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Minutes of the 7 t h Meeting ofCulture, Leisure & Social Affairs Committee (2016-17)

Central and Western District Council

Date : 2 March 2017 (Thursday)Time : 2:30 pmVenue : Conference Room

14/F, Harbour Building 38 Pier Road, Central , Hong Kong

Present:

ChairmanMr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP*

Vice-chairmanMr YEUNG Hoi-wing*

MembersMr CHAN Choi-hi, MH (2:30 pm – 5:33 pm)Mr CHAN Ho-lim, Joseph (4:05 pm – 5:37 pm)Mr CHAN Hok-fung, MH (2:30 pm – 6:45 pm)Ms CHENG Lai-king (2:49 pm – 6:44 pm)Mr HUI Chi-fung (3:36 pm – 6:29 pm)Mr LEE Chi-hang, Sidney (2:38 pm - end of the meeting)Miss LO Yee-hang (2:30 pm – 2:59 pm)

(4:41 pm - end of the meeting)Mr NG Siu-hong*Ms SIU Ka-yi*Mr YEUNG Hok-ming*Mr YIP Wing-shing, BBS, MH, JP (2:30 pm - 6:29 pm)

Co-opted MembersMs CHEUNG Kai-yin (2:30 pm – 6:29 pm)Mr IP Yik-nam*Mr LEE Man-sing*Mr SHAM Chi-hang, Christopher*

Remarks: * Members who attended the whole meeting

( ) Time of attendance of Members

GuestItem 5Dr Leo CHAN

Mr Kelvin CHENG

Dr Welchie KO Wai-kit

Mr WONG Chun-wai

Senior Manager (Transformation Projects), Hospital Authority

Manager (Transformation Projects), Hospital Authority

Deputy Cos (Training & Quality) & Consultant In-charge, Hospital Authority

Public and Community Relations Officer, Queen Mary Hospital

Item 6Dr Welchie KO Wai-kit

Mr WONG Chun-wai

Deputy Cos (Training & Quality) & Consultant In-charge, Hospital Authority

Public and Community Relations Officer, Queen Mary Hospital

Item 7Ms KO Wan-chi, Wendy

Ms TSE Ching

Mr LEE Siu-tak, Derek

Mr HUI Kar-nung

Ms CHOI Suk-kuen, Shirley

Ms ZHAO Yee, Emily

Senior Agricultural Officer (Crop Development) , Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

Agricultural Management Officer (Farm Modernization), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

Chief Executive Officer (Commuity Relations) 2, Environmental Protection Department

Chief Health Inspector 1, Central/ Western District Environmental Hygiene Office, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Manager (Hong Kong West) Marketing, Programme and District Activities, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Item 8Mrs KWOK WONG Mun-yi

Mr Clark CHAN

Senior School Development Officer (Central Western and Southern) 2, Education Bureau

Senior School Development Officer (Central Western and Southern) 6, Education Bureau

Item 9Ms CHAN Shuk-hing, Daphne

Ms YIP Wai-ting, Wendy

Senior Librarian (Central & Western), Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Librarian (Shek Tong Tsui Public Library), Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Item 10Miss Katty LAW

Mr Charlton CHEUNG

Convenor, Central and Western Concern Group

Member, Sai Wan Concern

Item 11Ms Rebecca NGAN

Ms Fiona WOODHOUSE

Community Development Manager, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Deputy Director (Welfare), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Item 12Mr CHAN On-ting, Eddy

Ms NGAI Oi-fong, Jennifer

Senior Manager (External Affairs), Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority

Manager (External Affairs), Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority

Item 13Dr Cissy YU

Ms Katherine M Y CHAN

Hospital Chief Executive, Tung Wah Hospital

General Manager (Admin Services), Tung Wah Hospital

Item 14Ms LEE Ching-nga

Ms CHAN Ka-wing

Ms CHEUNG Chi-ting, Candy

Ms CHAU Lai-har

Vice-chairlady, Hong Kong Central and Western District Women Association

Head, HKSKH St. Matthew’s Neighbourhood Elderly Centre

Social Worker, HKSKH St. Matthew’s Neighbourhood Elderly Centre

Social Work Assistant, Caritas Community Centre- Caine Road

In Attendance:

Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze, Susanne, JP

Ms WONG Suet-yi, Penny

District Officer (Central and Western)

Assistant District Officer (Central and Western)

Ms YEUNG Wing-shan, Grace Senior Executive Officer (District

Council), Central and Western District Office

Mr CHU Kam-sing, Daniel Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Central Western, Southern and Islands) 2, Social Welfare Department

Mr WATT Wai-yeung, Edwin Senior Community Relations Officer (Hong Kong West/Islands) , Independent Commission Against Corruption

Mrs KWOK WONG Mun-yi Senior School Development Officer (Central Western and Southern) 2, Education Bureau

Dr WONG Man-ching, Anna Senior Medical and Health Officer (Community Liaison) 2, Department of Health

Mr CHAN Chun-ping Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinator, Police Community Relations Office, Central District, Hong Kong Police Force

Mr CHAN Chun-wah Neighbourhood Police Co-ordinator, Police Community Relations Office, Western District , Hong Kong Police Force

Ms CHOI Suk-kuen, Shirley Senior Manager (Cultural Services) Hong Kong West, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Ms ZHAO Yee, Emily Manager (Hong Kong West) Marketing, Programme and District Activities, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Ms CHAN Suk-fan, Bianca Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) Central and Western, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

SecretaryMiss MAN Sum-yi, Annie Executive Officer (District Council) 5 ,

Central and Western District Office

Absent with Apologies:Mr CHEUNG Kwok-kwan, JPMr KAM Nai-wai, MHMs LAU Wai-yan,Vienna

Opening remarks

The C hairman welcomed all to the 7th Meeting of the Culture, Leisure & Social Affairs Committee (CLSAC) (2016-2017) under the Central and Western District Council (C&W DC). The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Mr WATT Wai-yeung, Senior Community Relations Officer (Hong Kong West/Islands) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, who was replacing Ms Doris CHUN; and Ms CHAN Suk-fan, Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) Central and Western of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, who was replacing Ms CHOW Pui-shan. He also thanked Ms CHUN and Ms CHOW for their past attendance at CLSAC meetings to assist in the discussion and answer Members’ queries.

Item 1 – Adoption of the agenda2. Members had no comments on the agenda, the Chairman announced that the agenda was adopted.

Item 2 – Confirmation of the minutes of the 6th meeting of CLSAC (2016-17)3. Members had no comments on the draft minutes of the 6th meeting of CLSAC. The minutes of the meeting were confirmed.

Item 3 – Action checklist on matters arising from the 6th CLSAC meeting (2016/2017) (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 11/2017)4. Members noted the action checklist on matters arising from the 6th CLSAC meeting and had no further comments.

Item 4 – Chairman’s report5. In 2016/17, C&W DC had approved a total funding of $94,200 for 10 applications related to civic education for organising various civic education activities within the district, including promotion of national education, social harmony and democratic education.

6. The “Culture in the District 2017/18” Programme would openly invite different arts and cultural groups to perform in the district so that residents could enjoy top-quality, high-standard performances. Informal meetings would be held later to examine the applications submitted. The date had yet to be decided.

7. The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority had sent letters to the chairpersons of the CLSAC of the 18 districts inviting them to attend the consultation forum on the Hong Kong Palace Museum Project, which would be held on 6 March from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Multi-purpose Hall on 3/F of the City Gallery.

