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judgements. No scientific surveys are conducted beforehand to find out the needs of the residents in respect of recreation and sport activities, nor are systematic assessments made afterwards to find out the participants' views on fees, coaches' quality and the facilities provided. As a result, details of the activities and the development strategies are based only on the officers' administrative convenience and working experience, and no consideration was given from the angle of the service users. Such development strategies are made according to assumptions. No objective basis and data are used in the setting of directions for the development of recreation and sport activities and in the review of current policies to meet the needs of the public. For instance, many parents have complained to me that applications for some activities organized by the District Offices are accepted on first-come-first-served basis. Obviously this arrangement has been made for the sake of administrative convenience only. As a result, parents have to line up early for their children. Yet lining up early is still no guarantee that their children can participate in the activities because there may be other parents who come even earlier or people who queue up for others. These cases occur even more often for seasonal activities, such as swimming classes. In order to achieve the objective of serving the people, I hope the Department can adopt the method of drawing lots. We should use a more open and fair method to cater for the people's needs, though this will inevitably increase the workload of our staff.
Conclusion
Indeed, we still have a lot to do and improve as far as urban services are concerned. I hope our colleagues and the Department can co-operate fully and respond promptly to the needs of the public. This is the only way we can make Hong Kong a better place to live in. The urban area is under our management. If our management methods and policies are outdated, we will not only fail to live up to the public's expectations but also damage the international image of Hong Kong. So we should work together to create a healthy city in order to be worthy of the trust the people of Hong Kong place on us.
These are my remarks.
THE HON. SZETO WAH (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, when you moved the motion in the Annual Conventional Debate 2 days ago, you came straight to the point and remarked with a tinge of pride, "This is the first time I address the re-constituted and fully elected Council in the Annual Conventional Debate in the capacity of an elected Member.' You also said, 'I believe that, with the mandate of the people they represent, the fully elected Council will reflect more effectively the needs of the community, take better care of their health and their environment and further enrich the quality of lives of all city dwellers in Hong Kong.'
Mr. Chairman, you affirmed your approval of the democratic election. Taking this stand is praise-worthy. I hope that you will persist in this stand and never allow this moral integrity to perish. Confucius said, "The superior man is satisfied and composed.' And Mencius said, 'If on self-examination, I find that I am
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judgements. No scientific surveys are conducted beforehand to find out the needs of the residents in respect of recreation and sport activities, nor are systematic assessments made afterwards to find out the participants' views on fees, coaches' quality and the facilities provided. As a result, details of the activities and the development strategies are based only on the officers' administrative convenience and working experience, and no consideration was given from the angle of the service users. Such development strategies are made according to assumptions. No objective basis and data are used in the setting of directions for the development of recreation and sport activities and in the review of current policies to meet the needs of the public. For instance, many parents have complained to me that applications for some activities organized by the District Offices are accepted on first-come-first-served basis. Obviously this arrangement has been made for the sake of administrative convenience only. As a result, parents have to line up early for their children. Yet lining up early is still no guarantee that their children can participate in the activities because there may be other parents who come even earlier or people who queue up for others. These cases occur even more often for seasonal activities, such as swimming classes. In order to achieve the objective of serving the people, I hope the Department can adopt the method of drawing lots. We should use a more open and fair method to cater for the people's needs, though this will inevitably increase the workload of our staff.
Conclusion
Indeed, we still have a lot to do and improve as far as urban services are concerned. I hope our colleagues and the Department can co-operate fully and respond promptly to the needs of the public. This is the only way we can make Hong Kong a better place to live in. The urban area is under our management. If our management methods and policies are outdated, we will not only fail to live up to the public's expectations but also damage the international image of Hong Kong. So we should work together to create a healthy city in order to be worthy of the trust the people of Hong Kong place on us.
These are my remarks.
THE HON. SZETO WAH (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, when you moved the motion in the Annual Conventional Debate 2 days ago, you came straight to the point and remarked with a tinge of pride. "This is the first time I address the re- constituted and fully elected Council in the Annual Conventional Debate in the capacity of an elected Member.' You also said, 'I believe that, with the mandate of the people they represent, the fully elected Council will reflect more effectively the needs of the community, take better care of their health and their environment and further enrich the quality of lives of all city dwellers in Hong Kong.'
Mr. Chairman, you affirmed your approval of the democratic election. Taking this stand is praise-worthy. I hope that you will persist in this stand and never allow this moral integrity to perish. Confucius said. "The superior man is satisfied and composed.' And Mencius said. 'If on self-examination, I find that I am
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