Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):
      
Question:
 
     Regarding the work of civil service lifeguards under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that candidates for civil service lifeguards must pass a trade test of skin-diving to a depth of two metres,
(i) of the current number of public swimming pools with a depth of more than two metres, broken down by District Council (DC) district in which the pool is situated and name of the public swimming pool complex to which the pool belongs; and
(ii) of the current number of public beaches provided with beach rafts, and set out a breakdown of such number and the names of the beaches concerned by DC district;
 
(2) of the rank of the officers who are currently responsible for supervising lifeguards in performing skin-diving and scuba-diving at beaches for carrying out duties such as search and rescue operations, as well as inspections of seabed conditions and clearance of objects after the onslaught of typhoons;
 
(3) whether LCSD has ensured that the supervising officers mentioned in (2) meet the qualification requirements for a diving supervisor (including having an adequate knowledge of the required diving mode and underwater work, possessing the experience required of a diver, as well as having received training on first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and possessing the relevant experience); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(4) whether the regular drills of lifeguards include skin-diving or scuba-diving to a depth of five metres; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(5) of the respective standard protective gear provided by LCSD for lifeguards for their (i) handling oil pollution and (ii) carrying out post-typhoon clearance work?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) currently manages 44 public swimming pools and 41 gazetted beaches. Lifeguard services are provided at all public swimming pools and 38 gazetted beaches. The reply to the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat’s question is as follows:
 
(1) Currently, the vast majority of LCSD’s public swimming pools are swimming pools of two metres or less in depth, except diving pools and individual pool facilities. A breakdown of the pool facilities with a depth of more than 2 metres by District Council (DC) district is tabulated at Annex 1. Raft facilities are provided at 18 gazetted beaches managed by LCSD. A breakdown of these beaches by DC district is tabulated at Annex 2.

(2) and (3) The major responsibilities of civil service lifeguards of LCSD include lifesaving and first aid, assisting in law enforcement and maintaining order as well as assisting in cleansing work. The major responsibilities of senior civil service lifeguards include deputising for Amenities Assistants, supervising lifeguards in performing daily tasks, leading and performing lifesaving and first aid duties, providing training to lifeguards, assisting in implementing departmental drill programmes, etc. The entry requirements for senior lifeguards, include the compulsory attainment of a valid Beach Lifeguard Management Award and Pool Lifeguard Management Award or above from the Hong Kong Life Saving Society within the last three years, and the possession of a valid first aid certificate issued by the St. John Ambulance Association, Hong Kong Red Cross or Auxiliary Medical Service. They are also required to possess five years of lifesaving experience in public swimming pool, beach or water sports centre. Hence, they should have adequate knowledge and experience to lead rescue operations.
 
     Underwater rescue by skin-diving is one of the basic skills and responsibilities of lifeguards’ daily lifesaving work. Lifeguards deploy skills taught and assessed in the training associated with lifeguard qualifications, including underwater rescue by skin diving, etc., in drowning incidents. Upon receiving a report of suspected missing swimmer in beach water, lifeguards will carry out a search operation and the officer in-charge of the venue will report to the Police and ask the Fire Services Department (FSD) to deploy firemen to the scene to provide support. In addition to skin diving used in underwater rescue operations, trained and qualified lifeguards may carry out emergency underwater search for missing victim(s) using scuba diving equipment under the supervision of senior lifeguard and continue assisting in the rescue operation upon arrival of diving personnel of FSD where necessary.

     Scuba diving is not a daily duty of lifeguards of LCSD. Contractors are normally hired by LCSD for tasks requiring diving for prolonged periods (e.g. underwater inspection or maintenance of facilities, etc.). For instance, two professional contractors have been engaged for the inspection and maintenance of shark prevention nets respectively, which involve the deployment of professional divers to carry out the work. Diving tasks involved in the inspection of seabed conditions and the clearance work in the aftermath of the passage of Typhoon Mangkhut in September 2018 were undertaken by outsourced contractors.
 
(4) LCSD has established guidelines requiring all lifeguards to participate in regular rescue drills and drills for mobilisation plans at their workplace to ensure that they are familiar with the corresponding rescue operation under different circumstances. In addition to drills on swimming and physical fitness, emergency operation plan, resuscitation skills, use of first aid equipment, etc., the regular drill programme for lifeguards also includes rescue by skin-diving into the deep end of a pool or deep-water zone of a beach.
 
