HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(c) copies of pamphlets concerning licences and permits issued by this Council.
The department was asked by the Public Enquiry Service to provide answers to 15 of the 372 inquiries. These concerned housing, disposal of dead animals, softball facilities in Kowloon, burial at sea, taking photographs in Statue Square, and other matters.
The Controller says that the answers were given to him promptly.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Thank you for your detailed and informative reply, Mr. Chairman.
MR. WATSON:- Mr. Chairman, would it be in order for me to ask a supplementary question on Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's first question? He jumped up so quickly for Question No. 2 that I had no opportunity.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- There is no objection on my part, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN:- I would have no objection.
MR. WATSON:- Mr. Chairman, I am a little bit interested in the figure of natural increase--1,400. At the previous meeting, I think that the Commissioner for Resettlement gave us the figure for natural increase as amounting to about 5.6 per cent on 300,000 people, which would amount to about 8,000 in half a year. Could he perhaps tell us what this 1,400 natural increase is, whether it is for all the estates or one estate?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- It is actually an approximate figure. I think that when we mentioned the percentage on a previous occasion referred to, it meant squatters throughout the areas, not only in the estates.
MR. WATSON:- But it was a percentage?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- It was admittedly a percentage. This admittedly is only an approximate figure.
MOTIONS.
THE CHAIRMAN moved the following motion:-
“RESOLVED under section 60(1), as clarified by section 60(4) of the Urban Council Ordinance, 1955, that under the powers conferred upon it by the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, 1960, the Urban Council does hereby delegate the powers contained in subsection (1) of section 23 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, 1960, to the additional public officers scheduled below:
Assistant Resettlement Officers, and
Area Officers of the Resettlement Department
In respect of the areas within the boundaries of Resettlement Estates."
He said:
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The purpose of this motion has already been explained in a paper sent to Members, but I would like to refer to it again briefly.
Section 23(1) of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance empowers the Council, in respect of the urban areas, to authorize any public officer to arrest in any public place any person who contravenes any of the provisions of subsection (1), (2) or (3) of section 3, or of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Summary Offences Ordinance. These provisions relate to nuisances such as dumping of rubbish, indiscriminate spitting, etc.
The Council has delegated the powers under section 23(1) to Health Officers, Health Inspectors and Overseers, but insofar as resettlement estates are concerned, only one Health Inspector of the Urban Services Department is at present seconded there to deal with sanitation work. He is therefore the only officer authorized to take any positive action in resettlement estates to abate the nuisances I have mentioned.
There are, of course, Assistant Resettlement Officers and Area Officers of the Resettlement Department in the estates, but as matters stand they have no authority to take action when they see people committing these sanitary nuisances. The purpose of the present motion is to authorize these two classes of officers also to take action with a view to assisting the Health Inspector to deal with the abatement of sanitary nuisances in resettlement estates. As Members have been informed in the memorandum already referred to, my friend the Commissioner for Resettlement has said that if these officers of his are authorized under section 23(1), they will be instructed to exercise the power of arrest to the absolute minimum.
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN seconded.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:- In supporting the motion, Mr. Chairman, I would like to endorse your last words. Sir, I feel that the greatest possible care and supervision must be exercised to ensure that no oppressive arrests are effected.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Mr. Chairman, I should be happy to give Mr. BERNACCHI that assurance.
The question was put. The motion was carried.
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