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12. To increase the licence fees and charge fees for the management of the permitted areas and streets. Hawkers should pay profits tax so that they will not be making too much profits and become unwilling to shift to other occupations and return to work in the factories; 13. To continue to build markets to accommodate the hawkers. Payment of gratuities and the question of unemployment should also be taken into consideration;
14. To acknowledge the fact that hawker problems cannot be solved by the Urban Council alone, nor indeed by the government. Therefore, other departments, such as the City and New Territories Administration, Labour Department, Royal Hong Kong Police Force, Housing Department and Social Welfare Department etc. should co-operate with the Urban Council in tackling the problems; 15. To pay more attention to consultation and publicity when implementing the policies in order to reach an understanding with the public and secure the co-operation of other government departments. In this way, the policies may be implemented smoothly.
The hawker policies of today are quite different from those in the 50's when they were related to social welfare. However, I do not think it is proper to take strict clearance action. Since most hawkers are from the lower working class, we should assist them in a reasonable way. Hawker problems should be treated as general social problems. In other words, we should lay equal stress on law and morality, humanity and amenity improvement. Only through guidance and assistance can the hawkers be persuaded to leave their line and join in industrial production. This is the correct attitude to treat the hawkers instead of taking clearance action. Hawker problems concern the interests of the whole society and we should be careful in their handling, not to upset the stability of Hong Kong.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. SAMUEL P. W. WONG (in English): --Mr. Chairman, one of the drawbacks of being the most junior member of this Council is when you get up to speak, all the cameras have gone. (laughter)
In September last year, this Council accepted a Five Year Forecast covering the period 1984/85 to 1988/89. The forecast included expenditure on capital projects of $2.35 billion over the 5-year period. This works programme envisages expenditure of $300 million to $400 million each year up to 1988/89. A total of 24 district complexes have been planned in the 5-year programme for the 10 urban district boards; of this total, funds have already been approved for 9 projects which will cost in the region of $737 million.
For the financial year 1985/86, which will commence on 1 April 1985, this Council has budgeted for an expenditure of $1.83 billion, with a revenue figure of $1.65 billion and a deficit of $180 million. On the expenditure side, $1.07 billion or 58.7 per cent goes to personal emoluments and allowances and 18 per cent, or $0.33 billion (i.e. $330 million) has been budgeted for capital works expenditure. This compares favourably with $245 million, i.e. 14.3 per cent for the current financial year. This would enable a substantial number of projects, large and small, to be completed in the next financial year.
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To enable an even distribution of facilities among the 10 urban district boards, I suggested in my speech last year that, based on the actual population of each district and the adopted planning standard, we should prepare a list of facilities each district should have, or is entitled to have. By comparing this list with our current Capital Works Programme, we could then determine, fairly accurately, where serious deficiencies lie so that actions could be taken immediately to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, my suggestion escaped your notice in your subsequent reply to the debate, so it was not surprising to find that we were unable to pin-point the serious deficiency in outdoor recreation grounds and indoor game centres in the Kowloon Bay Area before being pressurized by the Kwun Tong District Board to speed up the construction of the Kowloon Bay Project. There are many other examples which I would refrain from quoting here.
For the sake of good public relations, I think we definitely need to compile this 'Deficiencies List' so that we could go to the various urban district boards and say: 'You are entitled to this and that in our 5-year work programme' rather than wait for the pressure to be exerted by members of the District Boards.
Last year I drew members' attention to the switch finance scheme started ten years ago; and to the rather strange arrangements within the Urban Services Department whereby not all the capital works projects are under the control of the Planning and Development Division of the City Services Department. Whilst I am glad to hear that the Switch Finance Scheme between this Council and the Government would come to an end very soon, I do hope, in the coming restructuring of the various departments within the Urban Services Department, consideration would be given to centralizing the planning and supervision of our Capital Works Projects under one roof.
If I may move away from Urban Council matters, a usual practice in our Annual Conventional Debate—I would very much like to talk about my pet subject, ‘open education' in Hong Kong. According to the first report of the Education Commission published last week, it appears that because of 'poor' study environment, limited tutorial services and a need for bilingual preparation of teaching material, the idea of having a U.K.-style open university here in Hong Kong, has been rejected. The Commission stated it was very much aware of the demand for more tertiary-level opportunities, and considered that 'alternative forms of attendance' should be developed to allow educational opportunities at this level to expand. Disappointing, however, that we will have to wait until the Commission finishes the next phase of its work before hearing what it considers to be a viable alternative. By that time, today's mature students will all be grandparents, and perhaps too old to study!