CB(2) 557/98-99(05)

For discussion
9 November 1998

LegCo Panel on Health Services

Healthy Living Campaign Purpose

This paper reports the progress in the launching of the Healthy Living Campaign.

Background

2. Arising from the recent spate of the public health and food hygiene issues, the Administration has launched a Campaign called the Healthy Living Campaign since June 1998. The objectives of the Campaign are -

1. to raise the standards of public hygiene and food hygiene to a higher level;
   
   
2. to enhance public awareness of the importance of disease prevention;
   
   
3. to promote a culture to improve environmental and personal hygiene; and
   
   
4. to sustain a healthy lifestyle among the people of Hong Kong.

Steering Committee on Healthy Living

3. To provide policy guidance and steer, a Steering Committee on Healthy Living was set up under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for Administration. Its terms of reference are -

1. to formulate strategies and plans for a co-ordinated effort to upgrade hygiene standards and promote healthy living;
   
   
2. to devise measures to enhance community participation in efforts to identify and resolve environmental and public health problems;
   
   
3. to draw up plans to inform and educate the community on the importance of environmental hygiene and healthy lifestyles;
   
   
4. to co-ordinate the work of the departments and organisations concerned in the implementation of such strategies, measures and plans; and
   
   
5. to receive reports from the departments and Sub-Committees concerned on the implementation of such strategies, measures and plans.

4. Under the auspices of the Steering Committee, seven Sub-Committees each chaired by a head of department have been established for the purpose of running activities in support of the Campaign. A list of these Sub-Committees is at Annex.

Campaign Strategies

5. The Steering Committee has adopted 'Healthy Living into the 21st Century'
as the common theme for the 3-year Campaign. Relevant departments involved in the Campaign are using the common theme for all their activities and publicity programmes under their own areas of responsibilities. The Steering Committee also agreed that the following broad strategies should be adopted in launching the Campaign -

1. Public to claim ownership - By organizing activities and programmes which aim at encouraging the public to claim ownership of the problem, the whole community would take up the responsibility jointly with the government in improving the hygiene standards in Hong Kong;
   
   
2. Cleanliness starts at home - The public should be made aware that a clean and healthy city starts at everybody's home; and
   
   
3. Education begins at early childhood - To promote good attitude and behaviour in personal and public hygiene, it is important to start providing appropriate education programmes to our children at an early stage.

Targets for Each Year

6. In launching the Campaign, priorities are accorded to key areas to which special efforts would be put in to achieve the set targets for the Campaign and to provide a focus. The ultimate targets for each year of the Campaign period are -



7. Relevant departments will come up with initiatives and launch activities and operations which aim at meeting the agreed targets. Education and publicity programmes will also be strengthened. The intention is to apply a three thronged approach (enforcement, encouragement and education) to raise the hygiene standards in Hong Kong. In so doing, we hope to be able to make the efforts of the Campaign sustainable, beyond the 3 year period.

Tasks for Coming Few Months

8. In line with the overall targets for the Campaign, relevant departments will attach importance to some key areas in launching the Campaign in the next six months, and in particular, the following aspects -

1. review level and form of penalties;
2. improve refuse treatment;
3. tighten licensing conditions for food premises;
4. clear up litter black spots; and
5. enhance enforcement and prosecution.

9. Regarding the review on the level and forms of penalties for littering offences, we have, at the preliminary stage, considered that the penalties should be increased to enhance the deterrent effect. However, clearly there are merits and demerits of various proposals. Subject to the views of the Steering Committee, such proposals would be carefully considered before submitting to proper authorities for scrutiny when appropriate.

10. We will also co-ordinate the commissioning of a survey in 1999 to measure public awareness of the importance of personal and food hygiene as well as their attitudes and behaviour. Findings of the surveys will be used as benchmarks for future studies. Our intention is to measure the changes in public attitude and behaviour on a regular basis throughout the Campaign period. In so doing, we would be able to assess the effectiveness of the activities launched under the Campaign. Planning is also at hand to launch a territory wide scheme to involve the community in reporting hygiene blackspots and monitoring the subsequent clean up of such blackspots.

Health and Welfare Bureau's Roles

11. Health and Welfare Bureau is currently responsible for providing secretarial support to the Steering Committee on Healthy Living. It also plays a co-ordination role in the implementation of the various activities and publicity programmes launched under the Campaign and the promotion of inter-sectoral co-operation in achieving the overall objective of the Campaign. At present, such tasks are dealt with by staff redeployed to the Bureau on a temporary basis. In the longer term, additional staffing resources will be required to cope with the workload arising from the Campaign. Formal staff requests will be made through the normal channel.


Health and Welfare Bureau
November 1998

Annex

Sub-Committee	Chaired by
1. Healthy Living and Disease Prevention Sub-Committee	Director of Health
2. Community Involvement Sub-Committee	Director of Home Affairs
3. Clean Beaches and Recreation Areas Sub-Committee	Director of Regional Services
4. Clean Markets and Food Premises Sub-Committee	Director of Urban Services
5. Clean Neighbourhood Sub-Committee	Director of Housing
6. Clean Country Parks Sub-Committee	Director of Agriculture and Fisheries
7. Publicity Co-ordination Sub-Committee	Director of Information Services