(5) One of the major responsibilities of lifeguards is to assist in cleansing work. In performing their daily cleansing work, lifeguards may be required to assist in cleaning up oil spill occasionally found at beaches or clearance work of beaches in the aftermath of typhoons. When LCSD is notified by the Marine Department of any oil spill incident near beach area or when department staff find signs of oil contamination of beaches, officers-in-charge of the beaches will lead lifeguards and venue staff to assist in handling oil spill, including monitoring whether beaches will be contaminated with oil spills, assisting and advising swimmers to go back to the shore, preventing dispersion of oil to beaches as far as possible with the use of materials such as oil absorbent strips, in accordance with LCSD’s contingency plan for oil pollutions. Where oil spill is found in beach area, the officer-in-charge of the beach will contact and seek professional assistance from relevant departments in cleaning up the contaminated sand on the beach. Besides, LCSD will provide appropriate personal protective equipment, such as plastic gloves and boots, for lifeguards to carry out these tasks. All oil-contaminated waste, such as used oil absorbent strips and contaminated sand, etc., will be disposed of by contractors of the department concerned. Service contractors will be hired by LCSD to carry out inspection of the seabed conditions and the clearance work following serious damage caused to beaches by typhoons. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):

Question:

In recent years, the darts sport has become increasingly popular in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong’s darts athletes have repeatedly attained great results in international competitions.  Quite a number of darts athletes and enthusiasts hope that the Government supports the development of the darts sport.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the Government provided, in the past five years, the darts sport with support on aspects such as finance, venues, organisation of events and promotion; if so, of the respective details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it has plans to provide, in the coming five years, the darts sport with the various support mentioned in (1); if so, of the respective details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether there is now any subvention scheme open for application by darts sport associations; if so, of the eligibility requirements and other details;

(4) whether the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has plans to provide, in the coming five years, venues for the darts sport; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) given that LCSD is conducting a review on the Sports Subvention Scheme, whether the scope of the review includes relaxation of the eligibility requirements so as to cover new sports such as the darts sport; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(6) whether LCSD will, in the coming five years, include the darts sport in the School Sports Programme so as to cultivate students’ interest in the darts sport; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(7) whether it will ask the Commissioner for Sports to (i) include the promotion of the darts sport in his work plan for the coming five years, (ii) strengthen his communication with darts sport associations, and (iii) assist in striving for the inclusion of the darts sport as a medal sport in the Asian Games and the Olympic Games; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government has been committed to promoting the development of different sports through the Sports Subvention Scheme (the Scheme) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), under which 60 eligible national sports associations (NSAs) are provided with subvention to organise various sports activities.  Since 2011-12, subvented NSAs under the Scheme must fulfil six criteria (Note), including that the NSA must be a member of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and concurrently be affiliated to the relevant International Federation (IF).  However, 26 organisations which could not fulfil all the six criteria had long been subvented under the relevant subsidy scheme of the two former municipal councils in the past, and were therefore transitioned and included in the current Scheme.
 
     The reply to the enquiries raised is as follows:

(1) to (3) Currently, there is no NSA responsible for darts among the members of the SF&OC.  However, the Hong Kong Darts Association (HKDA) had long been subvented under the relevant subsidy scheme of the two former municipal councils in the past, and was therefore transitioned and included in the current Scheme.  The HKDA may apply for subvention from the LCSD in accordance with the regulations of the Scheme to organise various activities, including promotional activities, training and local events.  The HKDA may also reserve venues for activities subvented under the Scheme and enjoy rental subsidy in accordance with LCSD’s booking procedures for recreational and sports facilities.  In addition, the HKDA may apply for funding support from the Arts and Sport Development Fund (ASDF) (Sports Portion) to organise international events in Hong Kong.

     In the past five years, we did not receive any application from the HKDA on the Scheme or the ASDF (Sports Portion).

(4) To cater for the needs of different sports, most of the leisure venues under the management of the LCSD are multi-purpose sports venues.  Some of these venues would be available for use by various new sports, such as darts.  We have no plan to provide dedicated venues for darts at this stage.

(5) To further enhance the development of sports in Hong Kong, the LCSD is conducting a comprehensive review of the Scheme, covering the funding principles and eligibility for NSAs and/or sports organisations.  The findings and recommendations will be announced upon completion of the review at the end of 2019.

(6) The LCSD has all along been committed to providing a wide range of sports and recreational activities for the public.  It would keep in view the development of new sports.  Relevant eligible organisations may request to include new sports in the School Sports Programme.  The LCSD would take into consideration a number of factors, including community adoption, venues and relevant technical support, when making a decision.

(7) The work of the Commissioner for Sports includes promoting and implementing the policy objectives of promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports and developing Hong Kong into a centre for major international sports events, as well as taking forward the various initiatives for promoting and supporting sports development.  If NSAs or other organisations have relevant suggestions, they are welcomed to put them forward to the Commissioner for Sports.

     The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are responsible for the events and organisation of the Olympic Games and the Asian Games respectively.  Both the IOC and the OCA are non-governmental organisations.  The SF&OC, which is a member of both the IOC and the OCA, is responsible for the participation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in these two major games. 

