th Meeting of the 4th Wan Chai District Council

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(Translation)

Minutes of the 18th

Meeting of the 4th

Wan Chai District Council

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Date: 16 September 2014 (Tuesday)

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Venue: District Council Conference Room, Wan Chai District Office,

21/F Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, H.K.

Present

Chairperson

Mr SUEN Kai-cheong, SBS, MH, JP

Vice-Chairperson

Mr Stephen NG, MH, JP

Members

Ms Pamela PECK

Ms Yolanda NG, MH

Ms Kenny LEE

Ms Peggy LEE

Mr Ivan WONG, MH

Mr David LAI

Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH

Ms Jacqueline CHUNG

Dr Jeffrey PONG

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Representatives of Core Government Departments

Ms Angela LUK, JP District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department

Mr Alfred LEUNG Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai), Home Affairs Department

Ms Daphne CHAN Senior Liaison Officer (Community Affairs), Home Affairs

Department

Mr CHAN Chung-chi District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wan Chai),

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr NG Shan-ho District Commander (Wan Chai), Hong Kong Police Force

Ms Maxim KWOK Police Community Relation Officer (Wan Chai District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Mr Nelson CHAN Chief Transport Officer (Hong Kong), Transport Department

Mr Samson LAM Chief Engineer/HK(2), Civil Engineering and Development

Department

Mr Simon LIU Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong East), Leisure and Cultural

Services Department

Ms Brenda YEUNG District Leisure Manager (Wan Chai), Leisure and Cultural

Services Department

Ms Phoebe WONG Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)3,

Social Welfare Department

Mr Alex KWOK Senior Estate Surveyor/LC & LE (District Lands Office/Hong

Kong East, West & South), Lands Department

Representatives of Other Government Departments and Organisations

Mrs Jessie TING, JP Postmaster General, Post Office

Mr Leo YAN Director (Operations), Post Office

Ms Vivien LEE Director (Product Development, Marketing and Sales),

Post Office

Mr Simon NG Assistant Secretary (Tree Management)1, Tree Management

Office

Mr John CHAN Senior Landscape Architect (1), Highways Department

Absent with Apologies

Mr David WONG

for

agenda

item 1

for

agenda

item 4

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Mr CHENG Ki-kin

Secretary

Mr Vincent CHUK Senior Executive Officer (District Council)/Wan Chai

Action

Opening Remarks

1. The Chairperson welcomed Mrs Jessie TING, JP, Postmaster

General, Mr Leo YAN, Director (Operations) and Ms Vivien LEE, Director

(Product Development, Marketing and Sales) of the Post Office, to the

meeting. Mrs Jessie TING, JP was going to exchange views with the Wan

Chai District Council (WCDC) on the services of Hongkong Post. The

Chairperson also extended welcome to Mr NG Shan-ho, District

Commander (Wan Chai) of Hong Kong Police Force, who attended the

meeting for the first time, Mr Alex KWOK, Senior Estate Surveyor/LC &

LE (District Lands Office/Hong Kong East, West & South) of the Lands

Department (LandsD), who replaced Mr Vincent PANG, and Ms Phoebe

WONG, Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)3 of

the Social Welfare Department, who replaced Mr NGAN Man-por.

Before the meeting, Mr David WONG and Mr CHENG Ki-kin informed

WCDC of being unable to attend the meeting due to personal engagements.

According to Section 51(1) of WCDC Standing Orders, any leave

applications would only be approved on the grounds that the applicant was

sick or was required to attend another meeting or activity on behalf of

WCDC. As Mr David WONG and Mr CHENG Ki-kin were unable to

attend this meeting, they were considered absent from the meeting.

2. The Chairperson asked Members to note the papers on the

conference table and the suggested speaking time. As usual, each

Member would be allotted a maximum of three minutes to speak in respect

of each agenda item.

Meeting with Head of Department

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Item 1: Visit by Postmaster General

3. The Chairperson invited Mrs Jessie TING, JP, Postmaster General,

to introduce the work of the Post Office.

(Ms Yolanda NG, MH, joined the meeting at 2:35 p.m.)

4. Mrs Jessie TING, JP, with the aid of PowerPoint presentation,

briefed Members on the operations of Hongkong Post, including the

network of postal facilities, the Post Office Trading Fund, development

strategies of Hongkong Post, an overview of Hong Kong’s postal services,

postal facilities in Wan Chai District and the partnership between

Hongkong Post and Wan Chai community.

(Ms Jacqueline CHUNG joined the meeting at 2:40 p.m.)

(Mr David LAI joined the meeting at 2:42 p.m.)

