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MR. HU-16th May, yes. 7th April to 16th May, a little bit over one month. Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my regret: I personally paid great attention to this information, yet it is only a very short time to renew the hawker licences; therefore, it is not possible to have sufficient information. I would express my regret, and I would like the Hawker Management Select Committee to look into this matter to see if it is possible for us, as the Authority for Hawker matters, to collect detailed information, instead of having the Chinese University or other bodies seeking information for us.
MR. LOBO: Mr. Chairman, perhaps Mr. Hu is not familiar with the licensing situation. Some licences are issued, renewable annually at one particular stage; others are renewed as they fall due. Now, with the shortage of staff and other things, it was not possible to have all the details properly processed, but the hawker liaison staff have been doing a lot of ground work in addition to the information the Department collects, that is the number of people, the number of licences, the Identity Card numbers, etc. The Hawker liaison staff is now undertaking the work of the number of licences held by the individuals, normal hours of business, whether or not other members of the family hawk, whether or not the stall is sublet or whether he is in partnership with others and the number of years the individual has been hawking, etc. There is much detailed information being gathered.
MR. HU:---I do not want to ask any more supplementaries on this. I only want the Management Select Committee to look into this matter fully. Before I leave this question, I have one last supplement- ary to ask Mr. LOBO. I understand that no new pedlar hawker licences will be issued after 1st June. Would that measure have anything to do with my asking this question?
MR. LOBO:---Your question had nothing to do with the decision taken by the Hawker Policy Select Committee and I believe you are a member of that Committee?
MR. HU:-No, I am not. I quit the Hawker Select Committees altogether for the last two years.
MR. LOBO:-The decision was taken some months ago.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, there is one supplementary here. I hope you don't need notice of this question. As a Delegated member, quite often I come across late renewable licences asking me to endorse the late renewal. I don't know how this happens if licensing ends on the 16th May. Does it mean that for this annual renewal of licences, if someone found on 17th May they haven't renewed their
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licence and then wanted to renew it, the matter would have to go to the delegated member of the Management Committee or the Hawker Management Committee to deal with it?
MR. LOBO:-It is a rather complicated question, but what I think Mr. CHAN is referring to is whether an expired licence can be renewed after the expiry date. Well, it doesn't have to go to delegated member. The department can straighten that out.
MR. C. K. CHAN:--On what grounds can the department refuse the renewal?
MR. LOBO:Refuse renewal?
MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, can I ask the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee, through you, whether it is not right that after a certain amount of time there is a penalty. Then after another amount of time, there is an automatic refusal to renew but it goes to the delegated member and he has the discretion to authorize renewal?
CHAIRMAN:-I believe the period is six weeks.
MRS. ELLIOTT:---As a supporter of what Mr. Hu believes in about taking details of licences which is back to the original question, could someone explain why only 100 licences can be issued per day; three minutes each, that comes to five hours a day. One person, five hours a day. Is that all that we have in that office, one person working five hours a day?
MR. LOBO:-Mr. Chairman, I said an average, an average because the Department has other things to do as well, and we have to exclude Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
MRS. ELLIOTT:--Mr. Chairman, I still think we could have some more details. Surely we are not so short of personnel to have only one person on the job?
CHAIRMAN:-I shall try and get you the extra information, Mrs.
ELLIOTT.
MR. HU-I think, if Mr. LOBO wants, if the Management Select Committee has this question, I could be invited to be there?
MR. LOBO:-You are welcome at all times.
MR. HU:-Thank you very much.