Item 5 - General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 12/2017)

(2:40 pm – 3:10 pm)

8. Dr Leo CHAN, Senior Manager (Transformation Projects) of the Hospital Authority (HA), briefed Members that the General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme (the Programme) launched in mid-2014 now covered 12 districts. In 2017-18, the Programme would be further extended to four new districts (including the Central and Western District).

9. Mr Kelvin CHENG, Manager (Transformation Projects) of HA, presented the contents of the Programme with PowerPoint and reported on the progress of its implementation. He said that in addition to providing patients with more choices, enhancing patients’ access to primary healthcare services and providing some relief to HA’s general outpatient services, the Programme could also help to foster long-term patient-doctor relationship under the family doctor concept and promote the development of territory-wide Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) in Hong Kong. The target group of the Programme was HA’s existing General Outpatient Clinic (GOPC) patients having hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus (with or without hyperlipidemia). Eligible patients might choose to receive treatment and medications in private clinics, paying only the same HA general outpatient fee for each consultation. The participating private doctors would provide up to 10 subsidized consultations per year for each participating patients, and receive a maximum total annual service fee of up to $3,034 which included the HA general outpatient fee (currently $45) paid by the patients to the private doctors direct after each consultation. HA had set up Help Desks in the districts concerned and a dedicated telephone hotline to handle enquiries on the operation details of the Programme, and to provide support to both participating private doctors and patients. If needed, participating patients might opt to switch private doctors or withdraw from the Programme and return to HA’s GOPCs for follow-up treatment at any time, upon giving reasonable notice. Since the implementation of the Programme, the operation had been generally smooth. As at the end of January 2017, a total of 212 private doctors had participated in the Programme. From 2017-18, the Programme would be further extended to four new districts, including the Central and Western District, Islands, Tai Po and Tsuen Wan. It would be launched in the remaining two districts (Yau Tsim Mong and North District) in 2018-19. Upon the roll-out of the Programme to 18 districts, it was estimated that a total of about 35 000 patients would be benefitted. HA would continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Programme and keep in view the feedback from the community, private doctors, patients and other stakeholders. HA looked forward to working with the District Council (DC) in each district to solicit comments on the Programme and support in further promoting participation of patients and private doctors. HA hoped that the Programme would enable patients to access private medical services so that private doctors could help to improve the health of the general public and relieve the imbalance between the public and private healthcare systems.

10. Dr CHAN of HA added that patients participating in the Programme might choose participating private doctors in other districts as their family doctors.

11. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Comments made by Members were as follows:

(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung believed that the Programme could help relieve the pressure on public hospitals. He asked whether the actual waiting time had been shortened since the implementation of the Programme and what improvement in waiting time was expected after the implementation of the Programme.

(ii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi supported the Programme but believed that HA should review and assess its effectiveness in due course. He asked about the incentives to attract eligible patients to join the Programme, how private doctors thought of the Programme and whether there was any way to attract more doctors to participate.

He asked whether the Programme could include element of specialist treatment. He wanted to know if HA had any estimated figure of participating patients in the Central and Western District and whether that figure was any different from those of other districts. In addition, he proposed to include Chinese medicine and acupuncture treatment services in this Programme.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king considered that HA should step up publicity and promotion, assisting in particular those who had joined the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme. She said she supported expansion of the Programme to cover specialist and Chinese medicine services. She also asked where patients could find the list of doctors.

(iv) The Vice- c hairman said that the Programme was very popular in the districts where it had already been implemented. It was hoped that when the Programme was implemented in the Central and Western District, more choices would be available to patients. He said participating patients could have up to 10 consultations in a year, and asked what could be done if the consultations were over the limit. He hoped the eligibility criteria for participation could be broader. In addition, he asked whether the authority had considered the acceptance level of private doctors because the workloads of many private doctors were pretty heavy nowadays.

(v) Mr SHAM Chi-hang asked if Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) had implemented the Programme as QMH stretched from the Central and Western District to the Southern district. Many elderly people mistakenly believed that they were asked to consult at private doctors because public hospitals did not want to follow up their cases. Some also thought that they had to pay extra for the expensive fees, which stopped them from participating in the Programme. He opined that HA should step up publicity. In addition, quite a number of people had the habit of visiting the same doctor. Therefore, he suggested that HA should first gather a list of doctors who were interested in joining the Programme and then promoted them to eligible participants.

(vi) The Chairman declared that he was a member of the HA Hong Kong Regional Advisory Committee. He supported the Programme and hoped that the Programme could be further implemented in the future. In his opinion, HA should encourage more private doctors to participate. He asked whether the Programme could effectively shorten the waiting time and from which source members of the public could get the list of participating doctors. Regarding eHRSS, he asked whether non-participating private doctors could have access to the patients’ medical records through the eHRSS platform.

12. Dr Chan of HA added that HA would invite private doctors to participate about 3 to 4 months prior to the implementation of the Programme in each district. Eligible patients were informed of the details of the Programme and the list of participating doctors in the invitation letters sent later on. He said that patients in the Central and Western District would receive a list of participating doctors in the Central and Western District and the Southern District. Patients

might also enquire about the list of participating private doctors in other districts through the hotline. He reiterated that the purpose of the Programme was to give patients more choices. Participating patients might opt to switch private doctors or withdraw from the Programme and return to GOPCs for follow-up. In order to attract more private doctors to participate in the Programme, HA would call the private doctors one by one after issuing invitation letters and organise talks to explain the details of the Programme to them. For the talk held earlier on in the Central and Western District, more than 20 doctors had attended. He said patients could learn more through the briefing sessions. Based on past experience, the Programme was generally well received by patients. Some 70% of the patients who attended the briefing session submitted their applications on the spot. He pointed out that the idea of the Programme was to provide family doctor services to patients. At the same time, patients could follow up their chronic and episodic diseases with the same doctor. Since the implementation of the Programme, the average number of consultations per patient per year was 6 to 7 times. If the number of consultations exceeded the quota of 10, the patient might elect to continue at his own expenses or visit HA’s GOPCs until the quota of 10 times restarted next year.

13. Dr KO Wai-kit , Deputy Cos (Training & Quality) & Consultant In-charge of QMH, said that QMH was in the Southern District and the Central and Western District and the Programme had already been launched in the Southern District last year. HA would try their best to explain to patients the purpose of the Programme and respect the decision of the patients concerning the Programme. Most of the patients attending the briefing session had expressed their willingness to participate. He pointed out that patients could be followed by acquainted private doctors through this Programme, and the consultation hours available were also relatively longer.

14. Mr CHENG of HA pointed out that HA doctors and participating private doctors could exchange medical records of patients through eHRSS. HA had completed a mid-term review of the Programme in the first quarter of 2016. Based on the opinions of patients, doctors and relevant organisations, proposed improvements to the Programme were made in four areas including supply arrangements for drugs, IT platforms, operational issues and communication platform for stakeholders. The relevant proposals had been gradually adopted since the third quarter of last year. These included the inclusion of drugs (such as gastric medicine and anti-inflammatory painkillers) in the categories of drugs to care for related health problems of the patients; computer platform for smoother operation of doctors; and enhanced liaison with various stakeholders.

15. Dr CHAN of HA said that HA held an open attitude towards studying the provision of specialist services under Public-Private Partnership Programme (PPP). HA would continue to communicate with the public and patient organisations, and work closely with relevant stakeholders to explore the possibility of implementing other new PPPs in the future.

16. The Chairman asked HA whether leaflets could be made available to Members, non-profit making organizations and building corporations for distribution in order to promote the Programme to residents in the district.

