELATED POLICIES, ON THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE WORK OF THE WORKING PARTY. (in English):
As Chairperson of the Working Party to Review Hawker and Related Policies I rise to clarify what the actual position is concerning the work of the Working Party.
First, may I make clear that absolutely no decisions have yet been taken; second, the Working Party can only make recommendations, and not take final decisions; third, before making any recommendations, the Working Party wishes to present a comprehensive consultative document on hawker issues to seek the views of the Urban Council, the new District Boards, the hawker associations, Governments, the press and the public at large.
Therefore I must stress that anything that has been said so far about the Council's future policies concerning hawker matters is pure speculation.
We had hoped to report our findings and recommendations to the Council proper at the end of last year, or early this year, but the hawker problem is a complex one and we have been at pains to study it from every angle, and to consult other Government Departments besides the Urban Services Depart- ment. In short, the more we studied the ramifications of the problem, the wider we had to cast our net to ensure that all relevant points were taken into account.
MOTION
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:
'RESOLVED that the Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 be made under section 42 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
He said (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, I rise to move the motion standing in my name:-
'RESOLVED that the Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 be made under section 42 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
The Swimming Pools (Amendment) By-laws 1985 made under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance now before the Council will, when adopted, increase the licence fee for swimming pools.
The swimming pool annual licence fee was last revised in April 1983 to $1,680. Since then, the fee for testing water samples for monitoring pool water quality, which is charged to the Council by the Medical and Health Department, has risen by 240 per cent. This has resulted in a substantial deficit in the cost for administering this type of licence.
In order to help meet the deficit to a certain extent, an increase in the annual licence fee bringing it to $2,000 is proposed. The increase has been carefully considered by the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee and the Standing Committee of the Whole Council, and I am satisfied that due weight has been given to all the implications of the proposal.
Mr. Chairman, I beg to move.
MR. STEPHEN M. L. LAU seconded (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
MR. FREDERICK FUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, on the third paragraph, these are private swimming pools, I do not know why the Medical and Health Department is charging the Council.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.