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LegCo Public Accounts Committee tables Report No. 73
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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tables Report No. 73 at the Council meeting today (February 26).

     The Report contains PAC's conclusions and recommendations on two Chapters of the Director of Audit's Report No. 73, namely, "Planning, provision and management of public toilets by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department" and "Provision of consultancy, research and development and training services by the Hong Kong Productivity Council".

     For the Chapter on the planning, provision and management of public toilets by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), PAC stresses that public toilets with a clean and hygienic environment are important for the public uses, and it is more so essential when Hong Kong is fighting COVID-19. 

     PAC expresses serious concern that FEHD does not have a holistic planning with the necessary data, in particular the needs of the public, in the construction, reprovisioning and refurbishing of public toilets.  PAC also expresses serious concern and disappointment that FEHD had not conducted surveys to collect public views on public toilets and data on the utilization of public toilets since 2008.  FEHD has been urged to proactively conduct surveys and use reliable methods to collect public views so as to map out the policies and planning for the provision of public toilets.

     For the Chapter on the provision of consultancy, research and development and training services by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), PAC finds it appalling and inexcusable that the deficiencies and irregularities of the HKPC management in respect of key performance indicators had adversely affected the public's monitoring of HKPC's work. 

     PAC also expresses dissatisfaction and finds it unacceptable that HKPC's poor project and contract management had hampered its effective monitoring of the consultancy project progress and resulted in cost overruns. HKPC has been urged to closely monitor and regularly review the setting of its key performance indicators, as well as its performance against them with a view to using them as an effective means to enhance its management, governance, and accountability.

     The Government has also been urged to regularly keep in view the mode of operation, future business direction and subvention mode of HKPC having regard to the changing economic development of Hong Kong.

     The PAC Report No. 73, with details of the overall comments and recommendations made by PAC, is now available on the LegCo Website at www.legco.gov.hk/yr19-20/english/pac/reports/73/73_rpt.pdf.
 
Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Issued at HKT 13:10
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