Post on 31-May-2022
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(Translation)
Minutes of the 18th
Meeting of the 4th
Wan Chai District Council
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Date: 16 September 2014 (Tuesday)
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Venue: District Council Conference Room, Wan Chai District Office,
21/F Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, H.K.
Present
Chairperson
Mr SUEN Kai-cheong, SBS, MH, JP
Vice-Chairperson
Mr Stephen NG, MH, JP
Members
Ms Pamela PECK
Ms Yolanda NG, MH
Ms Kenny LEE
Ms Peggy LEE
Mr Ivan WONG, MH
Mr David LAI
Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH
Ms Jacqueline CHUNG
Dr Jeffrey PONG
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Representatives of Core Government Departments
Ms Angela LUK, JP District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department
Mr Alfred LEUNG Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department
Ms Daphne CHAN Senior Liaison Officer (Community Affairs), Home Affairs
Department
Mr CHAN Chung-chi District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wan Chai),
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
Mr NG Shan-ho District Commander (Wan Chai), Hong Kong Police Force
Ms Maxim KWOK Police Community Relation Officer (Wan Chai District),
Hong Kong Police Force
Mr Nelson CHAN Chief Transport Officer (Hong Kong), Transport Department
Mr Samson LAM Chief Engineer/HK(2), Civil Engineering and Development
Department
Mr Simon LIU Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong East), Leisure and Cultural
Services Department
Ms Brenda YEUNG District Leisure Manager (Wan Chai), Leisure and Cultural
Services Department
Ms Phoebe WONG Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)3,
Social Welfare Department
Mr Alex KWOK Senior Estate Surveyor/LC & LE (District Lands Office/Hong
Kong East, West & South), Lands Department
Representatives of Other Government Departments and Organisations
Mrs Jessie TING, JP Postmaster General, Post Office
Mr Leo YAN Director (Operations), Post Office
Ms Vivien LEE Director (Product Development, Marketing and Sales),
Post Office
Mr Simon NG Assistant Secretary (Tree Management)1, Tree Management
Office
Mr John CHAN Senior Landscape Architect (1), Highways Department
Absent with Apologies
Mr David WONG
for
agenda
item 1
for
agenda
item 4
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Mr CHENG Ki-kin
Secretary
Mr Vincent CHUK Senior Executive Officer (District Council)/Wan Chai
Action
Opening Remarks
1. The Chairperson welcomed Mrs Jessie TING, JP, Postmaster
General, Mr Leo YAN, Director (Operations) and Ms Vivien LEE, Director
(Product Development, Marketing and Sales) of the Post Office, to the
meeting. Mrs Jessie TING, JP was going to exchange views with the Wan
Chai District Council (WCDC) on the services of Hongkong Post. The
Chairperson also extended welcome to Mr NG Shan-ho, District
Commander (Wan Chai) of Hong Kong Police Force, who attended the
meeting for the first time, Mr Alex KWOK, Senior Estate Surveyor/LC &
LE (District Lands Office/Hong Kong East, West & South) of the Lands
Department (LandsD), who replaced Mr Vincent PANG, and Ms Phoebe
WONG, Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)3 of
the Social Welfare Department, who replaced Mr NGAN Man-por.
Before the meeting, Mr David WONG and Mr CHENG Ki-kin informed
WCDC of being unable to attend the meeting due to personal engagements.
According to Section 51(1) of WCDC Standing Orders, any leave
applications would only be approved on the grounds that the applicant was
sick or was required to attend another meeting or activity on behalf of
WCDC. As Mr David WONG and Mr CHENG Ki-kin were unable to
attend this meeting, they were considered absent from the meeting.
2. The Chairperson asked Members to note the papers on the
conference table and the suggested speaking time. As usual, each
Member would be allotted a maximum of three minutes to speak in respect
of each agenda item.
Meeting with Head of Department
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Item 1: Visit by Postmaster General
3. The Chairperson invited Mrs Jessie TING, JP, Postmaster General,
to introduce the work of the Post Office.
(Ms Yolanda NG, MH, joined the meeting at 2:35 p.m.)
4. Mrs Jessie TING, JP, with the aid of PowerPoint presentation,
briefed Members on the operations of Hongkong Post, including the
network of postal facilities, the Post Office Trading Fund, development
strategies of Hongkong Post, an overview of Hong Kong’s postal services,
postal facilities in Wan Chai District and the partnership between
Hongkong Post and Wan Chai community.
(Ms Jacqueline CHUNG joined the meeting at 2:40 p.m.)
(Mr David LAI joined the meeting at 2:42 p.m.)
