Minutes of the 21st Meeting of Community Affairs and Tourism Development Committee (CATC)

under Southern District Council (2016-2019) (SDC)

Date : 16 May 2019 Time : 2:30 p.m. Venue : SDC Conference Room

Present: Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP (Chairman of SDC) Mr CHAN Fu-ming, MH (Vice-Chairman of SDC) Ms LAM Yuk-chun, MH Ms CHAN Judy Kapui

(Chairlady of CATC) (Vice-Chairlady of CATC)

Mr AU Lap-sing, MH Mr AU Nok-hin Mr CHAI Man-hon Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Mr CHU Lap-wai Mr LAM Kai-fai, MH Mr LO Kin-hei Dr MAK TSE How-ling, Ada, MH Mr TSUI Yuen-wa Ms YAM Pauline Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan, Alex Mr WONG Cheuk-tim, Timothy Ms LUI Sze-mei, Fanny Mr WU Chi-chung, Derek

Secretary: Mr CHAN Lok-yiu, Morris Executive Officer (District Council)1,

Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department

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In Attendance: Mrs MA CHOW Pui-fun, Dorothy, JP

District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department

Miss CHENG Wai-sum, Sum Assistant District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department

Ms YIP Wai-see, Priscilla Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department

Ms CHAN Shuk-ki, Grace Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western/Southern and Islands)3, Social Welfare Department

Mr WAI Kam-fat, Danny Chief Health Inspector (Southern)1, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr LAU Wai-cheung Senior Health Inspector (Cleansing/Pest Control), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr FUNG Wai-yip, Wallace Environmental Protection Officer (Regional S)34, Environmental Protection Department

Ms Brenda SO Regional Officer/Hong Kong Island, Independent Commission Against Corruption

Mr Eric LEUNG Senior Community Relations Officer, Independent Commission Against Corruption

for agenda item 3

Ms Suki CHAN Community Relations Officer, Independent Commission Against Corruption

Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah, Jennifer Medical and Health Officer (Community Liaison)2, Department of Health

for any other business

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Opening Remarks: The Chairlady welcomed Members and standing government representatives to the meeting.

Part 1 – Matters Discussed

Agenda Item 1: Confirmation of the Draft Minutes of the 20th CATC Meeting Held on 11 March 2019

2. As Members had not put forward any amendment proposal, the draft minutes of the 20th CATC meeting held on 11 March 2019 were confirmed by the Committee.

Agenda Item 2: Applications for SDC Fund Recommended by the Working Group on Vetting (CATC Paper No. 21/2019)

3. The Chairlady said that at its 21st meeting on 7 March 2019, SDC endorsed the improvement of the procedure for making declaration of interests at the meeting. The Secretariat had earlier on forwarded the application form and declaration of interest form to Members via email. Members were invited to submit the declaration of interest forms by 6 May 2019 so as to ensure that there would not be any conflict of interest or role conflict in considering the funding applications. Details of the relevant declaration of interests were set out in Reference Information 2 to the paper. 4. The Chairlady asked whether Members needed to update or supplement the information on declaration of interests.

5. The Chairlady said that the Secretariat had altogether received 10 funding applications (see Annexes 1 to 4 of the paper), among which “Gala Evening in Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China in the Southern District” involved an application for funding of more than $200,000. That application was considered by the SDC at its meeting on 9 May 2019.

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6. CATC endorsed WGV’s Vetting Recommendation Report with an allocation of $724,809 for the funding applications as recommended by WGV. (Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH joined the meeting at 2:32 p.m.) Agenda Item 3: Independent Commission Against Corruption Regional Office

(Hong Kong West/Islands) Work Plan 2019/20 (Item raised by the Independent Commission Against Corruption) (CATC Paper No. 22/2019)

7. The Chairlady welcomed Ms Brenda SO, Regional Officer/Hong Kong Island, Mr Eric LEUNG, Senior Community Relations Officer and Ms Suki CHAN, Community Relations Officer from the Regional Office (Hong Kong West/Islands) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to the meeting. 8. In briefing Members on the paper, Ms Brenda SO said that to tie in with the 2019 District Council Election, ICAC would reinforce clean election culture by providing tailor-made education services for candidates and electors, integrating new and conventional media publicity, organising “Support Clean Elections” Publicity Project for Southern District, as well as cooperating with other government departments. Other initiatives of the work plan included sustaining momentum of “All For Integrity” Programme to consolidate the probity culture, stepping up youth integrity education, enhancing preventive education for grassroots, providing training for building management bodies, government departments, public bodies and the business sector, etc. ICAC would continue to make effective use of its community networks and the staunch partnership with district bodies to step up education and publicity efforts. ICAC would also engage the public and enlist the support of the community for the anti-corruption work with a view to consolidating the probity culture in the Southern District and sustaining a clean society. 9. Mr TSUI Yuen-wa raised the following comments and enquiries: (a) regarding the ICAC Annual Survey 2018 which showed that youngsters

had higher tolerance of corruption when compared with people of other age groups, he asked if the difference was statistically significant; and

(b) in an election, it was commonly seen that voters were picked up by coaches

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to the polling station to cast their votes, such as coaches carrying voters from the Mainland to Hong Kong to vote. While it might not be unlawful to offer such transportation, voters might easily contravene the law if any advantage was involved and, for example, voters using the transportation service were requested to vote for a particular candidate. In this connection, he asked what ICAC would do to combat the aforesaid situation.

10. Ms Brenda SO gave a response as follows: (a) according to the ICAC Annual Survey 2018, on a scale of 0-10, of which 0

representing total rejection and 10 total tolerance of corruption, youngsters only showed a slightly higher level of tolerance of corruption when compared with people of other age groups (with a difference of score 0.4). The difference was minimal and still represented a low level of tolerance of corruption. ICAC would continue to be committed to providing moral education for the youth;

(b) there was no geographical limitation on the jurisdiction of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (ECICO). It was still a criminal offence even if the offer of advantage for the purpose of inducing electors to vote for a particular candidate took place outside Hong Kong. Provision of coach transportation was also regarded as an offer of advantage;

(c) ICAC would be committed to providing preventive education and publicity, including arranging briefing sessions for political parties and prospective candidates to help them to understand the requirements of the relevant legislation; and

(d) ICAC would promote the message of “Say No to Electoral Bribes” to the voters through the mass media.

11. Mr CHAI Man-hon, Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan, Alex, Ms CHAN Judy Kapui, Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP, and Mr LO Kin-hei raised the following comments and enquiries: Public Image of ICAC (a) a Member said that since Mr LEUNG Chun-ying, the former Chief

Executive, assumed office, the public image of ICAC had deteriorated. The public lost confidence in ICAC after the Department of Justice (DoJ) had decided not to prosecute Mr LEUNG Chun-ying in a case he was

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involved; (b) a Member would like to know how ICAC would strengthen its public

confidence in future. Election Situation (c) a number of Members thanked ICAC for their work in the publicity and

education aspects. The civic awareness of voters had been increasingly enhanced. The elections were also cleaner than those in the neighbouring regions such as Macau and Taiwan;

(d) a Member shared a personal experience in which she had reported an election-related case to the ICAC but she had not received any result yet. While it was understood that investigation took time, the Member hoped to speed up the progress of the case;

(e) a Member pointed out that the polling days usually took place on Sundays. She once approached ICAC for help at late night of Saturday before the opening of the polling station. She found it difficult to seek immediate assistance from ICAC during non-office hours. In this regard, some Members suggested that ICAC set up a dedicated task force operating 24 hours a day for some designated events such as the polling day in order to deal with unforeseen circumstances;

(f) a Member proposed that ICAC could deploy officers to polling stations on polling days to keep a close watch of the situation. The assigned personnel, who should also wear ICAC uniform, could take particulars of the persons concerned in case of any suspected bribery;

(g) a Member commented that power vested with the ICAC had not been sufficient. If a candidate complained about another candidate for distortion of facts and smearing his reputation which was later substantiated, given that the complainant himself was elected, the ICAC could neither take any further action, nor could it issue a letter condemning the other candidate in question. ICAC should take note of this situation;

Others (h) a Member shared his personal experience as a member of the Incorporated

Owners (OC). An outsourced service contractor of the building had once settled the bill after the Member had a meal. He later took his initiative to pay the restaurant again. He considered that the above situation could

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easily lead OC members to fall into a trap of violating the law. He asked ICAC whether they could strengthen publicity and education with regard to that kind of scenario;

(i) a Member commented that bid-rigging was very common for building maintenance works and that “Smart Tender” - Building Rehabilitation Facilitating Services (“Smart Tender”) could be effective in combating bid-rigging of building maintenance works. When briefing the OCs on bid-rigging, ICAC should be more affirmative about the effectiveness of Smart Tender in order to enhance OCs’ confidence in this service;

(j) a Member pointed out that the former Chief Executive Mr LEUNG Chun-ying said if someone made a report to ICAC but such report did not lead to successful prosecution in the end, the person concerned should apologise. However, ICAC had long been encouraging the public to report any suspected case. He asked ICAC whether full evidence was required when members of the public lodged a report to ICAC; and

(k) a Member said that creative photo editing was prevalent on the internet but some people queried whether it might constitute a kind of misrepresentation. He wished to know how ICAC would handle such type of complaint.

