Following is a question by the Hon Hui Chi-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (January 8):
Question:
Regarding the allocation of funding by the Government to the various District Councils (DCs) for implementing district minor works projects and community involvement projects, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective amounts of funding allocated to each DC in respect of (i) district minor works projects and (ii) community involvement projects, in each of the past three financial years and in the current financial year (up to December 31, 2019);
(2) whether the amounts of funding for the current financial year received by the various DCs have been revised subsequent to the conclusion of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election; and
(3) of the procedure and legal basis for determining and revising the amounts of funding receivable by the various DCs each year, the government departments involved in making the relevant decisions, and whether they are required to consult DCs and the Legislative Council prior to making such decisions?
Reply:
President,
A consolidated reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(i) District Minor Works (DMW) Programme
Since 2008-09, the Government has been implementing the DMW programme in the 18 districts of Hong Kong, aiming to improve local facilities, living environment and hygiene conditions in the territory. The programme provides funding for District Councils (DCs) to initiate and carry out district-based minor works projects.
The annual basic provision for block allocation Subhead 7016CX District Minor Works Programme under the Capital Works Reserve Fund is $340 million. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) may apply for additional funding to cater for special circumstances in individual years (such as reconstruction or repair works required due to natural disasters). Works projects of such nature requires DC endorsement, just as any other minor works projects. The annual funding proposal will be submitted to the Legislative Council Finance Committee for approval, upon which HAD will allocate funding to various districts according to population size, land area, socio-economic factors, etc.
In 2019-20, the allocation for the DMW programme is $360 million, including the basic funding of $340 million and an additional one-off provision of $20 million for repairing some facilities damaged by typhoon Mangkhut. Allocation of funding to various DCs from 2016-17 to 2019-20 is at Annex 1. Funding allocated to various DCs for 2019-20 remains unchanged after completion of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election.
(ii) Community Involvement (CI) Projects
The Government provides annual funding to DCs for implementation of CI projects to meet the needs of their districts. These projects may include community building activities, district sports activities, arts and culture programmes, greening activities, volunteer activities, etc. DCs are responsible for identifying suitable projects for implementation or sponsorship and examining funding applications to ensure that the use of funds will meet the needs of the districts and benefit more people in the community.
The allocation for CI projects in 2019-20 is $461.6 million. In allocating funding to the 18 DCs, HAD will take into account factors such as population size, socio-economic factors, land area and the past pattern of fund utilisation, and submit the proposed allocation for various districts to the Home Affairs Bureau for approval. Allocation of funding to various DCs for CI projects from 2016-17 to 2019-20 is at Annex 2. Funding allocated to various DCs for 2019-20 remains unchanged after completion of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election.
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