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MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, it is expected that the facilities for performances on the stage will be better than those already available in the City Hall. That is the purpose of the Civic Centre being in Kowloon, where the population is greater than on the Island, and also to complement the facilities that there are in the City Hall. Perhaps I should elaborate, Mr. Chairman, that the indoor halls which the Select Committee wishes to have in every district of Hong Kong, are "neighbourhood facilities" not designed in any way to replace the Civic Centre but to act as supplementary facilities for the use and enjoyment of the people of Hong Kong.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Has the Committee already found a tentative site for this Civic Centre, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN: Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, we are dealing with facilities for operas rather than sites for Civic Centres.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the point you have raised, but, with your permission, I was asking this as a matter of interest, especially in relation to the question on facilities in Kowloon for modern Chinese drama performances and Chinese opera.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I would be delighted to answer that question. I assure you that I did not prompt Mr. CHEONG-LEEN to put it. (Laughter). Now, it is suggested that the Civic Centre in Kowloon might well be built in the 16 acres of land which remain out of the Whitfield Barracks and which Government has reserved for auction. It is my hope that Government will meet with the same measure of failure as the auction that just took place for the site at Salisbury Road, Middle Road and Nathan Road. (Laughter).
(5) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:
Could the Chairman please inform the Council why people living at a density of 21 square feet per adult in Tin Wan Estate, in which children under the age of 10 years are only counted as half an adult, cannot be decanted in the same estate? How many rooms are now vacant in the Tin Wan Estate?
MR. LI YIU-BOR, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Hu refers to over-crowding in the Tin Wan Estate. There are at present 36 vacant rooms at Tin Wan Estate. The qualifying density for decantation into these rooms is determined by the number of families that would become eligible. It is now fixed at 20 sq. ft., there being 39 families living at this density, or higher, in the estate.
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Decantation is being offered to those cases where the rooms available are of the appropriate size. After this has been completed, any remaining vacant rooms will be offered to families of appropriate size in the estate living at densities of 21 sq. ft.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to be able to inform Mr. Hu that by the end of this month, some rooms will be made available for the decantation of families living at a density of 21 sq. ft.
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I am indeed most grateful for Mr. Li's very encouraging answer to my question. As a matter of fact in the printed reply, the most important part was not mentioned, (Mr. Hu was referring to the last paragraph of Mr. Li's reply which was not included in the original printed reply) which renders my supplementary question unnecessary. Therefore, I will not ask any supplementary question. (Laughter).
(6) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:
Could the Chairman please inform the Council of the number of staff in the Hawker Section of the Urban Services Department who are dealing with licensing matters? What are their present duties? Could they gather the necessary information about hawkers when the latter renew their licences? If the Chairman considers the present staff is inadequate, could more funds be asked for from the Government?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The first part enquires into the number of staff in the Section who deal with licensing matters. The answer is that:
firstly, to do office work in this Section the Department employs 1 Executive Officer, 12 Clerks and 2 Clerical Assistants; secondly, field work is carried out by 2 Senior Health Inspectors, 4 Health Inspectors, 11 Overseers and 4 Foremen Class II.
That is, in all, 36 persons. This number excludes 24 labourers who assist with the demarcation of hawker pitches, cleansing duties, and other field work. It is hoped that one additional Executive Officer will be provided next financial year.
I should explain in answer to the second part of the question regarding the duties of the staff in the Hawker Licensing Section that these duties are much wider than the name of
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