5. The Chairperson thanked Mrs Jessie TING, JP, for her detailed

introduction of the postal services in Hong Kong. He pointed out that

postal services were closely related to the public. Having operated as a

trading fund since August 1995, Hongkong Post had been making its best

endeavours to maintain service quality on a self-financing basis, breaking

away from the confines of being a conventional government department.

The Post Office Trading Fund had been in operation for about 20 years.

He then invited Member to express their views on today’s postal services.

(Mr Ivan WONG, MH, joined the meeting at 2:47 p.m.)

6. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) The last adjustment to the postage rate was from $1.4 to

$1.7, an increase of over 20%. The public hoped that the

next review of postage rates should be made within a shorter

time to avoid introducing a large increase and causing public

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dissatisfaction.

(ii) In overseas countries, the functions of a post office might

include providing deposit services for low income groups.

She enquired about the views of the Postmaster General on

providing such services under the self-financing mode of

operation.

(iii) Regarding the temporary storage arrangement for large mail

items, she enquired about the penetration rate and asked if

such an arrangement could only be implemented in buildings

in Mid-Levels or buildings with good management.

7. Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH asked if there was any stamp vending

machine in Wan Chai Post Office. Such facilities might sound outdated,

but demand still existed, in particular in areas such as MTR stations and the

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. She also enquired if such

facilities would be phased out since they were increasingly outdated.

8. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and

enquiries:

(i) Before 2007, the Causeway Bay Post Office was situated at

Elizabeth House. It was subsequently moved to Windsor

House after lease renewal had been refused. The location

was excellent but the rental was expensive. She enquired if

consideration would be given to relocate the post office to a

government property since Hongkong Post was operated

with resource constraints after evolving into a self-financing

entity since 1995.

(ii) Wan Chai District had large mobile residents. New

residents had no idea when postmen would come for mail

delivery. The introduction of the temporary storage

arrangement for large mail items was a very good direction.

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She enquired if online information could be provided to

inform residents of the approximate mail delivery time of

various buildings so that they would stay at home to receive

the mail item directly.

(iii) Regarding the temporary storage arrangement for large mail

items, there were “three-nil” buildings in the district.

Management companies of some buildings had no

knowledge of such a service. She enquired how Members

could help promote the service.

9. Dr Jeffrey PONG raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) He enquired if Hongkong Post had kept statistics on the

percentage of mail items sent to a wrong address or returned

to sender, and if yes, what the percentage was. In the old

districts throughout the territory, many door plates did not

show the address clearly, leading to sending mail items to a

wrong address. In addition, the phase numbers and block

numbers of many large residential estates might be easily

mixed up. He asked if Hongkong Post could educate the

public on how to provide a correct address, or how to handle

mail items sent to a wrong address or returned undelivered,

thereby reducing loss of mail items.

(ii) Noting that some newly issued stamps were self-adhesive,

just like stickers, he enquired if the issue of stamp stickers

was a general trend and if there would be any special impact

on philately. Although the status of stamps might not be

very high as before, they still had their own value.

Traditional people and tourists might still be interested in

collecting stamps featuring Hong Kong’s characteristics.

He enquired about the trend of first day covers and stamps to

be issued by Hongkong Post.

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10. Mr Ivan WONG, MH raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Self-adhesive stamps were very convenient and they were

popular in overseas countries. This kind of stamps was

particularly useful for bulk posting and should be widely

publicised.

(ii) There were no posting boxes in some remote areas or on

hillside. The elderly found it very inconvenient as they had

to go out by taking vehicles if they wanted to post a letter.

They could not make an application for the provision of a

posting box since there was one within certain area. He

enquired if it was possible for residents living in remote

areas to place their mail items in their management office for

collection by postmen when they came for mail delivery.

Such a service would offer convenience to the public and did

not require the provision of additional posting boxes. It

should be considered having regard to the implication on

human resources and the need for making supporting

arrangements.

11. Ms Yolanda NG, MH raised the following comments and enquires:

(i) It was pleased to note that since evolving into a

self-financing entity, Hongkong Post had made a

comprehensive reform, including launching diverse

philatelic products and services, and making the design of

post offices user-friendly.

(ii) At present, stamps were available for sale in many

convenient stores since post offices could not be found

everywhere. However, there were cases where members of

the public tried a number of convenient stores but could not

get a stamp. Action should be taken to address the

insufficient stock of stamps in convenient stores.

