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MR.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Association would be involved would be justified in view of the limited period before, it is hoped, a Government market will be built.
In the circumstances, I feel that the correct answer is for the Council to press on with plans for the construction of a permanent market within the normal Public Works Programme.
CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, several weeks ago I wrote to the Department expressing concern at the possible fire-risk on the site. Would you be good enough to follow up on that first for me and let me have a reply on what has been done in due course.
CHAIRMAN: ---Certainly. I am sorry you haven't had a reply in the meantime.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you. Would you also be good enough, Mr. Chairman, to have a Chinese translation of your reply sent to the Wong Tai Sin Kaifong Association with a copy to me?
CHAIRMAN:-This could be done.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you very much.
(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question: –
In a recent visit to the Wang Tau Hom Resettlement Estate which has a population of 67,000 persons, I was advised that there were 2,000 vacant primary school places in the estate. Can the Commissioner for Resettlement carry out a survey of families living in the estate with children of primary school age who are not going to school? In carrying out this survey would he be prepared to seek the assistance of the Wang Tau Hom Kaifong Association?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, in the absence of the Commissioner for Resettlement, replied as follows:
The Resettlement Department has recently made a survey of all resettlement estates to ascertain the number of children of school age who are not attending school. In the case of Wang Tau Hom estate there are about 1,500 such children out of a total of 20,500 children of school age.
The department publishes from time to time particulars of vacant places in estate schools and it has distributed pamphlets on free school places provided by the Education Department. It has also publicised the names of those
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voluntary agencies who provide assistance towards school fees.
The Commissioner for Resettlement should be glad to discuss with the Wang Tau Hom Estate Kai Fong any further steps which can be taken in this matter.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN : Mr. Chairman, could I state for the record that I shall be very glad to co-operate with the Commissioner and with the Kaifong Association concerned to follow up this matter. For the record, may I also state that, as of May, the number of vacant primary school places in this estate was no longer 2,000, it was 3,000.
(6) MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE asked the following question:
Would the Chairman please inform this Council of measures taken to warn bathers on urban beaches when sharks are present?
MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
Mr. Chairman, this question concerns measures taken to warn bathers at Urban Council controlled beaches when sharks are present.
There are written instructions which govern procedures to be followed by the beach staff of the Urban Services Department when sharks are sighted in waters close to public bathing beaches.
The presence of sharks may be reported direct to beach staff or through Police Headquarters. Warnings are sometimes given by helicopter pilots or the crews of Marine Department launches who are urged to be especially vigilant when sharks are known to be in Hong Kong waters.
As soon as sharks are sighted in the vicinity of a public bathing area, a bell is rung to sound the alarm and warnings are given along the beach through loud hailers. At the same time a board is carried along the beach bearing the message in English "SHARKS IN VICINITY, BE-WARE!" and its equivalent in Chinese.
Bathers at sea or on rafts are encouraged to reach land by catamaran.
The Police and the Information Services Department are immediately advised of the danger by the officer in charge of the beach affected.
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