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The Country Parks and Special Areas (Amendment) Regulation 2011 was published in the Gazette today (December 16) to extend the eligibility for concessionary admission fees for the Hong Kong Wetland Park to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their accompanying carers. The Amendment Regulation will be tabled before the Legislative Council on December 21 and the proposed effective date will be February 10, 2012.
A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that the park aims at promoting wetland conservation, education and ecotourism. Managed and operated by the AFCD, it is designated as a Special Area under the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations (Cap 208A). The admission fees to the park are also charged in accordance with the above regulations.
The spokesman said that currently children, full-time students and elderly people aged 65 or above can enjoy the half-price concessionary admission fees (i.e. HK$15) for the park. To encourage active participation of PWDs in community life, the AFCD proposed to add PWDs and carers accompanying them as an eligible group for the concessionary admission fees for the park.
Under the Amendment Regulation, a PWD is a holder of a valid Registration Card for People with Disabilities, or a person who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the authority for managing Hong Kong Wetland Park that he or she meets the criteria for the issue of a Registration Card for People with Disabilities by the Central Registry for Rehabilitation. Each PWD may identify no more than one person as the accompanying carer who can enjoy a concessionary admission fee for a single entry to the park.
The spokesman added that the park has installed barrier-free facilities to enable PWDs to visit the park, including toilets for PWDs, tactile paths for people with visual impairment, and lifts with audible signals for the closing of doors and Braille markings for lift control buttons.
Ends/Friday, December 16, 2011
Issued at HKT 11:01
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