1504
HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL - 1 June 1988
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I do not have the details, I must confess, of the frequency of tests. But I will try and find out the information and write to Dr. CHIU. (See Annex I)
PROF. POON: Sir, is the artificial purification method effective enough to remove most of the harmful substances accumulated in the shellfish? If not, then would the public be misled to believe that the so-called purified shellfish is safe to consume?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I think this is a point which will have to be very carefully considered before a decision is taken to require this particular process to be adopted. It is still under consideration.
DR. LAM (in Cantonese): Sir, how many people were reported to have suffered from adverse effects to their health because of intake of contaminated seafood in the past year?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I am told that the statistics kept by the Medical and Health Department are not kept in such a way as to enable this figure to be identified, but the figure is not thought to be large.
DR. CHIU: Sir, will the Secretary for Health and Welfare please inform this Council when compulsory artificial purification will be introduced? And how can it be enforced?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, as I said earlier, this is a method. which is under consideration. It has not yet been decided by the Secretary for Municipal Services whether this particular method will be required or not, so it is not possible at this stage to say when it will be introduced.
Control of cooked food from China
5.
DR. IP asked: Will Government inform this Council whether it is satisfied that the existing controls on the bringing in from China of cooked food (particularly cooked meat) are adequate for the protection of the health of the public?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, the sale of imported cooked meat is governed by the provisions of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance and the present controls are considered to be adequate for public health purposes.
There are no statutory controls, however, on cooked food items brought into Hong Kong by travellers from China or elsewhere for their own personal consumption. The quantity of cooked food items carried in by individual travellers is usually small and there is no evidence that the items are being
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