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(iii) The counter collection service jointly provided with Taobao

should also be widely publicised. Such a service not only

offered convenience to the public, but also helped resolve

some street obstruction problems. Goods distribution

activities carried out on streets by some logistics companies

often caused disturbances to the public. If the counter

collection service was popular among customers, it would

help resolve the street obstruction problem caused by goods

distribution activities. It was hoped that the work in this

respect would be enhanced.

(iv) The installation of new letter boxes in old buildings had been

proposed for years, but difficulties would arise upon actual

implementation. Buildings without an owners’ corporation

could hardly arrange for the installation. However, such

buildings usually had a higher rate of mail loss and a greater

proportion of damaged letter boxes. It was hoped that

Hongkong Post could provide more assistance in this

respect.

(v) She said that people could make online applications for

circular mail service at present. Such an arrangement was

highly efficient, offering convenience to the general public.

However, it seemed that not many members of the public

had knowledge of cyber security measures. It was hoped

that Hongkong Post would enhance publicity of

e-government, in particular e-ID, to enable the public to use

online services safely.

12. Ms Pamela PECK raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Delivering mail items to management offices was a good

idea but it should be made clear that if the distribution work

was to be taken up by staff of management offices.

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(ii) Letter boxes of the general public were often packed with

advertising letters of varying sizes. Such letters were

unlikely to be useful to the public.

(iii) During District Council’s election, DC members needed to

send promotional items to a large number of households.

Given the budget constraints, they found the expensive

postage rates not easy to afford. She enquired if

concessionary rates could be offered to facilitate

communication between DC members and local residents.

13. The Chairperson said that philatelists would like to have stamps in

diverse designs and made with different materials. He commented that

stamp stickers were very creative and told the meeting that some places

even had issued stamps in triangular or round shape. Stamp sheets were

popular among collectors but stamp sheets issued by Hongkong Post were

in different sizes. Some stamp sheets were too large for a general stamp

album. Citing Macau as an example, he commented that the diversity of a

stamp sheet should not lie in its size but the number of stamp sets contained

therein. Stamp sheets of similar sizes should be issued to make them

easier to be kept. The Chairperson hoped that Hongkong Post would

make improvement in this respect.

14. Mrs Jessie TING, JP made the following responses:

(i) Regarding the frequency of revisions of postage rates, the

last revision was made in October last year. There was

indeed a span of over 10 years between the last two

revisions. The postage rates had not been revised for over

10 years because Hongkong Post had been striving to

explore new sources of revenue instead of introducing any

increase in postage rates. In introducing any future

revisions of postage rates, Hongkong Post would pay due

regard for the public aspiration for shortening the time span

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between two revisions, with a view to avoiding any large

increase in postage rates.

(ii) Small deposit services fell within the scope of financial

services. As stipulated by law, the businesses that

Hongkong Post was allowed to operate did not include

financial services. Besides, given the thriving financial

sector in Hong Kong, providing such services might do little

to help the overall business performance of Hongkong Post.

Therefore, Hongkong Post would not provide small deposit

services.

(iii) As regards the temporary storage arrangement for large mail

items, only five housing estates in the district had

participated in the scheme, which was a relatively small

proportion. This might due to some actual considerations.

For example, a management office was required for

providing such service, and the management office should be

able to make room for placing the mail items. It was

considered that there was room for such service to be

expanded in the district. The unenthusiastic response from

residents might be due to the fact that they did not have good

knowledge of the service. The other reason might be the

unwillingness of property management companies to make

supporting arrangements. Since DC members had good

knowledge of the local district, they might be able to provide

HongKong Post with information about housing estates

likely to accept the provision of such a service. With

regard to the delivery and receipt of mail items, postmen

would keep a record after handing the mail items to the staff

of a management office. In general, mail items for

temporary storage were not expensive and precious items.

Most of those items were some printed matter which was too

large for a letter box. Since no one answered the door

when a door-to-door delivery was made, the postman would

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hand the item to the management office. When the

addressee came home, the management office would return

the item to the addressee.

(iv) At present, there were stamp vending machines in various

post offices. Hongkong Post had no plan to phase out such

a service. However, as the usage of stamp vending

machines was extremely low, the service would not be

further expanded. Besides, stamps were available for sale

at many convenience stores throughout the territory. The

sales arrangements agreed between Hongkong Post and

convenience stores included requiring convenient stores to

inform Hongkong Post once their stamps were out of stock.

Perhaps individual convenience stores did not give timely

notification, resulting in stamps being out of stock. In

response to the Member’s comments, Hongkong Post would

pay more attention to the matter.