17. Dr Chan of HA said he would arrange with the Secretariat to provide more booklets.

Item 6 – Concern over the worsening waiting situation for first appointment at specialist clinics of public hospitals

(C&W CLSAC Paper No. 3/2017)(3:11 pm – 3:30 pm)

18. Dr KO Wai-kit , Deputy Cos (Training & Quality) & Consultant In-charge of QMH, supplemented that to ensure patients with urgent conditions requiring early intervention were treated with priority, the triage system for new specialist outpatient cases classified the patients into three categories, namely priority 1 (urgent); priority 2 (semi-urgent) and routine (stable). The median waiting time of first appointment for priority 1 and priority 2 cases in the Hong Kong West (HKW) Hospital Cluster was similar to those in other hospital clusters. Generally speaking, patients of priority 1 and 2 categories could have their first appointment within 1 to 5 weeks. The reason why the waiting time for gynecological services was longer than that of other hospital clusters was that the fertility treatment specialty of the HKW Hospital Cluster was responsible for handling nearly half of all subfertility cases in Hong Kong. They hoped to increase this year’s quota for artificial insemination and triage cases by specialists and nurses from the Reproductive Medicine so as to quickly identify the treatments necessary for couples in need of help. HA was considering split reports on the waiting time for assisted reproduction and general gynecological consultation. Regarding monitoring work on the number of consultation sessions handled by doctors at GOPCs, each cluster had a preset annual quota. HA would monitor the monthly consultation figure at each clinic and arrange working hours for doctors. Any changes had to be endorsed by the clinic supervisor and the district supervisor, and all changes would be uploaded to the cluster site for greater transparency.

19. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Questions raised by Members were as follows:

(i) Mr YEUNG Hok-ming was dissatisfied that the waiting time for routine category of gynecology, psychiatry and orthopedics cases was too long. He learnt that there were suspected cases of children with hyperactivity referred from pediatrics to psychiatry in 2013 that had to wait until 2018, which indicated that the actual waiting time did not match with the figures provided by HA. He said that the conditions of the children could have considerably deteriorated during the five-year waiting time and the effect of treatment might be greatly compromised. He hoped that the hospitals would arrange new patients to meet with doctors as soon as possible, then observe and triage the patients according to the diagnosis.

(ii) Ms SIU Ka-yi described the classification of patients into three categories was equivalent to the classification of fire disasters into three levels. The authority ignored the fire of first level and waited to fight it a few years later when it had reached the third level, or let the patient turn for help at the Accident and Emergency Department when his condition became critical. She believed there were defects in the entire healthcare system, where members of the public often had to endure hard and wait long before they could see a doctor for the first time. She said that HA should make improvements in speeding up the waiting time, instead of just releasing information on the waiting time for various specialist outpatient services to the public through mobile apps. She said that the proposed

measure of strengthening manpower would not solve the problem. She hoped the paper would draw the attention of HA for them to come up with a viable solution as soon as possible. She agreed that the waiting time for Psychiatry was unacceptable, saying that even assistance was provided by outreaching social work teams, the problem could not be solved if a new patient was unable to see a doctor.

(iii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that there was an arsonist attack on the MTR on 10 February. It was reported that the person concerned was severely mentally ill, which had aroused public concern. The condition of new psychiatric patients could deteriorate in two years. He said that there were about 200 000 mentally ill patients in Hong Kong. If they failed to receive prompt treatment, they would pose a potential threat to the society. Worse still, they could possibly exhibit self-harming behaviour. The ratio of psychiatrists to patients in Hong Kong was high, about 1 to 10 000, whereas the ratio in overseas countries was 1 to 8 000. This showed that there was a shortage of psychiatrists. He said that over the years, both the legislators and the public had repeatedly reflected the problem of long waiting time. He hoped HA would pledge to solve the problem within a timeframe.

(iv) Mr CHAN Hok-fung considered the waiting times for priority 1 and 2 categories acceptable. Since public complaints mainly came from routine cases, it showed that the existing strength of doctors failed to meet the demand. He asked if HA could expand the scope of PPP to divert some specialist cases to private medical institutions, thus making good use of their resources to shorten the waiting time and relieve the pressure on public hospitals. He asked whether HA could provide the relevant timetable.

20. Dr KO of QMH replied as follows:

(i) Regarding Members’ concern about Psychiatry treatment, he agreed that the waiting time for child psychiatry was long, about three years. At present, measures taken by HA included hiring part-time doctors and redeploying psychiatrists from adult section to help deal with new psychiatric cases of adolescents. He explained that one of the reasons for the long waiting time for child psychiatric services on Hong Kong Island was that the Hospital Cluster had to take up cases of the Eastern District as well. HA would step up primary care services and triage cases of common mental disorders.

(ii) Regarding the solution for long waiting time for routine cases, HA would collect more detailed information of patients for triaging purpose.

(iii) He said that if excluding fertility treatment service, the average waiting time for gynecology services was about 6 to 9 months, which was similar to that of other clusters. The waiting time for orthopaedic treatment at HKW Hospital Cluster was 108 weeks, which was similar to that of other clusters (the shortest was 92 weeks and the longest was 168 weeks at other clusters). He agreed that there was

room for improvement in waiting time and said that HA would actively consider expanding PPP to specialist clinics.

Item 7 – Setting up “weekend farmers’ market” in Central to promote healthy lifestyle and disseminate green messages


21. Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that the departments concerned responded positively to setting up farmers’ market in Central. He asked if they had any thoughts on the proposed performances at the weekend market, and whether the Lands Department and the Transport Department could make corresponding arrangements at the location suggested to facilitate the organisation of the activity.

22. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Questions and comments raised by Members were as follows:

(i) Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin said that at present, weekend farmers’ markets were mostly organised by private or non-profit-making organisations. She asked how government departments could provide support in this regard. Since similar weekend farmers’ markets were very popular amongst the public, she hoped the activity could be held on a regular basis. She asked whether the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) could regularise the “FARMFEST” held in Mong Kok every year and extend it to other areas to help local farmers open up new sales channels.

(ii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi said that there was a small-scale farmers’ market at the Star Ferry Pier every Sunday. Not only did he hope that farmers’ markets could be organised at suitable locations, more importantly, he also wished the public could know more about the local agricultural industry. He looked forward to a regularly-held farmers’ market in the Central District through cooperation between different groups and farmers, mixed with elements of cultural performance, education, environmental protection and new agriculture to attract more participants.

(iii) The Chairman expressed that response from various departments was positive. He hoped that the departments would take substantive actions to implement the plan shortly. He suggested to put the plan of farmers’ market on a short-term trial, with a view to develop a long-term planning for its regularisation after review. He hoped the department would explain how planning could be done if the open space outside the City Hall was to be used. He agreed that the farmers’ market could promote green living and disseminate green messages to the public.

(iv) Ms CHENG Lai-king asked which organisation would take the lead to organise the farmers’ market. She supported the setting up of weekend farmers’ market in the district.

23. Ms KO Wan-chi , Senior Agricultural Officer (Crop Development) of AFCD, said the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) and AFCD had all along been very supportive of the development of local agriculture. Apart from promoting quality production techniques, they had also helped to open up new sales channels. Through technical seminars and visits to farmers, AFCD supported and encouraged the agricultural sector to apply for organic certification in order to produce high-quality crops. Every year, AFCD would organise major activities to help organic farmers explore different sales channels, including the annual “FARMFEST” held at the Flower Market and the “Local Organic Watermelon Festival” held every summer. At present, farmers’ markets in Hong Kong were largely organised by agricultural-related institutions and private organisations. AFCD considered it most suitable that this kind of markets be operated by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), social enterprises or agricultural-related organisations. If any organisation was interested in operating farmers’ market in the district, the department was most willing to provide assistance and advice.

