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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I am informed that it is likely that these regulations will be placed before the Governor in Council in the very near future. As far as I know no objection has yet been raised to the recommendations put forward by this Council.
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I wish to move an amendment to Mr. Bernacchi's motion by the addition of the following words :—
"and furthermore that the Chairman refer to the relevant Select Committee the question of seeking an enlargement of Council's powers regarding the management of the Central Car Park, particularly with reference to the adjustment or revision of parking charges, in order that Council can carry out its responsibilities more efficiently."
That is the text of the amendment, Mr. Chairman.
In moving this amendment, I am supporting Mr. Bernacchi's original motion and perhaps I am going even one step further.
The recommendations referred to in the original motion were passed on to Government by this Council more than eight months ago—not nine months, Mr. Bernacchi. Although this is by no means a record delay on the part of Government when it comes to taking action, I think that eight months is a sufficiently long delay considering the fact that the main recommendations covered nothing more than adjustments in parking hours and rates.
These are more in the nature of administrative matters which could have quite easily been decided and implemented a long time ago by this Council after consultation with other interested departments of Government. But no, Government wanted our recommendations to be embodied in Regulations to be passed by the upper Councils and so we had to wait.
Mr. Chairman, I feel unhappy over the fact that Council's responsibilities on the multi-storey car park amount to nothing more than providing Urban Services Department staff to collect fees and deciding on the uniforms of Car Park Attendants.
The public are under the impression that the multi-storey car park is under the full management of the Urban Council. They are not aware that Council has no authority even to decide on parking rates and hours.
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It is my contention that if the Urban Council is to be able to carry out its responsibilities in the management of the multi-storey car park with proper efficiency, it must at least have the right to adjust or revise parking charges. Otherwise, why ask the Urban Council to manage the Car Park? Surely we have other more necessary and vital functions to perform than merely to collect parking dues and handing the money over to the Treasury. Rather than continue operating the multi-storey car park on the present unsatisfactory basis, I would say let's hand the car park back to Government.
Therefore I would respectfully ask the Chairman to be so good as to urgently request Government to agree to the Urban Council immediately implementing its eight months old recommendations by administrative measures. The Multi-Storey Car Park Select Committee should then meet as soon as possible to decide on seeking wider powers for the Council, and at the very least ought to have the right to adjust or revise parking charges, which powers ought to be incorporated in the forthcoming Road Traffic (Parking and Waiting) Regulations.
DR. P. F. Woo seconded.
He said: Mr. Chairman, I don't see any good purpose for this Council to take control of the Car Park when it has no more power over its management than acting as a government agent to collect the parking fees—a responsibility that could easily have been given to any minor government department. At present, the Car Park is officially under the Council's jurisdiction, but in fact, we haven't even the authority to revise the parking hours and rates. Why then should we have to face public criticisms on the Car Park when we have already done everything in our power and the fault is consequently not ours? I think therefore that we are justified in asking the government for wider powers, or else, we should hand the responsibility of looking after the Car Park back to them.
I must point out that this is not the first time that recommendations from this Council have been held up by the government. The same had happened to the recommendations from the Air-Conditioning Select Committee which had been held up for over two years. I am sure Members are anxious to know the reason for such long delay. It is true that this Council is not the Council of Legislature and may be considered to be of less
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