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refuse. They are also required to deliver to a loader (labourer), assigned to a public refuse collection vehicle, all of the contents of the dustbins daily.
If multi-storey building management committees wish to organize group collection and disposal of refuse, they will still have to abide by the above-quoted by-laws. All refuse collection vehicles are running on fixed routes and call at designated collection points at certain times of the day. Information on the running schedules of the collection vehicles is supplied on request and the collec- tion service is provided free of charge. Apart from this, I cannot think of any additional services which could be provided by the department.
However, in the event where an exceptionally large quantity of house refuse is required to be removed after a general clean-up arranged by the management committee of a multi-storey building the Department is prepared to supply special transport, also free of charge, provided advance notice of not less than 3 days is given.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, can the information indicated in the last paragraph of this reply be circulated to all multi-storey management associations in the urban areas?
CHAIRMAN:-I can certainly look into this, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you.
(7) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
(a) At which estates is external decantation now possible? (b) At which estates will external decantation be possible during the current financial year, and when will these rooms be available?
(c) How many families on estates are now living below 16
square feet per person? Kindly reply estate by estate.
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THe ResettlemENT MANAGE- MENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
Mr. Chairman, this is a question concerning the external decantation of our estates. The question of decantation, both internal and external, has been the subject of close attention of the Resettlement Department in the past few months, and I should like to thank Mrs. ELLIOTT for raising this point in today's meeting.
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The policy for external decantation during the 1970-71 financial year was discussed and agreed by the Resettle- ment Management Select Committee at their meeting on the 22nd April. It has been decided that:
Appendix I.
(a) Rooms for external decantation are at present avail-
able only in Ham Tin resettlement estate.
(b) During the current financial year additional accom- modation will become available in Shek Lei-August 1970, Sau Mau Ping-October 1970, Yau Tong- October 1970, Tsz Wan Shan-November 1970, Ham Tin-November 1970 and Pak Tin-January 1971. It should be stressed that these dates depend on the completion of blocks by the Public Works Depart- ment and are only provisional.
(c) A table showing the number of families in resettle- ment estates now living at 16 sq. ft. per person is laid on the table.
I think, Mr. Chairman, I do not have to read out each family
number.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, in paragraph (b) it says "during the current financial year additional accommodation will become avail- able" now, I presume that means for decantation, but as it doesn't mention the word "decantation", can you confirm whether or not that does represent decantation?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Yes, Mr. Chairman.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-The second point, Mr. Chairman. The question was how many families are living below 16 square feet, but the answer says how many are living at 16 square feet.-Could it be confirmed that these are living at below 16 square feet?
CHAIRMAN:-I think the table states so, Mrs. ELLIOTT.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-At "below", Yes, thank you.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, one supplementary, I don't know whether you will rule it out of order. Has the department any general statistics to show why some of these families who can decant but do not?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, the department has looked into this question and I believe a paper was circulated giving the rather tentative results that the department discovered. I would be glad to let Mr. CHAN have further information on this subject. It is rather complicated; there are a number of reasons for it.