24. Mr CHAN Choi-hi asked if AFCD could provide information on the agricultural-related groups for reference. He hoped that the activity of farmers’ market could be organised regularly in the Central and Western District.

25. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), added that departmental response to Members’ proposal was positive. Regarding the proposed site, with the help of the Home Affairs Department, government departments would continue to study the feasibility of the suggested location or the availability of alternative ones. As far as she knew, AFCD had information on the relevant local agricultural organisations. Besides, information about agricultural-related social enterprises was also available at the data bank on the website of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. She kindly asked AFCD to forward the information to Members after the meeting.

Item 8 – Strongly request for stipulating Chinese History as a compulsory subject at the junior secondary level, and a compulsory module in Liberal Studies at the senior secondary level


26. Mr CHAN Choi-hi asked that in the written reply from the Education Bureau (EDB), whether there was any omission in the number of Secondary 6 (S6) students taking the Chinese History subject in the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) Examination.

27. Mrs KWOK WONG Mun-yi, Senior School Development Officer (Central Western and Southern) 2 of EDB, said that there were discrepancies in the figures presented in the tabled paper and those submitted by EDB. She would follow up with the relevant data after meeting.

28. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Questions and comments raised by Members were as follows:

(i) Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin said that even before the reunification, EDB had not listed Chinese History as a compulsory subject at junior secondary level. She

considered that every school should be given the autonomy to decide whether or not Chinese History should be taught as an independent subject. She said that Chinese History had always been regarded as a subject that rote learning was required. Members should focus on ways to improve the education effectiveness of Chinese History, rather than the question of setting Chinese History as a compulsory subject at junior secondary level or not. She said that EDB should ensure that sufficient qualified teachers were available to enhance students’ understanding of Chinese history.

(ii) Mr SHAM Chi-hang believed that since EDB had set the teaching hours of each subject in the wake of the education reform, schools had no choice but gave up the teaching time of certain subjects. He was in favour of stipulating Chinese History as a compulsory subject for junior secondary students, thereby increasing teachers’ opportunities for practice and enhancing their quality. He pointed out that there were many Chinese History teachers in Hong Kong, but some of them were forced to teach other subjects to make up for the shortage of manpower.

(iii) Mr HUI Chi-fung recognized the importance of studying Chinese History, but he had reservations about it becoming an independent subject. He believed that the prevailing system was ideal. EDB had already stipulated the number of study hours for Chinese History. Since each school had a different background, the format used to teach Chinese History was also different. Some schools chose the Chinese History vs Western History comparative approach, while some preferred to adopt a thematic approach. In his opinion, the current practice could reflect the free choice of schools and respect the teachers’ professionalism. In addition, he said EDB should ensure that the curriculum content was unbiased so as to foster students’ independent judgment.

(iv) Mr YEUNG Hok-ming considered it obligatory that Chinese people should study Chinese History. Although every individual might have different perspective on the same issue, he believed that young people should get to know China’s development.

(v) Mr LEE Chi-hang said that different generations in the society had different views on this issue. He said that students from the 1970s to the 1980s were compulsorily required to study Chinese History in junior secondary. At the senior secondary level, quite a number of science and business studies students would continue to study Chinese History. In his opinion, the education system in Hong Kong was constantly changing according to the subjective preference of the authority. As a result, schools were getting less and less autonomy and teachers’ workload was getting heavier and heavier, including the handling of chores and statistical work. He considered that too many scopes were covered under Liberal Studies. He hoped the Government would review the overall education policy. He believed that if schools were allowed more autonomy, more of them would be willing to step up their education in arts and science subjects. In his opinion, EDB should examine debundling of Liberal Studies so that teachers and students could grasp the key learning points. He also hoped EDB would attach importance

to the views of all Members.

(vi) Ms CHENG Lai-king asked if Chinese History was taught as an independent subject, how EDB would make students understand and objectively analyse the modern history of China. She hoped that the 1967 riots and the 4 June incident could be included in the curriculum.

(vii) Mr CHAN Choi-hi agreed that students should learn Chinese History and begin to cultivate the ethos of studying history from the junior secondary level. He said that at present, historical elements were covered in different modules of Liberal Studies, so it was difficult for students to grasp a complete historical picture. Many history societies and educators concurrently agreed that Chinese History should be set as an independent subject. They believed it would help to promote specialized teaching and improve the quality of teachers. He said that many teachers had reflected that if Chinese History was to become an independent subject, they would have to cut the teaching hours of other subjects. He was in favour of stipulating Chinese History as an independent subject.

(viii) The Chairman asked EDB since when Chinese History had become a non-compulsory subject. He considered history to be of great importance to national education and urban development. Taking an overview of other regions, their students were compulsorily asked to study history. According to the information provided by EDB, the number of S6 students taking the Chinese History subject in DSE Examination had been declining steadily for the past five years. If Chinese History was stipulated as a compulsory subject for junior secondary level and a compulsory module of Liberal Studies at senior secondary level, it would encourage more students to study history. He said that EDB had placed too little emphasis on the subject of history. He considered it EDB’s responsibility to give the younger generation a clearer view on history and a clear understanding of their historical responsibility.

(ix) Mr CHAN Ho-lim supported the content of the paper and said that stipulating Chinese History as a compulsory subject at junior secondary level could enhance young people’s understanding of the motherland and help them analyse the current social situation.

(x) Mr YIP Wing-shing said that even students studying abroad were required to study the local history. Similarly, it was necessary for young people in Hong Kong to study Chinese History. Chinese History should be stipulated as a compulsory subject at the junior secondary level, and then let young students to make their own independent analysis and assessment.

29. Ms WONG of EDB said that Chinese History was not a compulsory subject before. However, since the curriculum reform in 2001, the study of Chinese history and culture had been made compulsory in the curriculum of junior secondary and primary education with a specified ratio to the total lesson time, i.e. about 5% of the total lesson time. She said that at present, schools relied on their own professional judgment to decide on the teaching mode. About 90%

of secondary schools taught Chinese History as an independent subject, while the remaining ones adopted a combined history or integrated curriculum mode in teaching Chinese History. As for Liberal Studies at senior secondary level, the module on “Modern China” covered two themes, namely “China’s reform and opening-up” and “Chinese culture and modern life”, which accounted for about 1/6 of the learning and teaching of the modules of Liberal Studies. Under the senior secondary curriculum of the New Academic Structure, Chinese History had been one of the 20 elective subjects, accounting for about 10% of the total lesson time. EDB had collected views from the sector on the revised curriculum of Chinese History at junior secondary level in late 2016 and would conduct a second consultation exercise in May to discuss specific details and implementation arrangement. EDB would base on relevant principles to organise a student-oriented curriculum containing a balanced content on ancient and modern China integrated with political history and cultural history. On the question of specialized teaching, she said EDB would continue to strengthen training and support for teachers and establish an inter-school network to promote professional exchanges.