Note: Since 2011-12, the LCSD has required that any sports organisation applying for the Scheme must fulfil all of the following criteria:

(1) it is a member of the SF&OC;
(2) it is affiliated to the IF of the respective sports;
(3) it is registered under the Companies Ordinance and has Articles of Association;
(4) it is a non-profit-making sports organisation;
(5) it has been in operation and has organised sports programmes for at least three years; and
(6) the kind of sports it promotes is one of the medal sports/potential medal sports of the following major games: Asian Games, Asian Winter Games, Asian Youth Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Asian Beach Games, Asian Para Games, Asian Youth Para Games, Olympic Games, Olympic Winter Games, Youth Olympic Games, Winter Youth Olympic Games, World Games, Paralympic Games and Paralympic Winter Games. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Charles Mok and a written reply by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):   Question:      &n… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):   Question:     &… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Ip Kin-yuen and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):

Question:

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) provides three types of rehabilitation services for pre school children with disability respectively through (i) the Early Education and Training Centre (EETC), (ii) the Integrated Programme in Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centre (IP/KGs) and (iii) the Special Child Care Centre (SCCC). It is learnt that due to the shortage of service places of SCCCs, quite a number of children waiting for such services attend ordinary kindergartens and kindergartens-cum-Child Care Centres (collectively known as KGs). Furthermore, SWD provides On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (OPRS), under which inter-disciplinary service teams from non-governmental organisations provide on-site training services for children with mild disability who are studying in participating KGs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) Whether it knows the annual numbers of children waiting for SCCC services in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years whilst studying in KGs, and the number of KGs involved;

(2) Whether it knows, among the children mentioned in (1), the respective annual numbers of (i) those receiving EETC services, (ii) those receiving OPRS and (iii) those not receiving any of these two types of services, in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years (set out in the table below);
 

	2017-2018 school year	2018-2019 school year
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Total

(3) Of the annual numbers of children in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 assessed to be in need of SCCC services; among such children, the respective numbers of (i) those waiting for the services provided by IP/KGs, (ii) those waiting for EETC services, (iii) those waiting for OPRS, and (iv) those not waiting for any of those services (set out in the table below); and
 

	2017-2018 school year	2018-2019 school year
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

(4) Whether the Education Bureau (EDB) has provided additional resources to KGs which have admitted children who are waiting for SCCC services, so as to ensure that those children can receive appropriate education, training and care; if so, of the details; if not, whether EDB will, by making reference to the approach adopted by it for supporting non-Chinese speaking students with special educational needs, provide additional resources to those schools?

Reply:

President,

     My reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) and (2) Pre-school children on the waiting list of special child care centres (SCCCs) may also apply for and receive transitional services of early education and training centres (EETCs) or on-site pre-school rehabilitation services (OPRS) until they are allocated SCCC places. Besides, pre-school children waiting for SCCCs and who have not received transitional services may apply for non-means-tested training subsidies under the Training Subsidy Programme for Children on the Waiting List of Subvented Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (TSP), so that they can receive self-financing pre-school rehabilitation services operated by recognised service providers as soon as possible to facilitate their learning and development.

     In 2017-18 and 2018-19, there were 1 984 and 2 205 pre-school children on the waiting list of SCCC services respectively. Details of these pre-school children who received other pre-school rehabilitation services or training subsidies under the TSP are set out in the table below:
 

	2017-18 (as at March 31, 2018)	2018-19 (as at March 31, 2019)
Number of children who received other pre-school rehabilitation services or training subsidies under the TSP while on the waiting list of SCCC services
Integrated Programme in Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centre	56	63
EETCs	176	165
OPRS	N/A (Note)	427
Training subsidies under the TSP	922	1 111
Total	1 154	1 766

Note: OPRS commenced in October 2018. The Social Welfare Department (SWD) does not have statistics on the number of applicants who received services under the Pilot Scheme on OPRS while on the waiting list of SCCCs.

     The SWD does not have information on the kindergartens (KGs) where children on the waiting list of SCCCs are attending and the number of KGs involved.

(3) Pre-school children may ascertain the level of their disabilities and their special needs as well as the type of pre-school rehabilitation services required through assessments by relevant government departments/bodies, including child assessment centres of the Department of Health (DH), and the Hospital Authority (HA); or paediatricians/clinical psychologists/educational psychologists/psychiatrists, etc. in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or private practice. In 2017 and 2018, the Child Assessment Service of the DH arranged pre-school and school placements for training, remedial and special education for 14 294 and 17 539 children aged under 12 who were suspected to have problems during their growth respectively. The DH does not maintain a breakdown by age of children who underwent assessments, nor does it maintain a breakdown of various types of support services for which the children concerned were referred. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, there were 218 and 232 cases referred for SCCC after assessment by the HA respectively. The Government does not have statistics on the number of cases where children were assessed by paediatricians/clinical psychologists/educational psychologists/psychiatrists, etc. in NGOs or private practice to be in need of SCCC services.

     Pre-school children with disabilities or special needs may register their applications in the Central Referral System for Rehabilitation Services of the SWD for designated services according to their assessment results. Those diagnosed as or suspected of having moderate to severe disabilities will be put on the waiting list of SCCC services, and they may also wait for and receive other pre-school rehabilitation services as transitional services. The SWD does not have statistics on the number of cases assessed to be in need of SCCC services and not on the waiting list of any pre-school rehabilitation services.

(4) In view of the fact that children attending ordinary KGs and on the waiting list of SCCC services may wait for and receive other pre-school rehabilitation services as transitional services, and that the EDB has been providing KG teachers with structured in-service training to enhance their professional capacity of catering for learner diversity, and has also enhanced the teacher-to-pupil ratio in KGs to strengthen support for teachers to address the developmental needs of KG students, the EDB indicated that it has no plan to provide additional resources for KGs at this stage. read more