12. Ms Brenda SO gave a consolidated response as follows: Public Image of ICAC (a) it was the statutory duty of ICAC to conduct investigation into every

corruption report. Evidence was one of the factors taken into consideration during investigation. Regarding the case of Mr LEUNG Chun-ying, the former Chief Executive, DoJ had made known to the public that no prosecution would be instituted against him and the reasons for that decision. Therefore, ICAC would not further comment on the case;

(b) ICAC embraced the three-pronged approach of law enforcement, prevention and education to fight corruption. ICAC handled every case in accordance with the established procedures under the law. All investigations could not be closed without the endorsement of the Operations Review Committee. All colleagues of the ICAC would continue performing the anti-corruption duties without interference, fear or favour;

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Election Situation

(c) there was a 24-hour Report Hotline manned by the ICAC Report Centre, in which duty officers received complaints from the general public. Referring to a Member’s suggestion for deploying ICAC investigators to provide 24-hour assistance, she would relay the comment to the relevant unit of the ICAC;

(d) regarding election complaints, it was the duty of ICAC to collect evidence in case investigation. Substantiated cases would be referred to the DoJ which would consider whether to prosecute or not. ICAC stood ready to brief the Members concerned on individual cases after the meeting;

(e) referring to a Member’s suggestion that the ICAC should deploy officers to assist in monitoring polling stations on the polling day, she would relay the comment to the relevant unit of the ICAC;

Others

(f) concerning a Member’s report that the outsourced service contractor of a

building paid for a meal for an OC member, she pointed out that as OC members might be required to monitor the service of outsourcing contractors, it was proper for the OC member to return the money to the outsourcing contractor to avoid compromising the OC member’s impartiality when supervising the work of the outsourcing contractor. She reminded that agents and members of an OC should not accept any work-related advantages. It would be an offence if OC members took side with the property management or cleaning companies upon acceptance of advantages without the approval of the OC. ICAC would explain to OCs through talks on the legal points and requirements of the legislation, and also remind OC members to handle the work-related entertainment carefully in order to avoid owing a favour to the person offering entertainment;

(g) “Smart Tender” was advocated by the Urban Renewal Authority and implemented in partnership with various government departments where, inter alia, advice was sought from the Corruption Prevention Department of ICAC. OCs were reminded in ICAC talks that buildings participating in “Operational Building Bright 2.0” or “Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme” were mandatorily required to join the “Smart Tender”. However, decisions on tendering of the building repair and maintenance

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works were in general left with the OCs. ICAC would continue promoting the collaborative efforts by government departments in building maintenance and the measures to prevent bid-rigging such as the “Smart Tender”; and

(h) as to when a case should be reported to the ICAC, she pointed out that members of the public could make a report to the ICAC as long as they had reasonable suspicion. All information reported would be kept strictly confidential.

13. Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN and Mr CHAI Man-hon raised the following comments and enquiries: Public Image of ICAC (a) a Member commented that according to the findings of a survey conducted

by the University of Hong Kong on the people’s satisfaction with the ICAC, the level of satisfaction had declined when compared to the figures obtained in 2012 or before, representing a drop of around 10%. It reflected that the public was not satisfied with the performance of the ICAC, and some people even considered that ICAC had become a tool for political prosecution. He therefore hoped that ICAC could restore public confidence as soon as possible;

(b) a Member pointed out that ICAC’s work was currently monitored by the four independent advisory committees. But some of the members had political inclination, such as Mr Chan Chong-kun, John, Mr Chan Chun-ying, Ronick and Mr Lam Ting-kwok, Paul. The credibility of those committees was questionable; and

Election Situation

(c) a Member enquired about the definition of “election period” and “election

expenses”, and pointed out that prior to the nomination period for an election, some prospective candidates had already started their publicity work, including using minibuses for advertising and undertaking election-related opinion surveys with the public. Yet they never admitted running for the election and waited until the start of the nomination period before declaring their intention to stand for an election. He enquired whether the publicity expenses incurred during the pre-nomination period should be

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counted as “election expenses”. 14. Ms Brenda SO gave a consolidated response as follows: Public Image of ICAC (a) the four independent advisory committees were comprised of prominent

citizens overseeing the work of the ICAC. The public and the media also acted as an overseer. ICAC would strive to enhance transparency and boost the public confidence in ICAC;

Election Situation (b) according to the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance

(ECICO), a candidate includes a person who, at any time before the close of nominations for an election, has publicly declared an intention to stand as a candidate;

(c) after a “candidate” publicly declared that he/she would stand for an election, expenses incurred for the purpose of promoting the election of the candidate or prejudicing the election of another candidate should be considered as “election expenses” and should be included clearly in the election return;

(d) with regard to complaints on photo editing, ICAC would assess and handle them under the ECICO; and

(e) owing to time limitation, ICAC would obtain more information about the question raised by individual Members and explain to them the requirements of the relevant legislation after the meeting.

15. Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN opined that since candidates had different ways to publicly declare their candidacy at the election, it was necessary to give a definition of “publicly declaring to stand for an election”. He also asked whether exact words had to be used in making declaration of candidacy in order that a candidate would be considered as having publicly declared his candidacy. 16. The Chairlady invited ICAC to note the Members’ enquiries and asked ICAC to contact the Member concerned to explain the scenario after the meeting. 17. The Chairlady asked Members whether they agreed that SDC would co-organise the “Support Clean Elections” Publicity Project for Southern District 2019/20

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with ICAC and the Southern District Office (SDO). 18. Mr CHAI Man-hon enquired about the mode of cooperation with ICAC and ways to promote public engagement. He hoped that the content of the project would not be similar to other district activities, or become ceremonial functions only. 19. Ms Brenda SO responded that the project included a briefing session on the ECICO to be held in July 2019, during which the main features of the legislation would be introduced to the participants in detail. The briefing would not be held as a mere ceremony. Furthermore, through Community Involvement Programme, ICAC would invite various organisations in the district, including building management bodies, mutual aid committees, Estate Management Advisory Committees, women’s associations, kaifong associations, voluntary and youth bodies to include clean election messages in their activities, so as to help disseminate probity. ICAC would also promote probity message through school activities and wished to have support from the 18 districts. 20. The Chairlady asked Members again whether they agreed that SDC should co-organise the “Support Clean Elections” Publicity Project for Southern District 2019/20 with ICAC and SDO. Members raised no objection.

21. The Chairlady concluded that the Committee agreed that SDC would co-organise the “Support Clean Elections” Publicity Project for Southern District 2019/20 with ICAC and SDO. She also asked ICAC to note the Members’ views. (Ms CHAN Judy Kapui, Mr LO Kin-hei, Mr WU Chi-chung, Ms YAM Pauline and Mr AU Lap-sing, MH joined the meeting at 2:38 p.m., 2:43 p.m., 2:47 p.m., 2:50 p.m. and 3:01 p.m. respectively.) (Mr TSUI Yuen-wa left the meeting at 3:09 p.m.) (Ms Brenda SO, Mr Eric LEUNG and Ms Suki CHAN left the meeting at 3:26 p.m.)

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Agenda Item 9: Any Other Business (Part 1) Cases of Human Infection of Rat Hepatitis E Virus 22. The Chairlady said that the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) reported three cases of human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV) on 14 May 2019, and one of the patients resided in the Southern District. The Secretariat was notified prior to the meeting that in light of the special circumstances, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and DH would report the situation in the Southern District at the meeting. 23. The Chairlady welcomed the standing representatives of FEHD and Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah, Jennifer, Medical & Health Officer (Community Liaison) 2 of DH to the meeting. She continued that the representative from DH had other official commitments and had to leave the meeting at about 3:45 p.m. Therefore, she suggested that DH should report on the situation and respond to Members’ enquiries first, and FEHD should explain the situation and give response after that. 24. Mr CHAI Man-hon said he understood that the Chairlady approved the inclusion of the agenda item according to Orders 13 and 14 of the Southern District Council Standing Orders. However, he hoped that the Secretariat would inform Members as early as possible if the agenda was revised in future. He thanked DH for assigning representative to attend the meeting despite the tight schedule. Ms YAM Pauline said she found that apart from the new item, the agenda was updated with an additional item raised by FEHD, namely “Internet Protocol Cameras Installation Scheme at Refuse Deposit Blackspots”. She shared the view of Mr CHAI Man-hon and hoped that the Secretariat would notify Members of any revisions made to the agenda as early as practicable in future. The Chairlady noted Members’ views and pointed out that the Secretariat had already uploaded the revised agenda onto SDC’s website on 10 May 2019.

25. The Chairlady invited Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah to brief Members on the cases of human infection of rat HEV.

26. Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah said that CHP of DH announced on 14 May 2019 that it was investigating three cases of human infection of rat HEV and urged members of the public to be vigilant against hepatitis E infection and to strictly observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene. She continued to report on the details of

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the three cases. The first two cases involved an 81-year-old and a 67-year-old man with underlying illnesses respectively. The 67-year-old male patient resided in the Southern District and had presented with liver function derangement. He had been in a stable condition all along and no hospitalisation was required. The remaining case involved a 74-year-old man with underlying illnesses, who had presented with liver function derangement. He was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital for management due to underlying illnesses on 28 April 2019 and had passed away on 4 May 2019. The blood samples of the three patients were tested positive for rat HEV upon laboratory testing. DH was carrying out epidemiological investigations. The source and route of infection could not be determined for the time being. Besides, DH had already informed the Pest Control Advisory Section of FEHD about the cases to carry out rodent control measures and survey as appropriate. 27. Ms CHAN Judy Kapui thanked DH for assigning representative to attend CATC’s meeting and explain the situation immediately after reporting the cases on 14 May 2019. She pointed out that the case of human infection of rat HEV was first recorded in 2017 and the public had limited understanding of the disease. Hence, she would like to raise the following enquiries:

(a) the details and reasons of running a test of the virus concerned given that

the three patients were not hospitalised after being tested positive for rat HEV;

(b) whether one of the patients who had recently travelled outside Hong Kong contracted rat HEV when he was travelling;

(c) whether the patients had come into direct contact with rodents; and (d) whether DH could provide the residents of the Southern District with more

educational information, such as the mode of transmission.

28. Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN said DH had clearly stated that the investigation was still underway. He therefore opined that DH should be given time to continue its investigation first, and report the situation to SDC when the results were available. 29. Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah gave a consolidated response as follows:

(a) the exact mode of transmission of rat HEV to humans was unknown at the

moment; (b) the usual HEV causing human infection was transmitted mainly through the

faecal-oral route, for example, due to faecal contamination of drinking

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water. Besides, foodborne transmission could result from ingestion of undercooked meat or meat products produced from infected animals (HEV had been detected in pig livers). Other rare transmission routes identified included transfusion of infected blood products, organ transplant and vertical transmission from a pregnant woman to her foetus;

(c) to prevent hepatitis E infection, members of the public should maintain good personal and food hygiene. They should adopt the five Keys to Food Safety in handling food, i.e. Choose (Choose safe raw materials); Clean (Keep hands and utensils clean); Separate (Separate raw and cooked food); Cook (Cook thoroughly); and Safe Temperature (Keep food at safe temperature) to prevent foodborne diseases;

(d) as rodents were involved in the infection cases concerned, it was crucial to carry out the relevant pest prevention and control work; and

(e) according to the investigation, all three patients did not recall any direct contact with rodents and the patient residing in the Southern District had travelled to Taiwan and Korea during the incubation period.

