Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin delivered his administrative report and attended the mayoral interpellation session at the city council on July 13.
City Councilor Huang Shan-shan remarked that among the achievements of Hau’s administration over the past four years, the 1999 Citizen Hotline received the highest rating among residents. However, she noted that much improvement is needed in the areas of urban renovation – especially facilities at Songshan Airport to help Taipei’s internationalization. The mayor responded that he has conveyed the concerns over airport management and facilities to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and will work with the agency to resolve these issues.
Responding to City Councilor Lin Guo-cheng’s question on whether the City is serious about its urban renovation projects, the mayor promised that details of the policy will be announced on August 1.
On the issue of the proposed Taipei City Tennis Center, City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua pointed out that the decision on the site has been reached only because of criticisms by former head of Academia Sinica Yuan T. Lee. The mayor defended the decision, commenting that planning for the facility has been going on for one-and-a-half years and has nothing to do with Lee’s comments.
City Councilor Wu Szu-yao suspected that there’s a big difference between the number of visitors visiting the Taipei Pavilion reported by the city government and the actual numbers. Hau commented that if the city councilor can visit the pavilion in person, she will note the long lines outside the facility. In fact, Taipei Pavilion boasts the longest queue among all the exhibition halls in the Urban Best Practices Area at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
City Councilors Chou Po-ya and Lee Wen-ying voiced their concerns about the progress of refitting the MRT Neihu Line to ensure compatibility between the old and new computer systems. Hau remarked that the understanding he reached with the staff from Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and Department of Rapid Transit Systems is that the system and trains will commence service only if safety standards are met.