(v) In considering the provision of a post office, a number of

factors had to be taken into account. Apart from the

expenses on rental, the department should pay due regard to

the distribution of post offices, with a view to ensuring all

districts were provided with the services. Moreover, the

operations of a post office were not limited to front-end

operations. Back-end workflow included delivery of mail

items by postal vehicles. Therefore, consideration should

be given to whether there were parking spaces. Generally,

post offices would be situated at government buildings. In

some cases, the locations of government buildings were not

suitable or there were no vacant rooms in the buildings.

The department would maintain close communication with

the Government Property Agency in this respect.

(vi) As regards providing the public with information about

postmen’s mail delivery schedules, postmen did follow a

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fixed delivery route every day, but the number of mail items

for different addresses within a mail delivery beat was

different every day. In addition, some mail items required

door-to-door delivery and the time required varied

depending on whether someone was there to answer the

door. Therefore, it was not possible to provide the exact

mail delivery schedule of a postman. At most, only

approximate time could be provided. The department

would further consider the relevant suggestion.

(vii) Regarding mails returned undelivered, there were a large

number of mail items not easy to be delivered each year due

to various reasons, one of which was incorrect address.

Hongkong Post had set up a team of staff responsible for

handling these mail items. Some addresses and names of

buildings were very similar. Therefore, during the process

of saving a letter, a number of deliveries might have to be

made, which involved considerable resources. Hongkong

Post had been encouraging the public through publicity

efforts to provide the correct address to others since the

address written down by the sender often came from the

recipient. Moreover, the department was developing a set

of software through which members of the public could

check online if an address was correct, with a view to

encouraging the public to provide the correct address.

(viii) The issue of self-adhesive stamps was not the trend of local

stamps. Yet some special and commemorative stamps

would be issued with self-adhesive function. For example,

a set of Christmas stamps to be issued this year would be

self-adhesive stamps. Members who loved self-adhesive

stamps were encouraged to buy more.

(ix) Hongkong Post had spared no effort in choosing the

appropriate themes for the issue of stamps, aiming at

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demonstrating the features of Hong Kong through stamps.

This year, 11 sets of special and commemorative stamps

would be issued, including a set of Lunar New Year Animal

stamps. They were designed to display the diversified

features of Hong Kong. Apart from paper stamps,

Hongkong Post had issued stamps made with silk. Besides,

to tie in with the dinosaur exhibition held earlier by the

Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD),

Hongkong Post had issued a set of dinosaur stamps with

luminous effect to enhance children’s interest in stamp

collection. Other themes included weather phenomena,

famous paintings, geoparks, Cantonese opera costumes, etc.

In regard to the design of stamps, Hongkong Post had been

issuing stamps with diverse design features with a view to

attracting more people to stamp collection and enhancing

public understanding of Hong Kong and the world through

stamp collection. The suggestions made by the

Chairperson on the size of stamp sheets reflected his

extensive knowledge of philatelic products. The

department would consider his suggestions after the meeting.

(x) The provision of postal facilities including post offices,

posting boxes, stamp vending machines was demand-led and

efficient use of resources should be ensured. After

installation of a posting box, the department had to arrange

for postmen to collect letters. It would not be cost-effective

if the posting quantity was very low. If postmen were

required to collect letters from a management office, some

practical problems might arise such as requiring additional

time for delivering and collecting letters at the same time.

Therefore, members of the public were encouraged to post

their mail items via posting boxes or post offices.

(xi) The counter collection service newly provided by Hongkong

Post was very popular among the public. Greater publicity

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efforts would be launched in the hope that better use of the

network of post offices would be achieved. The

replacement of old letter boxes should be made by residents

on a voluntary basis. There might be practical difficulties

for some old buildings to replace the letter boxes as the

conditions of the buildings might pose certain constraints.

Improvement to letter boxes could be made when the

buildings were undergoing renovation. There were some

proper letter boxes available for sale at Hongkong Post

which could ensure mail security.

(xii) The promotion of e-government was the work of another

department. Hongkong Post was mainly responsible for

providing e-Cert services. Hongkong Post had been

rendering its full support for provision of e-services by

government departments and would maintain close contact

with relevant government departments.

(xiii) According to a Member’s comments, some members of the

public might not want to receive advertising mails. They

could simply place a “No Circular Mail” sticker on their

letter box and postmen would not deliver circular mails to

them.

(xiv) Regarding the suggestion to offer concessionary postage

rates for DC members for bulk posting of circular mails, the

postage rates for circular mails were already lower than

those for ordinary mails.

15. The Chairperson thanked Mrs Jessie TING, JP for answering

Members’ concerns. He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Mrs

Jessie TING, JP for the “Chinese Opera Costumes” stamp covers. The

Chairperson said that it was no easy task for Hongkong Post to shoulder the

social responsibilities on a self-financing basis after evolving from a

government department into a trading fund entity. It was hoped that

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Hongkong Post would continue to provide quality services for the public.

