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MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Would you care to let me know at a later date, Mr. Chairman, personally, what success you have achieved in regard to these representations to Government?
CHAIRMAN: It shall be done.
MR. FORSGATE: I trust, Mr. Chairman, you will let us all know.
(16) MR. JOHN MACKENZIE asked the following question:
In view of public concern with the deteriorating litter situation, and the public demand that positive action be taken to combat this problem, will the Chairman please state the current position and progress of the "Keep Hong Kong Clean" Campaign, with particular reference to the budget, proposed new legislation, the timing and programme?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Arising from its grave concern over the increasing dirtiness of Hong Kong, the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee of this Council in early 1971 took steps to plan a massive campaign aimed at cleaning (with the help of the Urban Services Department) the entire Colony and, thereafter, maintaining that state of cleanliness once achieved. One of the first moves was the appointment of a Campaign Committee comprising three Urban Councillors, two Legislative Councillors, and 13 Deputy or Assistant Heads of the Government departments concerned with this problem.
Having taken stock of this situation, the main committee sub-divided itself into seven working groups dealing with such essential aspects of the campaign as: Budgeting and Finance, Education, Community Organization, Multi-storey Buildings, Industrial and Commercial Involvement, Legislation, Publicity, and Programming. A budget was prepared in respect of extra staff, additional equipment such as litter containers, transport, anti-litter signs, two-way radios, to name but a few, and publicity items covering all the communication media. This budget was submitted to the Secretariat for approval and its non-recurrent aspects recently received the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, thereby enabling the "Keep Hong Kong Clean" Campaign Committee at its meeting on 22nd April to set a target date of 1st November this year in which to mount this far-reaching campaign.
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The Campaign Committee is hopeful that its requirements in recurrent expenditure will also receive approval from the Finance Committee at an early date. Certain costs are to be recurrent, because early in its planning the Committee realized that a campaign of this nature must, after the initial surge, sustain its momentum, maintain its achievements, and allow no back-sliding on the part of the public.
The need for stronger legislation to provide firm backing for anti-litter measures was also appreciated early in the planning stages, and amendments to the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, 1960, and the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances By-laws, 1960, are now in the agreed third draft stage with the Attorney General.
No report on this campaign would be complete if I failed to mention the proposals to involve the community on a massive scale in improving their own environment. Details of a plan to enlist thousands of area volunteers through district committees are currently being worked out by the Secretariat for Home Affairs; the managements or owners of multi-storey buildings in particular will be asked to co-operate in improving their properties in the general public interest; the industrial and commercial sectors will be approached for support and sponsorship; and a programme of activities and competitions with a strong anti-litter bias will be conducted in schools and colleges.
With no questions of policy or principle to stand in the way of this campaign, I hope that the target date of 1st November can soon be firmly adopted for this massive effort at community improvement and self-help.
MR. MACKENZIE: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that statement. Could you just perhaps for information advise the period of the total duration of the campaign commencing from 1st November?
DR. HUANG: Well, originally we intended to have the campaign in April, but because of some problems, legislation in particular, we had to push it back for several months. Of course, we could have it earlier, but because of the typhoon season during May and September this is not possible. We did consider mounting the campaign in
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