HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
COMMISSIONER for Resettlement:---I am very happy to give that assurance Mr. Chairman.
(5) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:-
(a) Are the records of cases interviewed in the wards regarded as confidential to those particular Councillors and their interpreters?
(b) Why were the records recently removed from the ward offices for the space of several weeks?
(c) Could Councillors have filing cabinets or lockable desks to keep papers, records, and letters?
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
This question concerns records in ward offices.
The answer to the first part of the question is that all information received in Ward Offices is considered as confidential and therefore treated as such. All clerks attached to Ward Offices have been instructed in writing that they must not divulge anything they might overhear or any information they might gain in their Ward Offices.
With regard to the second part of the question the log books in all Ward Offices are recalled by the Secretary of the Council once a quarter. The reason for this is to enable the Secretary to produce accurate statistics and to check that action is being taken by the Department on the various complaints received. None of the information recorded in log books is made known to anyone. The only information released is the number of cases dealt with in Ward Offices.
With regard to the third part of the question I see no reason why Councillors should not be given facilities to lock up records, letters, etc. This is being looked into and Members will be informed of what can be provided.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I do trust the staff and know that they will not divulge any information, but I would like to ask you if you realize that taking away the records is putting the clerks and interpreters into a very invidious position, because they have been told by us that these records are confidential, and as far as my own ward is concerned, I must recommend the clerk for being very trustworthy. But how do they know who is to have the records and who is not to have the records? The clerk is in the difficulty of not knowing to whom he should hand over the records.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-They are called for by the Secretary of the Council. They are just as confidential there as they are in the Ward Offices.
MRS. ELLIOTT:—Mr. Chairman, suppose the head of some other department like the Police were to send for these records, what would the clerk do?
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-I am quite certain that the clerk would not release them to the Police without the permission of at least the Secretary of the Urban Council. If a communication is sent to another department from a ward office then we have no control over what happens to it. It is up to Councillors themselves if they wish to communicate with other departments, but the department or the Council has no control over what happens to such a communication when it reaches another Government department or an outside concern. But the Police or any other department could not demand ward records direct from a ward office.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, have the clerks been instructed to hand over these records to no-one except the Secretary of the Urban Council?
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-I believe that is the position.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I would like the assurance, and I would feel happier, if we ourselves could give the numbers required so that we know that these books are kept locked up and no-one else or any other department could get these books without our permission.
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-I do not think very much information is in these log books. I have not seen any personally, so I do not know. But I agree there is probably no need to recall them for statistical purposes. However, a number of these things concern the department and the activities of the department, and the Secretary recalls the books to check on what action is being taken by the department to put a number of these things right.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, my reason for bringing this question up is that I had one case which was highly confidential, and both the clerk and myself were extremely worried about it.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, as far as you or the Secretary are aware, have the police on any occasion approached any ward office clerk with a view to obtaining the log book or any correspondence which was being held by the clerk concerned?
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-Not to my knowledge Sir.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you. In your reply, Sir, you have stated that the Secretary of the Urban Council only calls for log books
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