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MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
"In a recent statement, Government gave the welcome assurance that so far Hong Kong appears to be outside the areas which will quite likely be affected by radioactive fallout from the current series of nuclear tests; as a matter of routine precaution, will the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services please advise what measures are being taken, or will be taken, to periodically test milk, fruit, vegetables, etc. for possible radio-active contamination.
tion?"
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
"Measurements are being taken and will continue to be taken of radioactive fallout likely to contaminate milk, fruit, vegetables, etc. Preliminary results show that so far there has been no fallout which could give rise to any concern." MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- No supplementary questions, Mr. Chairman.
DR. LEE:- I would like to ask a supplementary question, Mr. Chairman. May I know which departments are concerned in taking these measurements?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: Discussions are taking place between the Department of Physics of the University, the Radiological Department of the Medical and Health Department and the Royal Observatory.
DR. LEE: A further supplementary, Mr. Chairman. Would you be kind enough to forward to me personally the measurements taken, say, within the last two or three months?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- The measurements so far taken have been on the basis of determining background intensity. There has been no official undertaking so far, but these measures will be reinforced in the future.
DR. LEE:- Am I right in saying, Mr. Chairman, that the statement which we have been given is unsubstantiated by facts?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Mr. Chairman, which statement is my friend referring to?
DR. LEE:- "Measurements are being taken of radioactive fallout likely to contaminate milk, etc."
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- These measurements have been taken at various points in the Physics Laboratory of Government, but the figures are not considered accurate enough for release until we can get proper instruments to measure them.
DR. LEE:- May I know when these instruments will be obtained?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Mr. Chairman, I am not in a position to forecast when the instruments will arrive.
CHAIRMAN:- Would you like to look into that, Sir, and inform us?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Yes, Sir.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I have a supplementary to the supplementaries. May I ask Dr. TENG whether he will be good enough to keep this Council advised and informed of periodic reports as and when they are made available?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I shall do so.
MR. A. de O. SALES, Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee, moved the following motion:
"That the Urban Council as the Authority under Section 107(1) of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, No. 30 of 1960 resolve, for the purposes of management and control of public pleasure grounds, that the areas listed in the attached schedule be submitted to His Excellency the Governor under Section 106(1) of the same Ordinance with the request that he order, under Section 106(6) of the Ordinance, these scheduled areas to be added to the list of public pleasure grounds contained in the Fourth Schedule of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance."
He said: Mr. Chairman, I am putting forward this motion in the name of the Urban Amenities Select Committee. It is not without a certain measure of satisfaction that we are listing another five playgrounds as a mark of the gradual improvement which is taking place in the public recreational facilities in Hong Kong. However, my Committee is not altogether satisfied with the progress that is being made in this regard. There are plans which await approval and there are projects which will be carried out to improve the recreational facilities for the teeming thousands of people who live in the under-privileged areas of the Colony. Our projects are held back on two accounts:
(1) by the Public Works Department, so we are told;
(2) by the Legislative Council, so again have we been told.
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