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28 September 1986. This is followed by a number of life-saving clubs to be formed in other venues, including the beautiful beaches on Hong Kong Island. The formation of life-saving clubs increases the rate of usage of the facilities during non-peak hours, and provide voluntary lifeguards, while promoting life-saving as a sport. It also symbolizes the spirit of sincere cooperation between the Council and the districts while strengthening the sense of belonging of the district organizations towards their own districts. It can be considered a joint contribution of both parties to community building. I think this is a correct move that should be applied to other district facilities. For example, suitable culture and sports associations should, through the recommendation of district offices, be brought into closer cooperation with district UC CACs and sports grounds so as to make the best of the facilities for promotion of culture, art, leisure service, recreation and sports. This is a way to fulfil the target of improving the public's quality of living.

Youth Day

There has always been a public holiday around 15 June every year to celebrate the Queen's birthday. The event is highlighted by various celebration activities throughout the territory which used to be organized by the Recreation and Culture Department until 1985 when the Urban Council took over the duty. To mark the occasion, the Council organized in 1985 and 1986 a series of recreational participation. On her visit to Hong Kong on 21 October this year, the Queen visited the Hong Kong Coliseum on the night of arrival to see "The Youth Spectacular', a large-scale variety show performed by thousands of youths. This reflects the Queen's concern about the younger generation. In fact, the importance of young people to a nation is deeply realized by all countries, many even set up youth policies to fully foster the future masters of their countries. A Central Committee on Youth was appointed by the Chief Secretary in June this year. Its main duty is to consult citizens from all walks of life whether we need an overall and long-term policy on young people before advising the central government on the matter. To remind the local people to concern about the younger generation, to prepare the youths for the changes Hong Kong faces, and to foster them to contribute to the transitional period and the future special administrative region, I suggest that the Queen's birthday be made the Youth Day on which various youth-oriented activities should be held. To do this, coordination with other government departments and various sectors is, of course, necessary. However, with its own resources, the Council can take the lead in organizing activities in fields of culture, arts, recreation, sports, libraries and museums so as to make the Youth Day more colourful and meaningful. I hope my suggestion would be considered.

Sir, I support your motion.

MR. MARVIN K. T. CHEUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, many years ago Hong Kong was once described as a cultural desert but today it would be more appropriate to describe our city as a cultural oasis with an abundance of cultural activities ranging from Symphonic Concerts to operas and plays. This transformation has been achieved through the dedication and hard work of many people over a long period of time, but the financial support of this Council must be regarded as one of the most important ingredients. Like it or not, the provision of cultural activities depends on the availability of money. The availability of money provides scope for improving and enriching our cultural scene. Unfortunately, money is a scarce commodity and our Council, like any other municipal government, has to balance its budget and set priorities to allocate our scarce resources.

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appropriate to describe our city as a cultural oasis with an abundance of cultural activities ranging from Symphonic Concerts to operas and plays. This transformation has been achieved through the dedication and hard work of many people over a long period of time, but the financial support of this Council must be regarded as one of the most important ingredients. Like it or not, the provision of cultural activities depends on the availability of money. The availability of money provides scope for improving and enriching our cultural scene. Unfortunately, money is a scarce commodity and our Council, like any other municipal government, has to balance its budget and set priorities to allocate our scarce resources.

Some years ago, a decision was taken to build a new cultural complex in Tsim Sha Tsui which, when completed, will serve as the cultural centre of Hong Kong. This capital project will cost the Government many hundreds of millions of dollars. If this facility is not utilized to its fullest extent, then the expenditure will have resulted in the creation of yet another white elephant. Accordingly, I submit that this Council must make adequate preparation in good time to step up our efforts to provide an even increased level of cultural presentations to the people of Hong Kong in this new venue.

Without question, a symphonic orchestra is an important feature in any cultural scene. Hong Kong is fortunate enough to have the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been improving every year and, by all accounts, is regarded as one of the leading orchestras in Asia. Unfortunately, to maintain an orchestra of such standard requires funds well in excess of what can realistically be generated from ticket sales, even taking into account such events as the Pop Concert series held at the HK Coliseum. What is also important is that the creation of such an orchestra takes years and requires a lot of planning. Therefore, policies will need to be formulated years in advance, and sudden changes in direction should be avoided wherever possible.

As in other cities, the Hong Kong Philharmonic has relied heavily on the support of donations and subsidies. Unfortunately, in a city like Hong Kong, where the cultural tradition is not deep-rooted, the amounts that can be raised by donations are limited, and the majority of the operating budget of the HK Philharmonic has to be funded by subsidies from Government and this Council.

I am well aware of the argument being advanced that the current subsidies to the HK Philharmonic are already at a substantial level, particularly when compared to the amounts of subsidies being given to other similar organizations. Nevertheless, the HK Phil continues to face financial difficulties at the present level of subsidies.

Therefore, I urge our councillors to reconsider at an early date the future of the HK Philharmonic and our involvement therein, bearing in mind that any policy changes will take a long lead time to put into effect. In this connection, I would venture to suggest that the following matters may merit your attention:-