348
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
We cannot reduce it to the lowest denominator just in terms of numbers of people attending. I think even now the society is so nibble that even certain kinds of shows will not attract audience any more because '', something that we see very often, so people don't appreciate it anymore.
you know
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I don't have time to read the press coverage on entertainment but sometimes my colleagues have sent some commentaries to me. Sometimes we have good or bad comments on the performances of our professional companies. Can the Chairman of Administration Select Committee, if agreed, ask our Public Information Unit to collate all sorts of the commentaries and send to us, so that we can have understandings of the standards of our performing companies systemically because it is very difficult for us to collate these comments. Can that be arranged?
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):— Mr. Chairman, the Cultural Division keeps very close monitoring of newspaper commentary on all our cultural presentations including the Asian Arts Festival, Film Festival, etc. These documentations if Mr. CHAN would like to look at them is welcomed.
CHAIRMAN (in English):- I think it would be a good idea to see them at tomorrow morning.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):-- The question is 'Can this be sent to us by-post rather than asking us to get it ourselves'.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):- I would like to ask other types of questions, and if Members would like to ask this question related to this, they can proceed first.
CHAIRMAN (in English):- Could I remind you that this is arising from your main question? Your attention should be directed to the supplementaries to your main question, otherwise you will get nowhere. Carry on.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):-- Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask that our performing company and its future development. Mr. FUNG said that the time is not ripe for independence and he mentioned other problems. Why the time is not ripe and what sort of problems would be encountered? At present, are we confining our performing companies or restricting their freedom if they do not become independent? In the New Territories, there are a lot of town halls and civic centres and if the Regional Council establish their own performing company, would it mean a waste of resources? If we allow our performing companies to stay independent and to be subsidized by two Councils, i.e. the Regional Council and the Urban Council, would it be a better trend for them to develop? I think, it is right for me to say that time is ripe for allowing them to be independent.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 195 of 201
349
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):- Mr. Chairman, I think it is a very complicated and loaded question. I am not too sure the rationale behind the questions are all entirely valid. But rather than to bore the public and everybody on the subject, I would like to put on record that in fact we have the closest co-operation with the New Territories even before the Regional Council was established. Ever since the opening of the Tsuen Wan Town Hall, we have shared cultural presentations. When we brought an overseas group, we shared with them. Our Chinese Orchestra and so on had been performing at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. There is a fixed financial formula for sharing cost, so it is something that is just invented the cooperation only since the establishment of Regional Council. Of course, we appreciate their cooperation with us as well. I think the two departments work very closely together now. As far as whether casting an artistic group out on its own by itself will generate more creativity is not a subject that I can talk about in even five minutes or half an hour. But if Mr. CHAN would like to know more, I am sure the Cultural Services Division would like to give him the fullest explanation possible.
MR. FAN KAM-PING (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, Mr. Fung in his reply mentioned that if we allowed our performing company to stay independent, then a lot of other problems would be created such as a lot of money would be expended. I think that this reply is too simple. Can he give me more information or can he give me some concrete examples? So that we can be enlightened on this point as to why more money will be expended if they become independent.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):- It entirely depends on the ability to manage our artistic groups that would depend on the people involved the board of governors or directors of an artistic group. We do have a lot of information about how independent artistic groups are managed in Hong Kong and I don't think we can name their names in the Open Meeting as to their efficiency of management. I think it is a fallacy to say that to privatize our artistic group will save money. Definitely it is a two-edged sword but this is why the department and the Council have an open-mind, if and when the time is ripe to privatize, we will do so.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese): -- I believe that for the privatization of these performing companies, one of four performing companies will not encounter any problem. As to the remaining three, we have considered it last year. Can we reconsider the privatization of the remaining three groups in the next financial year taking into account the past experience gained and new information to be obtained. Of course the matter is not very pressing?
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):— Mr. Chairman, may be Mr. CHAN should address this to the new Chairman of the Culture Select Committee after the 1 April.
9.
MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese):- Normally the Urban Services Department staff have to give 24 hours' notice to
Page 195
Page 196
348
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
We cannot reduce it to the lowest demoninator just in terms of numbers of people attending. I think even now the society is so nibble that even certain kinds of shows will not attract audience any more because '', something that we see very often, so people don't appreciate it anymore.
you know
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I don't have time to read the press coverage on entertainment but sometimes my colleagues have sent some commentaries to me. Sometimes we have good or bad comments on the performances of our professional companies. Can the Chairman of Administration Select Committee, if agreed, ask our Public Information Unit to collate all sorts of the commentaries and send to us, so that we can have understandings of the standards of our performing companies systemically because it is very difficult for us to collate these comments. Can that be arranged?
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, the Cultural Division keeps very close monitoring of newspaper commentary on all our cultural presentations including the Asian Arts Festival, Film Festival, etc. These documentations if Mr. CHAN would like to look at them is welcomed.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-I think it would be a good idea to see them at tomorrow morning.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese):--The question is 'Can this be sent to us by-post rather than asking us to get it ourselves'.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):-I would like to ask other types of questions, and if Members would like to ask this question related to this, they can proceed first.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Could I remind you that this is arising from your main question? Your attention should be directed to the supplementaries to your main question, otherwise you will get nowhere. Carry on.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask that our performing company and its future development. Mr. FUNG said that the time is not ripe for independence and he mentioned other problems. Why the time is not ripe and what sort of problems would be encountered? At present, are we confining our performing companies or restricting their freedom if they do not become independent? In the New Territories, there are a lot of town halls and civic centres and if the Regional Council establish their own performing company, would it mean a waste of resources? If we allow our performing companies to stay independent and to be subsidized by two Councils, i.e. the Regional Council and the Urban Council, would it be a better trend for them to develop? I think, it is right for me to say that time is tipe for allowing them to be independent.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 195 of 201
349
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I think it is a very complicated and loaded question. I am not too sure the rationale behind the questions are all entirely valid. But rather than to bore the public and everybody on the subject, I would like to put on record that in fact we have the closest co-operation with the New Territories even before the Regional Council was established. Ever since the opening of the Tsuen Wan Town Hall, we have shared cultural presentations. When we brought an overseas group, we shared with them. Our Chinese Orchestra and so on had been performing at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. There is a fixed financial formula for sharing cost, so it is something that is just invented the cooperation only since the establishment of Regional Council. Of course, we appreciate their cooperation with us as well. I think the two departments work very closely together now. As far as whether casting an artistic group out on its own by itself will generate more creativity is not a subject that I can talk about in even five minutes or half an hour. But if Mr. CHAN would like to know more, I am sure the Cultural Services Division would like to give him the fullest explanation possible.
MR. FAN KAM-PING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, Mr. Fung in his reply mentioned that if we allowed our performing company to stay independent, then a lot of other problems would be created such as a lot of money would be expended. I think that this reply is too simple. Can he give me more information or can he give me some concrete examples? So that we can be enlightened on this point as to why more money will be expended if they become independent.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-It entirely depends on the ability to manage our artistic groups that would depend on the people invloved the board of governors or directors of an artisite group. We do have a lot of information about how independent artistic groups are managed in Hong Kong and I don't think we can name their names in the Open Meeting as to their efficiency of management. I think it is a fallacy to say that to privatize our artistic group will save money. Definitely it is a two-edged sword but this is why the department and the Council have an open-mind, if and when the time is ripe to privatize, we will do so.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese): --I believe that for the privatization of these performing companies, one of four performing companies will not encounter any problem. As to the remaining three, we have considered it last year. Can we reconsider the privatization of the remaining three groups in the next financial year taking into account the past experience gained and new information to be obtained. Of course the matter is not very pressing?
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may be Mr. CHAN should address this to the new Chairman of the Culture Select Committee after the 1 April.
9.
MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese):- Normally the Urban Services Department staff have to give 24 hours' notice to
Page 195Page 196
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.