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In order to obtain full utilization, all such pitches will be provided with flood lighting. Hockey players will be interested to know that we also intend to provide the hockey pitch at King's Park with artificial turf.
Next, I turn to the site for the proposed velodrome at Aberdeen. The site measures about 6.4 acres. Round about 1975, we had every expectation that it would be allocated to us for development. As members of the Council will recall, as it happened, it was leased to Ocean Park Limited for 5 years commencing on 1 January 1976, for use as their open air car park. I will not now go into the question of the rights and wrongs of this allocation. It is water under the bridge. What concerns us now is what will happen at the end of the 5-year period. As recently as October last year, the Secretary for the Environment reaffirmed that the site would be allocated to the Urban Council in January 1981, that is to say, 2 years from now. Ocean Park will still need a car park then. I dare say the need will be greater than ever. I hope and indeed expect Ocean Park to build a new car park within the next 2 years. If they have insufficient space for an open-air one, then I suggest that a multi-storey one be constructed. In any case, that would be a more economic use of land. There are already a number of multi-storey buildings in the vicinity. A car park building which need not be very high will do little to spoil the environment.
I sincerely hope the car park will be in existence at the end of the 5-year period, and that we will not be told the car park is not ready, and the lease to Ocean Park will have to be extended. I bring this matter up today with a view to avoiding such an eventuality.
Finally, I would like to say something about food hygiene. In recent years, eating habits in Hong Kong have undergone and are undergoing a change. That is as much from force of circumstances as by choice. The traditional Chinese way of eating with a whole family sitting together around a table was the most convenient and suitable way of eating in the old days. Now, with different members of the family working in factories and offices and with children going to different schools, eating habits have to change. The family cannot always eat together. It becomes an impossible burden for the housewives to provide a series of meals for individual members of the family.
For factory workers working shifts, taking meals outside the home becomes a necessity. We must see to it that this demand is met legally and from hygienic establishments. If not, we may be sure it will be met illegally by unlicensed cooked food hawkers. With all these changes, we cannot simply stick to the old policies and regulations concerning food hygiene. I do not suggest for a moment that standards of hygiene should be lowered, but without lowering such standards, we should do our best to make it possible for food establishments to carry on their business. We should not maintain a policy merely because it has been the policy for a long time. This applies, of course, to other Government departments as well as the Urban Council.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I cite as an example a case I came across last year when I was a delegated member for Hong Kong for Food Hygiene. There was an application for a food factory to be located in an industrial building. The Building Authority had no objection, but the Fire Services Department objected on the ground that the premises were structurally unsuitable, although fire escapes were stated to be adequate. I know that there is a policy which states that you cannot have a restaurant in an industrial building, but I cannot see why this should also be applied to food factories. Once you have such a policy, it is no longer necessary to examine the actual case. You only need to cite the policy, thereby administrating that there is a fire hazard. We must change this kind of thinking; otherwise, food factories may operate illegally in even less suitable premises to the greater hazard of all concerned.
With these remarks, I am happy to support the motion before the Council.
MR PETER P. F. CHAN (in English):- Mr. Chairman, may I take the opportunity of this Annual Debate to make a comprehensive report on our Market and Abattoir services.
This Council is gravely concerned with the feeding of members of this community. Part of this responsibility lies with the Food Hygiene Select Committee, and in view of the fact that over 90% of the population has a great preference for hot and quivering meat, especially pork (which means meat not only fresh by international standards but meat without being chilled after the slaughtering process). I am happy to say that so far the Council has been able to meet this need with all up-to-date slaughtering facilities. During the current year, with the enlarged pig lairage in Cheung Sha Wan (cost $3 million) and the new slaughtering equipment, we serve the community well. Meat inspection is maintained at international standards with the assistance of our own locally trained but internationally qualified meat inspectors. Our modernized by-product plant, which converts wastes into economic products, will bring in an income of $4 million for 1979-80, which, together with slaughtering fees of $41 million, will enable us to recoup our revenue expenses of $44 million and to enable us to plan future capital and staff improvement and to produce some surplus for other Council work. Our pig hair, which previously was a refuse entailing disposal costs, will bring in about $270,000 annually to the Council when a tender open to the public is accepted by the Council.
May I, however, make it known to members of the public that with the increase in staff costs, the Council in the year 1980 would have to subsidize all fresh meat made available through the Council's facilities to the community if the same hygienic standard is to be maintained.
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