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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, I rise, perhaps I should say on a point of order, in that I asked the Commissioner for Resettlement at the last meeting whether the Urban Council is entitled to set aside areas for schools in resettlement estates and he has been good enough to give me a written answer, but I would request him to give that answer in public during the course of this meeting. My confirmation of the minutes is not to be taken as absolving or abandoning my right to request him to answer that supplementary during the course of the meeting.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I should certainly be very glad to do so, Mr. Chairman. May I do so now?
CHAIRMAN:-Do Members have any objection?
(Members did not raise any objection)
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-The contents of my letter to Mr. BERNACCHI are as follows:-
"At the May meeting of the Urban Council you asked in a supplementary question whether the Council is responsible for ensuring adequate educational facilities by setting aside the necessary space to be let as schools.
I am advised that the Urban Council is entitled to set aside areas or adequate accommodation for schools so long as the need for such schools arises in the particular estate or area in which the accommodation is set aside or, even, in some adjoining estate or area where persons are accommodated by the Urban Council."
MR. BERNACCHI:-I thank the Commissioner.
CHAIRMAN:-Mr. BERNACCHI, are you happy about it now?
MR. BERNACCHI:-Yes, indeed. I now can confirm the minutes.
MINUTES.
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 5th May, 1964 were confirmed.
PAPERS.
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following paper:
Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of May 1964.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
QUESTIONS.
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Will the Chairman please state:
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(a) To what extent is the Urban Services Department taking steps to ensure that overcrowding does not become worse in new tenement buildings which have been built to replace old tenement buildings?
(b) Is there a policy in this regard?
(c) Has the Department recently given this subject thorough consideration?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
The reply to the first part of the question is that the Urban Services Department is not at present taking active steps to prevent overcrowding of new tenement buildings. Powers do in fact exist under Section 87(1) of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance to take summary action against premises so overcrowded as to be dangerous to health. No such action has been taken in recent years nor have By-laws been made under Section 88 for the prevention of overcrowding generally.
The reply to the second part of the question is that the policy of this Council is to refrain as far as possible from any action which might aggravate the existing housing shortage or which would involve turning large numbers of people onto the streets. This policy was considered by the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee in November 1960 and no alteration was considered desirable. The matter was last raised at the meeting of this Council held in September 1962 when a question was asked by you, Sir, on this subject.
The answer to the third part of the question is that the Urban Services Department has not itself studied the question since it was last raised in September 1962 but you will no doubt be aware that overcrowding of private premises was one of the subjects considered by the Working Party on Squatters Resettlement and Low Cost Housing whose Report has already been seen and studied by this Council.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, is it a fact or is it probable that overcrowding in new domestic premises is much worse than in many old or pre-war premises?
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