30. The Chairlady said DH may provide Members with the relevant information upon completion of the investigation. She thanked the DH representative for attending the meeting. 31. The Chairlady invited the FEHD representatives to brief Members on the agenda item.

32. Mr WAI Kam-fat briefed Members on the following agenda item: FEHD’s Immediate Follow-up Actions Taken after the Reporting of Cases of Human Infection of Rat HEV (a) in view of the three cases of human infection of rat HEV reported by CHP

of DH on 14 May 2019, FEHD had immediately taken a series of follow-up actions on 15 May 2019. As regards the districts where the three patients resided, namely Tuen Mun, Southern District and Kowloon City, FEHD together with the staff of the Housing Department (HD) and the property management company of the private housing estate, as well as other relevant parties, had already conducted inspections at the concerned public housing estate and private housing estate to understand the rodent infestation situation and provide professional advice and technical guidance

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on prevention and control of rodent infestation, including stepping up refuse cleansing work, changing the location of baiting points and rodent traps, ways to mend the holes on the ground and improve rodent proofing measures in buildings, so as to enhance rodent prevention work;

Strengthening Anti-rodent Work (b) FEHD had been very concerned about rodent infestation in different

districts and had been adopting multi-pronged strategies, including improving environmental hygiene, rodent disinfestation and enforcement action to combat rodent problem;

(c) FEHD would carry out joint operations in the districts to enhance street cleansing services, step up rodent prevention and control work at public places and take prosecution actions against offenders of illegal dumping of refuse and waste;

(d) FEHD would also maintain close liaison with District Councillors and various stakeholders to inspect places of concern in the districts and organise publicity and educational activities to raise public awareness of rodent prevention and control;

(e) FEHD continued to carry out territory-wide anti-rodent work. FEHD would conduct the anti-rodent campaign throughout the territory in two phases annually, during which the department, together with other relevant government departments, would enhance targeted rodent prevention and control work at problematic spots and conduct the relevant publicity and educational work;

(f) FEHD also launched the eight-week anti-rodent operations in designated target areas during the two phases of the territory-wide anti-rodent campaign. The first round of the anti-rodent operation in designated target areas had commenced on 6 May 2019. During the period, apart from strengthening rodent elimination work, FEHD staff had also enhanced street cleansing services and cleansing of public markets and hawker bazaars in the target areas, including sweeping and washing of streets and rear lanes, emptying and cleaning rubbish bins, and clearance of miscellaneous articles and refuse on the streets, in public markets and at hawker bazaars, to maintain environmental hygiene. In addition, FEHD had also stepped up inspections of food premises, markets, hawker bazaars and cooked food markets and taken enforcement actions; and

(g) since improper handling of food waste and remnants by food premises

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could give rise to rodent problems, FEHD would start a five-week special operation from 20 May 2019, to specifically target irregularities of food premises such as food preparation, scullery, improper storage of articles and illegal dumping of refuse at rear lanes, with a view to further enhancing the awareness of rodent prevention and control among the operators of food premises, by educating them to adopt measures to combat rodent problems and maintain the hygiene condition of rear lanes, as well as taking stringent enforcement action.

33. Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP, Mr LAM Kai-fai, MH, Ms CHAN Judy Kapui, Mr CHAI Man-hon and Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN raised the following comments and enquiries: Rodent Infestation Rate (a) a Member criticised that although the overall Rodent Infestation Rate (RIR)

of the Southern District in 2018 stood at 0.5% only, which was the lowest among the 18 districts, it failed to reflect the seriousness of local rodent infestation and gave the Government a wrong impression that the rodent problem in the Southern District was not serious and that it was not necessary to devote a lot of resources to combating the rodent problem in the district. As such, the Member commented that FEHD should review the mechanism of rodent infestation survey;

(b) a Member pointed out the rodent problem in Pokfulam Gardens. However, the FEHD staff claimed that the RIR of the Southern District was 0% in the first half of 2018. It showed that the data were inaccurate. He considered the current number of RIR survey locations insufficient and hoped that FEHD would carry out a review of the scope of survey;

(c) a Member requested FEHD to provide the locations and number of complaints on rodent infestation, and recommended FEHD to report the information of rodent complaints in the Street Management Report on a regular basis. FEHD could also illustrate in the form of heat map the locations with frequent rodent complaints in the district;

Strengthening Anti-rodent Work

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(d) several Members pointed out that FEHD mainly depended on the placement

of rodenticide to control rodent infestation at present. However, the speed of rodent disinfestation failed to keep up with the reproductive rates of rodents, and the effectiveness of the new anti-rodent methods had yet to be seen. They opined that FEHD was at its wits’ end;

(e) some Members suggested that more advanced technologies such as animal detector and ultrasound technology should be adopted to understand the situation and further combat the rodent problem;

(f) a number of Members thanked the staff of Pest Control Section of FEHD for closely following up the situation of rodent infestation in the Southern District. The FEHD staff had also given a lot of valuable advice on combating the rodent problem at South Horizons even though it was a private housing estate. Besides, after the reporting of cases of human infection of rat HEV, FEHD promptly discussed the follow-up work with the District Councillors of the constituency concerned and those of the nearby constituencies, and provide technical guidance on pest prevention and control; and

Junk Collection Problem (g) some Members criticised FEHD and its contractor for only attending to the

daily clearance of household refuse and failing to frequently remove junk at public housing estates managed by HD and other private housing estates, resulting in waste accumulation which would become a hotbed of rodent infestation. A Member further pointed out that DH urged the public to “keep premises, especially refuse rooms and stairways clean, and avoid accumulation of articles” in a press release on 14 May 2019. The Member criticised FEHD’s failure to effectively tackle the problem even though it was also under the Food and Health Bureau. As such, the Member opined that FEHD should coordinate with HD and the property management companies of private housing estates accordingly, in order to remove the waste completely.

34. Mr LAU Wai-cheung gave a consolidated response as follows:

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Rodent Infestation Rate (a) FEHD had been conducting territory-wide RIR surveys annually since 2000.

The main objective was to monitor the distribution of rodents in public areas and sweet potatoes had been used as baits in the surveys. FEHD would work out the RIRs based on the ratios of baits bitten;

(b) FEHD had replaced sweet potatoes with other baits in the past. However, FEHD found that those baits also attracted other insects such as cockroaches and ants. Some baits were even consumed as a whole due to their small size and some would become loose after getting wet, undermining the survey results. Therefore, FEHD had all along been using sweet potatoes as baits in order to make a more objective comparison on the same basis;

(c) the overall Annual RIR of the Southern District stood at a low level at 0.5% in 2018;

(d) regarding the number of rodent complaints in the district, FEHD would provide the relevant information after the meeting;

(Post-meeting note: FEHD received a total of 167 cases of rodent complaints from 1

January 2018 to 31 December 2018 and a total of 38 cases of rodent complaints from 1 January 2019 to 30 April 2019.)

Strengthening Anti-rodent Work (e) FEHD had all along been adopting a comprehensive and integrated

approach in preventing and controlling the rodent problem, including rodent disinfestation and improving environmental hygiene. FEHD would also take targeted measures according to different rodent species and environmental conditions;

(f) the methods and rodenticides adopted by FEHD in rodent disinfestation were based on the recommendations and technical guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and were tested by the experts of the Pest Control Advisory Section of FEHD to ensure effectiveness;

(g) to improve environmental hygiene, FEHD had proactively eliminated the food sources and hiding places (e.g. bushes) of rodents, and installed rat guards in areas frequented by rodents such as pipes and electricity masts;

(h) FEHD had set up rodent trapping devices driven by pressurised gas in Tai

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Shing Street Market, Wong Tai Sin, Pei Ho Street Market, Sham Shui Po, and Ngau Chi Wan Market respectively since November 2018. However, the preliminary test results were not satisfactory and the devices were not as effective as traditional approaches such as placement of rodenticides and cages. FEHD would continue the test and evaluate the effectiveness;

(i) FEHD had also installed night vision cameras to monitor rodent infestation at some municipal services buildings and rear lanes on a trial basis since early 2019, and would conduct an evaluation in mid-2019. If the night vision cameras proved to be effective, FEHD might consider launching a pilot scheme at district level;

(j) FEHD would continue to pay attention to the products available in the market and the latest information from the pest control trade, as well as exploring appropriate methods for rodent prevention and control. Besides, FEHD would keep an open mind when studying the relevant proposals, and introduce effective equipment in a timely manner;

(k) FEHD would continue to draw reference from the approaches adopted in other countries and guidelines of WHO. The department would also attend international pest control conferences which could help formulate policies on pest prevention and control; and

Junk Collection Problem (l) FEHD would monitor more closely the frequency of refuse clearance by the

contractor at large housing estates, enhance communication with HD and the contractor, and provide assistance in clearing refuse at the housing estates. Besides, FEHD would increase the frequency of refuse collection by refuse collection vehicles when necessary.

35. Ms YAM Pauline, Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN, Mr CHAI Man-hon, Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying and Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan raised the following comments and enquiries: Rodent Infestation Rate (a) a Member had doubts over the survey approach of using sweet potatoes as

baits. The Member thought that it was not scientific and could not reflect the situation of rodent infestation;

(b) a Member proposed again that FEHD should provide a map and indicate in

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the form of heat map the locations with frequent rodent complaints in the district;

Junk Collection Problem (c) a Member enquired whether junk or household refuse was more attractive

to rodents; (d) a Member asked whether the clearance of junk should be undertaken by

FEHD or the residents; and (e) some Members pointed out that as some refuse collection points designated

for different purposes were not far away from each other, FEHD should be able to clear junk and general household waste at the same time. They also requested FEHD to allocate additional resources to refuse clearance, and confirm with the contractor the frequency of removal of junk per week.