16. Ms Pamela PECK supplemented that the use of area codes like the

practices of the United States would enhance the accuracy of mail delivery.

Given its small size, Hong Kong would find the area code approach

particularly useful.

17. Mrs Jessie TING, JP responded that Hongkong Post had considered

the use of area codes. However, since Hong Kong was densely populated

with many high-rise buildings, there would be practical difficulties in

launching area codes. In fact, writing down a correct address on mail

items was crucial.

Confirmation of Minutes of Meeting

Item 2: Confirmation of Minutes of the 17h Meeting of the Wan Chai

District Council

18. The Chairperson said that the Secretariat received amendments

proposed by Ms Peggy LEE before the meeting. He asked Members to

note the proposed amendments at Appendix A. As Members did not

propose any amendments at the meeting, the minutes of the 17th

meeting of

WCDC were confirmed after a motion was moved by Dr Anna TANG,

BBS, MH and seconded by Ms Jacqueline CHUNG.

Discussion Items

Item 3: Review of the Allocation of WCDC Funds in 2014/15

(WCDC Paper No. 68/2014)

19. The Chairperson asked Members to consider the estimated

expenditure proposed in the paper (at Annex 1). The proposed

expenditure was discussed and endorsed by the Funding and Finance

Committee at its meeting on 4 September 2014, and it was now submitted

to WCDC for approval. Since Members did not raise any objection at the

meeting, the paper on allocation of funds was approved after a motion was

moved by Ms Jacqueline CHUNG and seconded by Ms Yolanda NG, MH.

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Written Questions

Item 4: Concern over Tree Management in Wan Chai District


20. The Chairperson welcomed Mr Simon NG, Assistant Secretary (Tree

Management)1 of the Tree Management Office (TMO), Mr John CHAN,

Senior Landscape Architect (1) of the Highways Department (HyD), as

well as Mr Simon LIU, Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong East) and Ms

Brenda YEUNG, District Leisure Manager (Wan Chai) of LCSD, to the

meeting for discussion of the above paper.

21. The Chairperson asked Dr Jeffrey PONG if he had anything to add

in respect of his written question. Since Dr PONG had nothing to add, the

Chairperson asked the relevant government departments if they had any

verbal responses in addition to their written responses. Since the relevant

departments did not have anything to add, the Chairperson invited Dr

Jeffrey PONG to raise follow-up questions.

22. Dr Jeffrey PONG raised the following comments and enquires:

(i) A tree collapse incident happened in Central and Western

District last month, causing the death of a pregnant woman.

The tree in question belonged to a private housing estate.

The conditions of trees in private housing estates varied.

Some aged trees might collapse due to improper

management. He enquired if the existing legislation was

adequate for regulating the situation, and if TMO had

sufficient manpower for carrying out inspection.

(ii) Some trees in private housing estates might be managed by

owners’ committees or owners themselves. They might not

have sufficient knowledge to engage appropriate

professionals for monitoring their trees.

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(iii) Tree collapse incidents happened occasionally even on

government land or streets. According to the written reply,

trees were inspected at least twice a year. However, during

summer time and the wet season, tree conditions and soil

might have drastic changes amid the changing weather. He

queried if monitoring tree conditions only through visual

inspection by HyD and TMO was effective enough.

(iv) It was believed that TMO and the Development Bureau

(DevB) had received a lot of views on enacting legislation

on trees. He enquired if the Administration would maintain

an open mind on tree legislation. He also asked if there

was an established stance or a timetable for the

implementation of tree legislation.

23. Mr Ivan WONG, MH raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Maintenance of trees in private housing estates should be

carried out by owners’ corporations or owners themselves.

It was not possible for the Government to devote substantial

resources to inspecting trees within private areas.

(ii) It was stated in the written reply that a minimum of two

inspections were conducted every year. Some trees might

look healthy, but an inspection by a sonic tomography

instrument might detect a large tree cavity. He queried the

accuracy of visual inspection, and asked what criteria were

adopted by HyD for determining the use of visual inspection

or equipment for tree inspection, given that there were not

enough experts in tree maintenance. He also asked if a

report would be compiled after a regular inspection.

(iii) The responsibility for tree maintenance should not lie solely

on HyD. Tree maintenance should be inter-departmental

work. He enquired about the details of the work and the

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actions taken to minimise tree risks.

24. Ms Peggy LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) She believed that trees in public places were monitored by

different departments. She was concerned about the

management of trees within private lots. Many buildings in

Wan Chai District did not have an owners’ corporation.