5. The Chairperson thanked Mrs Jessie TING, JP, for her detailed
introduction of the postal services in Hong Kong. He pointed out that
postal services were closely related to the public. Having operated as a
trading fund since August 1995, Hongkong Post had been making its best
endeavours to maintain service quality on a self-financing basis, breaking
away from the confines of being a conventional government department.
The Post Office Trading Fund had been in operation for about 20 years.
He then invited Member to express their views on today’s postal services.
(Mr Ivan WONG, MH, joined the meeting at 2:47 p.m.)
6. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) The last adjustment to the postage rate was from $1.4 to
$1.7, an increase of over 20%. The public hoped that the
next review of postage rates should be made within a shorter
time to avoid introducing a large increase and causing public
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dissatisfaction.
(ii) In overseas countries, the functions of a post office might
include providing deposit services for low income groups.
She enquired about the views of the Postmaster General on
providing such services under the self-financing mode of
operation.
(iii) Regarding the temporary storage arrangement for large mail
items, she enquired about the penetration rate and asked if
such an arrangement could only be implemented in buildings
in Mid-Levels or buildings with good management.
7. Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH asked if there was any stamp vending
machine in Wan Chai Post Office. Such facilities might sound outdated,
but demand still existed, in particular in areas such as MTR stations and the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. She also enquired if such
facilities would be phased out since they were increasingly outdated.
8. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and
enquiries:
(i) Before 2007, the Causeway Bay Post Office was situated at
Elizabeth House. It was subsequently moved to Windsor
House after lease renewal had been refused. The location
was excellent but the rental was expensive. She enquired if
consideration would be given to relocate the post office to a
government property since Hongkong Post was operated
with resource constraints after evolving into a self-financing
entity since 1995.
(ii) Wan Chai District had large mobile residents. New
residents had no idea when postmen would come for mail
delivery. The introduction of the temporary storage
arrangement for large mail items was a very good direction.
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She enquired if online information could be provided to
inform residents of the approximate mail delivery time of
various buildings so that they would stay at home to receive
the mail item directly.
(iii) Regarding the temporary storage arrangement for large mail
items, there were “three-nil” buildings in the district.
Management companies of some buildings had no
knowledge of such a service. She enquired how Members
could help promote the service.
9. Dr Jeffrey PONG raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) He enquired if Hongkong Post had kept statistics on the
percentage of mail items sent to a wrong address or returned
to sender, and if yes, what the percentage was. In the old
districts throughout the territory, many door plates did not
show the address clearly, leading to sending mail items to a
wrong address. In addition, the phase numbers and block
numbers of many large residential estates might be easily
mixed up. He asked if Hongkong Post could educate the
public on how to provide a correct address, or how to handle
mail items sent to a wrong address or returned undelivered,
thereby reducing loss of mail items.
(ii) Noting that some newly issued stamps were self-adhesive,
just like stickers, he enquired if the issue of stamp stickers
was a general trend and if there would be any special impact
on philately. Although the status of stamps might not be
very high as before, they still had their own value.
Traditional people and tourists might still be interested in
collecting stamps featuring Hong Kong’s characteristics.
He enquired about the trend of first day covers and stamps to
be issued by Hongkong Post.
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10. Mr Ivan WONG, MH raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) Self-adhesive stamps were very convenient and they were
popular in overseas countries. This kind of stamps was
particularly useful for bulk posting and should be widely
publicised.
(ii) There were no posting boxes in some remote areas or on
hillside. The elderly found it very inconvenient as they had
to go out by taking vehicles if they wanted to post a letter.
They could not make an application for the provision of a
posting box since there was one within certain area. He
enquired if it was possible for residents living in remote
areas to place their mail items in their management office for
collection by postmen when they came for mail delivery.
Such a service would offer convenience to the public and did
not require the provision of additional posting boxes. It
should be considered having regard to the implication on
human resources and the need for making supporting
arrangements.
11. Ms Yolanda NG, MH raised the following comments and enquires:
(i) It was pleased to note that since evolving into a
self-financing entity, Hongkong Post had made a
comprehensive reform, including launching diverse
philatelic products and services, and making the design of
post offices user-friendly.
(ii) At present, stamps were available for sale in many
convenient stores since post offices could not be found
everywhere. However, there were cases where members of
the public tried a number of convenient stores but could not
get a stamp. Action should be taken to address the
insufficient stock of stamps in convenient stores.
