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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 Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (July 6):
Question:
Being the easternmost island of Hong Kong and having been incorporated into a marine park, geopark and country park designated by the authorities, Tung Ping Chau is an island of Hong Kong with fairly distinctive features. Some residents of the island have pointed out that although Tung Ping Chau is blessed by nature, quite a number of its public facilities are desolate and dilapidated due to years of mismanagement by the relevant government departments, which not only cause inconvenience to the living of the residents but also deter visitors from going to the island. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information regarding the existing facilities installed on Tung Ping Chau to provide mains water the quality of which meets hygiene standard: distribution, types, capacity, years of service, condition and the department/party responsible for their maintenance (set out in a table);
(2) of the frequency and results of tests conducted in each of the past five years by the authorities regarding the quality of the potable water supplied by various mains water supply facilities on Tung Ping Chau, as well as the frequency of maintenance and repair works being carried out and the relevant expenses (set out in a table);
(3) of the government premises/facilities on Tung Ping Chau at present; the average power consumption of such premises/facilities in each of the past five years (set out in a table); the quantity and types of power generation facilities currently supplying electricity to those government premises/facilities, as well as the power generation output and surplus electricity of those power generation facilities in each of the past five years (set out in a table);
(4) whether the authorities have plans to install renewable power generation facilities on Tung Ping Chau in the coming five years to increase electricity supply; if they do, of the details and the implementation timetable; whether the authorities will supply electricity to the residents of Tung Ping Chau directly on a user-pay principle;
(5) whether the authorities have plans to comprehensively repair the hiking trails and paths connecting various public facilities on Tung Ping Chau to facilitate the use of such facilities by residents and visitors; if they do, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6) of the frequency of the kaito ferry service plying between Tung Ping Chau and the city area, and the respective average patronages on weekdays and holidays; whether the authorities will discuss with service operators increasing trip frequencies or introducing new routes; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities will consider extending the coverage of the "Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities" to include the Tung Ping Chau kaito ferry services for the benefits of the elderly and persons with disabilities; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(7) whether the authorities will consider providing barrier-free access and facilities at the Tung Ping Chau kaito pier to facilitate the boarding and disembarking of elderly persons and persons with disabilities, and providing facilities for cargo loading and unloading; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(8) given that Tung Ping Chau is not covered by any fixed or mobile telecommunications networks at present and residents and visitors could hardly get in touch with the outside world, of the ways currently available for residents and visitors for calling for emergency rescue in the event of emergency; the number of times for which emergency rescue was rendered by the authorities to residents and visitors of Tung Ping Chau in the past five years, as well as the modes of rescue; whether the authorities will encourage telecommunications service operators to install transmitting stations on the island to enable residents and visitors to connect with the outside world;
(9) whether the authorities will consider rehabilitating the various graded historical buildings on Tung Ping Chau; if they will, of the details; whether it knows if the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) assessed the conditions of the historical buildings on Tung Ping Chau in the past five years; if the AAB did, of the assessment outcome; whether, in order to further promote geopark, the authorities will consider providing more day camp or residential camp facilities on Tung Ping Chau and formulating policy on home-stay lodging to provide lodging for visitors (including students); and
(10) whether the authorities have plans to carry out large-scale cleaning campaign on Tung Ping Chau to help conserve the environment of the geopark; whether the authorities have monitored the quality of the waters along the coast of Tung Ping Chau on a regular basis to ensure the well-being of swimmers; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
Tung Ping Chau is situated at Mirs Bay of the northeastern waters. The island, which spans approximately 600 metres long and 200 metres wide, falls within the areas of country parks, marine parks and the Hong Kong United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Geopark (the Geopark).
