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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
Is the Chairman aware that tenders worth more than a thousand dollars a month have been accepted for the issue of a licence to sell light refreshments at the Lai Chi Kok beach on an annual basis? Does he consider it fair and honest to let out such tenders knowing full well that the beach is contaminated and dangerous to public swimming? What steps has he taken to correct this genuine grievance?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
In March of this year, the Government Tender Board accepted a tender of $1,456 a month for the exclusive right to operate a light refreshment kiosk at this beach for a period of three years starting on 1st April, 1963. The Urban Services Department had recommended to the Tender Board that this tender should be accepted. The terms of the agreement enable the contractor to serve any member of the public at any time of the year. The sale of refreshments is not restricted to swimmers or to the duration of the bathing season.
The contractor has now requested that he should be permitted to terminate the agreement. I cannot properly make any further comment on the matter at this stage, other than to say that the advice of the Urban Amenities Select Committee will shortly be sought before the question of termination is referred to the Government Tender Board.
DR. LEE:- A supplementary, Mr. Chairman, regarding my question. In view of the bacteriological finding that the beach at Lai Chi Kok has been found to be contaminated, and as it has been in the minds of Council to close the beach to public bathing, I wonder, Mr. Chairman, whether this information has been made known to the applicant, because the popularity of this beach is bound to be adversely affected. In view of this, I wonder if you would bring this point to the notice of the Urban Amenities Select Committee when the specific aspect of this question is referred to them for consideration.
CHAIRMAN:- Sir, although I was not here in the early part of the year, my impression is that in March a considerable amount of publicity was given about this beach. Certainly there was considerable publicity in 1962 about it. It has never been suggested, as far as I know, that we should refuse to allow people to bathe there. We merely warned them that the beach is in an unsatisfactory condition and that they bathe there at their own risk. I think the crux of this particular case is that the tenderer was over optimistic-he made too high a tender. But what you have said will certainly be brought to the attention of the Urban Amenities Select Committee.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
Will the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services state to what extent any French nuclear tests in the South Pacific can constitute a danger to public health in Hong Kong?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
In the absence of any official information as to the location and the nature of these nuclear tests and as to the time of year at which they might take place, it is not possible to say whether they can constitute a danger to public health in Hong Kong.
It can be stated however that, if nuclear tests should take place near French Possessions in the South Pacific region of the Southern Hemisphere, it is unlikely that any harmful change in the level of radioactivity will be recorded in the area of Hong Kong.
The reason for this conclusion is that there is very little exchange of air between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres and consequently very little cross contamination.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, what authorities did the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services consult in preparing this reply?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I can assure Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that four authorities were consulted in Hong Kong, but I do not know whether it is proper to name them. They were the authorities concerned with this question.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I may have consulted one of these authorities unofficially, and I think I have a different reply. I am not satisfied with this reply, and I wonder whether the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services would care to refer this question perhaps to the appropriate authorities in the United Kingdom in view of the really serious nature of the subject matter.
CHAIRMAN:- May I suggest, if the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services agrees, that you should get together with him and compare authorities. (Laughter).
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- I will give some indication of my authority after the meeting.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I would like to point out, Mr. Chairman, that there is no official information whatsoever about these tests. It is purely newspaper speculation, and I have that from a very high authority. (Laughter).
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