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Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, in the Legislative Council today (November 20):

Question:

Victoria Park in Causeway Bay is open to the public round the clock, but the public toilets there are not, thereby causing inconvenience to the users of the Park. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will extend the opening hours of such toilets; if so, of the new opening hours and when they will be implemented; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

Madam President,

There are three public toilets in Victoria Park, which are located to the west of the Park near the Sugar Street entrance, the north of the Park at Hill Knoll and the east of the Park near the Hing Fat Street entrance respectively. The one near Hing Fat Street entrance is managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, while the other two are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). All three toilets are generally open to the public round the clock. However, since the path leading to the toilet at Hill Knoll has recently been made circuitous because of the improvement works in progress, the usage rate of that toilet has become very low, particularly at nighttime. For the better use of resources, LCSD has rescheduled the opening hours of the toilet from 7 am to 11 pm during the construction period. Upon completion of the improvement works by November, the toilet will be open to the public round the clock again.

End/Wednesday, November 20, 2002

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