As the Hon Tang Ka-piu's written question covers a number of policy areas, the Home Affairs Bureau, in consultation with the relevant bureaux and departments, provides the following coordinated reply:
(1) and (2) At present, the Water Supplies Department does not provide mains water supply to Tung Ping Chau. Nonetheless, the Tai Po District Office (TPDO) put in place a total of three fibre glass water tanks, each of a storage capacity of about 16 000 litres and some ancillary facilities (e.g. water pipes, solar water pumps etc.) on the island in 2009 and 2011 respectively with a view to facilitating villagers to store raw water for their own use. The TPDO is responsible for the maintenance of these water tanks and facilities. In addition, the TPDO is now installing an additional fibre glass water tank of a storage capacity of about 16 000 litres in Shau Tau Tsuen and is repairing an existing leaking water tank. All these works are expected to be completed in December this year. Over the past five years, the TPDO has carried out maintenance works for the water tanks and ancillary facilities on Tung Ping Chau on three occasions in 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16. The total maintenance cost is about $0.67 million.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) conducts water test regularly, including the bacteriological examination on a monthly basis, the chemical analysis on a quarterly basis and the suitability for potable purpose on a half-yearly basis. In the past few years, the FEHD has not found any abnormal results regarding the water tests.
(3) The existing government properties and facilities on Tung Ping Chau include a country park management centre, a radar station of the Marine Department, a police post, a pier, a public toilet and two aqua privies. Electricity supply to the above facilities is summarised as follows:
Country Park Management Centre
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The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is responsible for the management of the Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park Ping Chau Management Centre at Tung Ping Chau. A diesel electricity generator is used for supplying electricity to the management centre. As no staff is regularly stationed at the management centre and the electricity generator is only used on an ad hoc basis, the electricity consumption in the past five years was not substantial. The AFCD has no record on such electricity consumption.
Radar Station and Police Post
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The Marine Department has set up a radar station on Tung Ping Chau. It is powered by three diesel generators operating in an alternating mode and round the clock. The generators also supply electricity to the nearby Police Post. As the generators provide electricity solely to the Government facilities, Marine Department has no record of the electricity consumption and the total electricity output of the generators. But the Department keeps record of diesel consumption. In 2015, the annual consumption of diesel by the generators was 68 900 litres. The oil consumption of the past five years is tabulated below:-
Year (Jan to Dec) Diesel Consumption (litres)
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2015 68 900
2014 70 800
2013 71 800
2012 73 200
2011 71 900
Pier
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There is no electricity supply to the pier.
Public Toilet and Aqua Privies
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At present, there are one public toilet and two aqua privies on Tung Ping Chau, all being managed by the FEHD. The lighting of the public toilet is powered by a standalone solar power system and supplemented by a diesel generator. The electricity generated from the solar panels will be stored in rechargeable batteries. When the solar power is low, the diesel generator will start automatically to maintain the provision of lighting to the public toilet. As solar energy alone is not sufficient to maintain the normal operation of the public toilet and the FEHD still needs to procure diesel regularly, there is no electricity in excess. In addition, as the electricity for the toilet is not provided through power supply by power companies, data about the electricity consumption of the public toilet is not available. For the two aqua privies, there is no electricity installation.
(4) According to the Environment Bureau (ENB), CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) is studying the power supply options for Tung Ping Chau. As the study is still at the preliminary stage, details or time schedule of the project are not yet available. Upon receipt of the project proposal from CLP, the ENB will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the proposal, including the means of electricity supply, its cost effectiveness and the environmental impacts, etc., for the purpose of meeting the four energy policy objectives, i.e. safety, reliability, affordability and environmental protection.
(5) The AFCD has constructed the Ping Chau Country Trail, which encircles the Tung Ping Chau Island. The AFCD has installed information boards at suitable locations along the trail to display relevant maps and information of the country park, marine park and Geopark, as well as to introduce the ecology, the geological features and the habitat of rocky shore of Tung Ping Chau. The AFCD also regularly monitors the conditions of the trail and the information boards and will install more such facilities, as necessary.
Having regard to actual circumstances and the needs of the villagers, the TPDO has been carrying out simple and small-scale improvement works on Tung Ping Chau. These improvement works include repairs to the existing village roads.
