and complaints from tenants at their ward offices, some of which are in fact located in estates. Officers in the department carry out the day to day business within the policies laid down by the Government, the Urban Council and the Select Committees. Individual appeals from members of the public against the Commissioner's decisions on tenancy matters are referred to the Management Select Committee, on other matters to an appeals subcommittee of the Policy Select Committee. Since the appeals subcommittee generally handles appeals on subjects for which the Urban Council is not the Competent Authority, it can legally only advise the Commissioner for Resettlement. In practice, its advice is generally accepted. It has also become customary for the Commissioner to consult the Select Committees on a wide range of questions. The advice tendered and decisions made by the Committees form a sub- stantial body of 'case law' for the guidance of the department.
27. The more important subjects discussed by the Select Committees during the year were:
(i) the department's special survey of squatter shops and eligibility
for resettlement shops;
(ii) control of hawkers in resettlement estates and cottage areas; (iii) a review of the shop ballotting policy;
(iv) policy regarding resettlement of victims of natural disasters;
(v) cleansing of resettlement estates by contract instead of direct
labour;
(vi) enforcement of the special condition of tenancy requiring shop tenants to start business within six months of the date of alloca- tion of premises;
(vii) delegation of powers to Resettlement Assistants in respect of
sanitary nuisances in estates;
(viii) welfare facilities in Mark IV and V estates;
(ix) the annual review of the grading of resettlement shops for rent
purposes;
(x) appeals procedure;
(xi) medical clinics in estates;
(xii) amendments to the Resettlement Ordinance and Regulations;
and
(xiii) sun-shades and awnings in front of shops and restaurants in
estates.
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