Page 27 of 233
18
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. Lo (in English):-Mr. Chairman, in fact, I think this is covered in the last part of my answer to Mr. CHAN's main question and I think we do not set an upset price for the tenders. We simply go out to the tenders and we then consider the tenders coming in; of course, if they are very low we may not accept, but there is no upset price as such. In fact, nobody tenders at all after going out to tenders for a few times, there is a very strong indication that there is no commercial value in the particular kiosks. In other words, there is no demand for it.
5. MR. TONG KAM-BIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):-Multi-gym units are becoming more and more popular nowadays, yet few can afford to acquire one of their own. How many units of such gymnastic machines the Urban Council has acquired? Where are the machines located? And how is the usage situation?
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question asks how many multi-gym units the Council has acquired, their location and usage.
At present the Urban Council has three sets of such equipment—one is installed at the Weight Training Room of the Wan Chai Sports Ground, the others are in a gymnasium at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. The equipment is essentially a complex weight training machine equipped with 14 or 16 stations—that is to say exercise positions and can accommodate a maximum of 14 or 16 participants per hour.
The Council's role in the provision of this equipment is to provide the basic facility and to encourage others to use it. Because it is fairly sophisticated and potentially dangerous in unskilled hands, use is restricted to those who have received basic training, or who are undergoing training classes under the supervision of an instructor. That said, monthly throughput figures at the Wan Chai Sports Ground have increased nearly three-fold over the last 12 months. In March alone over 1,200 people made use of the facility.
At Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Council has been organizing a physical fitness training scheme jointly with the Hong Kong Amateur Weight-Lifting and Body-Building Association since September 1982. Up to May 1984 a total of 158 classes have been organized and over 4,000 participants have taken part.
MR. TONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I have a supplementary question. It has been mentioned that we have three sets of such equipment, all of these are on Hong Kong side, why don't you install some in Kowloon? I understand that many departments have such equipment and this is actually very popular. So could you possibly consider providing more, particularly, in places in Kowloon?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
19
MR. Lo (in English): Mr. Chairman, there is no question of trying to bias in favour of Hong Kong rather than Kowloon. It is just that the facilities in Wan Chai Sports Ground and Queen Elizabeth Stadium are actually situated in Hong Kong. We will certainly consider if there seems to be a need and installing more of this multi-gym units. However, I would emphasize again that these are not just for somebody who wants to keep fit or lose a bit of weight, these are for serious training for people who are weight-lifters and body-builders and those going for high grade of sports training, and they are certainly not for playing about with.
6. MR. TONG KAM-BIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):-Must the Urban Council undertake the clearance of the junk on Crown lands all the time and be held responsible for the costs? Is there a way to prevent or to reduce the dumping of junk on Crown lands?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-The first question concerns responsibility for cleaning up Crown land sites and related funding arrangements. The second question concerns ways to prevent, or to reduce, the dumping of junk on Crown land.
Before 1 June 1981, maintaining Crown land sites free of accumulations of refuse was the responsibility of the Principal Government Land Agent (PGLA). As the PGLA was mainly concerned with the acquisition and disposal of Crown land to meet Government's land sales programme, the maintenance of cleanliness of Crown land was not given any priority by the PGLA.
In 1981 the Department suggested to the Government that it should take over the cleansing function on condition that Government reimbursed the Urban Council for the cost of the work.
Negotiations with the Government resulted in the allocation of funds to the Department to take over these responsibilities. For the year 1984-85, the Director of Lands has agreed to reimburse the Urban Council a sum of $2 million for this purpose.
Turning to the second question, various means to prevent or to reduce dumping have been tried, including 24-hour patrols and erection of prohibition signs at notorious dumping sites. Directional signs advising the public to dump at the nearest control tip have also been put up at appropriate Council venues. It is encouraging to note that the incidence of illegal dumping has been reduced in recent months, as is indicated in the graphs and schedule tabled before members at today's meeting. Perhaps I could take this opportunity to remind members of the public that illegal dumping of spoil at Crown land sites is not only an offence, but also anti-social, and liable to prosecution.