(6) According to the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB), to cater for the transport need of Tung Ping Chau as a tourist spot during weekends and holidays, there is an existing "Ma Liu Shui - Tung Ping Chau" kaito service which operates on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. On Saturdays, there are two kaito services departing from Ma Liu Shui and one kaito service departing from Tung Ping Chau. On Sundays and public holidays, there is one kaito service departing from Ma Liu Shui and Tung Ping Chau respectively. There is no weekday service for this route.
According to the information provided by the operator to the Transport Department (TD), the average patronage of the "Ma Liu Shui - Tung Ping Chau" route per each kaito service in 2015 is about 190 persons. The carrying capacity of the two kaito vessels running that route is around 300 and 400 persons respectively. Therefore, the existing service of that route can meet the passenger demand in general. Visitors visiting Tung Ping Chau may also reserve tickets with the operator in advance. For occasional situations where the demand is more than the supply, the kaito operator may increase service flexibly. If there are ferry operators who are interested in operating new routes plying between Tung Ping Chau and other areas in Hong Kong in future, they may submit a proposal to the TD. The department will study the operational and financial viability of the proposal.
According to the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities (the Scheme) was implemented in phases starting from June 2012, covering the general Mass Transit Railway lines, five franchised buses (i.e. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, New World First Bus Services Limited, Citybus Limited, Long Win Bus Company Limited and New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited), ferries and most green minibuses. The Scheme allows elderly people aged 65 or above as well as eligible persons with disabilities to travel on public transport routes covered by the Scheme any time at a concessionary fare of $2 per trip. It aims to help build a caring and inclusive society by encouraging these groups to participate more in community activities.
Under the Scheme, the Government reimburses the public transport operators concerned regularly the revenue forgone as a result of implementation of the Scheme on an accountable and reimbursement basis. As such, any fare adjustments for the public transport services currently covered by the Scheme shall be regulated by the Government.
Most of the kaito ferry services are operated in a highly flexible manner to meet ad hoc or recreational demand, and their service frequency, fare and timetable are not regulated by the Government. The operators are free to adjust their service frequency, fare and timetable according to operational considerations. Therefore, it is not appropriate to extend the Scheme to cover kaito ferry services, including the kaito ferry services from Ma Liu Shui to Tung Ping Chau.
(7) According to the THB, people travelling to and from Tung Ping Chau during weekends and holidays are mainly visitors and persons running stores on the island. Usually, they only carry a small amount of replenishment of supplies. The existing kaito service and the Tung Ping Chau Public Pier can meet the demand in general. Handrails are available along the landing steps of the pier and tactile warning strips are installed at the top part of the landing steps to facilitate the boarding and alighting of passengers using the pier. The Government currently has no plan to provide a barrier-free access or facilities for cargo loading and unloading at the Tung Ping Chau Public Pier, but will continue to monitor the usage of the pier and follow up, as and when necessary.
(8) According to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Government has put in place a number of measures to facilitate mobile network operators (MNOs) to install additional base stations, including allowing MNOs to use existing Government hilltop sites, leasing Government land at nominal rent, allowing MNOs to use microwave stations to connect to their base stations in remote areas, and assigning additional radio spectrum to MNOs and waiving the relevant spectrum utilisation fee.
Apart from encouraging and actively facilitating MNOs to enhance their mobile network coverage, the Communications Authority has also opened the 27 MHz and 409 MHz bands to enable the public to maintain communication with their companions and call for assistance in case of emergency by means of walkie-talkies operating in these bands. The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) has also been actively encouraging and assisting MNOs in installing additional base stations to improve their mobile network coverage in country parks, geoparks and remote areas.
As regards the issue of inability to receive local mobile phone signals on Tung Ping Chau, OFCA has already conveyed the concern to all MNOs and requested them to actively consider installing base station on the island so as to improve the local mobile network coverage there. According to their preliminary replies, since there is at present no electricity supply on the island, it is difficult for them to install base station and relevant transmission facilities there.
