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housing estates and village areas which also have shopping facilities. On this basis, the answer is that in the central part of Kwun Tong there is 1 market containing 8 stalls of 210 square feet each and 3 off-street hawker bazaars containing 607 sites for fixed pitch hawkers. These figures do not include on-street fixed pitch sites.
In reply to the second part of the question the population in the commercial and residential area of Kwun Tong is approximately 100,000. The total number of licensed hawker sites in the same area is 737 and the ratio of hawker sites to population is therefore 7.37: 1,000. However, I must stress that these figures are of doubtful value by themselves since they represent only a part of the total shopping facilities in the area. For example, apart from market stalls, there are 29 licensed fresh provision shops which also serve the public.
In reply to the third part of the question I am not aware of any blitz being carried out on hawkers in the area. From time to time the Police and the Urban Services Department take action against hawkers who obstruct the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and I am informed that the Urban Services Officer (Kwun Tong) has been receiving an increasing number of complaints from the public about the obstruction caused by hawkers in this part of Kwun Tong. As regards plans to serve the needs of the population I assume that Mrs. ELLIOTT is referring to the possibility of providing additional markets or off-street sites for the sale of food. The only site on which such facilities might be provided is that now occupied by Shui Wo Street hawker bazaar. There are long term plans to provide a proper market within a multi-purpose building on this site. For the short term, the Council has already decided to proceed with the provision of a one-storey temporary market on the site, and the project is now included as a Category B item in the 1977-78 Public Works Programme. In the normal course of events, the project will take 2 years to complete.
As regards the last part of the question I have already indicated that the problem is one of finding suitable sites for markets and bazaars. The issue of new licences would not, by itself, be a solution and would be contrary to the usual Urban Council policy.
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MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, since writing this question I have discovered that a similar situation exists in other areas and this is going to be discussed at the next Hawker meeting. I would just like to ask if this question can be referred with the other areas to the next meeting of the Hawkers Select Committee and if that is the case, I would have no further questions.
MISS YEUNG (in Cantonese): -I believe that if there is such necessity, we would, of course, discuss the hawker problem in other areas.
(4) THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in Cantonese):-
(a) How many launch picnics for members of the public are being sponsored by the Urban Council this year, and for a total number of how many children and adults?
(b) Are there any plans to increase the number of these launch picnics next year?
MR. WONG SHIU-CHEUCK, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENTERTAINMENTS SUB-COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):
In reply to the first part of the question, as part of the Summer Programme for 1977, 30 launch picnics were planned by the Urban Council, each catering for 450 people. Four of these had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. 10,926 children took part in the 26 picnics that were organized and the average attendance was 420 persons per trip, or 93% of full capacity.
In regard to the second part of the question, during the summer of 1978, it is again proposed to organize 30 launch picnics for 13,500 people. Bearing in mind that numerous other activities are also being planned for next summer, including swimming parties and a series of programmes under the Summer Fun Festival, this is considered to be adequate, and no increase is planned.
STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MUSEUMS SELECT COMMITTEE
MR. CHEONG-LEEN (in English): -Mr. Chairman, two months ago I made a brief report on the activities of the Hong Kong Museum of
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