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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chi-chuen and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (January 8):
Question:
During the period from November to December last year, the Government held three regional forums (the forums) on the 2014 Policy Address and the 2014-2015 Budget. As admission tickets were distributed at around 9am on the respective days of the forums outside the venues on a first-come-first-served basis, quite a number of members of the public who wanted to get the admission tickets queued up overnight and were tormented by the elements. However, in 2012, members of the public were allowed to register through a hotline for attending the forums held in that year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective manpower deployed by the relevant government departments for distribution of admission tickets of and maintenance of order for the forum on November 24 last year;
(2) why the Government has switched the approach for admission of members of the public to the forums from registration through a hotline in previous years to queuing up in person for admission tickets; whether the Government, in deciding to adopt queuing-up for distribution of admission tickets, had considered the personal safety of those who queued up in person and their suffering in the elements, the nuisances that might be caused by such queuing arrangements to residents in the vicinity and the police manpower required for maintaining order overnight; and
(3) whether it has any plan to review the means through which members of the public are admitted to the forums, so as to ensure that people holding different views have equal opportunities to attend such forums and express their opinions at the forums, and at the same time, obviate the suffering of members of the public in queuing up overnight for admission tickets, and avoid causing nuisances to residents nearby; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
District consultation forums facilitate the Chief Executive (CE) and his accountability team to maintain close contact with members of the public and listen directly to their views. Such contacts are very useful to government in formulating and implementing policies responsive to public aspirations and befitting the community.
My reply to the three parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Chi-chuen is as follows:
(1) Government departments will formulate corresponding strategies and contingency plans, deploy manpower flexibly and put in place order control and crowd management measures in the light of the objectives, nature, number of participants, risk assessments and operational needs of individual events. We do not have the statistics on the manpower deployed by the respective government departments in distributing admission tickets and maintaining order for the forum held on November 24 last year. The expenditure and workload incurred by the forum were absorbed within the existing resources of the relevant departments.
(2) and (3) In organising consultation forums, the most suitable arrangements are adopted with due regard to the nature and venue of the activity as well as the recommendations of departments concerned. In 2013, CE attended six consultation/regional forums. As a large number of people were expected to be interested in attending, but seats were limited, the relevant departments decided after discussion that admission tickets be distributed through queue on a first-come-first-served basis. From operational experience, this method proves to be fair, transparent, orderly and effective. Moreover, departments concerned would make other appropriate arrangements, such as providing marquees and communicating with organisations and institutions in the vicinity of the venues where necessary.
As always, the Government will continue to gauge public views through various suitable channels, including the Legislative Council, District Councils, advisory and statutory bodies, the Home Affairs Department, the Internet and regional forums, etc.
Ends/Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Issued at HKT 11:50
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