Item 9 – Request for addition of round-the-clock self-service library units in Central and Sheung Wan

(C&W CLSAC Paper No. 4/2017(4:13 pm – 4:26 pm)

30. The Chairman invited discussion on the paper. Questions raised by Members were as follows:

(i) Ms SIU Ka-yi said that Members had repeatedly requested a library be provided in Sheung Wan over the years. At present, mobile library service was only available once every two weeks, far from meeting the needs of book borrowing by local people. She said that the Government had mentioned in the Policy Agenda that a trial scheme for the installation of round-the-clock self-service library unit would be launched at three locations on the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories respectively. She considered Sheung Wan fitting the stated selection criteria of having large flow of people yet far from existing libraries. Therefore, a paper was submitted proposing the installation of a unit at the sheltered area of the Sheung Wan Civic Centre. Although the Eastern District was now picked as the location for the trial scheme on Hong Kong Island, she hoped that after the completion of the trial scheme, addition of a self-service library unit in Sheung Wan could be considered. She asked whether the department had any timetable for the implementation of the scheme.

(ii) Mr Yeung Hok-ming said that the self-service library unit to be put in place would store about 300-odd library items, but he had seen smaller units in the Mainland storing only dozens of books. He asked whether the department could install a smaller service unit in the Central and Western District. He suggested the department to select and place the more popular types of books in the unit so that residents in the Central and Sheung Wan Districts could have access to the service even when they finished their work late. He believed the service unit would be very popular among the public.

(iii) Mr NG Siu-hong welcomed the launching of the trial scheme and hoped that it would be implemented in the Central and Western district as soon as possible. He said that some areas, such as Mid-Levels, had less venues managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). He asked if the department would consider implementing the scheme in art exhibition venues run by other departments or non-profit organizations, like PMQ and the Central Police Station. He enquired about the space needed for the installation of such a unit.

(iv) Ms CHENG Lai-king suggested installing such library unit at Sheung Wan Market near the Sports Centre and at parks, such as the Caine Road Garden, for 24-hour access by the public.

31. Ms CHAN Shuk-hing , Senior Liberian (Central and Western) of LCSD, responded that the Government had stated in the Policy Agenda last year that it would launch a trial scheme for the installation of round-the-clock self-service library unit at three locations on the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories respectively. The site-specific considerations and functions of the self-service unit were also mentioned. The self-service unit to be installed in the Eastern District was expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year, while the other two pilot sites were still under study. The department would review the scheme upon completion of the three pilot sites and when the trial scheme had been in full operation for a certain period of time. Regarding the area to be taken up by the self-service units, LCSD was proceeding with procurement procedures. The size of the units was initially estimated to be no more than 2 metres deep and about 4 metres long. Since the self-service units had to be externally covered with weather-proof shield, so the exact area needed would vary depending on the location. LCSD had noted the views of Members. The non-recurrent expenditure alone for this trial scheme was estimated to be about $7.7 million, exclusive of other expenses. LCSD would conduct a review after the launch of the trial scheme, such as utilization rate, actual operation, logistics and cost-effectiveness, to get an idea of the effectiveness of the service. If the result was satisfactory, the department would study the feasibility of extending the service. At present, since the self-service units were not yet installed, no specific timetable could be provided.

32. The Chairman hoped that the scheme could be extended to the Central and Western District as soon as possible so that local residents could be benefitted.

Item 10 – Request for the Government to conserve the historic tenement house remains at Cochrane Street


33. The Chairman said that the same issue had been discussed at the Full Council meeting held on 19 January this year and representatives from relevant department were present to answer the questions raised by Members. This meeting was held less than two months from that one, the department concerned had written to say that they were unable to attend. The Chairman drew Members’ attention to the paper tabled which included an excerpt of the draft minutes of the Full Council meeting held in January and the information documents submitted by the Central and West Concern Group and the Sai Wan Concern, which were about the same as those submitted at the last DC meeting.

34. Miss Katty LAW, Convenor of the Central and Western Concern Group, said that the document tabled included a letter from a historian to the President of the State, the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, setting out the problems contained in the report of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO), which had wrongly assessed the value of the historical site. She said the incident had come to a crucial stage and believed it would be discussed again at the AAB meeting to be held on March 9. The Concern Group had a case conference at the Complaints Division of the Legislative Council (LegCo) in January this year. At that time, a number of LegCo Members and representatives from various departments had attended the meeting, including AMO, the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). The concerned groups and LegCo Members questioned AMO in many aspects. They found that AMO was using very weak justifications to determine that the historical tenement house was built in the 1930s. She said that the department repeatedly evaded the issue and did not respond positively to the concern groups and LegCo Members. She requested the LegCo to continue with the investigation. Besides, she had already lodged a complaint against AMO with the Office of the Ombudsman for maladministration and professional misconduct. She hoped that C&W DC would pay close attention to that act of maladministration and highlighted that AMO had made similar mistakes in the past, such as delaying the reply related to the Tamar site. She hoped to discuss with the DC and the URA on conservation issues and hoped Members would duly consider the evidence provided by the Concern Group in order to exemplify the century-long architectural history in Central. She believed that both the tenement house remains and Wing Woo Grocery Shop could show people’s living environment before the plague in the late 19th century, and had conservation, education and architectural history research value. That historic tenement house could not be built after 1903 because such design had vanished after the Building Ordinance was revised due to plague.

35. Mr Charlton CHEUNG of the Sai Wai Concern said that the 1889 Building Ordinance had limited the use of green bricks for buildings with a height above 36 feet. For instance, the material used for the outer walls of the Gun Club Hill Barracks built in 1903 was Fujian bricks (red bricks), while Guangdong bricks (green bricks) were used for the interior walls. This showed that buildings built after 1889 were constructed with mixed red and green bricks. He presented the existing distribution of green brick architecture in Victoria. With the exclusion of temples in the area, the remaining green brick architectural clusters could only be found in the vicinity of Cochrane Street, including Cochrane Street, Wing Woo Grocery Shop and the former Sincere department store. He hoped Members would cherish this gem at Cochrane Street in the District.

36. The Chairman declared himself as member of AAB. He said that AAB would follow up the rating of the building remains at Cochrane Street at the meeting to be held on 9 March. He pointed out that AAB’s discussion on this issue on 8 November last year was not a hasty one. The discussion had lasted for an hour, with reference made to the information submitted by the concerned groups. Based on six major criteria, the expert panel decided not to give a rating to the building remains at Cochrane Street. Judging on a court document related to rental, AAB determined that the historical tenement house at Cochrane Street was completed in about 1933. And that round of discussion was not AAB’s final discussion on that monument. He considered that AAB was a gatekeeper in the conservation of historic monuments, e.g. AAB had rated the

State Theatre as a Grade I historic building after taken into consideration public opinions. He said that he would relate to AAB the views expressed by Members at the Full Council meeting held in January and at this meeting.

37. Mr HUI Chi-fung said that this document was submitted as there were new developments. Community organisations were also able to provide additional supporting evidence. He was very dissatisfied with AMO’s failure to attend this meeting as well as their repeated absence at the meetings of the Full Council, Committees and Working Groups. He considered that AMO was evading discussion with Members on this issue so that the public could not get to know the Government’s position through DC meetings. He requested the Committee to write to AMO to express its regret for their repeated absence from meetings. He hoped the Chairman would once again invite representatives of the two concern groups to speak.

38. Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin stated that the two concern groups had expressed their opinions through multiple channels, including through the Complaints Division of the LegCo, DEVB and DC, but no positive reply had been received from the authority. She agreed with Mr HUI Chi-fung that a letter should be sent to AMO requesting them to face up to the aspirations of the civil society.

39. Ms CHENG Lai-king believed that Cochrane Street represented an important part of Hong Kong’s history. It would be a pity if the historical building could not be entirely preserved. She hoped that the content discussed today and the documents submitted by the concern groups could be forwarded to AMO and DEVB. She hoped that all parties would make every effort to strive for the comprehensive conservation of the historic tenement house at Cochrane Street to enable Hong Kong people to understand the history of their homeland.