Residents had no idea of the ownership of trees. In some

cases, the trees were growing against a wall for some time.

No one knew that it was problematic until the roots of the

trees broke the wall, causing concrete falling. It was not

possible to identify a responsible party in the absence of an

owners’ corporation. It did not help even with owners

being informed in writing. Owners might take no action

because they had other commitments or they considered that

the situation was of no concern to them. Besides, tree

management was a complex issue; otherwise it was not

necessary for the Government to set up TMO for overseeing

tree maintenance.

(ii) She enquired if the Government would consider taking

measures first when there was no response from the owners

after they had been repeatedly informed of a dangerous tree,

just like the practice adopted by the Buildings Department

(BD) which allowed it to carry out the removal works before

imposing charges. With these precautionary measures,

relevant accidents might be reduced.

25. Mr David LAI raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Since the occurrence of the tree collapse incident last month,

many residents would be in fear when they saw a big tree or

trees stretching out of a road. They would then make a

complaint to DC members, asking them to address the

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situation. Many residents had made such reactions within

that short period of time.

(ii) In fact, trees had their own self-repairing mechanism.

However, residents had no knowledge of the differences

between an aged tree and a sick tree. He hoped that the

Administration would launch a public education programme

to educate the public or property owners on the need to

monitor the situation of trees by themselves or by engaging

an expert to do the job. This would help prevent trees from

being removed because of unnecessary fears. In the past,

there were cases where healthy trees were removed by TMO.

He hoped that TMO would give prior notification to DC

members before carrying out removal works since many

residents were tree lovers and they did not want to see any

trees be removed before they were confirmed to have

problems.

26. Dr Anna TANG, BBS, MH raised the following comments and

enquiries:

(i) She considered that considerable efforts had been made by

TMO and local organisations involved in tree management

to ensure proper management of trees on government land.

Publicity of tree management had been made through talks

and sending letters to private property owners.

(ii) She suggested that apart from appealing to the public for tree

management, TMO should consider issuing guidelines,

requiring management companies of private housing estates

or owners’ corporations to submit a report on the conditions

of trees in their housing estates every year. The

Government could provide technical support in this respect.

This could at least ensure that they would keep an eye on

trees in areas under their management.

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27. Ms Kenny LEE raised the following comments and enquiries:

(i) Since her constituency had an abundance of trees, actions

were needed from time to time to tackle dangerous trees. It

was found that the performance of horticultural contractors

varied, some with arborists but some without. Some

arborists claimed that they had no knowledge of foundation

works. In such case, an engineer specialised in foundation

works had to be engaged to examine if the foundation was

affected by tree roots. This showed that some horticultural

companies did not have enough experts. In view of the fact

that other departments responsible for maintenance, such as

BD, had compiled a list of competent contractors, she

suggested that DevB and relevant departments under its

purview should consider publishing a list of competent

horticultural contractors for reference of the public.

(ii) There were no government departments responsible for

providing professional advice on the management of trees

within private lots. In some cases, residents intended to

preserve the trees but they were worried that the trees might

affect the foundation, posing a threat to the life of the

general public. Since residents did not want to spend

another sum for engaging an engineer specialised in

foundation works, they tended to remove the trees as a

solution. She suggested that the Government should

provide an advisory channel for the public, so that they

could consult government experts in horticulture.

28. Mr Stephen NG, MH, JP raised the following comments and

enquiries:

(i) DC members had made tremendous efforts in the

management of trees in public places, such as referring

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complaints to TMO or informing it of any irregularities

detected visually. TMO had also made prompt responses.

(ii) If owners were held liable for a tree collapse incident in a

private area, a huge sum of compensation would be

involved, which would be a great burden on owners.

Maintenance companies or management companies tended

to solve the problem by removing the tree in question. Yet,

it was doubtful if they possessed the relevant expertise.

Since substantial compensation might arise from an injury

caused by a tree collapse, owners might tend to adopt a

stringent approach by removing the tree, regardless of

whether the tree was in good condition or not. The cost of

this approach might be the lowest. However, if the tree in

question had been registered with LandsD, owners were

required to do compensatory planting after removal of the

tree. Therefore, they would find themselves being caught

in a dilemma. He asked what actions would be taken by

the Government to assist private property owners, such as

providing them with professional knowledge, and what

would be done to regulate the relevant industry.

29. Ms Jacqueline CHUNG raised the following comments and

enquiries:

(i) As told by the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services

during her visit to WCDC a few years ago, TMO was

responsible for overseeing the tree management throughout

the territory, leading to a very tight manpower situation.

