HEALTH
was presented in June. Some of the report's 36 recommendations have already been implemented.
Control over on-street trading is maintained by the municipal councils through the deployment of general duties teams, comprising 2977 civilian staff trained in law enforcement. During the year, the teams secured 125 980 court convictions for hawking offences and helped to reduce the number of unlicensed hawkers to 7 641, a drop of 739 compared to the year before.
Abattoirs
There are two abattoirs in the urban areas and three slaughterhouses in the New Territories, including a new one on Cheung Chau which also serves the nearby islands. With the exception of Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir, which is run by the Urban Council, all the others are managed by licensed private operators. To meet long-term demand, a site has been reserved for a new slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui.
During the year, these abattoirs and slaughterhouses handled 3 437 915 pigs, 171 259 head of cattle and 18 514 goats, which accounted for virtually all of the local fresh meat supply. To ensure the wholesomeness of the meat, all slaughtered animals were inspected by qualified health inspectors of the municipal services departments.
The two departments also maintain vigilance against illegal slaughtering. In 1993, health inspectors carried out 40 raids on suspected illegal slaughterhouses, and two offenders were successfully prosecuted. Staff also carried out spot checks on meat stalls and 20 persons were prosecuted for possessing unstamped carcasses for sale.
Cemeteries and Crematoria
It is government policy to encourage cremation, rather than burial, of the dead. During the year, over 68 per cent of the territory's dead were cremated. Human remains buried in public cemeteries have to be exhumed after six years and are either cremated or re-interred in an urn cemetery.
The Urban Council operates one public funeral parlour in Kowloon which provides free funeral services for the needy. Two service halls at the parlour are also open for public use free-of-charge.
In the urban area, the council manages five public cemeteries and two public crematoria, and monitors 18 private cemeteries. Two war cemeteries are under the management of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Additional cremators and columbaria are under construction at Cape Collinson Crematorium to cater for the increasing demand for cremation.
The Regional Council manages six public cemeteries and four public crematoria in the New Territories. It also oversees nine private cemeteries and six private crematoria.
Columbaria managed by the council are provided at Kwai Chung, Fu Shan, Cheung Chau, Wo Hop Shek, Lamma and Peng Chau for the deposit of cremated ashes.
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