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8. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) FOURTH CONCLUSION OF THE REVIEW, IS THAT ANOTHER, WHAT ONE MIGHT CALL QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED, TO COVER THE AREAS NOT UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL. IN LINE WITH THE URBAN COUNCIL, THIS NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL WOULD COMPRISE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF ELECTED AND APPOINTED MEMBERS. BY 1991 THERE WILL BE MORE PEOPLE LIVING NORTH OF THE KOWLOON FOOTHILLS THAN THERE ARE IN KOWLOON. THIS SHIFT OF POPULATION TO THE NEW TOWNS DEMON- STRATED THE NEED FOR SUCH AN ADDITIONAL QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL, WITH POPULAR PARTICIPATION, TO CONTROL THE PROVISION OF THOSE CENTRALLY ADMINISTERED SERVICES NOW PROVIDED BY THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT. THIS NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL IS ALSO CONSIDERED TO BE NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE PRESENT ANOMALOUS SITUATION WHEREBY A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES IS PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC IN THE URBAN AREAS BY THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, BUT SIMILAR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BY THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. THE URBAN COUNCIL SYSTEM HAS BEEN WORKING WELL IN THE URBAN AREAS FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS CONCLUDED THAT A SIMILAR SYSTEM SHOULD NOW BE INTRODUCED TO COVER THE REST OF HONG KONG, WHERE A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE COMMUNITY NOW RESIDES: AND AN EVEN LARGER PROPORTION WILL RESIDE AS THE
YEARS GO BY.
9. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE FUNCTIONS OF THE NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL WILL BE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE URBAN COUNCIL IN RESPECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAN- ITATION AND HYGIENE SERVICES. SO FAR AS RECREATION AND CULTURAL AND AMENITIES SERVICES ARE CONCERNED, THE FUNCTIONS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE COUNCIL WILL INCLUDE THE PROVISION OF MOST OF THOSE SERVICES NOW PROVIDED BY THE RECREATION AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT. OUR AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT THESE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN THE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
MANNER.
10. I SHOULD NOTE HERE THAT THE HEUNG YEE KUK IS. A SPECIALLY APPOINTED STATUTORY BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING ADVICE ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE NEW TERRITORIES AS SUCH, AND NO CHANGE IN THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE KUK IS PROPOSED. MOREOVER, *%@2+8089, 9% 5£3 (7('S TRADITIONAL POSITION, IT IS PROPOSED THAT A NUMBER OF THE OFFICERS OF THE KUK SHOULD BE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS OF THE NEW QUOTE REGIONAL UNQUOTE
COUNCIL.
11. I SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR, AS REGARDS THE URBAN COUNCIL IT IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S VIEW THAT IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE, NOR IS IT PROPOSED, TO EXTEND ITS POWERS TO COVER THE REST OF HONG KONG, BECAUSE OF EXISTING INSTITUTIONS AND BECAUSE THE URBAN COUNCIL WOULD THUS BECOME TOO LARGE AND UNWIELDY. I WOULD ADD THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE ENTHUSIASTIC AND COMPETENT PERFORMANCE OF THE URBAN COUNCIL WITHIN ITS PRESENT JURISDICTION AND WOULD NOT WISH TO PUT ITS CONTINUING ROLE IN THE URBAN AREAS IN THE FUTURE AT RISK.
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