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CHAIRMAN (in English):-Mr. CHOW, would you treat that as a supplementary?
MR. CHOW (in Cantonese):-Thank you, Dr. HUANG. I will certainly put it to the staff of the U.S.D. at our meeting, so that they explain to the people concerned in the future.
MOTIONS
1. MR. EDMUND W. H. CHOW, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:—
'RESOLVED that the Food Business (Amendment) (No. 2) By-laws 1980 be made under section 56 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
He said (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee, I rise to move the motion in my name. The proposed amendment to the Food Business By-laws will permit canteens to be licenced in factory buildings and to operate legally. Thus a canteen operating in a factory building can also cater for workers of all the other factories in the same building. It is hoped that this will help solve the lunch problem of the workers in an overcrowded factory area.
The purpose of the new bylaws, known as The Food Business (Amendment) (No. 2) By-laws 1980, is to:-
(1) help solve the lunch problem of workers in overcrowded factory areas; (2) ensure the hygiene standard of the food served at a satisfactory level and safeguard the health of the factory workers.
The survival and prosperity of Hong Kong are determined by the development of industries, while the latter relies on the workers. All Government departments should therefore, be closely concerned with each and every problem related to the workers, and adopt practical measures to safeguard their interests. The Council has the statutory responsibility to ensure food hygiene for the public, and the Select Committee is authorized and duty-bound to shoulder such responsibility. During the recent years, the high adaptability of the local people and the skills of the workers has contributed to rapid development in local industries at a tempo much faster than expected. It therefore has given rise to a lunch problem for the factory workers which is yet to be solved satisfactorily. As a result, factory workers have to consume food not prepared under the required hygiene conditions. The Council should feel sorry about this. Four years ago, there was a major outbreak of food poisoning in an electronic factory and thereafter, several unreported cases of food poisoning.
After those incidents, the Select Committee called for greater attention to be paid to the hygiene standard of the factory canteens and urged that they be brought under the control of legislation so as to safeguard the health of the factory workers. Before any effective measures could be drawn up, we advised the relevant authorities to educate the people concerned on food hygiene and teach them ways to handle food, and guide books were issued. During that period, we had meetings with the relevant Government departments to discuss repeatedly on how to solve the lunch problem of the workers in overcrowded factory areas and ways to ensure that the food provided was up to hygiene standard. Such measures are to safeguard the health of the factory workers thereby boosting the unimpeded development of Hong Kong industry. This will not only be a blessing for workers but also the employers, and it is for the benefit of Hong Kong.
A few months ago, food poisoning broke out again in the same electronic factory. It prompted the Select Committee to work at full steam to ensure the hygiene standard at a satisfactory level, to safeguard the workers' health and to solve the lunch problem in an overcrowded area. After having long discussions, soliciting opinions from representative industrial bodies and inspecting the actual management of factory canteens, it was resolved to put forth the motion now before the Council to amend the Food Business By-laws.
I fully understand that such motion is bound to trigger off censure and criticism from various quarters. Some spring up due to self-interest and subjectivity while others because of failing to comprehend the purpose and motive of the Council. I was once asked 'When factory canteens are brought under licensing control, can it be guaranteed that there will be no outbreak of food poisoning?' I then delivered a riposte, 'When there are doctors, can it be guaranteed that people will not die because of sickness?' The questioner did not know how to further the subject and I therefore did not give any reply. However, there is still plenty of criticism which is objective, reasonable and constructive.
In spite of the above situation, the Food Hygiene Select Committee will take all criticism and suggestions into account, whether they are well-meaning or not. We have now drawn up three reformative measures:— (1) The Council will tolerate, as far as possible, other auxiliary facilities besides those essential ones which have to reach an appropriate hygiene standard. All Urban Council and Urban Services Department staff will be instructed to spare no effort in helping the factory canteen operators. (2) There will not be any restriction on the categories of food provided in factory canteens, and the licence fees required will be the same as that of a light refreshment restaurant.
(3) Food preparation room requirements will be reduced to 15% of the gross area of the factory canteen.
The above-mentioned three concessive measures are drawn up mainly as a kind of encouragement and assistance to factory canteen operators so as to seek an early solution to the workers' lunch problem. Under the existing legislation, a canteen provided by a factory can only be for the exclusive use
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