Page 27 of 233
Page 27 of 233
18
Ja
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. Lo (in English):-Mr. Chairman, in fact, I think this covered in the last part of my answer to Mr. CHAN's main question and I think we do not set an upset price for the tenders. We simply go out to the tenders and we then consider the tenders coming in; of course, if they are very low we may not accept, but there is no upset price as such. In fact, nobody tenders at all after going out to tenders for a few times, there is a very strong indications that there is no commercial value in the particular kiosks. In other words, there is no demand for it.
5. MR. TONG KAM-BIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):-Multi- gym units are becoming more and more popular nowadays, yet few can afford to acquire one of their own. How many units of such gymnastic machines the Urban Council has acquired? Where are the machines located? And how is the usage
situation?
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, ChairmaN OF THE RECREATION SELECT Committee, replied as follows (in English):----This question asks how many multi-gym units the Council has acquired, their location and usage.
At present the Urban Council has three sets of such equipment—one is installed at the Weight Training Room of the Wan Chai Sports Ground, the others are in a gymnasium at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. The equipment is essentially a complex weight training machine equipped with 14 or 16 stations—- that is to say exercise positions and can accommodate a maximum of 14 or 16 participants per hour.
The Council's role in the provision of this equipment is to provide the basic facility and to encourage others to use it. Because it is fairly sophisticated and potentially dangerous in unskilled hands, use is restricted to those who have received basic training, or who are undergoing training classes under the supervision of an instructor. That said, monthly throughput figures at the Wan Chai Sports Ground have increased nearly three-fold over the last 12 months. In March alone over 1 200 people made use of the facility.
At Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Council has been organizing a physical fitness training scheme jointly with the Hong Kong Amateur Weight-Lifting and Body-Building Association since September 1982. Up to May 1984 a total of 158 classes have been organized and over 4 000 participants have taken part.
MR. TONG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I have a supplementary question. It has been mentioned that we have three sets of such equipment, all of these are on Hong Kong side, why don't you install some in Kowloon? I understand that many departments have such equipment and this is actually very popular. So could you possibly consider providing more, particularly, in places in Kowloon?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 27 of 233
19
MR. Lo (in English): Mr. Chairman, there is no question of trying to bias in favour of Hong Kong rather than Kowloon. It is just that the facilities in Wan Chai Sports Ground and Queen Elizabeth Stadium are actually situated in Hong Kong. We will certainly consider if there seems to be a need and installing more of this multi-gym units. However, I would emphasize again that these are not just for somebody who wants to keep fit or lose a bit of weight, these are for serious training for people who are weight-lifters and body-builders and those going for high grade of sports training, and they are certainly not for playing
about with.
6. MR. TONG KAM-BIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):--Must the Urban Council undertake the clearance of the junk on Crown lands all the time and be held responsible for the costs? Is there a way to prevent or to reduce the dumping of junk on Crown lands?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-The first question concerns responsibility for cleaning up Crown land sites and related funding arrange- ments. The second question concerns ways to prevent, or to reduce, the dumping of junk on Crown land.
Before 1 June 1981, maintaining Crown land sites free of accumulations of refuse was the responsibility of the Principal Government Land Agent (PGLA). As the PGLA was mainly concerned with the acquisition and disposal of Crown land to meet Government's land sales programme, the maintenance of cleanliness of Crown land was not given any priority by the PGLA.
In 1981 the Department suggested to the Government that it should take over the cleansing function on condition that Government reimbursed the Urban Council for the cost of the work.
Negotiations with the Government resulted in the allocation of funds to the Department to take over these responsibilities. For the year 1984-85, the Director of Lands has agreed to reimburse the Urban Council a sum of $2 million for this purpose.
Turning to the second question, various means to prevent or to reduce dumping have been tried, including 24-hour patrols and erection of prohibition signs at notorious dumping sites. Directional signs advising the public to dump at the nearest control tip have also been put up at appropriate Council venues. It is encouraging to note that the incidence of illegal dumping has been reduced in recent months, as is indicated in the graphs and schedule tabled before members at today's meeting. Perhaps I could take this opportunity to remind members of the public that illegal dumping of spoil at Crown land sites is not only an offence, but also anti-social, and liable to prosecution.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.