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departments in order to obtain a cremation permit. First, he must go to the Death Registry of the Immigration Department to collect a death certificate. Having obtained the death certificate, he must go to the Port Health Office of the Medical and Health Department where he will be issued with a cremation permit. This permit prescribes the particular crematorium at which the cremation will take place. Finally he has to go to one of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Offices of the Urban Services Department to book a date and time for cremation.
The Department has been in consultation with the Immigration Department and the Medical and Health Department to examine the various ways in which the procedure for cremation could be simplified. A proposal that the Director of Medical and Health Services should delegate his powers to issue cremation permits to members of the Health Inspectorate of the Urban Services Department was suggested. If such delegation took place the applicant could be saved the inconvenience of having to go to the Port Health Office to obtain the Certificate. However, the Director of Medical and Health Services was not able to agree to this proposal as he considers that professional knowledge is required to rule out any suspicion of death being due to unnatural causes.
For very good reasons therefore, it is not possible to avoid the need for three different departments to be involved. Consequently, the best that can be achieved is to centralize staff of the three departments in one building so that the applicant does not have to travel from one place to another, and this possibility is still being examined.
The Medical and Health Department has agreed in principle to accommodate members of the Urban Services Department in its Port Health Offices and arrangements will be so made. The Immigration Department and the Medical & Health Department are being asked to consider arranging for members of the staff of the Death Registry to be in attendance at the Port Health Offices.
One other step which it is proposed to take is to amend the wording of the Cremation Permit issued by the Port Health Office so that it is not necessary to name a particular crematorium at which the cremation should take place. On occasions, fortunately quite rare, it is not possible for the Cemeteries and Crematoria Office of the U.S.D. to arrange a cremation in the crematorium specified in the Cremation Permit due to previous bookings. The applicant therefore has to return to the Port Health Office in order to get the form amended to permit cremation at another crematorium. This causes unnecessary inconvenience to the applicant. To avoid this, a recommendation will be made to the Council to amend By-law 5 of the Cremation and Gardens of Remembrance By-laws.
MRS. GRACE HO (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I want to ask Dr. HUANG whether it is necessary for Medical & Health Department doctors to examine a death certificate produced by another doctor? The second question is whether there is a time table for such steps to simplify the procedure to be accomplished?
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DR. HUANG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, as regard to the first question, as a doctor myself, if there is a doctor who signs the certificate, this is quite sufficient in the eyes of the law. Maybe the Medical and Health Department is extra careful, I myself am doubtful whether the extra examination is necessary. It's not an examination for instance by the coroner, but the Medical and Health Department insists on this and they are the department responsible for this, so I have no say in this matter. As regard to the second question about the time table for implementation, I want to do this as soon as possible and we will make a request for them to give us a date. The Medical and Health Department should co-operate with us as we are trying to provide a better service to the public.
5. MR. FRANCIS CHAINE asked the following question (in English):-When a grant of licence for restaurant is being considered and processed, what precautionary measure does the Council take in preventing air pollution by smoke, carbon particles, or gaseous pollutants emitted from the chimney and/or the kitchen thereof?
MISS MARIA W. C. TAM, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns measures taken prior to the issue of the requisite licence to prevent air pollution by restaurants.
Before a restaurant licence is granted, certain licensing requirements relating to pollution must be met. In cases where it is proposed to use solid fuel or diesel oil for cooking, one of the requirements is that a chimney must be built on the external wall, preferably at the rear of the building. These chimneys must be carried up above the roof level of the highest point of the building to a height of at least 900 mm. Furthermore a metal hood or hoods properly connected to an air-duct fitted with one or more extraction fans of adequate capacity must be provided over all cooking stoves. The exhaust must be arranged so that it passes through a grease filter and, if necessary, a water-scrubber before discharging into the open air in such a manner as not to be a nuisance.
The Commissioner of Labour is the authority for dealing with matters concerning air pollution. Therefore, if the U.S.D. licensing staff notice, or are otherwise informed of any installation, alteration and/or modification of a furnace, oven, chimney or flue, the matter is referred to the Air Pollution Control Unit of the Labour Department for necessary action.
From the enforcement aspect, the emission of fumes or effluvia from any premises is also controlled by section 12(1)(e) of the Public Health & Urban Services Ordinance. Under this section, a nuisance notice may be issued for abatement of any such irregularity.
MR. CHAINE (in English):—Mr. Chairman, the first part of my question has been answered, but my supplementary question is whether or not there is any restriction for installation of extraction fans on the top of the window in the kitchen which may cause air pollution?
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