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Following is a question by the Hon Lau Wong-fat and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, in the Legislative Council today (May 3):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the number of applications for installation of street lights in villages in Hong Kong which are being processed currently, and the proposed locations for installation; and
(b) the estimated time required for completing the assessment of the above applications and the relevant installation works, the annual progress of assessing such applications and implementing the works, as well as the amount of expenditure on such works?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) At present, there are about 3,200 village street lights that are pending approval for installation in the New Territories. These street lights are mainly distributed in Yuen Long
(1,307), the North District (716), Tai Po (406) and Sai Kung (329).
(b) In general, the Administration will vet the proposals for installation of village lights within the year in which they are received and determine the order of priority for installation according to established criteria. Under normal circumstances, proposals which will benefit the largest number of households will be given priority. Moreover, when processing the proposals, the Administration will take into full consideration factors such as public safety, pedestrian flow, existing lighting facilities, availability of land, electricity supply and technical problems.
The number of village lights approved each year shall depend on the resources available. For example, in 2006/07, the Administration will give approval for a total of 600 village lights. As a normal practice, the Administration will conduct site visit and public consultation immediately after approving a proposal. As soon as the location where the village light to be installed is confirmed, the Highways Department will apply for the necessary road excavation permit and carry out the installation works when the permit is issued. In general, the Administration will complete the above process and the relevant installation works in one or two years after approving the proposal.
The Administration will actively consider allocating more resources to facilitate early approval and completion of the installation work of the above 3,200 village lights.
According to the statistics on the completed items, the amount of expenditure on providing a village light is about $12,000, which includes the cost for carrying out related works.
Ends/Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:46
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