36. Mr WAI Kam-fat and Mr LAU Wai-cheung gave a consolidated response as follows: Rodent Infestation Rate (a) there was no RIR adopted internationally for the time being. FEHD

devised the RIR survey methods with reference to the approaches of other regions and according to the actual circumstances in Hong Kong;

(b) besides drawing reference from the RIRs, FEHD would, when formulating policies and measures on pest prevention and control, take into account the observation by frontline staff in the districts as well as the views of District Councillors and members of the public;

(c) FEHD noted Member’s proposal of displaying on a map the locations with frequent rodent complaints in the district in the form of heat map;

Junk Collection Problem (d) rodents would be attracted by food source, regardless of whether the refuse

was junk or household refuse; (e) as household refuse mainly comprised food waste which would easily

produce bad odour, FEHD would collect household refuse on a daily basis; and

(f) the disposal of junk varied among housing estates. FEHD would deploy

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vehicles to collect junk in a timely manner according to the actual conditions of the housing estates. The department would also strengthen liaison with HD to confirm the collection frequency required.

37. In closing, the Chairlady requested FEHD to continue to enhance rodent prevention and control work in the Southern District, with a view to preventing the outbreak of rodent-borne diseases in the community. Besides, CATC noted that FEHD was testing the effectiveness of new anti-rodent technologies. FEHD should set up the relevant facilities in the Southern District as soon as possible if the results were satisfactory. The Committee also requested FEHD to note Members’ views and improve the rodent problem in the district as soon as possible. (Dr CHUNG Hiu-wah left the meeting at 3:40 p.m.) 38. The Chairlady said that according to the agenda, the next agenda item to be discussed should be Agenda Item 3. But since a Member had indicated that she had to leave the meeting early due to other commitments but wished to express her views on Agenda Item 6, and the discussion of the newly added item, namely Any Other Business (Part I) had delayed discussion of the subsequent agenda items, it was suggested that the Committee should discuss Agenda Item 6 first. Mr LO Kin-hei, who raised Agenda Item 3, had agreed to the arrangement.

39. Members had no objection to the arrangement.

Agenda Item 6: Internet Protocol Cameras Installation Scheme at Refuse Deposit Blackspots (Item raised by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department) (CATC Paper No. 25/2019)

40. The Chairlady invited the standing representative of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), i.e. Mr LAI Wai-cheung, Senior Health Inspector, to briefly introduce the agenda item. 41. When briefing Members on the agenda item, Mr LAU Wai-cheung said that since June 2018, the FEHD had commenced the Internet Protocol (IP) camera installation scheme in Hong Kong. It had installed IP cameras at 115 illegal dumping

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blackspots in various districts of Hong Kong to combat illegal dumping problem and had noticed significant improvement in hygiene condition. FEHD planned to extend the scheme for two years commencing from the third quarter of 2019. After consulting District Councils (DCs), FEHD would install the IP cameras in accordance with the locations and priorities agreed by the DCs. The scheme would be implemented in two phases. In the first phase (third quarter of 2019), IP cameras would be installed at about 100 refuse dumping blackspots in Hong Kong. In the second phase (fourth quarter of 2019) IP cameras would be installed at about 50 blackspots. IP cameras would be installed at a total of about 150 locations in these two phases.

42. Mr LAU Wai-cheung continued that having collated Members’ proposed locations for installation of IP cameras and also evaluated the technical feasibility of the installation after on-site inspections, FEHD had prepared a priority list of the locations for installation of IP cameras. FEHD would install IP cameras according to the sequence of illegal dumping blackspots shown on the list and monitor the situation for several months in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme. If illegal disposal of refuse at individual locations had significantly improved, FEHD would install IP cameras at other locations according to the sequence as shown on the list without consulting the DC again. Moreover, if FEHD identified new dumping blackspots that were not included in the list, it would consider installing IP cameras at the new blackspots having regard to the actual conditions. Members were invited to advise on the priority lists for the installation of IP cameras and agree to the list of priorities given at the Annex to CATC Paper No. 25/2019.

43. Ms YAM Pauline, Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN and Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying raised the following comments and enquiries: IP Camera Installation Scheme (a) a Member enquired about the number of newly installed IP cameras in the

Southern District and the installation timetable. If IP cameras were to be installed at illegal dumping blackspots in phases and that the needed time for installing IP cameras at different locations would be long, she wished to know the criteria for determining the priorities;

(b) a Member pointed out that there were a large number of residential flats and restaurants in Aberdeen. The food remains among the disposed refuse would easily give rise to the rodent problem. She suggested that

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consideration be given to the extent of the rodent problem when determining the priorities for installing IP cameras;

(c) since the refuse at illegal dumping blackspots included bulky refuse such as furniture, a Member enquired whether the Environmental Protection Department, in addition to FEHD, could help resolve the problem of illegal disposal of refuse;

(d) a Member agreed to the list of priorities because in comparison with refuse such as furniture, bagged refuse was more problematic;

(e) a Member commented that the signs and banners displayed near illegal dumping blackspots should not be too large. He suggested displaying small signs bearing the words “IP cameras may be in operation here” at all illegal dumping blackspots. Moreover, the locations where IP cameras were in operation should be changed frequently to make it hard for offenders to avoid surveillance, while the small sign at certain locations might stay.

Tackling Illegal Disposal of Refuse (f) a Member enquired how FEHD analysed the data collected from IP cameras

such as the patterns and motivation of contravention and take follow-up actions. To his understanding, the refuse at the bin site opposite to No. 33 Sassoon Road was dumped by trucks from outside the district while the refuse in Aberdeen was disposed of by restaurants and local residents. As the situation in different areas differed, he enquired FEHD about the solutions;

Others (g) a Member said that a member of the public reported the foul smell of the

recyclable collection points and litter bins near Stanley Waterfront Mart and enquired about the cleansing frequency of these facilities, and whether the cleansing work was carried out by outsourced contractor or in other ways; and

(h) since FEHD had recently reduced the number of litter bins on the streets, there was now no suitable places for refuse disposal at Pat Kan Uk and Stanley Market on the eastern side of Stanley Bay. Disputes arose when some shop operators objected to placing litter bins outside their shops. She thus hoped to work out a solution that could strike a balance between

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the interests of the various stakeholders with FEHD. Moreover, she said that reducing the number of litter bins on the streets might worsen the problem of illegal refuse disposal.

44. Mr LAU Wai-cheung gave a consolidated response as follows: IP Camera Installation Scheme (a) the scheme of installing IP cameras in the Southern District would be

implemented in two phases. IP cameras would be installed at four locations in the first phase, and two more locations in the second phase. If improvement was seen at locations where IP cameras had been installed, the surveillance point would be moved to other locations on the list. Depending on the availability of resources, FEHD would ensure that there was a chance for each dumping blackspot on the list to be installed with IP cameras wherever possible;

(b) the priorities of installation shown on the list was determined according to a number of factors including the total amount of refuse at the location, the nature of refuse and the average amount of refuse disposed each time;

(c) FEHD had taken note of a Member’s suggestion of according top priority to installing IP cameras at locations with a large amount of food waste;

(d) FEHD had displayed warning banners at places where IP cameras had been installed. Meanwhile, FEHD would not remove the warning banners when the surveillance points were changed;

Tackling Illegal Disposal of Refuse (e) regarding the follow-up work as enquired by a Member, FEHD would

monitor illegal dumping through the footage captured by IP cameras, etc. The enforcement strategies mainly included using mobile devices to carry out real time surveillance of the illegal dumping blackspots, deploying frontline staff to take on-the-spot enforcement actions against offenders, instituting prosecutions against the registered owners of vehicles used for dumping and identifying the time and patterns of contraventions through the information collected from the footage captured for the planning of more effective enforcement actions;

Others

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(f) FEHD had arranged for daily cleansing of litter bins on the streets and

would pay special attention to the cleansing frequencies of litter bins at individual locations such as hawker areas; and

(g) the purpose of reducing the number of litter bins on the streets was to encourage the public to reduce the amount of refuse generated. FEHD would adjust the number of litter bins having regard to the local situations, with a view to minimising the impacts on the public while satisfying the public needs. As for the disputes mentioned above, he could discuss the issue with the Member concerned after the meeting.

45. Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN, Mr CHAN Fu-ming, MH and Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH raised the following comments and enquiries: IP Camera Installation Scheme (a) noting that five prosecutions had been instituted after the installation of IP

cameras at the junction of Hing Wo Street and Ka Wo Street outside Tin Wan Market, a Member enquired about the number of successful prosecutions;

(b) worrying that the dumping blackspot might revert to the previous poor hygiene condition after removal of the IP cameras, a Member enquired how long the IP cameras would be reinstalled at a particular site and whether FEHD could allocate more resources to the installation of IP cameras;

(c) a Member commented that the installation and removal of IP cameras were done too publicly;

(d) remarking that the size of the IP cameras was rather large, a Member suggested that FEHD should use smaller IP cameras with more advanced functions;

(e) a Member enquired whether FEHD would relocate IP cameras from a particular dumping blackspot to another blackspot or install new IP cameras at a new blackspot when changing the surveillance points;

(f) a Member commented that the existing large warning banners were not aesthetic and suggested that FEHD should replace them with small metal plates in order to maintain a good streetscape;

Tackling Illegal Disposal of Refuse

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(g) a Member said that there was usually a lot of disposed food waste in the old

areas which would easily give rise to mosquito problem and rodent problem. FEHD should tackle the problems carefully; and

Others (h) a Member found that garbage bags were often seen next to carriageways

such as Ap Lei Chau Bridge Road. These were placed temporarily on road side by cleansing workers who had cleared up the litter bins on the streets and were waiting for the removal of the bags by refuse collection vehicles. To avoid affecting the streetscape, she asked FEHD to improve the workflow so that the garbage bags could be removed immediately after the litter bins were cleared up.

