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1. LCQ6: Implementation of Culture and Heritage Commission's Report

1. LCQ6: Implementation of Culture and Heritage Commission's Report
Hong Kong Government, 3 March 2004

Following is a question by the Hon Ma Fung Kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joseph W P Wong in the Legislative Council today (March 3), on behalf of the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho, who is on leave:

Question:

The Culture and Heritage Commission submitted its policy recommendation report to the Chief Executive at the end of March last year, but the Government has not yet responded to the recommendations in the report. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has studied the recommendations in the report; if it has, of the reasons for not responding to the recommendations;

(b) whether, in developing the West Kowloon Cultural District, the authorities have taken into consideration the report's recommendations, especially in terms of hardware facilities and the mode of operational management; if so, of the outcome of their consideration; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) when the authorities will formulate an overall policy on cultural development and, in doing so, whether the authorities will adopt some or all of the principles and strategies on cultural development as recommended in the report; if so, of the recommendations which will be adopted and those which will not; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

Madam President,

My reply to the Hon Ma Fung Kwok's question is as follows:

(a) The Culture and Heritage Commission (The Commission), established in April 2000, is a high-level advisory body responsible for advising the Government on the policies as well as funding priorities on culture and the arts. After three years of unfailing efforts, the Commission submitted the "Culture and Heritage Commission Policy Recommendation Report" (the Report) to the government in April 2003, putting forward more than one hundred recommendations which cover overall policies as well as specific implementation strategies.

When the Report was received, the government was paying full attention in combating SARS and dealing with related issues. As a result, the response to the Report was delayed. After the crisis, the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) conducted a detailed study on over a hundred recommendations therein. At the same time, in drawing up the response, HAB also made reference to the consultancy reports commissioned by the government on performance venues, libraries and museums, which were submitted to HAB in early 2003, mid-2003 and end 2003 respectively after public consultations.

The Culture and Heritage Commission Policy Recommendation Report will shape the long-term cultural development in Hong Kong. On February 27, 2004, the government issued its detailed response to the Report.

(b) As pointed out in the Report, the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) presents an unprecedented opportunity and its completion will provide a new horizon of cultural development for Hong Kong. We entirely concur with this vision and agree that emphasis should be given to the principles of "people-oriented", "partnership" and "community-driven" in the planning and development as well as the operation and management of WKCD. We will ensure that the cultural facilities would be integrated with other facilities in WKCD and that the cultural facilities in WKCD should complement cultural facilities elsewhere in Hong Kong. We will forge partnerships between developers and the community (particularly the cultural sector) and allow community involvement in the planning and future operation of WKCD.

(c) The Culture and Heritage Commission Policy Recommendation Report depicts our future cultural scene, outlines the direction of the cultural development in Hong Kong, and serves as an important reference. We recognise and accept the six strategies put forward by the Commission for promoting the long-term cultural development in Hong Kong: "people-oriented", "pluralism", "freedom of expression and protection of intellectual property", "holistic approach", "partnership" and "community-driven". It is imperative that any policy needs to be timely and readily adaptable to the changing social environment. We will follow up on the implementation of the policy recommendations in the Report on the principles and strategies for cultural development in Hong Kong.