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(iii) The counter collection service jointly provided with Taobao
should also be widely publicised. Such a service not only
offered convenience to the public, but also helped resolve
some street obstruction problems. Goods distribution
activities carried out on streets by some logistics companies
often caused disturbances to the public. If the counter
collection service was popular among customers, it would
help resolve the street obstruction problem caused by goods
distribution activities. It was hoped that the work in this
respect would be enhanced.
(iv) The installation of new letter boxes in old buildings had been
proposed for years, but difficulties would arise upon actual
implementation. Buildings without an owners’ corporation
could hardly arrange for the installation. However, such
buildings usually had a higher rate of mail loss and a greater
proportion of damaged letter boxes. It was hoped that
Hongkong Post could provide more assistance in this
respect.
(v) She said that people could make online applications for
circular mail service at present. Such an arrangement was
highly efficient, offering convenience to the general public.
However, it seemed that not many members of the public
had knowledge of cyber security measures. It was hoped
that Hongkong Post would enhance publicity of
e-government, in particular e-ID, to enable the public to use
online services safely.
12. Ms Pamela PECK raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) Delivering mail items to management offices was a good
idea but it should be made clear that if the distribution work
was to be taken up by staff of management offices.
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(ii) Letter boxes of the general public were often packed with
advertising letters of varying sizes. Such letters were
unlikely to be useful to the public.
(iii) During District Council’s election, DC members needed to
send promotional items to a large number of households.
Given the budget constraints, they found the expensive
postage rates not easy to afford. She enquired if
concessionary rates could be offered to facilitate
communication between DC members and local residents.
13. The Chairperson said that philatelists would like to have stamps in
diverse designs and made with different materials. He commented that
stamp stickers were very creative and told the meeting that some places
even had issued stamps in triangular or round shape. Stamp sheets were
popular among collectors but stamp sheets issued by Hongkong Post were
in different sizes. Some stamp sheets were too large for a general stamp
album. Citing Macau as an example, he commented that the diversity of a
stamp sheet should not lie in its size but the number of stamp sets contained
therein. Stamp sheets of similar sizes should be issued to make them
easier to be kept. The Chairperson hoped that Hongkong Post would
make improvement in this respect.
14. Mrs Jessie TING, JP made the following responses:
(i) Regarding the frequency of revisions of postage rates, the
last revision was made in October last year. There was
indeed a span of over 10 years between the last two
revisions. The postage rates had not been revised for over
10 years because Hongkong Post had been striving to
explore new sources of revenue instead of introducing any
increase in postage rates. In introducing any future
revisions of postage rates, Hongkong Post would pay due
regard for the public aspiration for shortening the time span
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between two revisions, with a view to avoiding any large
increase in postage rates.
(ii) Small deposit services fell within the scope of financial
services. As stipulated by law, the businesses that
Hongkong Post was allowed to operate did not include
financial services. Besides, given the thriving financial
sector in Hong Kong, providing such services might do little
to help the overall business performance of Hongkong Post.
Therefore, Hongkong Post would not provide small deposit
services.
(iii) As regards the temporary storage arrangement for large mail
items, only five housing estates in the district had
participated in the scheme, which was a relatively small
proportion. This might due to some actual considerations.
For example, a management office was required for
providing such service, and the management office should be
able to make room for placing the mail items. It was
considered that there was room for such service to be
expanded in the district. The unenthusiastic response from
residents might be due to the fact that they did not have good
knowledge of the service. The other reason might be the
unwillingness of property management companies to make
supporting arrangements. Since DC members had good
knowledge of the local district, they might be able to provide
HongKong Post with information about housing estates
likely to accept the provision of such a service. With
regard to the delivery and receipt of mail items, postmen
would keep a record after handing the mail items to the staff
of a management office. In general, mail items for
temporary storage were not expensive and precious items.
Most of those items were some printed matter which was too
large for a letter box. Since no one answered the door
when a door-to-door delivery was made, the postman would
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hand the item to the management office. When the
addressee came home, the management office would return
the item to the addressee.
(iv) At present, there were stamp vending machines in various
post offices. Hongkong Post had no plan to phase out such
a service. However, as the usage of stamp vending
machines was extremely low, the service would not be
further expanded. Besides, stamps were available for sale
at many convenience stores throughout the territory. The
sales arrangements agreed between Hongkong Post and
convenience stores included requiring convenient stores to
inform Hongkong Post once their stamps were out of stock.
Perhaps individual convenience stores did not give timely
notification, resulting in stamps being out of stock. In
response to the Member’s comments, Hongkong Post would
pay more attention to the matter.