She enquired if it had been provided with additional

manpower in recent years, or if it would divide its work by

region such as Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New

Territories, with each region to be managed by different

manpower.

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(ii) She acknowledged that LCSD had devoted special attention

to tree management. In recent years, greening ambassadors

had provided training for local residents and interested

parties, equipping them with knowledge of visual inspection

of tree conditions. The training was useful though not

highly professional.

(iii) Noting that a mechanism had been in place for reporting

smoky vehicles, she suggested that a similar mechanism

could be introduced for tree management to facilitate the

public in reporting problematic trees.

(iv) She supported publishing a list of relevant professionals by

LCSD for private property owners’ reference. Such a list

would assist owners in looking for professionals to save

trees, instead of removing them all the time, as trees had a

life of their own.

(v) Many owners had no idea of the ownership of trees within

their premises. She hoped that LandsD and LCSD would

join hands to carry out inspection of trees in Wan Chai

District, with a view to specifying which trees belonged to

the Government and which belonged to private owners.

After knowing clearly which trees should be managed by

them, private property owners could carry out precautionary

maintenance to prevent trees from being destroyed during

the typhoon season and ensure the safety of local residents.

30. Mr Simon NG made the following responses:

(i) TMO was a policy bureau responsible for formulating tree

management policies and guidelines, coordinating tree

management work of various departments, etc. Tree

inspection and maintenance were carried out by relevant tree

management departments. If a problematic tree was on

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government land, its maintenance (such as pruning and

removal) would be followed up by the relevant government

department.

(ii) There were over 10 professional and technical staff in TMO,

responsible for formulating policies and guidelines, as well

as monitoring and coordinating tree management work of

various departments.

(iii) Private property owners were held liable in many areas.

Apart from tree management, they were responsible for the

maintenance of lifts, retaining walls and slopes. These

areas were more complicated than tree management,

requiring more professional knowledge. Tree management

was in fact one of the many responsibilities a private

property owner should bear. TMO had recently provided

the “Information of Tree Maintenance for Private

Properties” on its website, which contained information

about contractors, local and overseas professionals as well as

tree pruning and maintenance for private property owners’

reference.

(iv) Moreover, TMO organised talks on tree maintenance every

year for public participation. If members of the public

found a problematic tree, they might call 1823, regardless of

whether the tree was within a private housing estate or a

government premises. If the tree in question belonged to

the Government, the case would be referred to the

responsible government department for its direct action. If

the problematic tree was privately owned, the case would be

referred to LandsD which would then inform the relevant

private property owners for follow-up action. The

Government adopted a prudent and open attitude towards the

enactment of legislation on trees.

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31. Mr John CHAN made the following responses:

(i) HyD conducted a minimum of two regular tree inspections

every year. Besides, after each typhoon, HyD would

require competent professionals engaged by contractors to

carry out a tree inspection in the affected area within 14

days, with a view to determining which trees needed

maintenance, pruning or removal. Whenever HyD

conducted a tree inspection, it would require competent

professionals to submit a report. As stated in the written

reply, according to the result of tree inspections carried out

in Wan Chai Distirct in 2014, 94 trees were identified as

problematic, among which 55 trees had been pruned, 35

trees with no prospect of recovery had been removed, and

four with no imminent danger had been arranged for

removal. The tree works were expected to be completed by

the end of this month.

(ii) As regards tree inspection, the first round was to carry out

visual inspection. Some trees were identified for detailed

follow-up action after visual inspection. For example, if a

tree hole was detected after visual inspection, a resistograph

or tomography instrument would be used to check whether

there was internal rot or how much wood remained in good

condition, with a view to determining if the tree should be

retained or removed. Removal of the tree would be carried

out if it was confirmed to pose a threat to life and property.

32. Ms Brenda YEUNG made the following responses :

(i) LCSD carried out inspection of trees at least once or twice a

year in accordance with the guidelines issued by TMO. In

fact, tree inspection work was completed before the onset of

the typhoon season in May every year. Inspection to

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individual locations would be carried out according to actual

needs and suitable maintenance would be made.

(ii) In Wan Chai District, there were about 6 300 trees under the

management of LCSD. Trees managed by LCSD included

those in parks, open spaces and footpaths under its purview,

as well as 11 old trees included in the Register of Old and

Valuable Trees. Tree inspection was completed every year

before the typhoon season. Records showed that trees in

Wan Chai District were in general or good condition with

normal structure.

