Page 27 of 237
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
However, I would draw Members' attention to the fact that the Statutory Plan stipulates that the area for commercial and residential development is subject to further detailed planning to include schools, shopping centre and multi-storey car parks, all of which would in effect be for community use.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for your answer. May I refer to your last paragraph? You have not included the Civic Centre that this Council has asked you to suggest to the Government that Kowloon badly needs. Have you perhaps a different site on which you wish to put our Civic Centre?
CHAIRMAN: I should rule that question out of order, Mr. SALES, but to take your point on the question of having made representations to Government about the Civic Centre, I would like to say that certainly a Civic Centre could be considered for community use, but I think the size of the Civic Centre might have some bearing on whether it could be included on the site or not.
MR. SALES: Sir, arising from your reply, you are aware that the Council has a schedule of facilities which should be included in the Civic Centre in Kowloon. Has that schedule of facilities been brought to Government's attention?
CHAIRMAN: Not yet, because it is not finalised as far as I am aware, Mr. SALES.
MR. SALES: But how long does it take your Department to finalise a schedule?
CHAIRMAN: Well, I think we took recommendations from the City Hall Select Committee which asked if we could find out more about what could be provided in the Centre.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I think your fancy is getting the better of you. As Chairman of the City Hall Select Committee, I do not have any such recollection. I thought that the schedule of facilities put forward by the City Hall Select Committee was to be, in turn, conveyed to the Government as a tentative proposal for consideration of the subject.
(5) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
(a) Questions have been repeatedly raised in this Council concerning the very long time taken for Appeals to be heard on matters of resettlement. Improvements promised have not been fulfilled. Could the Acting Commissioner for Resettlement please state how many appeals are outstanding, with the dates when first made in each case?
(b) What steps are being taken to speed up this process?
THE ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
The answer to the first part of the question is that four appeals cases are outstanding, going back, as appeals, respectively to January, February, March and April of this year. With regard to the second part of the question, under the previous system, the practice was for the Secretary of the Appeals Sub-Committee to arrange a meeting of one of the panels to hear pending appeals. These meetings were often difficult to arrange because of Members' other engagements. On occasion, it has even been necessary to postpone a meeting already arranged because members were unable to attend.
The present practice, which came into effect at the end of April, provides for a fixed schedule with two meetings a month. If it proves possible to adhere to this schedule there should be very little delay in hearing cases in future.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, I am alarmed at the long delays in appeals, and I do hope the new system will work. But may I ask the Commissioner if he would put before the Select Committee the suggestion that we call upon other Members to fill in for Councillors who are unable to attend appeals, instead of cancelling or postponing the meetings.
ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: Mr. Chairman, I support that.
(6) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
(a) Is it correct that squatters in Ma Chai Hang have been granted domestic resettlement, but their shops have been left after all customers were removed from the area?
(b) Does this situation happen in other parts of the Colony, and if so, where?
(c) Would the Department undertake in future not to move squatters until shops to support their livelihood are available for those whose shops are involved?
37
Page 27 of 237
36
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
37