(v) In considering the provision of a post office, a number of
factors had to be taken into account. Apart from the
expenses on rental, the department should pay due regard to
the distribution of post offices, with a view to ensuring all
districts were provided with the services. Moreover, the
operations of a post office were not limited to front-end
operations. Back-end workflow included delivery of mail
items by postal vehicles. Therefore, consideration should
be given to whether there were parking spaces. Generally,
post offices would be situated at government buildings. In
some cases, the locations of government buildings were not
suitable or there were no vacant rooms in the buildings.
The department would maintain close communication with
the Government Property Agency in this respect.
(vi) As regards providing the public with information about
postmen’s mail delivery schedules, postmen did follow a
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fixed delivery route every day, but the number of mail items
for different addresses within a mail delivery beat was
different every day. In addition, some mail items required
door-to-door delivery and the time required varied
depending on whether someone was there to answer the
door. Therefore, it was not possible to provide the exact
mail delivery schedule of a postman. At most, only
approximate time could be provided. The department
would further consider the relevant suggestion.
(vii) Regarding mails returned undelivered, there were a large
number of mail items not easy to be delivered each year due
to various reasons, one of which was incorrect address.
Hongkong Post had set up a team of staff responsible for
handling these mail items. Some addresses and names of
buildings were very similar. Therefore, during the process
of saving a letter, a number of deliveries might have to be
made, which involved considerable resources. Hongkong
Post had been encouraging the public through publicity
efforts to provide the correct address to others since the
address written down by the sender often came from the
recipient. Moreover, the department was developing a set
of software through which members of the public could
check online if an address was correct, with a view to
encouraging the public to provide the correct address.
(viii) The issue of self-adhesive stamps was not the trend of local
stamps. Yet some special and commemorative stamps
would be issued with self-adhesive function. For example,
a set of Christmas stamps to be issued this year would be
self-adhesive stamps. Members who loved self-adhesive
stamps were encouraged to buy more.
(ix) Hongkong Post had spared no effort in choosing the
appropriate themes for the issue of stamps, aiming at
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demonstrating the features of Hong Kong through stamps.
This year, 11 sets of special and commemorative stamps
would be issued, including a set of Lunar New Year Animal
stamps. They were designed to display the diversified
features of Hong Kong. Apart from paper stamps,
Hongkong Post had issued stamps made with silk. Besides,
to tie in with the dinosaur exhibition held earlier by the
Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD),
Hongkong Post had issued a set of dinosaur stamps with
luminous effect to enhance children’s interest in stamp
collection. Other themes included weather phenomena,
famous paintings, geoparks, Cantonese opera costumes, etc.
In regard to the design of stamps, Hongkong Post had been
issuing stamps with diverse design features with a view to
attracting more people to stamp collection and enhancing
public understanding of Hong Kong and the world through
stamp collection. The suggestions made by the
Chairperson on the size of stamp sheets reflected his
extensive knowledge of philatelic products. The
department would consider his suggestions after the meeting.
(x) The provision of postal facilities including post offices,
posting boxes, stamp vending machines was demand-led and
efficient use of resources should be ensured. After
installation of a posting box, the department had to arrange
for postmen to collect letters. It would not be cost-effective
if the posting quantity was very low. If postmen were
required to collect letters from a management office, some
practical problems might arise such as requiring additional
time for delivering and collecting letters at the same time.
Therefore, members of the public were encouraged to post
their mail items via posting boxes or post offices.
(xi) The counter collection service newly provided by Hongkong
Post was very popular among the public. Greater publicity
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efforts would be launched in the hope that better use of the
network of post offices would be achieved. The
replacement of old letter boxes should be made by residents
on a voluntary basis. There might be practical difficulties
for some old buildings to replace the letter boxes as the
conditions of the buildings might pose certain constraints.
Improvement to letter boxes could be made when the
buildings were undergoing renovation. There were some
proper letter boxes available for sale at Hongkong Post
which could ensure mail security.
(xii) The promotion of e-government was the work of another
department. Hongkong Post was mainly responsible for
providing e-Cert services. Hongkong Post had been
rendering its full support for provision of e-services by
government departments and would maintain close contact
with relevant government departments.
(xiii) According to a Member’s comments, some members of the
public might not want to receive advertising mails. They
could simply place a “No Circular Mail” sticker on their
letter box and postmen would not deliver circular mails to
them.
(xiv) Regarding the suggestion to offer concessionary postage
rates for DC members for bulk posting of circular mails, the
postage rates for circular mails were already lower than
those for ordinary mails.
15. The Chairperson thanked Mrs Jessie TING, JP for answering
Members’ concerns. He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Mrs
Jessie TING, JP for the “Chinese Opera Costumes” stamp covers. The
Chairperson said that it was no easy task for Hongkong Post to shoulder the
social responsibilities on a self-financing basis after evolving from a
government department into a trading fund entity. It was hoped that
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Hongkong Post would continue to provide quality services for the public.
