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Following is a question by the Hon Tang Ka Piu and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (November 20):
Question:
Some members of the Sha Tin District Council (STDC) have relayed to me that while the population of Tai Wai has continued to grow in recent years, only mobile library services are provided for the local residents who have all along been requesting the authorities to provide a district library in that area. Regarding the provision of public library services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as it is stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines drawn up by the Planning Department that there should be one district library for every 200 000 persons, and there are comments that the population of Tai Wai has reached that threshold, whether the authorities will construct a district library in Tai Wai; if they will not, of the reasons for that; if they will, of the details, including the selected site, the site area and the proposed collection size of the library;
(2) given that a STDC member and I have recommended to the Government that temporary libraries be provided in the vacant school premises in Tai Wai, whether the authorities will accept such a recommendation; if they will, of the details of the follow-up work; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) given that the authorities indicated at an STDC meeting that additional mobile library stops would be provided in Mei Tin Estate, of the progress of the relevant plan; whether the authorities will provide more mobile library stops in other locations in Tai Wai (such as Sun Chui Estate, Chun Shek Estate and Sun Tin Wai Estate); if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the authorities received in the past three years any recommendation from District Councils (DCs) other than STDC regarding the construction of district libraries; if they did, of the DCs involved, and whether the authorities accepted such recommendations?
Reply:
President,
As stated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), one district library should be provided for each district and a district library should be provided for every 200 000 persons. In planning for the provision of public library facilities, apart from the HKPSG, the Government will also take into account such factors as the geographical location, transport facilities and demographic characteristics of the district/community, the utilisation of the existing libraries, the development of infrastructural and community facilities of the district, the changing needs (including demographic changes) of the community, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the services. Where appropriate, we will also consider providing a major library in lieu of two district libraries for the district with a population of 400 000 persons. We will take into account these relevant factors in deciding whether the public library services for a particular district should be enhanced through the provision of small libraries/mobile library stops or the expansion/reprovisioning of existing libraries in light of the circumstances of the district.
Moreover, the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL), in collaboration with non-government organisations and district groups, sets up community libraries in suitable locations. It also actively develops the "library without walls" service to offer convenient public library services beyond the confines of time and space.
The reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) According to the Projections of Population Distribution 2013-2021 compiled by the Planning Department, the Sha Tin District currently has a population of about 650 000, which is expected to increase to about 710 000 by 2021. In the Sha Tin District, there are now a major library (Sha Tin Public Library) serving a population of 400 000, a district library (Ma On Shan Public Library), a small library (Lek Yuen Public Library) and 12 mobile library service stops, of which three service stops are respectively located at Mei Lam Estate, Sun Chui Estate and Hin Keng Estate in Tai Wai. To further enhance the public library services in the Sha Tin District, a new district library is being constructed in Area 14B, Yuen Chau Kok, Sha Tin and two new mobile library service stops will be provided with one at Mei Tin Estate in Tai Wai and the other at Yan On Estate in Ma On Shan.
Besides, there are a total of 26 community libraries jointly set up by the HKPL and local organisations in the Sha Tin District and six of them are located in Tai Wai.
With the development of Tai Wai, we have planned to provide a small library in the district. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has started the planning work. However the sites currently available for consideration, including shop premises managed by the Housing Department and those in private housing estates, are all far away from the town centre of Tai Wai and are thus unable to cope with the local demand as a whole. As such, the LCSD is making the effort to identify a suitable site for a small library in the vicinity of Tai Wai town centre.
(2) The LCSD has conducted a preliminary study on the provision of a temporary library in the vacant campus of the former Tai Wai Public School at Tai Wai Tsuen in Sha Tin. The campus site is located in a "Village Type Development" zone and it is to be used and developed in accordance with the planning intention of the land use. As the campus site will be used for small house development, the Administration will not provide a temporary library facility at that site. The LCSD is actively identifying a possible site in the vicinity of MTR Tai Wai Station which can be considered for the provision of a small library.
(3) In considering the provision of mobile library stops, the LCSD will take into account the local demand for library services, the existing library facilities in the district, their distribution and usage rates, as well as the population distribution and development, and the actual environmental circumstances of the area. On June 24, 2014, the District Facilities Management Committee of the Sha Tin District Council endorsed the plan to strengthen mobile library services of the Sha Tin District, including the provision of mobile library stops at Mei Tin Estate in Tai Wai and Yan On Estate in Ma On Shan. The works of setting up mobile library stops at Mei Tin Estate is in the pipeline. If the works go smoothly, it is expected that the mobile library stops will come into operation at the end of this year. By then, there will be four mobile library stops in the Tai Wai District, located at Mei Lam Estate, Hin Keng Estate, Sun Chui Estate and Mei Tin Estate.
At present, we have no plan to provide additional mobile library stops at other locations in Tai Wai, but we will keep in view closely the utilisation of library services in the Sha Tin District for reviewing and adjusting mobile library services of the district.
(4) In addition to the Sha Tin District Council, the LCSD has also received proposals on the provision of additional library facilities from other District Councils, namely Central & Western, Eastern, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po, North, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun in the past three years. Apart from the general guidelines of the HKPSG, the LCSD will also take into account other factors, such as the geographical location, transport network, demographic characteristics and utilisation of the existing libraries of the district, in order to make appropriate plans according to individual merits. We will closely monitor the utilisation of libraries in various districts and continue to enhance library services in various aspects to cope with the community development.
Ends/Thursday, November 20, 2014
Issued at HKT 11:00
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