Page 23 of 174
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. WONG (in Cantonese): — Mr. Chairman, the trees that I mentioned in my question are not planted in private areas but on crown land. In the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign there is a hot line for members of the public to inform the Urban Services Department immediately. There are only 25 men in a tree gang. Can we also set up a special hot line so that members of the public can contact the Urban Services Department immediately?
MR. LO (in English): — Mr. Chairman, I am entirely in sympathy with what Dr. WONG has expressed but I would not like to trespass upon the Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee's concern. I think this is more anti-litter, cleaning than recreation.
CHAIRMAN (in English): — I agree with you. Discretion is the better part of valour where that committee is concerned. May I ask the Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee to answer the question?
MRS. GRACE HO (in English): — Mr. Chairman, there is a question dealing with this later on in the agenda. If Dr. WONG reads this he will probably find the answer.
(5) Dr. P. C. WONG asked the following question (in English):
Is the present system of inspecting restaurants (licenced or unlicenced) by the same health inspector of the same district a good one? Is the Department aware of the danger when a single health inspector goes to the same group of restaurants every time it may cause unnecessary friction and false evidence of bribery or act of revenge?
MR. EDMUND W. H. CHOW, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):
The present system is for a District Health Inspector to be allocated a number of Health Units in which he is responsible for the control of all licensed premises and premises on permit, for the investigation of complaints, the abatement of nuisances and for the related paper work. Health Inspectors are required to carry out their duties on their own unless accompanied by a Student Health Inspector under instruction. This system enables Health Inspectors to become familiar with the restaurants in their Health Units and establishes a clear line of responsibility.
On the other hand, it is difficult to ensure that Health Inspectors have equal case-loads and the Hong Kong Public Health Inspectors Association has recently expressed concern about the possibility that individual Health Inspectors will be in a weak position if malicious allegations of corruption are made against them and they have to rely on their unsupported evidence.
This problem has been considered by a departmental working party under the chairmanship of the Deputy Director (Operations) and it was agreed that, as an experiment to be tried out in two districts, a system should be worked out for joint inspections by 2 Health Inspectors working together. Different Health Inspectors would visit individual premises on each occasion. The main disadvantage of this system is likely to be that it will reduce the number of visits that can be made to licensed premises and the line of responsibility is likely to be less clear.
The Council will be consulted once the experiment has been completed, with a view to deciding whether the proposed alternative system is acceptable.
DR. WONG (in Cantonese): — Mr. Chairman, I would like to know when the experiment will be completed so that Health Inspectors will have a better method of inspecting licensed premises.
MR. CHOW (in English): This will take a few more months and my Committee will review this from time to time.
(6) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in English):
(a) What is being done to stop people from throwing objects, particularly heavy objects, out of windows and balconies?
(b) What will be done during the rest of 1977 to strengthen the anti-litter campaign and make the streets of Hong Kong and other public places, such as Victoria Park, more litter free?
MRS. GRACE HO, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):
The throwing of objects out of windows or from balconies wilfully or negligently to the danger of any person is a
Page 23 of 174