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QUESTIONS
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
1. DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question (in Cantonese): (a) How many factory canteens were there in the urban districts before the Council amended the relevant bylaws and required factory canteens to be licensed?
(b) How many of these have now applied for a licence? (c) Have any of them discontinued business?
(d) The relevant Select Committee of the Council suggested that applications for Factory Canteen Licences be issued to the unlicensed food premises and that such food premises be encouraged to apply for the operation of a factory canteen. How many unlicensed food premises have been sent a copy of such application form by the Council? (e) How many unlicensed food premises are now applying for a factory canteen licence?
(f) As the health licensing requirements for a factory canteen are more lenient than those for a general restaurant, could the Council staff effectively and stringently control those factory canteens which were formerly unlicensed food premises and prevent them from becoming a sort of general restaurant in disguised form with a comparatively lower hygienic standard?
MR. SHUM CHOI-SANG, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question relates to the licensing and control of factory canteens.
Taking the first three parts of this question together, there were 61 known canteens serving single factories in the urban areas before the Food Business By-laws were amended to permit the licensing of canteens serving more than one factory with effect from 1 August 1980. Up to the end of September, eight of these had applied for the new type of factory canteen licence and six had gone out of business. The remaining 47 are still in operation and they have six months from 1 August in which to apply for licences.
In answer to the fourth and fifth parts of the question, 27 letters have been sent to the operators of unlicensed food premises in industrial buildings encouraging them to apply for licences to run factory canteens as at 6 October 1980. This is in addition to publicity in the Press. Up to the end of September, eleven unlicensed food caterers had applied for licences and, in addition, 43 applications had been received from persons not previously known to the Department which indicates encouraging co-operation. This makes up a grand total of 62 applications received, of which 50 are from Kowloon and twelve from Hong Kong.
Finally, in reply to part six of the question, the Council staff will make every effort to ensure that factory canteens maintain an adequate standard of hygiene and that they do not abuse the more lenient conditions under which they are permitted to operate.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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DR. HUANG (in Cantonese):—I thank Mr. SHUM for his answer. I would like to ask again as when we amended these by-laws the purpose was to improve the canteen facilities provided to workers, but ever since these by-laws were amended, 8 of the 61 canteens have closed down. Would Mr. SHUM feel that this contravenes the original intent of the amendment?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-This is asking for an expression of opinion but I would still like to ask Mr. C. S. SHUM whether he wishes to express an opinion.
MR. SHUM (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, in the question raised by Dr. HUANG he said that 6 of them had gone out of business. However, according to the figures that I have just quoted the factory canteens previously known to us number 61 in all. However, up to now, the number of applications that we have received total 62. In other words, besides the six which have closed down, we still have 62 applications, i.e. we have 62 people indicating their intention of operating such canteens, previously it was 61, so the number has increased.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese): -I would like to thank Mr. SHUM for his explanation. I wish him the best of luck.
MR. STEPHEN M. L. LAU (In Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, Mr. SHUM said that 62 applications have been received, previously there were 61 and of these 8 have now filed applications and 6 have closed down, that means there are 47 left. Are they still operating? Do we still have 109 such canteens?
MR. SHUM (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, this is how we do the calculation. 47 are still operating. A further 8 are operating and have filed applications, the remaining 54 have applied but they are not fulfilling our conditions yet. 47 are operating.
MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, could we ensure that by relaxing the by-laws the purpose is to encourage more factory canteens rather than to enable restaurants to lower their hygiene standards?
MR. SHUM (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, that was the purpose. We did not intend to lower the hygiene standards. We just want to make it more convenient for them so that more people can operate factory canteens to serve the workers.
CHAIRMAN (in English):--The point is that after enactment of the amendment, new people entered the business and the Council was not aware until then that the business could be that attractive to private caterers.
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