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X. Culture, Leisure and Municipal Services
198. Before taking office, the current-term Government proposed to this Council that a Culture Bureau should be set up with dedicated responsibility for promoting the development of cultural services and cultural industries in Hong Kong. However, we were forced to withdraw the proposal due to the filibuster tactic employed by some legislators. Hong Kong boasts rich cultural resources as well as excellent cultural talent. We hope that the community will continue to support our work on the cultural front.
Culture and Sport
199. The Government will continue to support the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Authority in implementing the WKCD project, including the early delivery of some facilities for public enjoyment.
200. We will continue to open up more space for arts groups and artists. In addition to the subsidies given to the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) to provide arts studios in Wong Chuk Hang for artists, the Government is also studying the feasibility of developing other arts space. These include converting the vacant premises of the Tai Po Government Secondary School into an arts development centre as well as reserving certain floor area in a site at Aberdeen for the promotion of arts and culture by the HKADC.
201. To enhance the protection of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), the Government announced last year the first Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong and will strengthen such work as identification, documentation, research, preservation, promotion and transmission of the heritage. We will also draw up the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Hong Kong to accord priority to the protection of those ICH items which have high cultural value and require urgent preservation.
202. The Kai Tak Multi-purpose Sports Complex will be the largest-ever sports facility in Hong Kong. The Government will commence advance works this year, with construction works expected to start in 2017.
203. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department currently provides training venues for more than 40 national sports associations (NSAs) and their respective Hong Kong teams. However, the development needs of various sports have yet to be fully met. The Sports Commission has therefore decided to set up a working group to gauge the demand for sports facilities. Meanwhile, we will step up efforts in promoting the Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme launched last year. Non-profit-making organisations or NSAs can apply for funding under the scheme for development of recreational facilities or other appropriate innovative uses on the restored sites.
204. To encourage more young athletes with potential to turn full-time, the Government will make use of the Elite Athletes Development Fund to provide greater support for the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) and the partner schools in the Elite Athlete-friendly School Network.
205. To help athletes adapt to a life no longer occupied with training and sports events and embark on new ventures, the Government will encourage retired athletes to serve as School Sports Programme Co-ordinators and enhance the sporting culture in schools. The HKSI will introduce an elite athletes performance recognition scheme this year that will give a one-off bonus to full-time athletes who formally retire in or after 2015.
206. The Government attaches great importance to supporting athletes with disabilities. In this financial year alone, we have provided subsidies of over $28 million to support disabled athletes' training, preparation and participation in competitions, and to facilitate the hosting of international sports events in Hong Kong. The Government will commission a consultancy study on how to support disabled athletes and promote sports participation by people with disabilities in a more comprehensive manner.
Municipal Services
207. Public markets are closely related to the daily life of the general public. The Government is reviewing the functions and positioning of public markets and exploring ways to improve their operating environment, so as to increase their competitiveness while preserving the traditional characteristics. This year, we plan to put forward improvement proposals for some representative markets with a view to providing reference for the improvement to other public markets.
208. In the face of a growing demand for columbaria, the current-term Government adopts a three-pronged approach, namely promoting green burials, actively increasing the supply of public niches and regulating private columbaria. On the construction of public columbaria, we consulted the North DC and the Eastern DC on the sites at Sandy Ridge and Chai Wan respectively last year. The two sites are expected to provide a total of about 225 000 new niches.
(To be continued)
Ends/Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:03
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