40. Mr NG Siu-hong expressed his disappointment for the absence of governmental representation at the meeting and agreed that a letter of regret should be sent to AMO. He hoped that the rating criteria would be disclosed to the public and the rating work be done as soon as possible. He also hoped that the Chairman would ask the two representatives from the concern groups to speak again in order to collect more information for the reference of the authority.

41. The Chairman said that at the previous Full Council meetings, representatives of the concern groups were only allowed to speak once. However, since he understood that the two of them had brought with them new information and Members also requested them to speak again, therefore he exceptionally allowed them to speak for another minute.

42. Miss Katty LAW maintained that AMO had been taking an evasive attitude. She said that the tenement buildings built in the 1930s often used concrete and red bricks, while tenement buildings constructed in the 19th century mostly used green bricks. The historic tenement house remains at Cochrane Street was the only remaining “back-to-back” tenement house in Hong Kong. She hoped Members would spend more time reading the reports submitted by the concern groups, including evidence of possible existence of a basement there and the known fact of existence of building materials 14 feet below ground recorded during a soil drilling made in the 60s’ and 70s’.

43. Mr Charlton CHEUNG said there was a big difference between the tenement houses built

in the 1930s and tenement houses constructed with green bricks. He cited the example of the Blue House Cluster – Blue House was built in 1922 while Yellow House was built in 1926. The former was constructed with red bricks and wooden beams while the latter was built with concrete materials. To sum up, the building materials used for tenement buildings in Hong Kong had evolved from red bricks and wooden beams to reinforced concrete since the mid-1920s. Therefore, the green-brick tenement house remaining at Cochrane Street definitely was not built in the 1930s.

44. The Chairman said that AMO had attended the DC meeting held on 9 January to discuss the relevant paper. As it was not long ago, he said it was understandable why they decided not to attend this meeting of CLSAC. Nonetheless, he agreed to write to AMO to remind them to attend the meeting to answer questions raised by Members.

45. Mr HUI Chi-fung believed that the word “regrettable” should be included in the letter to AMO. He regretted that members of the concern groups were allowed so short a speaking time. He said that since no departmental representatives were there for this agenda item, more time should be set aside for the concern groups so that they could explain the new information to Members.

46. The Chairman said that there were many agenda items for today’s meeting. He hoped to maintain consistency with the allowed number of speech generally adopted at Full Council meetings. At the request of Mr HUI Chi-fung, special permission was already granted for the two to speak again.

47. Ms CHENG Lai-king hoped to forward the result of today’s discussion and the papers submitted by the concern groups to DEVB.

48. Mr CHAN Choi-hi opined that speaking in meeting should be handled in accordance with the Order. He welcomed representatives of the concern groups submitting written papers for supplementary information.

49. Mr LEE Chi-hang asked whether the recipient of the letter should be AAB or AMO.

50. The Chairman said that the letter would be addressed to AMO and solicited Members’ view regarding submission of the information to DEVB.

51. Mr HUI Chi-fung hoped the Chairman would specify the rules of speaking for outside parties at DC as an outside group was invited to speak on the next agenda item. He enquired about the criteria adopted for speaking time limit.

52. Mr LEE Chi-hang considered that issues relating to the Standing Orders should be discussed at the Working Group on Review of Standing Orders. He did not think that the Chairman had the authority to deal with the Standing Orders on behalf of the Working Group.

53. The Chairman agreed that issues about the Standing Orders should be referred to the Working Group. He said that the outside party attending for the next agenda item was primarily giving a briefing to Members, which was different from individual Members asking

representatives of the concern groups to provide their views on the topic.

54. Mr CHAN Hok-fung pointed out that it was clearly stated in the following paper that the outside organisation wished to attend the CLSAC meeting to introduce their services to Members. However, Mr HUI Chi-fung’s paper had not mentioned such requests from the outside bodies.

55. The Chairman stated that according to Order No. 15 (1) of the Central and Western District Council Standing Orders, the Chairman might invite any person, including public officers, to attend a meeting of the Council. Unless invited by the Chairman to address the meeting again, the representative of residents invited to attend a meeting should only make one speech, and the representative should not participate in discussion at the meeting. The Chairman said he had already given special permission for the two representatives to speak again. The Chairman indicated that he would send a letter of regret to AMO which was absent from the meeting, and copied the information discussed at the meeting to DEVB and AAB.

Item 11 – Briefing on the services provided by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for promoting harmony between animals and humans


56. This agenda was chaired by the Vice- c hairman .

57. Ms Rebecca NGAN, Community Development Manager of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), used PowerPoint to brief Members on their main services, including animal birth control, community education, rescue, and management solutions for Government and related organisations.


(i) Mr CHAN Hok-fung was concerned about the problem of stray dogs in the area and said it had caused nuisance to nearby residents and children. He asked SPCA how they could promote harmony between animals and humans.

(ii) Ms CHENG Li-king declared herself as a member of SPCA and expressed her support for SPCA’s work. She asked SPCA how they worked with the Police to bring animal abusers to justice.

(iii) Mr CHAN Ho-lim said that there had been more cases of dog poisoning in recent years. He hoped SPCA would pay attention to the issue and conduct more publicity and education work. He was concerned about incidents of wild pigs entering into the community areas and overturning trash bins. He was impressed by SPCA’s follow-up actions and hoped that more efforts in this regard could be continued. He asked whether SPCA would consider neutering programme on wild pigs to slow down their rate of reproduction.

(iv) Mr YEUNG Hok-ming said that he had received complaints from a local resident who suspected his neighbour of animal abuse because his dog was groaning. However, nothing abnormal was found after police investigation. He asked if SPCA could offer any alternative solutions. In addition, he said there were street sleepers in the district claiming themselves “cat lovers” who fed stray cats with food waste in the rubbish bins. He asked if SPCA had any counter measures.

(v) Mr SHUM Chi-hang said that SPCA should host more seminars for publicity purpose. He suggested that stall games should be organised to educate children in an interactive manner and to promote animal-friendly messages to people who were not pet-keepers.

(vi) The Vice- c hairman expressed appreciation for the past work of SPCA and hoped they would continue to promote the message of caring for animals. He asked whether SPCA would adopt the measure of “trap-neuter-return” (TNR) to achieve harmony between animals and humans. In addition, he asked if SPCA would advise on the handling of pigeons in the area.

59. Ms Fiona WOODHOUSE, Deputy Director (Welfare) of SPCA, said that regarding the dog poisoning cases at Bowen Road earlier on, SPCA would cooperate with other NGOs to combat similar incidents and the Police would also step up patrols and put up notices. She said that SPCA would work with AFCD and the Kadoorie Farm to discuss the issue of wild pigs. She reminded members of the public not to feed wild animals so as not to augment their population.

60. Ms NGAN of SPCA responded to the question of dog barking at home, saying that members of the public could contact the Police or SPCA for investigation. SPCA could assist in understanding the causes in many ways and help solving the problem. She said members of the public could contact SPCA to help solving the problem of street sleepers feeding stray cats with food waste in rubbish bins. She reminded members of the public to pay attention to hygiene. Lastly, she advised members of the public not to feed pigeons, so as not to attract them to gather in the community.