46. Mr Danny WAI and Mr LAU Wai-cheung gave a consolidated response as follows: IP Camera Installation Scheme (a) after the installation of IP cameras at the junction of Hing Wo Street and Ka

Wo Street outside Tin Wan Market in February 2019, FEHD had arranged for a surprise operation by using the information collected from the IP cameras and successfully prosecuted an offender;

(b) in response to a Member’s worry that some illegal dumping blackspots might revert to the previous poor hygiene condition after the surveillance points had been changed, FEHD did not rule out the possibility that some people might turn to other places for dumping refuse in order to avoid the surveillance of the IP cameras. But the most important point was that the effectiveness of the scheme hinged on whether FEHD could successfully induce the public to handle their refuse properly, including disposing refuse at refuse collection points (RCPs) rather than on the streets. To this end, FEHD had lengthened the opening hours of RCPs;

(c) the large size of the IP cameras as commented by a Member was due to the need for connecting the IP cameras to the power source;

(d) when the hygiene condition of a site where IP cameras had been installed had improved, FEHD would change the surveillance point but would not

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remove the IP cameras, so that FEHD could promptly resume the operation of the IP cameras if the site reverted to the previous poor hygiene condition;

(e) a Member’s comments on the size of the warning banners had been noted. The purpose of using a large-sized banner was to attract the attention of the public and enhance the deterrent effect;

(f) while FEHD had prepared a list of priorities for installation of IP cameras in the Southern District and planned to install IP cameras at four locations in the third quarter of 2019 and two more locations in the fourth quarter of 2019, FEHD would make appropriate adjustments having regard to the actual conditions of the areas and the resources available; and

Others (g) regarding the bagged refuse found on Ap Lei Chau Bridge Road, it was

conceivable that the contractor had placed them at a certain location pending removal by vehicles in order to facilitate their refuse collection work. FEHD would liaise with the contractor to understand the situation and make improvements so that the bagged refuse would not be placed on the streets for a long time.

47. Given that IP cameras had already been installed at Lee Nam Road RCP and the bin site opposite to Pokfulam Village, the Chairlady enquired whether these two locations were included in the six locations for installing IP cameras as planned by FEHD. 48. Mr LAU Wai-cheung responded that the existing contract of the IP camera supplier would soon expire. After the new contract took effect, IP cameras would be installed at six locations in the Southern District, among which Lee Nam Road RCP and the bin site opposite to Pokfulam Village would be included.

49. The Chairlady asked whether Members agreed to the priority list for the installation of IP cameras prepared by FEHD.

50. Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH said that FEHD had not given a clear account of the criteria for determining the priorities and requested FEHD to explain whether the priorities were based on factors such as the number of complaints received, amount of refuse and number of rodents spotted, etc. She called on FEHD to properly handle the refuse on the streets lest the illegal disposal of refuse should give rise to rodent problem

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that was as serious as that in West Point.

51. Mr Danny WAI responded that the locations and priorities on the list were determined according to factors such as the seriousness of the on-site environment, amount of refuse, nature of refuse, frequency of illegal dumping, SDC Members’ views, number of complaints and number of prosecutions, etc.

52. Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN did not agree to the priority list prepared by FEHD and commented that top priority should be accorded to locations with larger amount of refuse.

53. Mr CHAI Man-hon enquired how the issue would be handled if CATC did not agree to the priority list prepared by FEHD, because he was not aware beforehand that Members’ endorsement of the list was to be sought under this agenda item.

54. The Chairlady said that paragraph 8 of the paper stated that “This paper will be tabled at the meeting of the Community Affairs and Tourism Development Committee on 16 May 2019. Members are invited to advise on the priority lists for the installation of the IP cameras and agree to the list of priorities”.

55. Mr LO Kin-hei was discontented at the inclusion of this agenda item. As Members had different views on the sequence of installation and FEHD had not coordinated and liaised with Members before the meeting, it was difficult to discuss each location in detail at the meeting. FEHD should not assume that Members would agree to the priorities given on the list. He considered it impossible to endorse the list at the meeting.

56. The Chairlady noted Members’ comments and asked how FEHD would handle the issue if the priority list for the installation of IP cameras failed to be endorsed at the meeting.

57. Mr Danny WAI responded that FEHD wished to know the inadequacies of the list as perceived by Members and would then further review the list.

58. Ms CHAN Judy Kapui raised the following comments:

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(a) the illegal dumping problem at Lee Nam Road RCP had improved since the installation of IP cameras there, while the amount of refuse disposed at a nearby RCP without IP cameras had increased;

(b) she was pleased to learn that FEHD was going to extend the IP camera installation scheme and planned to install IP cameras at six locations. It would be most desirable if IP cameras could be installed at all illegal dumping blackspots. But she understood that the scheme had to be implemented step by step given the limited resources; and

(c) she supported the priority list prepared by FEHD and hoped that the scheme could be implemented as soon as possible to benefit more residents in the Southern District.

59. Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP said that in view of Members’ diverse views on the priorities shown on the list, FEHD should explain again the criteria for determining the priorities so that Members could consider whether they were reasonable and decide whether to endorse the list. 60. Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH said that FEHD did not explain the criteria for determining the priorities on the paper. For example, different units of measurement, namely “bags” and “kg”, were used for the amount of refuse at different locations. But there was no information about the volume of each “bag” of refuse, making it difficult for Members to make a comparison. The nature of refuse at some locations on the list included both bulky furniture and bagged refuse, which seemed to indicate the seriousness of refuse disposal. But these locations were not accorded higher priorities on the list. She thus requested FEHD to explain the criteria for determining the priorities.

61. Mr Danny WAI gave a consolidated response as follows: (a) the use of different units for measuring the amount of refuse was mainly

due to the different nature of refuse. While the bagged refuse at Aberdeen Old Street could be measured in “bags”, the bulky furniture disposed at the bin site opposite to Pokfulam Village could only be measured in kg; and

(b) it was not easy for FEHD to set the criteria for determining priorities. FEHD mainly determined the priorities according to the frequency of refuse disposal. For example, refuse disposal occurred daily at Aberdeen Old Street throughout the whole day, while dozens of bags of refuse were disposed at the junction of Hing Wo Street and Ka Wo Street outside Tin

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Wan Market every night. If FEHD considered that the situation at a certain location was serious and affected environmental hygiene, it would accord priority to installing IP cameras there. On the contrary, although the data showed that there was quite a lot of bulky furniture at some illegal dumping blackspots, the disposal of such kind of refuse was infrequent and so those locations were accorded lower priorities. He emphasised that FEHD determined the priorities according to the actual conditions of the illegal dumping blackspots.

62. The Chairlady said that she trusted the professional judgement of FEHD. 63. Mr LAM Kai-fai, MH suggested simplifying and narrowing down the discussion to three aspects: (i) whether to agree to the installation of additional IP cameras so as to enhance the effectiveness of prosecutions; (ii) whether to agree to the priority list prepared by FEHD based on its experience and observations, given that IP cameras could not be installed at all locations under the limited resources; and (iii) Members who disagreed with the priorities set by FEHD should propose amendments and endorse the list after appropriate amendments were made.

64. Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying said she knew that some people disposed of dozens of bags of refuse at the junction of Hing Wo Street and Ka Wo Street outside Tin Wan Market every night and considered it necessary to install IP cameras there.

65. Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP said he understood that FEHD had analysed the local environment and frequency of refuse disposal based on its observations and experience before preparing the priority list. He commented that fellow Members could only give comments on areas with which they were familiar as they could not grasp the full picture of all the illegal dumping blackspots. He thus trusted FEHD’s experience and agreed to the priority list prepared by FEHD. But he also welcomed Members’ views on the priorities.

66. The Chairlady said that few Members who had spoken stated whether he/she agreed to the priority list prepared by FEHD or expressed specific comments on the priorities. Only Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN explicitly opposed to the list. But he had left the meeting. She invited Members to express their views again. She personally trusted FEHD’s work experience and professional judgement and considered that the priorities set by FEHD were well grounded.

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67. Mr CHAI Man-hon raised the following comments:

(a) he was discontented that the Committee adopted a more relaxed approach in handling the agenda items debuted by government department than those raised by fellow Members and considered this an unfair treatment. He commented that while it was reasonable to add agenda items relating to emergency situations such as the recent cases of rat Hepatitis E virus, it was unreasonable to add the current agenda item; and

(b) if the Government had to seek the Committee’s endorsement and support for its policies and measures, the relevant department could coordinate and liaise with Members before the meeting. This could help Members accept and support the policies and measures more readily.

68. The Chairlady said that she had noted Mr CHAI Man-hon’s comments. 69. In closing, the Chairlady said that the Committee endorsed the priority list for the installation of IP cameras prepared by FEHD. Members who had further comments on particular priorities could submit their views to FEHD via the Secretariat. The Chairlady asked FEHD to note Members’ comments. (Mr AU Nok-hin joined the meeting at 5:11 p.m.) (Ms YAM Pauline, Mr AU Lap-sing, MH, Mr CHU Lap-wai and Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN left the meeting at 4:32 p.m., 4:54 p.m., 4:55 p.m. and 5:07 p.m., respectively.) Agenda Item 4: ‘The Southern District Council to Decide Whether and How to

Issue a “Tradesman” Licence in the Southern District’ (Item raised by Mr LO Kin-hei) (CATC Paper No. 23/2019)

70. The Chairlady welcomed the standing representatives of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) to the meeting for discussion of the agenda item. 71. The Chairlady said that the agenda item was raised by Mr LO Kin-hei with details given at Annex 1 to CATC Paper No. 23/2019, and the response from the

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government department concerned was set out at Annex 2 to the said paper.

72. In briefing Members on the agenda item, Mr LO Kin-hei said that different types of tradesmen including locksmiths, clock and watch repairers, cobblers were all closely related to residents’ livelihood, and could benefit residents of the Southern District. At present, FEHD did not issue any Tradesman Licence in the Southern District. The relevant policy on Tradesman Licence had been discussed for a decade since 2009 but no significant progress had been made. In the paper “Review Outcome of the Hawker Assistance Scheme for Licensed Fixed-pitch Hawkers” submitted by FEHD to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in late 2018, there was no mention of districts in which a Tradesman Licence had not been issued, such as the Southern District. He commented that even though FEHD’s fact-finding survey in 2009 indicated no record of surveyed unlicensed tradesmen in the Southern District, when it was endorsed by the SDC, FEHD should help implement the issue of licences in certain areas if it did not go against the prevailing policies. FEHD should also avoid giving ambiguous responses to the matter. 73. The Chairlady invited the departmental representatives to brief Members on the reply.

