******************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, in the Legislative Council today (January 17):
Question:
At present, most public swimming pools are temporarily closed during the winter months from November to March of the following year. For the rest of the pools, only the main pools with warm water, which are deeper than the secondary and training pools, will remain open. Some members of the public complained that such an arrangement causes inconvenience to people who are not good at swimming and those who are learning swimming in the secondary or training pools. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it will consider improving the facilities at public swimming pools, such as providing warm water in secondary and training pools and installing temporary floor slabs in the main pools during the winter months to reduce the water depth in them, thereby allowing more non-proficient swimmers, especially the elderly, to go swimming in winter; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
During the winter months, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) temporarily closes those of its swimming pools that do not have heated pool facilities for carrying out more thorough repair and maintenance works. When those swimming pools are re-opened after winter, the Department will arrange for the temporary closure of the swimming pools with heated pool facilities for repair and maintenance. The objective of the arrangement is to minimise the inconvenience that the works will cause to swimmers.
Apart from the heated main pools where the water is deeper, some training and leisure pools where the water is shallower also have heated pool facilities so as to satisfy the needs of different swimmers.
The LCSD is now studying the feasibility of a trial scheme to be implemented in Yuen Long Swimming Pool and Tuen Mun Swimming Pool under which some swimming lanes will be installed with temporary floor slabs to reduce the water depth so as to make it convenient for swimmers with special needs to use the pools. The Department will examine factors relating to the safety and cleanliness of the installation concerned, the loading capacity of the respective swimming pools, etc. It intends to launch the trial scheme within this year and will consider whether the installation should be introduced in the light of the results of the trial scheme.
Furthermore, the LCSD is actively increasing the number of swimming pools with heated pool facilities for use by the public. The heated pool facilities that are expected to be completed and open for use in the coming years include the following -
Hong Kong Island
----------------
Indoor pools at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park (including the main pool and a training pool)
Indoor pools at Siu Sai Wan Complex (including a 25-metre pool and a training pool)
Redevelopment of Victoria Park Swimming Pool Complex to provide indoor pools (including the main pool and a diving pool)
Kowloon
-------
Redevelopment of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool Complex to provide indoor pools (including the main pool and a training pool)
Conversion of the secondary pool of Lai Chi Kok Swimming Pool to an indoor heated pool
New Territories
---------------
Indoor pools at Hin Tin Swimming Pool (Phase 2), Sha Tin (including the main pool and a jacuzzi)
A 50-metre indoor main pool at the swimming pool complex in Area 2, Tung Chung
A 25-metre indoor pool at the sports centre in Area 33, Tai Po
A 25-metre indoor pool at the swimming pool complex in Area 1 (Sun Wai Court), Tuen Mun
A 25-metre indoor pool at Tin Shui Wai Public Library cum Sports Centre, Yuen Long
Ends/Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:21
NNNN