Item 12 – Briefing on MPF Default Investment Strategy (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 9/2017)(5:32 pm – 6:04 pm)

61. This agenda was chaired by the Vice- c hairman .

62. Mr CHAN On-ting , Senior Manager (External Affairs) of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), used PowerPoint to brief Members on the MPF Default Investment Strategy, DIS in short. He said that DIS would come into force on 1 April, 2017. If scheme members had not given their trustees an investment instruction for their MPF benefits, their MPF benefits would be invested automatically in accordance with DIS. DIS was an investment solution consisting of two mixed assets funds: the Core Accumulation Fund (CAF) and the Age 65 Plus Fund. Each DIS had three features: globally diversified investment, automatic reduction of investment risk as scheme members approaching retirement age, and fee caps.

63. The Vice- c hairman invited discussion on the paper. Comments made by Members were as follows:

(i) Mr SHAM Chi-hang asked whether uncapped management fees would be charged by the trustee if an employee frequently changed his fund portfolio, and whether MPFA would provide alternative low-risk options such as foreign exchange on top of fund or stock.

(ii) Mr LEE Man-sing asked if employees chose CAF and other existing MPF funds, would the objective of reducing their holding in high-risk investment year-by-year be achieved. Besides, he asked MPFA whether the funds under DIS were required to provide a breakdown of stocks and bonds invested.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king reflected that her daughter had received several emails from MPFA. She asked whether the special features of DIS would violate the competition law. She hoped to know whether those aged over 65 would normally continue to invest and whether DIS could help elderly people maintain their retirement life.

(iv) The Vice- c hairman asked if DIS could solve the existing problem of high MPF management fees. He said that DC had conducted publicity campaigns, such as carnival, with the MPFA in the past and asked whether there was any resources reserved for the organization of promotional community activities this time.

64. Mr CHAN from MPFA responded as follows:

(i) In response to Mr SHAM Chi-hang ’s comment, he said that at present the MPF management fees were calculated on a pro-rata basis as a percentage of the net value of the member’s funds and was not uncapped. If scheme members did not want to invest, they could consider the MPF Conservative Fund prescribed to be provided under each scheme in accordance with the MPF legislation. The MPF Conservative Fund was basically composed of bank deposits, with hardly any investment.

(ii) In response to Mr LEE Man-sing’s comment, he said that if employees did not choose DIS but simply its component funds, the statutory management fee caps of 0.95% would apply but it would not automatically reduce the risk of investment year-by-year. He also pointed out that MPFA and the industry had jointly formulated two reference portfolios for DIS, namely the FTSE All-World Index and the Citi MPF World Government Bond Index. However, the fund managers who managed the funds under DIS also had the discretion to choose a portfolio. In fact, many fund managers had opted for proactively managed funds, believing they were capable of making better investment returns.

(iii) In response to Ms CHENG Lai-king’s comment, he said that the trustees had sent out DIS-related emails based on the number of accounts. Therefore, a scheme

member who had many accounts would receive many copies of the document. Besides, one of the original intention of introducing DIS was to offer scheme members with an additional choice and assist the public in making the difficult choice for MPF. He also pointed out that DIS was an investment option more suitable for long-term retirement and was a more “middle course” strategy. In addition, he said members of the public could recover their MPF benefits starting from the age of 65, or they could consider continued investment of their MPF benefits.

(iv) Responding to the Vice- c hairman ’s question about low MPR returns, he agreed that compared with members who started to make contributions right from the inception of the MPF Scheme, the return of others, especially those who became MPF scheme members after the financial tsunami about 7 to 8 years ago, might be lower. Yet there was no guaranteed return under DIS, so MPFA hoped to prescribe fee caps to funds under DIS and make the cost savings part of the return. He also said that under the tight resources of MPFA, it would continue to work with Members within its capacity to make extensive publicity at the district level. He said that MPFA would hold a briefing and tea reception on DIS at Jordan on 16 March and Members and staff members were invited to attend.

Item 13 – Modernisation and expansion of the Tung Wah Hospital to support new services and meet public demand


65. The Chairman said that the long-established Tung Wah Hospital (TWH) would assist in taking up some of the services of the QMH when the latter was under reconstruction. Many Members were concerned about TWH’s ability to meet future medical demands.

66. Dr Cissy YU, Hospital Chief Executive of TWH, said that the demand for medical services at TWH had increased substantially in recent years, especially in areas of specialist outpatient clinics, day medical services and support rendered to QMH for continued provision of medical services like day surgery and Geriatric Day Hospital services. From 2013-14 to 2016-17, HA had undertaken improvement and minor maintenance works at TWH at a total cost of about HK$54 million. In 2013, HA had drawn up the Clinical Services Plan for the Hong Kong West Cluster and set the direction for the development of medical services. In terms of its role, TWH would continue to serve residents in the Central and Western District, responsible for the provision of rehabilitation services and day care services. It would also work closely with QMH in surgical and surgery services.


(i) Mr SHAM Chi-hang said that the current demand for services at QMH was very high, it relied mainly on triaging patients to TWH to ease medical pressure. However, the demand for services at TWH was equally high. According to his understanding, some day inpatients were requested to leave their hospital beds

before the anesthesia was completely gone. They found that hard to bear. He hoped the authorities would face squarely the problems of insufficient beds and waiting time longer than scheduled appointments. In addition, treatments like glaucoma and cataracts were not available at TWH at present, which had caused inconvenience to the elderly in the district. He said that some parts of TWH were historic building structures, so he proposed to transfer some services to the Tsan Yuk Hospital in phases before starting any expansion works there.

(ii) Ms SIU Ka-yi declared herself as a member of the TWH Governing Committee. She strongly supported the expansion plan of TWH and was in favour of improvement to hospital facilities. She asked whether HA would allocate more funds to TWH for its expansion works. In addition, she noticed that the ceiling height of THW was relatively low. Some doctors had reflected that ceiling height had an impact on the conduct of operations. She wished to know in what aspects they would be affected. She said that the bed-to-bed space was rather cramped at present and asked if HA had any improvement plan. Finally, she asked if there was any timetable or plan for the expansion of TWH.

(iii) Ms CHENG Lai-king said that TWH was the oldest hospital on Hong Kong Island. She heard that the hospital had previously proposed a redevelopment project but later shelved it for reasons such as building height. She considered that any expansion plan should take into account the historical value of the building. She hoped HA would consider adding a 24-hour lift access at the ramp of Hospital Road linking Po Yan Street.

(iv) The Chairman said that as expansion works would take more than a decade to complete, HA and TWH should implement the redevelopment project as soon as possible. He said that the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals was a long-established organisation, expansion would not be a problem for them in terms of technology or capital. What mattered most was the resolution of the authority. In his opinion, expansion of TWH was necessary. Since the hospital was close to residential areas, he hoped that HA could consider the actual needs of the public and implement a concrete expansion plan.

68. Dr YU of TWH responded as follows:

(i) She would relate to the hospital Mr SHAM Chi-hang ’s point regarding some inpatients were requested to go before the anesthesia was completely gone. Any patient who encountered any problem after completion of day surgery could notify the hospital through the hotline.

(ii) At present, ophthalmic services were mainly provided by the Cataract Centre of the Grantham Hospital.

(iii) Regarding the problem of waiting time longer than scheduled appointment time, she hoped patients could appreciate the doctors’ heavy workload and the hospitals’ understaffing situation.

(iv) At present, Tsan Yuk Hospital mainly provided pre-natal outpatient services. Should there be a redevelopment plan for TWH in future, the Sai Ying Pun Clinic and Tsan Yuk Hospital could provide medical services in the district.

(v) In response to the suggestion made by Ms CHENG Lai-king about adding an access to TWH, she said that the proposal could facilitate the formation of a medical network in the district. She said that redevelopment had to take into account the availability of land, and development of the two-storey high quarters area behind the hospital could be considered.