33. Mr Alex KWOK made the following responses:

(i) Regarding the management of trees on private land, LandsD

carried out the work based on the land leases. In terms of a

land lease, LandsD was a lessor and the owner of a private

lot was a lessee. Basically, land leases could be divided

into two categories. Land leases fell within the first

category were those with no tree preservation clauses. For

this category, private lot owners could deal with tree issues

at liberty. If tree preservation clauses were included in land

leases, private lot owners should seek consent or permission

from LandsD before carrying out any tree maintenance.

The work should be done in accordance with the approved

plan.

(ii) In determining the ownership of trees, trees within private

property areas should normally be managed by private

property owners. As regards stonewall trees, if the wall in

question was within the area of the private property, the trees

on the wall should be managed by the private property

owners.

34. The Chairperson said that the responses from various departments

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were basically consistent with their written responses. In fact, residents

might lodge a complaint to DC members regarding any issues, be they big

or small. Regardless of whether the tree in question was on government

land or private land, residents would approach DC members for assistance.

The Chairperson hoped that government departments would collaborate

with WCDC to follow up proactively the concerns referred by Members.

35. Mr Ivan WONG, MH supplemented the following:

(i) Trees in different locations were managed by different

departments. It was quite complicated since the risks and

responsibility involved were different. TMO was

responsible for formulating policies and guidelines.

However, TMO should keep the overall statistics for Wan

Chai District, such as the trees with the highest, medium and

lowest risks, as well as trees which would endanger life and

block traffic in case of collapse. He wondered how TMO

could formulate policies or guidelines in the absence of these

statistics. In case of a tree collapse incident causing

injuries and fatalities, there should be a department bearing

the ultimate responsibility.

(ii) Since owners in a private housing estate might hold different

views, he suggested that LandsD or relevant government

departments should be granted greater power. Besides, an

assessment mechanism should be put in place allowing the

removal of a tree without prior consent from owners after

they were informed in writing of the fact that the tree posed

imminent danger.

36. With respect to setting up an assessment mechanism, the

Chairperson asked Mr Ivan WONG, MH to refer to paragraph 2 on page 1

of the written reply, which stated that in the first stage of a tree assessment,

assessment would be conducted in areas with high pedestrian flow. It was

believed that TMO would not inspect all the trees one by one. The

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Chairperson invited the relevant department to give a response.

37. Mr Simon NG made the following responses:

(i) Government departments carried out risk assessment in

accordance with the tree risk assessment guidelines issued

by TMO. Tree risk assessment was an ongoing exercise.

In 2014, various departments carried out a total of 25 000

tree group inspections, 6 600 detailed examinations of

individual trees and 22 000 risk assessments. All the work

was completed by the end of May.

(ii) For high-risk trees, if there were no possible cures or risk

mitigation measures, government departments would

remove them through careful steps. No existence of

high-risk trees would be allowed. Moreover, TMO had

compiled the Tree Register which contained information on

about 1 000 trees requiring monitoring or with important

value (e.g. Old and Valuable Trees and stonewall trees).

The Tree Register had been uploaded to the website of TMO

(www.trees.gov.hk) for the reference of the general public.

38. The Chairperson thanked the representatives of various government

departments for attending the meeting to discuss the paper.

Information Items

Item 5: Report of Wan Chai District Fight Crime Committee (June

to July 2014)


39. Mr NG Shan-ho said that he had nothing to add. The Chairperson

asked Members to note the paper.

Item 6: Progress Report of the 195th

Meeting of Wan Chai District

Management Committee

http://www.trees.gov.hk/

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40. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress report.

Information Papers

Item 7: Progress Reports of Promotion Committees/Working

Groups/Organising Committees Directly under WCDC


41. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress report.

Item 8: Progress Reports of Committees of WCDC

(a) Community Building Committee


(b) Cultural and Leisure Services Committee


(c) District Works and Facilities Management Committee


(d) Development, Planning and Transport Committee


(e) Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee


(f) Funding and Finance Committee


42. The Chairperson asked Members to note the progress reports.

Item 9: Financial Statement of WCDC Funds for 2014/15


43. The Chairperson asked Members to note the financial statement.

Item 10: Summary of Meetings of Area Committees


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44. The Chairperson asked Members to note the paper.

Item 11: Any Other Business

45. Members did not raise any other discussion items.

Date of Next Meeting

46. The next meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 11 November 2014

(Tuesday).

Adjournment of Meeting

47. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:23

p.m.

Wan Chai District Council Secretariat

September 2014

These minutes of meeting were confirmed on 11 November 2014.

th Meeting of the 4th Wan Chai District Council

Documents

Transcript of th Meeting of the 4th Wan Chai District Council