16. Ms Pamela PECK supplemented that the use of area codes like the
practices of the United States would enhance the accuracy of mail delivery.
Given its small size, Hong Kong would find the area code approach
particularly useful.
17. Mrs Jessie TING, JP responded that Hongkong Post had considered
the use of area codes. However, since Hong Kong was densely populated
with many high-rise buildings, there would be practical difficulties in
launching area codes. In fact, writing down a correct address on mail
items was crucial.
Confirmation of Minutes of Meeting
Item 2: Confirmation of Minutes of the 17h Meeting of the Wan Chai
District Council
18. The Chairperson said that the Secretariat received amendments
proposed by Ms Peggy LEE before the meeting. He asked Members to
note the proposed amendments at Appendix A. As Members did not
propose any amendments at the meeting, the minutes of the 17th
meeting of
WCDC were confirmed after a motion was moved by Dr Anna TANG,
BBS, MH and seconded by Ms Jacqueline CHUNG.
Discussion Items
Item 3: Review of the Allocation of WCDC Funds in 2014/15
(WCDC Paper No. 68/2014)
19. The Chairperson asked Members to consider the estimated
expenditure proposed in the paper (at Annex 1). The proposed
expenditure was discussed and endorsed by the Funding and Finance
Committee at its meeting on 4 September 2014, and it was now submitted
to WCDC for approval. Since Members did not raise any objection at the
meeting, the paper on allocation of funds was approved after a motion was
moved by Ms Jacqueline CHUNG and seconded by Ms Yolanda NG, MH.
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Written Questions
Item 4: Concern over Tree Management in Wan Chai District
(WCDC Paper No. 80/2014)
20. The Chairperson welcomed Mr Simon NG, Assistant Secretary (Tree
Management)1 of the Tree Management Office (TMO), Mr John CHAN,
Senior Landscape Architect (1) of the Highways Department (HyD), as
well as Mr Simon LIU, Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong East) and Ms
Brenda YEUNG, District Leisure Manager (Wan Chai) of LCSD, to the
meeting for discussion of the above paper.
21. The Chairperson asked Dr Jeffrey PONG if he had anything to add
in respect of his written question. Since Dr PONG had nothing to add, the
Chairperson asked the relevant government departments if they had any
verbal responses in addition to their written responses. Since the relevant
departments did not have anything to add, the Chairperson invited Dr
Jeffrey PONG to raise follow-up questions.
22. Dr Jeffrey PONG raised the following comments and enquires:
(i) A tree collapse incident happened in Central and Western
District last month, causing the death of a pregnant woman.
The tree in question belonged to a private housing estate.
The conditions of trees in private housing estates varied.
Some aged trees might collapse due to improper
management. He enquired if the existing legislation was
adequate for regulating the situation, and if TMO had
sufficient manpower for carrying out inspection.
(ii) Some trees in private housing estates might be managed by
owners’ committees or owners themselves. They might not
have sufficient knowledge to engage appropriate
professionals for monitoring their trees.
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(iii) Tree collapse incidents happened occasionally even on
government land or streets. According to the written reply,
trees were inspected at least twice a year. However, during
summer time and the wet season, tree conditions and soil
might have drastic changes amid the changing weather. He
queried if monitoring tree conditions only through visual
inspection by HyD and TMO was effective enough.
(iv) It was believed that TMO and the Development Bureau
(DevB) had received a lot of views on enacting legislation
on trees. He enquired if the Administration would maintain
an open mind on tree legislation. He also asked if there
was an established stance or a timetable for the
implementation of tree legislation.
23. Mr Ivan WONG, MH raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) Maintenance of trees in private housing estates should be
carried out by owners’ corporations or owners themselves.
It was not possible for the Government to devote substantial
resources to inspecting trees within private areas.
(ii) It was stated in the written reply that a minimum of two
inspections were conducted every year. Some trees might
look healthy, but an inspection by a sonic tomography
instrument might detect a large tree cavity. He queried the
accuracy of visual inspection, and asked what criteria were
adopted by HyD for determining the use of visual inspection
or equipment for tree inspection, given that there were not
enough experts in tree maintenance. He also asked if a
report would be compiled after a regular inspection.
(iii) The responsibility for tree maintenance should not lie solely
on HyD. Tree maintenance should be inter-departmental
work. He enquired about the details of the work and the
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actions taken to minimise tree risks.
24. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) She believed that trees in public places were monitored by
different departments. She was concerned about the
management of trees within private lots. Many buildings in
Wan Chai District did not have an owners’ corporation.
Residents had no idea of the ownership of trees. In some
cases, the trees were growing against a wall for some time.
No one knew that it was problematic until the roots of the
trees broke the wall, causing concrete falling. It was not
possible to identify a responsible party in the absence of an
owners’ corporation. It did not help even with owners
being informed in writing. Owners might take no action
because they had other commitments or they considered that
the situation was of no concern to them. Besides, tree
management was a complex issue; otherwise it was not
necessary for the Government to set up TMO for overseeing
tree maintenance.
(ii) She enquired if the Government would consider taking
measures first when there was no response from the owners
after they had been repeatedly informed of a dangerous tree,
just like the practice adopted by the Buildings Department
(BD) which allowed it to carry out the removal works before
imposing charges. With these precautionary measures,
relevant accidents might be reduced.
25. Mr David LAI raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) Since the occurrence of the tree collapse incident last month,
many residents would be in fear when they saw a big tree or
trees stretching out of a road. They would then make a
complaint to DC members, asking them to address the
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situation. Many residents had made such reactions within
that short period of time.
(ii) In fact, trees had their own self-repairing mechanism.
However, residents had no knowledge of the differences
between an aged tree and a sick tree. He hoped that the
Administration would launch a public education programme
to educate the public or property owners on the need to
monitor the situation of trees by themselves or by engaging
an expert to do the job. This would help prevent trees from
being removed because of unnecessary fears. In the past,
there were cases where healthy trees were removed by TMO.
He hoped that TMO would give prior notification to DC
members before carrying out removal works since many
residents were tree lovers and they did not want to see any
trees be removed before they were confirmed to have
problems.
26. Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH raised the following comments and
enquiries:
(i) She considered that considerable efforts had been made by
TMO and local organisations involved in tree management
to ensure proper management of trees on government land.
Publicity of tree management had been made through talks
and sending letters to private property owners.
(ii) She suggested that apart from appealing to the public for tree
management, TMO should consider issuing guidelines,
requiring management companies of private housing estates
or owners’ corporations to submit a report on the conditions
of trees in their housing estates every year. The
Government could provide technical support in this respect.
This could at least ensure that they would keep an eye on
trees in areas under their management.
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27. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:
(i) Since her constituency had an abundance of trees, actions
were needed from time to time to tackle dangerous trees. It
was found that the performance of horticultural contractors
varied, some with arborists but some without. Some
arborists claimed that they had no knowledge of foundation
works. In such case, an engineer specialised in foundation
works had to be engaged to examine if the foundation was
affected by tree roots. This showed that some horticultural
companies did not have enough experts. In view of the fact
that other departments responsible for maintenance, such as
BD, had compiled a list of competent contractors, she
suggested that DevB and relevant departments under its
purview should consider publishing a list of competent
horticultural contractors for reference of the public.
(ii) There were no government departments responsible for
providing professional advice on the management of trees
within private lots. In some cases, residents intended to
preserve the trees but they were worried that the trees might
affect the foundation, posing a threat to the life of the
general public. Since residents did not want to spend
another sum for engaging an engineer specialised in
foundation works, they tended to remove the trees as a
solution. She suggested that the Government should
provide an advisory channel for the public, so that they
could consult government experts in horticulture.
28. Mr Stephen NG, MH, JP raised the following comments and
enquiries:
(i) DC members had made tremendous efforts in the
management of trees in public places, such as referring
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complaints to TMO or informing it of any irregularities
detected visually. TMO had also made prompt responses.
(ii) If owners were held liable for a tree collapse incident in a
private area, a huge sum of compensation would be
involved, which would be a great burden on owners.
Maintenance companies or management companies tended
to solve the problem by removing the tree in question. Yet,
it was doubtful if they possessed the relevant expertise.
Since substantial compensation might arise from an injury
caused by a tree collapse, owners might tend to adopt a
stringent approach by removing the tree, regardless of
whether the tree was in good condition or not. The cost of
this approach might be the lowest. However, if the tree in
question had been registered with LandsD, owners were
required to do compensatory planting after removal of the
tree. Therefore, they would find themselves being caught
in a dilemma. He asked what actions would be taken by
the Government to assist private property owners, such as
providing them with professional knowledge, and what
would be done to regulate the relevant industry.
29. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and
enquiries:
(i) As told by the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services
during her visit to WCDC a few years ago, TMO was
responsible for overseeing the tree management throughout
the territory, leading to a very tight manpower situation.