(vi) TWH had a renovation plan for the next 10 years, the order of works would be arranged on a priority basis. Regarding the low ceilings, she said that because the main building was relatively old, false ceilings were required for the installation of air-conditioning. The air-conditioning requirement for the two day operating rooms on 10/F of Block C was aseptic. In order to meet the standards, TWH had negotiated a lot with the consultancy firm and the outcome of “lower ceiling” was a compromise. She admitted that some bed-to-bed spacing was rather cramped. The 10-year works plan included seeking permission from HA to renovate and reopen 8/F to relief crowdedness of Y3 and Y4. In the long run, HA would continue to consider the population structure and medical facilities in the Central and Western District.

69. Ms SIU Ka-yi declared herself as member of TWH Governing Committee. She supported the expeditious formulation of the expansion plan but said she would not vote.

70. The Chairman invited Members to vote on the motion. After voting, the following motion was passed:

“The Committee strongly requests the Administration to expeditiously draw up the expansion plan, and to expeditiously implement the expansion of Tung Wah Hospital to meet healthcare demand.”

(Proposed by Mr SHAM Chi-hang and seconded by Mr CHAN Choi-hi)

(14 Members voted for the motion: Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, Mr CHAN Hok-fung, Ms CHENG Lai-king, Mr HUI Chi-fung, Mr LEE Chi-hang, Miss LO Yee-hang, Mr NG Siu-hong, Mr YEUNG Hoi-wing, Mr YEUNG Hok-ming, Mr YIP Wing-shing, Ms CHEUNG Kai-yin, Mr IP Yik-nam, Mr LEE Man-sing and Mr SHAM Chi-hang)

(0 Members voted against the motion);

(0 Members abstained from voting).

Item 14 – CPCE’s Co-operation Scheme with District Councils 2017-18 (C&W CLSAC Paper No. 14/2017)(6:30 pm – 6:42 pm)

71. The Chairman said that the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) under the Home Affairs Bureau allocated an annual funding of $200,000 to each district for the promotion of civic education. The purpose of the paper was to solicit Members’ views and decision as to whether the three applications should be endorsed for CPCE’s consideration and funding approval. The deadline for submission of endorsement to CPCE was 3 April. If there were any remaining funds, a new round of applications would be opened and views of Members would be consulted by circulation of papers.

72. Annex I: Funding amount of $96,010 for “Qipao Workshops in Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Reunification of Hong Kong with China” applied by the Hong Kong Central and Western District Women Association. Their Vice-chairlady Ms LEE Ching-nga briefed Members on the paper.

73. The Committee endorsed the above application.

74. Annex II: Funding amount of $15,535 for “Love Theatre – Muppet Show Featuring the Life Story of the Elderly” applied by the HKSKH St. Matthew’s Neighbourhood Elderly Centre. Their Social Worker Ms CHEUNG Chi-ting briefed Members on the paper.


76. Annex III: Funding amount of $57,000 for “‘Friendly and Helpful Neighbourhood’ Harmonious Community Project” applied by the Caritas Hong Kong Caine Road Community Centre (CHKCRCC). Their Social Work Assistant Ms CHAU Lai-har briefed Members on the paper.

77. The Chairman asked if there was a cheaper means to print the carnival game vouchers. He also asked whether CHKCRCC would consider visiting middle-class families in addition to grassroots families.

78. Ms CHAU of CHKCRCC responded that colour photocopying was generally charged at $1.5 to $2 per copy. The calculation listed in the application form was based on a quarter of a paper, so each game voucher would cost $0.5. Regarding the Chairman’s proposal to visit families of different social strata, she said that at the moment the Project concerned mainly targeted at grassroots families. She would discuss the issue further with the working group of CHKCRCC.

79. Ms SIU Ka-yi asked why instructors had to show up during performances on the Carnival day.

80. Ms CHAU of CHKCRCC explained that based on the experience gained from a recent lion dance activity of similar nature, it was found that instructors’ assistance on the day of the performance was necessary. Therefore, instructor fees on that day were included in the application.

81. Ms SIU Ka-yi asked whether it was necessary for the instructors to stay for 8 hours on

that day.

82. Ms CHAU of CHKCRCC responded that rehearsals would be arranged both in the morning and afternoon sessions, and the instructors’ fees had covered the rehearsal time all day long.

83. Ms SIU Ka-yi declared herself as a member of the Advisory Committee of CHKCRCC. Mr NG Siu-hong declared himself as the Vice-chairman of the Advisory Committee of CHKCRCC. The Chairman indicated that the discussion could be continued.


Item 15 – Enquiry on complementary arrangements for and complaints about play equipment in the Central and Western District as well as injuries and deaths caused by using the equipment

(C&W CLSAC Written Question No. 1/2017)(6:42 pm)

85. Members noted the paper and had no other comments.

Item 16 – Elderly’s views on cultural, recreational and social affairs (C&W CLSAC Written Question No. 2/2017)(6:43 pm)

86. Members noted the paper and had no other comments. Item 17 – Report on the Free Entertainment Programmes and Arts and Cultural Activities

in the Central and Western District Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

(C&W CLSAC Paper No. 7/2017)(6:43 pm)


Item 18 – Report on the Organisation of Recreation and Sports Programmes in the Central and Western District by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

(C&W CLSAC Paper No. 8/2017)(6:44 pm)


Item 19 – Report of the working group(6:44 pm)


Item 20 – Any other business(6:45 pm – 6:49 pm)

90. Mr WATT Wai-yeung , Senior Community Relations Officer (Hong Kong West/Islands) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), reported on the progress of the “All for Integrity” Programme co-organised with C&W DC and the Central and Western District Office (C&W DO). In 2016/17, a total of 48 local groups in the Central and Western District had co-organised various types of community education activities with ICAC. In November last year, ICAC had made arrangement for more than 200 parents from the Central and Western District to visit the ICAC headquarters. Regarding building management, ICAC had published thematic articles on corruption-free building maintenance works in two issues of the “Central and Western District Building Management Newsletter” published by the Working Group on Concern Over Building Management in the Central & Western District. He said ICAC would continue to work with local groups to promote clean building management. As for the schools, 17 kindergartens, 12 primary schools and 3 secondary schools in the district had all participated in ICAC’s anti-corruption campaigns. He hoped to continue collaborating with C&W DC in the coming year to sustain the slogan of “All for Integrity”.

91. Mrs WONG HO Wing-sze , District Officer (Central and Western), said one of the initiatives in this year’s District-led Actions Scheme was to improve the problem of animal fouling in the district through cleaning services. C&W DO was about to distribute cleaning packs to the public to promote environmental hygiene in the community. She urged Members to encourage the public to bring their pets and participate in the “Pets Carnival” co-organised with the Hong Kong Dog Rescue. The event would be held on 4 March at the Pet Garden at Chung Kong Road in Sheung Wan. On the day of the event, picture books would be distributed to children to disseminate the message of caring for animals. In addition, she invited Members to attend the “Kick-off Ceremony and Carnival of Jockey Club Age-friendly City in the Central and Western District” to be held at noontime on 18 March.

Item 21 – Date of the next meeting(6:49 pm)

92. The Chairman announced that the 8th meeting of CLSAC would be held on 27 April 2017. The paper submission deadline would be 31 March 2017 for government departments and 10 April 2017 for Members.

93. The meeting was adjourned at 6:49 pm.

The minutes were confirmed on 27 April 2017

Chairman: Mr CHAN Chit-kwai, BBS, JP

Secretary: Miss MAN Sum-yi, Annie

Central & Western District Council SecretariatApril 2017

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