According to the Security Bureau, the Fire Services Department (FSD) received a total of 38 emergency service calls on Tung Ping Chau from 2011 to 2015, including two cases of unwanted fire alarm, three cases of mountain rescue and 33 cases of emergency ambulance service. Among the above cases, one mountain rescue call and one emergency ambulance service call were received directly by the FSD from the callers using their mobile phones. The two cases of unwanted fire alarm were received through the Computerised Fire Alarm Transmission System while the remaining 34 cases of emergency service were referred from the Police.
When an emergency service call is received, the FSD will arrange fireboats, or request the assistance of marine police launches to convey fire and/or ambulance personnel to Tung Ping Chau for firefighting and rescue operations and/or providing emergency ambulance services, as well as conveying the patients to hospital nearby for treatment. If situation warrants, the FSD may request the Government Flying Service to despatch helicopters for assistance.
(9) According to the Development Bureau (DEVB), there are at present three Grade 3 historic buildings on Tung Ping Chau, namely Tam Tai Sin Temple at Sha Tau, Old House at Chau Mei and Tin Hau Temple at Sha Tau. All of them are privately owned. The historic building grading system is administrative in nature and does not affect the ownership of the buildings concerned. Repair and maintenance of the historic buildings remain the responsibility of the owners. The Financial Assistance for Maintenance Scheme under the DEVB provides financial assistance to private owners of graded historic buildings with a view to facilitating them to carry out repair and maintenance works in order to protect these buildings. Separately, the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) is ready to provide technical support to the owners of graded historic buildings on carrying out repair and maintenance works. According to the AMO's records, the conditions of the Tam Tai Sin Temple and Tin Hau Temple are satisfactory, whereas for the Old House at Chau Mei, only the architectural elevations of the house remained during the assessment.
According to the AFCD, the Geopark welcomes, in principle, any environmentally compatible development proposals to improve visitor services on Tung Ping Chau, but such proposals should meet the requirements of relevant legislations.
(10) Regarding the water quality, the AFCD carries out routine water quality monitoring on a quarterly basis in all marine parks and marine reserve (including the Tung Ping Chau Marine Park). Physicochemical and nutrient parameters of the respective water bodies are measured. Some of the water parameters are compared with the Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in the relevant Water Control Zones (WCZ). According to the long-term record, water quality of the Tung Ping Chau Marine Park has been good overall and complies with the WQOs set out for the relevant WCZ.
According to the EPD, they implement a beach water quality monitoring programme, mainly covering gazetted public beaches (gazetted beaches), to inform the public of the latest water quality condition. Because there is no gazetted beach in Tung Ping Chau, the EPD does not have any plan to extend the current monitoring programme to the island. Besides, under the routine marine water quality monitoring programme, the EPD also has a monitoring station (MM5) in the vicinity of Tung Ping Chau. The monitoring data collected in 2015 indicated that the water quality near Tung Ping Chau was very good and could fully comply with the water quality objectives for marine waters.
Regarding the environmental cleanliness of Tung Ping Chau, the AFCD provides regular cleansing services and patrol inspections for the visitor facilities (e.g. Ping Chau Country Trail and campsite, etc.) and the coastal area of Tung Ping Chau to keep the country park and the coastal water of the marine park clean. The AFCD will step up the cleansing frequency, if necessary.
For areas outside the jurisdiction of the AFCD, the FEHD provides public cleansing services, including cleaning footpaths, providing large refuse bins for use by villagers and visitors, cleansing and collecting refuse. Currently, the FEHD's cleansing contractor sends cleansing staff to Tung Ping Chau to provide the above public cleansing services for at least 4 days per week (including every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and public holidays). The FEHD will step up the cleansing frequency having regard to actual circumstances and needs, if necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:09
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