74. Mr Danny WAI briefed Members on the FEHD’s hawker policy. He said that between April 2014 and October 2015, the Subcommittee on Hawker Policy set up under the LegCo Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel reviewed the hawker policy in Hong Kong. The Government considered that further development of the local hawker policy should be premised on the eight principles as set out in detail at Annex 2 to the paper. Based on the relevant principles, the Government reviewed the actual situation under the existing policy on hawker control and management and came up with the following proposals, (a) reviewing the need for the issue of new fixed-pitch hawker licences so as to deal with the vacant pitches made available in the implementation of the five-year Hawker Assistance Scheme (HAS) for fixed-pitch hawkers; (b) enhancing the operating environment of the existing hawker areas; and (c) following up matters on issuing licences to unlicensed tradesmen with characteristics reminiscent of local culture and heritage.

75. Mr Danny WAI continued that as regards the issue of new fixed-pitch hawker licences, the priority task of FEHD was to expeditiously implement the re-allocation of some 420 vacant pitches made available under HAS so as to respond to the stakeholders’ request. Having considered the fire safety and environmental

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hygiene situations of the vacant pitches and the concerns of traders, and after careful review of the business environment, FEHD was going to present the proposals to District Councils (DCs) concerned and planned to invite applications in the second half of 2019. While merchandise at the above hawker pitches were mainly dry goods items, operators might also provide relevant services at the same time where necessary. The FEHD would announce details of the application in due course. Those who wished to engage in hawking and related services might watch out for the latest development of the re-allocation of existing vacant fixed hawker pitches.

76. Mr LO Kin-hei, Mr AU Nok-hin, Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH, Mr CHAI Man-hon and Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan raised the following comments and enquiries: Licensing Matters of Tradesmen in the Southern District (a) Some Members pointed out that the response from FEHD was irrelevant to

the situation of the Southern District because none of the 420 odd vacant pitches discussed in the paper “Review Outcome of the Hawker Assistance Scheme for Licensed Fixed-pitch Hawkers” submitted by FEHD to the LegCo were located in the Southern District;

(b) a Member commented that the government failed to give a response to the matters discussed under the agenda item, and pointed out that the discussion of the agenda item was neither about itinerant hawkers nor designation of an entire street as a fixed-pitch hawker area like Cross Street, Wan Chai or Wun Sha Street, Tai Hang. It was about the flexibility to allocate some vacant shops or sites scattered around various locations within the Southern District for tradesmen’s operation if SDC’s consent was secured, and the relevant departments were requested to provide assistance in the licensing matters as proposed;

(c) some Members considered that according to the notion of the District-led Actions Scheme and the District Administration Scheme, if certain policies or measures supported by the DCs did not run counter to the direction of the Government’s existing policies, the Government should provide assistance, and facilitate the implementation of the relevant proposals. By the same token, as the current proposal was not in violation of the above eight principles put forth by FEHD, due consideration should be given by FEHD if there was district support for the proposal;

(d) a Member was worried that SDC’s approval for the issue of licences to local tradesmen might give rise to disputes easily. If any shops or sites in busy

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areas were designated by SDC to tradesmen with rental concessions, although it could attract vigorous competition, it would give the impression of giving benefits to the licensees. On the contrary, designation of sites in remote areas would be difficult to attract tradesmen;

Situation and Needs concerning the Local Stalls (e) some Members pointed out that given the specific needs in various districts,

craftsman trades such as locksmith and clock and watch repairer were generally acceptable. A Member also pointed out that tradesmen only required a small area about the size of an existing roadside broadband stall for operation. The district should be able to accommodate it;

(f) a Member pointed out that after the renovation of Aberdeen Market, some tradesmen’s shops might need to be relocated. The proposal in this agenda item would help those tradesmen and might attract more people to join the trade; and

(g) regarding a Member’s enquiry about wall stalls with Hawker Licence in the district, another Member said that he understood there was a wall stall with Hawker Licence on Wu Nam Street, Aberdeen.

77. Mr Danny WAI gave a consolidated response as follows: Licensing Matters of Tradesmen in the Southern District (a) In principle, FEHD would keep an open mind towards district-led proposals

on local bazaars and the mode of their operation, so long as food safety and environmental hygiene would not be compromised. If there were any district-led proposals on setting up local bazaars with community consensus are put up, the department would be happy to facilitate liaison with the relevant bureaux/departments;

(b) regarding the follow-up on matters relating to the issue of Fixed-Pitch (Tradesman) Hawker Licences to unlicensed street tradesmen with characteristics reminiscent of local culture and heritage, the target to be licensed were those identified in a fact-finding survey conducted by the FEHD in 2009 on unlicensed street traders, and they would be assisted to obtain licences for in-situ operation. However, the fact-finding survey in 2009 had no record of surveyed unlicensed tradesmen in the Southern District; and

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Situation of the Local Stalls (c) currently, there were 15 wall stalls in the Southern District. 78. Mr LO Kin-hei, Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH, Mr CHAI Man-hon, Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan and Mr CHAN Fu-ming, MH raised the following comments and enquiries: Licensing Matters of Tradesmen in the Southern District (a) a Member pointed out that the response from FEHD showed no objection

to the proposals in the agenda item. The purpose of discussing the licensing matters for tradesmen was not to compete with the private sector for profits. There were similar arguments in other places like Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok and Cross Street, Wan Chai. Yet, it was hoped that the Government could allow some room for further discussion and that Members could help identify suitable locations and trades of craftsmanship in the district wherever practicable. Another Member supported the proposals in this agenda item. While the proposals did not seem to run counter to the direction of the Government’s existing policies, implementation of these proposals could help develop more diversified commercial activities in the district;

(b) a Member reiterated that designation of areas for operation by the tradesmen might trigger arguments over fairness. But another Member said that reference could be drawn from the licensing mode of fixed-pitch hawker licence to issue licences by means of a ballot, and said that SDC was willing to have further discussion where necessary;

(c) a Member commented that the operation designated for tradesmen should not be confined to the town centre of Aberdeen, but should also be set up in other places of the district. As SDC Members had a thorough understanding of the district, they should be able to come up with suitable locations;

Situation of the Local Stalls (d) a Member suggested that FEHD allocate vacant stalls in the local markets

to tradesmen for running their business and provide them with rental concessions and subsidies in order to attract more tradesmen and improve

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the vacancy rate of market stalls; (e) a Member enquired about the size restrictions for wall stalls with Hawker

Licence; and (f) a Member viewed that the wall stalls with Hawker Licence had become

outdated. Those stalls had also occupied some buildings’ area, hindering maintenance and repair works for these buildings, or even leading to disputes. He commented that even if FEHD continued to issue the wall stalls with Hawker Licence, it should properly deal with any problems arising from the licences.

79. Mr Danny WAI gave a consolidated response as follows: (a) FEHD would expeditiously implement the re-allocation of some 420 vacant

pitches in eight districts (including Eastern District, Central and Western District, Wan Chai, Yau Tsim, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan and Kowloon City) made available under HAS, and planned to invite applications in the second half of 2019. Merchandise at these pitches were mainly dry goods items. For the issue of Fixed-Pitch (Tradesman) Hawker Licences, Mr Danny WAI reiterated that those who wished to engage in hawking and related services might watch out for the latest development of the HAS; and

(b) currently, 15 wall stalls and four newspaper stalls in the Southern District had been issued with Hawker Licence. FEHD would provide information on the size restriction of wall stalls with Hawker Licence after the meeting.

(Post-meeting note: FEHD added after the meeting that the fifteen stalls include

fourteen wall stalls granted with Hawker Licence and one wall stall granted with “Fixed Pitch (Barber) Licence”. FEHD also noted the suggestion of a Member about allocating vacant stalls in the local markets to tradesmen for running their business. Information concerning the size restriction of wall stalls with Hawker Licence was provided to the Secretariat after meeting. The information was then forwarded to Members via email on 14 June 2019.)

80. In closing, the Chairlady asked FEHD to note Members’ views and relay Members’ comments and requests to the relevant section of FEHD for consideration.

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Agenda Item 5: Central Western, Southern and Islands District Social Welfare Office of Social Welfare Department – Southern District Business Plan 2019-20 and Progress Report (Item raised by the Social Welfare Department) (CATC Paper No. 24/2019)

81. The Chairlady invited the standing representative of the Social Welfare Department (SWD), i.e. Ms Grace CHAN, Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands) 3, to briefly introduce the agenda item. 82. When briefing Members on the agenda item, Ms Grace CHAN said that with the theme of “Inspiration of Love, Care and Integration” in 2019-20, SWD’s District Office would leverage on and coordinate district resources with a view to jointly promoting cross-sector collaboration among non-governmental organisations, business corporations, government departments, medical profession, schools and community for planning and providing innovative and diversified programmes and activities. The District Office would continue to undertake the six strategic indicators, namely to enhance family support, to strengthen community network, to widen opportunity for more diversified collaboration, to promote social integration (trans-generational integration / integration of able-bodied and disabled persons / inter-cultural integration), to restore impaired relationship and to promote youth development. The District Office would also launch various programmes including the “Dementia Friendly Community Campaign” to promote public awareness on dementia in Hong Kong, implement the “Service Quality Group for Residential Care Homes for the Elderly” Scheme (SQG) and organise the District Welfare Planning Forum, as well as implementing new services including the “Visiting Medical Practitioner Services for Residential Care Homes”, the “Pilot Scheme on Multi-disciplinary Outreaching Support Teams for the Elderly” and “Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions”, etc in order to meet the changing needs of the community. 83. Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH, Mr CHAI Man-hon and Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying raised the following comments and enquiries: To Enhance Family Support – Family and Child Welfare Services (a) a Member noted that the three-year “Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service

for Pre-primary Institutions” would end in 2019. But the number of

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school children with special education needs, including those with dyslexia, impairment in social relationship and speech development problem etc., had been rising in recent years. The schools had keen demand for the on-site support services provided by professionals. Using St. Monica’s Anglo-Chinese Kindergarten (Wah Kwai Estate), where she was the principal, as an example, she said that school children receiving help under this scheme had shown significant improvement in their behaviour. She believed that children using other services had also responded positively to the services. She thus hoped that SWD could regularise the service by allocating additional resources. At the same time, she commented that the resources under the scheme were still insufficient. As a result, some children could not receive help that could meet their needs.

