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MR. LOBO: Mr. Chairman, is it possible that this number 50 to 1 is in fact much lower? Taking into account not only private cars but all motor vehicles, commercial vehicles as well as cars, it could be 10 to 1?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: It is very difficult because the position as I understand it is a lot of chauffeurs, hired chauffeurs or commercial drivers live in Resettlement estates and their employers allow them to take the car home overnight and park there overnight. This is one of the explanations but not the only explanation. A lot of residents in resettlement areas do earn their living by driving vehicles of various descriptions. Some of them may be private, some of them may be commercial, some semi-commercial.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, I have made a complaint about lorries. Will the department provide me with a helicopter to get into Wong Tai Sin when it is no longer possible to get up the streets because of lorries?
MR. SALES: No, the helicopter services are restricted to Recreation and Amenities Select Committee members only.
(22) MR. RAYMOND Y. K. KAN asked the following question:
It is reported in the press that 14% of the total resettlement population do not live in the estates as discovered by the recent census. Can the Chairman say if this is a true reflection of the present situation? If so, has he any plan to rectify it?
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
As Members of the Resettlement Management Select Committee are well aware, the authorized population of resettlement estates as recorded on tenancy cards is usually in excess of the actual number of persons resident at any particular time, although whether the average daily difference is as much as the 14% recorded by the census enumerators is difficult for me to say.
The major reason for this is because many children of resettlement families are now grown up and are often accommodated at their places of work, but they retain a link with their families and often return at holidays and festivals. There are of course rooms where the whole families or part of the families have moved out permanently to accommodation elsewhere, without informing the estate office. However, these are constantly being detected by block officers during the course of their patrols.
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manently to accommodation elsewhere, without informing the estate office. However, these are constantly being detected by block officers during the course of their patrols.
The Resettlement Department is now reviewing its Management practices in estates with a view to more thorough checking of the actual occupation position of rooms against the tenancy records. When detailed proposals are available, these will be raised for discussion with the Resettlement Management Select Committee. However, in view of the fierce opposition of resettlement tenants to having their names deleted from tenancy records, the firm support of Members will be required if a more realistic policy is to be applied.
MR. KAN: Mr. Chairman, if a block officer has reported and confirmed that some tenants have left the rooms for good, will there be any action taken against these tenants and, if so, how many such cases have there been in the past year?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: We have standing instructions on that one. I have not the figures at the present time. I will supply the information in due course.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, it takes about two hours to walk around a whole block of a 16 storey building. Could we ask the block officers to do it more often?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: That can be looked into.
(23) MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question:
How many of our licensed cooked food stalls are at present located on street instead of being located in off-street bazaar? How many of them are actually causing excessive obstruction? So far, how many of them have been warned?
MR. R. H. LOBO, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
There are 495 licensed cooked food stalls on street in Hong Kong and 558 in Kowloon. One-quarter of the Hong Kong stalls and nearly half of the Kowloon stalls usually operate in an area exceeding the permitted limit by 100% or more.
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