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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(9) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
Will the Chairman please clarify what are the responsibilities of Urban Council health inspectors in regard to domestic-type premises which are either used to store fire hazardous materials or are converted into small factories using fire hazardous materials, thus endangering the lives and good health of residents living in the premises? Do health inspectors co-operate with the Fire Services Department by passing on such information as may be obtained in the course of their visits to domestic premises, bearing in mind that the Fire Services Department do not have the staff to carry out house-to-house visits?
On such cases been passed on by the Urban Services Department to the Fire Services Department within the past six months; if so, how many cases?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
The health staff have no statutory responsibilities in this matter but all Health Inspectors engaged in inspections of premises are required by a departmental standing instruction to report fire hazards, or irregularities which may lead to the creation of such hazards, whenever these are found. The reports are forwarded through the Chief Health Inspector of the district to the Director of Fire Services, who is also notified immediately by telephone in serious cases.
In the past six months, there have been 43 instances (19 in Hong Kong and 24 in Kowloon) where information on fire hazards has been reported by the Health Inspectorate to the Fire Services Department.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, does the Vice-Chairman know whether and what action has been taken in these 43 instances which were reported?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-I am not able to say, Sir. They were reported to the Fire Services Department and action lies with them.
(10) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Due to insufficient staff and refuse collection vehicles in Kowloon, refuse collection operations in Fa Yuen Street are very unsatisfactory; in view of the continuous complaints from residents and hawkers selling food and vegetables in the area, can the Director of Urban Services take steps to ensure that all accumulated rubbish at the collection point at the Fa Yuen Street Hawker Bazaar site is completely cleared at least twice daily?
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vegetables in the area, can the Director of Urban Services take steps to ensure that all accumulated rubbish at the collection point at the Fa Yuen Street Hawker Bazaar site is completely cleared at least twice daily?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
This is a major stop scheduled for clearance three times daily - in the morning at 9.45, in the afternoon at 3.25 and in the evening at 9.35. About 200 baskets of refuse are cleared daily. The scheduled times are normally kept but on occasions there may be delays during the day. In that event, the resulting accumulation of refuse will be cleared by the late afternoon. I can give an assurance that this collection point will continue to be cleared normally three times daily, and in no circumstances less than twice daily. There is no better alternative collection point in this congested area.
In the few days following the fire at a factory on the Castle Peak Road on 19th July, there were heavy traffic jams on the route out to the refuse dump which caused delays in collections throughout Kowloon, and it was only possible to clear all the refuse by extending the collection hours into the night.
In the hawker bazaar itself there is also a collection point for empty baskets and crates, which have been discarded in the streets by hawkers and other persons. This point is cleared each night.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, would you care to elucidate in regard to these street collections? When a collection is made, is it complete, or in other words, does it take all the rubbish that is on the spot at the time?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, as far as possible, yes.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I do not get what you mean by "as far as possible". Is it done every time?
CHAIRMAN: Sir, as far as possible all the rubbish is loaded onto the refuse collecting vehicle but it sometimes happens that some has to be left behind. I have seen it myself.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, from the reports which I have received on this particular refuse collection point for the last few months, the refuse is never cleared on each occasion, and as you yourself are aware, Sir, it has been a source of continuous complaints by residents in the area. I myself visited the place last Saturday at 3.30 p.m. and there we saw a huge accumulation of refuse, neatly stacked
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