To Strengthen Community Network – Elderly Services

(b) a Member observed that quite a number of elders in the district were gravely

concerned about the problem of dementia and actively participated in activities relating to elderly dementia. It was suggested that SWD should allocate more resources for organising more activities relating to dementia, such as the “Dementia Friendly Community Campaign”, in various communities;

Others (c) a Member was of the view that there was a keen demand for outreach youth

services. But the resources allocated by SWD were not sufficient to cope with the existing youth problems. It was hoped that more resources could be allocated by SWD;

(d) given that the SQG included three Southern District Councillors as members, a Member asked which three Councillors had been appointed as members of the SQG and enquired about the appointment criteria and procedures; and

(e) a Member commented that it was difficult to take part in discussion of social welfare policies. While SWD would organise a District Welfare Planning Forum every year, he had doubts about the effectiveness of the forum. As there were a total of 174 participants at the Forum held in 2019 in addition to a number of speakers invited by SWD, he wondered how many participants would have the opportunity to express and exchange their

39

views. He also enquired about SDC’s role in participating in activities organised by SWD.

84. In respect of her comments given in paragraph 3(a), Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH declared interests that she was the Principal of St. Monica’s Anglo-Chinese Kindergarten (Wah Kwai Estate). The Chairlady decided that Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH had to remain silent during the subsequent discussion. 85. Ms Grace CHAN gave a consolidated response as follows: To Enhance Family Support – Family and Child Welfare Services (a) she clarified that the “Pilot Scheme on On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation

Service” that served children with dyslexia and developmental delay had been regularised. The number of service places would also be increased to shorten the waiting time for children who require training. For early identification of and providing assistance to pre-school children and their families with welfare needs, SWD had launched the three-year “Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions” in the 2018/19 school year in order to enhance the existing child protection service and to try out an appropriate approach for providing social work service in pre-primary institutions, so as to develop a basis for the potential regularisation of the service in future;

To Strengthen Community Network – Elderly Services

(b) the “Dementia Friendly Community Campaign” would be implemented by

District Elderly Community Centres and Neighbourhood Elderly Centres on an ongoing basis. Activities would be organised in different districts to promote public awareness of dementia so as to facilitate early identification of elderly with dementia and to strengthen the support for the needy elderly and their carers;

Others

(c) regarding outreach youth services, SWD had developed online outreach

services with a view to reaching out to more young people in need;

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(d) the duration of the current tenure of SQG was two years. Southern District Councillors appointed as members of the current tenure of SQG included Mr AU Lap-sing, MH and Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH. She emphasised that the SQG adopted an open appointment system. Upon expiry of its tenure, related professionals and local leaders would be invited to join the next tenure of SQG, including members of the District Coordinating Committees on welfare services. Individual Members who were interested in joining would be invited by SWD to join the SQG in due course; and

(e) the District Welfare Planning Forum was an important district activity organised by SWD each year for soliciting views of various stakeholders in the district on social welfare services and district welfare planning. There were District Councillors attending the forum every year. Keynote speakers would be invited to express their views on particular topics relating to social welfare. There were also group discussions and open forum to enable district stakeholders to air their views and so participants had the chance of giving their comments. She emphasised that the Forum was an open platform for collecting views.

86. Mr CHAI Man-hon, Mr LO Kin-hei, Mr AU Nok-hin, Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH and Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying raised the following comments and enquiries: To Enhance Family Support – Family and Child Welfare Services (a) a Member reiterated that quite a number of elderlies were gravely

concerned about dementia and invited SWD to step up its efforts in organising activities relating to dementia in various communities;

(b) a Member commended the SQG for their meaningful work in effectively enhancing the quality of the residential care homes. SQG members would conduct surprise visits to the residential care homes without prior notification to evaluate their facilities and services, such as checking their fire escape, the quality of food consumed by the residents as well as the safety facilities and toilets. SQG members would give advice on anything that required improvement by the residential care home. For example, the SQG had once found that a residential care home had strong smell of bleaching agent without turning on the exhaust fan during a visit. While advice was given by the SQG members on site for service improvement,

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the SQG members would subsequently inspect the residential care home again to check whether any improvement had been made;

Others (c) a Member enquired about the appointment criteria for the SQG Members.

Casting doubts about the appointment criteria adopted by government departments for committees in recent years, he held the view that it would be more desirable if the participation of different sectors and parties in those committees could be balanced. Another Member commented that the appointment system adopted by government departments for committees had already balanced the participation level of different sectors and parties because upon expiry of their tenure, different people would be invited to join the next tenure of these committees;

(d) a Member suggested that when a government department appointed District Councillors as members of a committee, they should notify their fellow Councillors so that the latter could convey their views to the relevant Councillors. For instance, SDC Members could convey their views on postal services to fellow Members who were appointed to the Customer Liaison Group of Hongkong Post and their views on youth services to fellow Members who were appointed to the Central Western, Southern & Islands District Local Committee on Services for Young People. This could serve as another channel for conveying views directly to the government departments;

(e) a Member said that he was a member of the Central Western, Southern & Islands District Local Committee on Services for Young People. The main purpose of the Committee was to provide a platform such that SWD could introduce its targets and objectives in the coming year to schools and social welfare organisations, whereas the schools and social welfare organisations could also introduce their work and activities in the coming year. This could facilitate District Councillors’ referral of cases to the relevant organisations. He suggested that the Committee strengthen communication so as to enhance District Councillors’ understanding of the work and activities of the various organisations and facilitate their case referral work. But he did not recommend increasing the number of meetings as it would add to the burden of the participants. He commented that communication could be strengthened through other means;

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(f) a Member said that SWD had not responded as to the role of district stakeholders in the District Welfare Planning Forum and was worried that the Forum might become a superficial networking platform. He hoped that small-scale seminars could be held to enable district stakeholders to air their views on district welfare policies and work in view of the fact that a lot of welfare work required improvement. For example, some people reflected that the environment of some service centres had caused anxiety on the part of the residents seeking SWD’s assistance; and

(g) a Member said that a member of the public reported feeling uneasy when applying for assistance at the Social Security Section under SWD. He requested SWD to tackle the problem.

87. Ms Grace CHAN responded as follows: Others (a) she supplemented that the three Southern District Councillors appointed to

SGQ were Mr AU Lap-sing, MH, Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH and Mr CHU Lap-wai;

(b) participants of the District Welfare Planning Forum could express their views on various aspects, including the territory-wide welfare policies and district welfare services. The District Office of SWD would relay comments on the territory-wide welfare policies to the SWD Headquarters. Every year SWD would carry out large-scale social service planning in collaboration with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. In addition, SWD would also listen to comments on district welfare services and consider how to improve the services; and

(c) Members were welcome to convey their views on individual cases to SWD, so that the department could review the situation and make corresponding improvement where necessary.

88. Mr CHAI Man-hon said that he was not interested in being appointed to any committees. But he was of the view that unfairness was revealed in the proportion of members from different parties appointed by government departments. He pointed out that the proportion of members of the New People’s Party appointed to the committees was on the high side.

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89. Ms Grace CHAN responded that she had noted Members’ comments on the appointment system for the district coordinating committees on welfare services and SGQ, and would consider ways to improve the system for the next tenure so that a wider spectrum of District Councillors would be invited.

90. Ms CHAN Judy Kapui clarified that she was the only New People’s Party’ Member in the SDC. She had not appointed to any SWD committee and only served as a member of the Customer Liaison Group of Hongkong Post on behalf of SDC. She requested Mr CHAI Man-hon to withdraw his remarks made just now.

91. The Chairlady concluded that in view of a Member’s request for a list of SDC Members who were appointed to the Central Western, Southern and Islands District Coordinating Committees on various welfare services and the SQG under SWD, she asked the departmental representative to provide the SDC Secretariat with the requested information. The Chairlady thanked the departmental representative for introducing the Southern District Business Plan and Progress Report. She also asked the departmental representative to take note of and follow up on Members’ comments. (Post-meeting note: SWD provided the Secretariat with a list of SDC Members who

were appointed to the Central Western, Southern and Islands District Coordinating Committees on various welfare services and the SQG under SWD after the meeting. The Secretariat forwarded the information to Members by email on 5 June 2019.)

(Mr WONG Cheuk-tim left the meeting at 6:11 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Hon-fan and Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP left the meeting at 6:37 p.m.) Agenda Item 7: Progress Report of “Working Group on Rehabilitation and

Age-friendly Community in the Southern District” (CATC Paper No. 26/2019)

92. The Chairlady said that the agenda item was raised by the Working Group on Rehabilitation and Age-friendly Community in the Southern District (WGRAC). She invited Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying, Chairlady of WGRAC, to brief Members on the report.

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93. Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying said that WGRAC planned to utilise the provision of $47,000 set aside by SDC for 2019-20 to organise a large-scale carnival. Furthermore, the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) had approved a funding allocation of $53,000 to the SDC again in 2019-20 to support various public education activities on rehabilitation held by local organisations and institutions. WGRAC had drawn up the programme of activities for 2019-20. Details of the proposed activities and the respective funds to be allocated were given in paragraph 4 of the paper.

94. Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying continued that the Southern Age-friendly and Safe City Group (the Group) had decided to focus on three community issues, namely, the redevelopment of Grantham Hospital, the rehabilitation bus and shuttle bus services, as well as the overhaul of Aberdeen Market. The Group would continue to apply for the funding from SDC in 2019-20 to further explore and follow up the above issues.