She enquired if it had been provided with additional
manpower in recent years, or if it would divide its work by
region such as Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New
Territories, with each region to be managed by different
manpower.
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(ii) She acknowledged that LCSD had devoted special attention
to tree management. In recent years, greening ambassadors
had provided training for local residents and interested
parties, equipping them with knowledge of visual inspection
of tree conditions. The training was useful though not
highly professional.
(iii) Noting that a mechanism had been in place for reporting
smoky vehicles, she suggested that a similar mechanism
could be introduced for tree management to facilitate the
public in reporting problematic trees.
(iv) She supported publishing a list of relevant professionals by
LCSD for private property owners’ reference. Such a list
would assist owners in looking for professionals to save
trees, instead of removing them all the time, as trees had a
life of their own.
(v) Many owners had no idea of the ownership of trees within
their premises. She hoped that LandsD and LCSD would
join hands to carry out inspection of trees in Wan Chai
District, with a view to specifying which trees belonged to
the Government and which belonged to private owners.
After knowing clearly which trees should be managed by
them, private property owners could carry out precautionary
maintenance to prevent trees from being destroyed during
the typhoon season and ensure the safety of local residents.
30. Mr Simon NG made the following responses:
(i) TMO was a policy bureau responsible for formulating tree
management policies and guidelines, coordinating tree
management work of various departments, etc. Tree
inspection and maintenance were carried out by relevant tree
management departments. If a problematic tree was on
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government land, its maintenance (such as pruning and
removal) would be followed up by the relevant government
department.
(ii) There were over 10 professional and technical staff in TMO,
responsible for formulating policies and guidelines, as well
as monitoring and coordinating tree management work of
various departments.
(iii) Private property owners were held liable in many areas.
Apart from tree management, they were responsible for the
maintenance of lifts, retaining walls and slopes. These
areas were more complicated than tree management,
requiring more professional knowledge. Tree management
was in fact one of the many responsibilities a private
property owner should bear. TMO had recently provided
the “Information of Tree Maintenance for Private
Properties” on its website, which contained information
about contractors, local and overseas professionals as well as
tree pruning and maintenance for private property owners’
reference.
(iv) Moreover, TMO organised talks on tree maintenance every
year for public participation. If members of the public
found a problematic tree, they might call 1823, regardless of
whether the tree was within a private housing estate or a
government premises. If the tree in question belonged to
the Government, the case would be referred to the
responsible government department for its direct action. If
the problematic tree was privately owned, the case would be
referred to LandsD which would then inform the relevant
private property owners for follow-up action. The
Government adopted a prudent and open attitude towards the
enactment of legislation on trees.
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31. Mr John CHAN made the following responses:
(i) HyD conducted a minimum of two regular tree inspections
every year. Besides, after each typhoon, HyD would
require competent professionals engaged by contractors to
carry out a tree inspection in the affected area within 14
days, with a view to determining which trees needed
maintenance, pruning or removal. Whenever HyD
conducted a tree inspection, it would require competent
professionals to submit a report. As stated in the written
reply, according to the result of tree inspections carried out
in Wan Chai Distirct in 2014, 94 trees were identified as
problematic, among which 55 trees had been pruned, 35
trees with no prospect of recovery had been removed, and
four with no imminent danger had been arranged for
removal. The tree works were expected to be completed by
the end of this month.
(ii) As regards tree inspection, the first round was to carry out
visual inspection. Some trees were identified for detailed
follow-up action after visual inspection. For example, if a
tree hole was detected after visual inspection, a resistograph
or tomography instrument would be used to check whether
there was internal rot or how much wood remained in good
condition, with a view to determining if the tree should be
retained or removed. Removal of the tree would be carried
out if it was confirmed to pose a threat to life and property.
32. Ms Brenda YEUNG made the following responses :
(i) LCSD carried out inspection of trees at least once or twice a
year in accordance with the guidelines issued by TMO. In
fact, tree inspection work was completed before the onset of
the typhoon season in May every year. Inspection to
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individual locations would be carried out according to actual
needs and suitable maintenance would be made.
(ii) In Wan Chai District, there were about 6 300 trees under the
management of LCSD. Trees managed by LCSD included
those in parks, open spaces and footpaths under its purview,
as well as 11 old trees included in the Register of Old and
Valuable Trees. Tree inspection was completed every year
before the typhoon season. Records showed that trees in
Wan Chai District were in general or good condition with
normal structure.
