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LCQ16: Dragon and lion dance activities
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     Following is a question by the Hon Alice Mak and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (July 10):

Question:

     Quite a number of members of dragon and lion dance organisations have told me that as financial and other kinds of support by the Government are inadequate, the development of dragon and lion dance sports has been constrained.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows the current number of affiliates of the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association Ltd (the Association), which is subvented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) through the Sports Subvention Scheme, and the total number of members of such affiliates; of the amount of subvention LCSD granted to the Association and the details, and whether it knows the respective numbers of applications for subventions from affiliates which were approved and rejected by the Association, in each of the past five years; whether the Government has promoted the development of dragon and lion dance sports through other forms of subsidies;

(b) whether it has assessed the demand of dragon and lion dance organisations for practising venues; if it has, of the details; of the number of venues under LCSD available to dragon and lion dance organisations for practising (broken down by District Council district);

(c) of the number of applications made by dragon and lion dance organisations for renting LCSD venues for practising, the number of those approved among such applications, and the reasons for some of those not being approved, in each of the past five years; whether the authorities have plans to provide additional practising venues for dragon and lion dances; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(d) given press reports that during practice, dragon and lion dance organisations are always complained by residents near the venues for causing obstruction and noise nuisances, of the respective numbers of such complaints received by the authorities in the past five years; whether the authorities have taken measures to assist dragon and lion dance organisations in finding suitable practicing venues?

Reply:

President,

(a) According to the information provided by the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association Ltd (the Association), it currently has about 1 900 individual members and 170 organisation members.   

     At present, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) provides an annual block grant subvention and venue support to 58 "national sports associations" (NSAs) under the Sports Subvention Scheme, and the Association is one of them.  The scope of subvention covers the Association's expenses on staff, office accommodation and organisation of programmes.  The subvented activities include participation in international events, national squad training, schools sports programmes, local competitions, training for officials and participation in overseas sports conferences.  The amount of subvention granted to the Association by the LCSD in each of the past five years is set out as follows:

Year           Amount of Subvention
                   ($ million)
------         --------------------
2009-10               1.39
2010-11               1.87
2011-12               1.84
2012-13               1.87
2013-14               2.67

     The Association has indicated that as it does not provide any subvention to its organisation members, no application for subvention has been received from them.

     Apart from the Sports Subvention Scheme, the Home Affairs Bureau has also provided subsidy to the Association under the sports portion of the Arts and Sport Development Fund for organising the "World Hong Kong Luminous Dragon Dance & Lion Dance Championships 2010" and the "World Hong Kong Luminous Dragon Dance and Lion Dance Championships 2012" in 2009-10 and 2011-12 respectively.  Both championships were major local international events, and the respective amounts of subsidy granted were $650,000 and $800,000.  In addition, support was given to the Hong Kong Dragon and Lion Festival Preparatory Committee by the Mega Events Fund under the Tourism Commission for organising the "Dragon and Lion Dance Extravaganza" on the New Year's Day in the past few years.  The ceiling of the subsidy ranged from $1 million to $1.4 million.

(b) At present, the Morse Park Sports Centre in Wong Tai Sin District has been designated as the national squad training centre of the Association.  The Kowloon Park Sports Centre in Yau Tsim Mong District, as well as the Choi Hung Road Sports Centre and Morse Park Sports Centre in Wong Tai Sin District have also been used as the Association's dedicated venues, offering priority booking to the national squad and the Association.

     Other dragon and lion dance organisations may also have priority to hire or book leisure venues managed by the LCSD in various districts, such as sports centres (including multi-purpose arenas and other venues) or non-fee charging outdoor venues, for conducting dragon and lion dance activities in accordance with the existing booking arrangements.

(c) Our record shows that the LCSD received a total of eight applications in 2012 from the Association and other organisations for hiring sports centres for their dragon and lion dance practices or activities under the existing priority booking arrangement (i.e. applications can be made to the relevant venues three to 12 months in advance).  All of the eight applications were approved.  In addition to sports centres, outdoor venues provided by the LCSD can be used for various sports purposes, including dragon and lion dance practices and other activities.

(d) In the past five years, the LCSD received two complaints from the public about the noise nuisances caused by dragon and lion dance activities carried out at its venues.

     As mentioned above, the LCSD has designated Morse Park Sports Centre as the national squad training centre of dragon and lion dance.  The Association as well as other dragon and lion dance organisations may, according to their own needs, hire or book suitable venues of the LCSD in various districts for dragon and lion dance training and other activities.

Ends/Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:40

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