95. CATC noted the content of the paper and granted approval to the proposed funding allocation and recommendations as stated in paragraph 4 of the paper.

(Mr WU Chi-chung left the meeting at 6:38 p.m.) Agenda Item 8: Progress Report of “Working Group on Environmental

Protection and Hygiene” (CATC Paper No. 27/2019)

96. The Chairlady said that the agenda item was raised by the Working Group on Environmental Protection and Hygiene (WGEPH). As Mr TSUI Yuen-wa, the Chairman of WGEPH, had left the meeting, Ms CHAN Judy Kapui, the Vice-Chairlady of CATC who was also a Member of WGEPH, was invited to brief Members on the report. 97. Ms CHAN Judy Kapui said that the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) took over the glass recycling work of Hong Kong in the second quarter of 2018. According to the EPD’s recycling figures of 2018, there were in total 78 public and private housing estates participating in EPD’s Glass Bottle Recycling Programme, constituting to the recovery of over 107 000 kg of glass. The recovery quantities of restaurants even exceeded those of the housing estates. The WGEPH requested EPD to step up publicity and education to advise the public to clean up the glass bottles before putting them into a glass bottle recycling bin, and to incentivise the public to

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participate in glass recovery so that the general public, instead of the restaurants, could play a more significant role in glass recovery.

98. Ms CHAN Judy Kapui further said that SDC has earmarked a provision of $550,000 for 2019-20. Upon discussion, WGEPH endorsed that the full amount of the funding should be used for co-organising the related thematic activities with district organisations, schools and green groups engaged by open invitation. The deadline for submitting the funding proposals was 24 May 2019 at 1:00 p.m. In addition, EPD continued to allocate $200,000 to SDC for implementing the “Community Participation Programme in Environmental Protection in Collaboration with District Councils”. According to EPD’s guidelines and having regard to previous arrangements, WGEPH endorsed that local organisations and institutions should be engaged to organise the relevant activities, subject to a project ceiling of $50,000. The Secretariat had extended invitation for funding proposals to district organisations, schools and green groups by the deadline of 22 May 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

99. The Committee noted the content of the paper.

Agenda Item 9: Any Other Business (Part 2)

HK Territory-wide Youths Painting Day 2019

100. The Chairlady said that the Young Artists Development Foundation (YADF) would hold the “HK Territory-wide Youths Painting Day” on 6 July 2019 at different attractions of the 18 districts. At the Opening Ceremony of the event, flags would be presented to the representatives of the 18 districts. YADF was seeking approval to the use of SDC’s logo for printing on the flags to be presented at the aforesaid ceremony. Details were given at Reference Paper 1. 101. The Committee approved the use of SDC’s logo by YADF for printing on the flags to be presented at the ceremony of the “HK Territory-wide Youths Painting Day”. Sports for All Day 2019 102. The Chairlady said that in order to promote “Sports for All” in the community, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) would organise the

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“Sports for All Day 2019” on 4 August 2019. SDC was invited to be one of the supporting organisations and to assist in publicising the “Sports For All Day 2019” at its recreation and sports programmes to be held between June and August 2019 to promote and publicise the event at the district level and to consider the deployment of funds to subsidise recreation and sports programmes / supporting programmes held by district organisations on 4 August 2019. Details were given at Reference Paper 2. 103. The Chairlady said that SDC had already allocated resources to LCSD for organising recreation and sports programmes. LCSD might nominate appropriate programmes to be supporting programmes by SDC. It was therefore suggested that no additional funding be provided to subsidise the programmes on 4 August 2019.

104. Mr LO Kin-hei said that LCSD should mention in its invitation letter the benefits of the programmes for SDC.

105. The Chairlady noted the Member’s comment.

106. The Committee endorsed that SDC be one of the supporting organisations of the “Sports For All Day 2019” scheduled for 4 August 2019 and assist in its promotion and publicity to the district without allocating additional funds for any district organisations in organising recreation and sports activities / support programmes held on the event date. “Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project – Age-friendly Micro-movie Project II” 107. The Chairlady said that SDC had become the partner of the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project since 2017. As a part of the project, funding would be provided from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to non-government organisations or district organisations for implementing district-based programmes. In 2019-20, Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association (AKA) continued to be allocated $500,000 from the Jockey Club for organising the “Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project – Age-friendly Micro-movie Project II”. AKA would like to invite SDC to be a supporting organisation of the aforesaid project. 108. Mr CHAI Man-hon said that he had not received the reference material. He suggested tabling the paper at the meeting if the paper could not be uploaded onto the SDC website on time. Mr LO Kin-hei agreed with the suggestion.

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109. The Chairlady noted the Members’ views and said that the Secretariat would upload the reference material onto the SDC website after the meeting. (Post-meeting note: The Secretariat uploaded the reference material (i.e. the invitation

letter) onto the SDC website on 17 May 2019.) 110. The Committee endorsed that SDC would be a supporting organisation of the above activity. Part II – Items for Information Financial Statement of Community Involvement Projects Funded by SDC in 2019-20 (as at 3.5.2019) (CATC Paper No. 28/2019) 111. The Committee noted the content of the paper. Street Management Report (as at 30.4.2019) (CATC Paper No. 29/2019) 112. The Committee noted the content of the paper. Second Phase of Anti-mosquito Campaign 2019 in Southern District (CATC Paper No. 30/2019) 113. The Committee noted the content of the paper. Date of Next Meeting 114. The Chairlady informed the meeting that the 22nd CATC meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 8 July 2019 (Monday). 115. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:54 p.m. Secretariat, Southern District Council July 2019

P. 1

Annex

No. Project Title Organiser / Co-organiser(s) / AssistingOrganiser(s) Member Capacity in the Applicant Organisation /

OthersDr. CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP Honorary Advisor

Mr. CHAN Fu-ming, MH Honorary AdvisorMr. AU Lap-sing, MH Honorary AdvisorMs. CHAN Judy Kapui Honorary Advisor

Mrs. CHAN LEE Pui-ying Honorary AdvisorMs. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Honorary Advisor

Mr. CHU Lap-wai Honorary AdvisorMr. LAM Kai-fai, MH Honorary Advisor

Ms. LAM Yuk-chun, MH Honorary AdvisorDr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Honorary Advisor

Ms. Pauline YAM Honorary Advisor

2 South Island Art Day Organiser : Southern Island CulturalDistrict - -

Organiser : The Warehouse Teenage Club - -

Assisting Organiser : Wofoo SocialEnterprises - -

Organiser : Pok Fu Lam Village FireDragon Association - -

Assisting Organiser : Pok Fu Lam VillageKai Fong Welfare Association - -

5 Cantonese Opera Appreciation Sessionin Southern District

Organiser : Tin Wan Kai-fong FederalAssociation Mr. CHAN Fu-ming, MH Chairman and executor of the project

Mr. AU Lap-sing, MH Member of the Advisory CommitteeMs. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Member of the Advisory Committee

Mr. CHU Lap-wai Member of the Advisory CommitteeCo-organiser : Shek O Heritage Society - -

1

“Gala Evening in Celebration of the70th Anniversary of the Founding ofthe People’s Republic of China in theSouthern District”

Organiser : Organising Committee for theCelebration of the National Day in theSouthern District

Shek O Cultural Life ConservationScheme

Organiser : Caritas Community Centre -Aberdeen

21st CATC MeetingActivities/Programmes Sponsored by Southern District Council Funds

Declaration of Interests

3Music Arrangement and BandTraining Programme in SouthernDistrict

4 Mid-Autumn Festival Fire DragonDance in Pok Fu Lam Village

6

P. 2

No. Project Title Organiser / Co-organiser(s) / AssistingOrganiser(s) Member Capacity in the Applicant Organisation /

OthersMs. LAM Yuk-chun, MH Chairlady

Mrs. CHAN LEE Pui-ying Member

Ms. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Member

Mr. CHU Lap-wai Advisor

Ms. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Deputy Managing Director

Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Deputy Managing DirectorDr. CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP Advisor

Mr. CHAN Fu-ming, MH AdvisorMs. LAM Yuk-chun, MH ChairladyMs. CHAN Judy Kapui AdvisorMr. AU Lap-sing, MH Advisor

Mrs. CHAN LEE Pui-ying Honorary PresidentMr. CHU Lap-wai Advisor

Ms. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH AdvisorMr. LAM Kai-fai, MH Advisor

Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH AdvisorMs. Pauline YAM Advisor

8 “A Shining Life” Women’sProgramme

Organiser : Hong Kong Southern DistrictWomen's Association Limited

7 Health and Wellness Programme forWomen 2019

Organiser : Hong Kong Southern DistrictCommunity Association AcitvitiesCommittee

Co-organiser : Aberdeen Kai-Fong SocialWelfare Association Social ServiceCentre

P. 3

No. Project Title Organiser / Co-organiser(s) / AssistingOrganiser(s) Member Capacity in the Applicant Organisation /

OthersOrganiser : Southern District JointSchools Conference Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Chairlady and executor of the project

Co-organiser: Southern District Parentand Teacher Association Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Advisor

Ms. CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Deputy Managing Director

Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Deputy Managing DirectorCo-organiser: Education Bureau - -Organiser : Southern District JointSchools Conference Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Chairlady and executor of the project

Co-organiser : The Council of Hong KongIsland District School Heads Dr. MAK TSE How-ling, MH Vice-Chairlady

Co-organiser : The Council of Wan ChaiDistrict School Heads - -

Co-organiser : The Council of Central &Western District School Heads - -

Co-organiser : Eastern District SchoolLiaison Committee - -

Co-organiser : Hong Kong YouthAssociation Ms. LAM Yuk-chun, MH Advisor

Assisting Organiser : Eastern DistrictOffice - -

Assisting Organiser : Wan Chai DistrictOffice - -

Assisting Organiser : Central & WesternDistrict Office - -

Assisting Organiser : Southern DistrictOffice - -

Assisting Organiser : The Hong KongAssociation of Outstanding Students - -

9 Southern District Primary SchoolsParade 2019-2020

10 Hong Kong Island OutstandingStudents Award 2019

Co-organiser: Aberdeem Kai-fongWelfare Association Social ServiceCentre