HEALTH
87
Food laws are under constant review and are amended to keep pace with up-to- date information in food technology. The amended Imported Meat and Poultry Regulations 1976 were introduced in July, and steps are being taken to organise a more efficient control programme on other foods at the import stage.
Staff Training
A training school under the direction of the departmental Health Inspectors Training Board provides professional training courses for student health inspectors and members of the health inspectorate as well as training courses on technical subjects relating to environmental health control for other grades of officers. Student health inspectors are trained for two years to the standards required for the Diploma in Public Health Inspection for General Overseas Appointments, issued by the Royal Society of Health in London. For more advanced training, the school conducts train- ing courses for serving health inspectors leading to the award of the Royal Society of Health Diploma in Meat and Other Foods Inspection. To improve public cleansing techniques and management, there is a two-year part-time in-service training course at the Hong Kong Polytechnic to prepare health inspectors for the Testamur examina- tion held by the Institute of Solid Wastes Management, London.
During 1976 health inspectors attended courses on noise abatement held in co- operation with the extra-mural department of the University of Hong Kong. With a view to keeping pace with modern technology in food, environmental hygiene control and health education, three health inspectors were sent to Britain for specialised training not available in Hong Kong.
Markets
An important addition to the ever-increasing number of public retail markets in Hong Kong was the new market at Mong Kok which was completed in July at a cost of $3.25 million. This is the first market to have an escalator. It was installed in an attempt to make stalls on the upper floors viable, and reaction so far has been favourable.
[ ]
Another new market, to serve the rapidly growing township of Chai Wan adjacent to the Yue Wan housing estate, is under construction. Work also began towards the end of the year on the temporary market programme, which is largely concerned with reprovisioning old and unhygienic markets in crowded residential areas. These temporary markets are to be built on sites earmarked for future development as multi-purpose buildings, and the first will be at Tai Shing Street in Wong Tai Sin.
Hawkers
The improvement in the economy in 1976 brought with it a decline in the number of street traders. In some of the most congested streets, where the presence of large numbers of hawkers was preventing vehicle movement for most of the day, control was re-established. Clear carriageways were maintained and trading areas were thoroughly cleansed at the end of the prescribed trading hours. A general increase