33. Mr Alex KWOK made the following responses:
(i) Regarding the management of trees on private land, LandsD
carried out the work based on the land leases. In terms of a
land lease, LandsD was a lessor and the owner of a private
lot was a lessee. Basically, land leases could be divided
into two categories. Land leases fell within the first
category were those with no tree preservation clauses. For
this category, private lot owners could deal with tree issues
at liberty. If tree preservation clauses were included in land
leases, private lot owners should seek consent or permission
from LandsD before carrying out any tree maintenance.
The work should be done in accordance with the approved
plan.
(ii) In determining the ownership of trees, trees within private
property areas should normally be managed by private
property owners. As regards stonewall trees, if the wall in
question was within the area of the private property, the trees
on the wall should be managed by the private property
owners.
34. The Chairperson said that the responses from various departments
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were basically consistent with their written responses. In fact, residents
might lodge a complaint to DC members regarding any issues, be they big
or small. Regardless of whether the tree in question was on government
land or private land, residents would approach DC members for assistance.
The Chairperson hoped that government departments would collaborate
with WCDC to follow up proactively the concerns referred by Members.
35. Mr Ivan WONG, MH supplemented the following:
(i) Trees in different locations were managed by different
departments. It was quite complicated since the risks and
responsibility involved were different. TMO was
responsible for formulating policies and guidelines.
However, TMO should keep the overall statistics for Wan
Chai District, such as the trees with the highest, medium and
lowest risks, as well as trees which would endanger life and
block traffic in case of collapse. He wondered how TMO
could formulate policies or guidelines in the absence of these
statistics. In case of a tree collapse incident causing
injuries and fatalities, there should be a department bearing
the ultimate responsibility.
(ii) Since owners in a private housing estate might hold different
views, he suggested that LandsD or relevant government
departments should be granted greater power. Besides, an
assessment mechanism should be put in place allowing the
removal of a tree without prior consent from owners after
they were informed in writing of the fact that the tree posed
imminent danger.
36. With respect to setting up an assessment mechanism, the
Chairperson asked Mr Ivan WONG, MH to refer to paragraph 2 on page 1
of the written reply, which stated that in the first stage of a tree assessment,
assessment would be conducted in areas with high pedestrian flow. It was
believed that TMO would not inspect all the trees one by one. The
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Chairperson invited the relevant department to give a response.
37. Mr Simon NG made the following responses:
(i) Government departments carried out risk assessment in
accordance with the tree risk assessment guidelines issued
by TMO. Tree risk assessment was an ongoing exercise.
In 2014, various departments carried out a total of 25 000
tree group inspections, 6 600 detailed examinations of
individual trees and 22 000 risk assessments. All the work
was completed by the end of May.
(ii) For high-risk trees, if there were no possible cures or risk
mitigation measures, government departments would
remove them through careful steps. No existence of
high-risk trees would be allowed. Moreover, TMO had
compiled the Tree Register which contained information on
about 1 000 trees requiring monitoring or with important
value (e.g. Old and Valuable Trees and stonewall trees).
The Tree Register had been uploaded to the website of TMO
(www.trees.gov.hk) for the reference of the general public.
38. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of various government
departments for attending the meeting to discuss the paper.
Information Items
Item 5: Report of Wan Chai District Fight Crime Committee (June
to July 2014)
(WCDC Paper No. 69/2014)
39. Mr NG Shan-ho said that he had nothing to add. The Chairperson
asked Members to note the paper.
Item 6: Progress Report of the 195th
Meeting of Wan Chai District
Management Committee
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(WCDC Paper No. 70/2014)
40. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress report.
Information Papers
Item 7: Progress Reports of Promotion Committees/Working
Groups/Organising Committees Directly under WCDC
(WCDC Paper No. 71/2014)
41. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress report.
Item 8: Progress Reports of Committees of WCDC
(a) Community Building Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 72/2014)
(b) Cultural and Leisure Services Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 73/2014)
(c) District Works and Facilities Management Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 74/2014)
(d) Development, Planning and Transport Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 75/2014)
(e) Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 76/2014)
(f) Funding and Finance Committee
(WCDC Paper No. 77/2014)
42. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress reports.
Item 9: Financial Statement of WCDC Funds for 2014/15
(WCDC Paper No. 78/2014)
43. The Chairperson asked Members to note the financial statement.
Item 10: Summary of Meetings of Area Committees
(WCDC Paper No. 79/2014)
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44. The Chairperson asked Members to note the paper.
Item 11: Any Other Business
45. Members did not raise any other discussion items.
Date of Next Meeting
46. The next meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 11 November 2014
(Tuesday).
Adjournment of Meeting
47. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:23
p.m.
Wan Chai District Council Secretariat
September 2014
These minutes of meeting were confirmed on 11 November 2014.