232
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
activities for the enjoyment of the residents without increasing the burden of the ratepayers. I consider the proposal to employ our own qualified professional and technical staff deserves serious consideration by this Council. What we need are qualified architects and professional fire prevention officers. If the Council is able to employ them without going against the law, these professional officers can also assist the "Food Hygiene Select Committee" to simplify the procedures for the application of food business licences. At present the delay and complications in the application for food business licences lie not with this Council. People in the food business and the trade unions concerned have publicly expressed their view that the licensing procedures of this Council are rather simplified. Unfortunately the other two Government departments have still not responded to our request for co-operation so that the licensing procedures are still not satisfactorily improved.
If the above proposal is carried into effect, then after the applicant's sanitary fitments, the structural works, and fire prevention equipments are considered satisfactory in accordance with the law by this Council and our professional officers, we should issue directly a licence to the applicant without waiting for comments from the Fire Services Department and the Building Authority, thus avoiding any delays. As for the requirements in respect of building and fire services legislation, it should still be up to the P.W.D. and the Fire Services Department to decide, to enforce and to take appropriate action.
May I also take this opportunity to answer Miss YEUNG's allegation that the professional lawyers in Hong Kong would help their clients to find some excuses to deny the charges. I would like to reply by saying that as a lawyer he has a responsibility not to tell his clients to tell any lies. I think this principle can also apply to other professionals in Hong Kong. So I hope there would not be any misunderstanding on the part of our public. Therefore, I like to make these remarks here. I hope I may be excused for adding these comments here.
MR. AMBROSE K. C. CHOI (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to attend the Council's Annual Conventional Debate to-day and I would like to take the opportunity to make the following points in the hope that the authorities concerned would seriously consider accepting them and putting them into effect:-
(1) Kindergarten education in Hong Kong, although not receiving much attention from Government nor enlisting its full support, has, through the efforts of individuals and charity organizations, made steady progress in recent years, especially in public housing estates to which kindergartens have found their way.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 136 of 174
233
Under the current housing policy, all commercial units, school premises and market stalls in newly constructed housing estates are open to public tender and tenancy usually goes to the one who offers the highest bid. For lack of experience, some well-to-do enthusiasts, who have the intention of developing education, usually offer the highest bid for the acquirement of certain units from the Housing Department to operate a kindergarten, hopefully on a profit-making basis. But in the long run, they find that there is a restriction on the number of seats in each classroom when they apply to the Education Department for registration. In order to offset the deficit resulting from the high running cost, the operators are forced to augment their income by over-enrolling pupils in contravention with the Education Ordinance, thus making things hard for the education inspectors.
I hope that the Housing Department will give up the idea of increasing revenue with complete disregard of the Education Ordinance. Before inviting tenders for units to be used as kindergarten, it should clarify with the Education Department about the prescribed number of classrooms and the permitted accommodation of each classroom and make them known to bidders so that interested bidders may succeed in bidding for premises at a more reasonable price, thereby eliminating the possibility of breaching the Education Ordinance through over-enrolment.
(2) I am given to understand that there is at present no public pleasure ground of any kind or rest garden in Cha Kwo Ling, a village with a population of over 6,000 people, nearly half of which are teenagers and children. The lack of such facilities has deprived villagers of the opportunities to pursue recreational activities at leisure time. In order to keep abreast with the Government's plan to actively promote sports and recreational activities in various districts, the Council should give serious consideration to the provision of a pleasure ground in the said village to enable the villagers to take part in healthy activities.
Another district of great concern to me is Mong Kok which has a population of over 280,000, the majority of which are teenagers. However, there is still no public library or swimming pool provided in the district. I wish to reiterate here my proposal made at the last debate that top priority should be given to the provision of a public library and a swimming pool in Mong Kok.