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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Board has received complaints of Filipino maids working in bars. They are domestic helpers and minimum wages have already given to them. Will the Select Committee consider that allowing them to hawk or work in bars has policy implications among various government departments?
CHAIRMAN (in English): I am not quite sure it is a supplementary or as a Chairman of Liquor Licensing Board or what?
speaking
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in English): Can the Select Committee consider that as well.
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese): Yes, Mr. Chairman, we will consider this.
STATEMENT BY MRS. ELSIE TU, CHAIRMAN OF THE WORKING PARTY TO REVIEW HAWKER AND RELATED POLICIES (in English): Mr. Chairman, the Working Party to Review Hawker and Related Policies has completed consideration of the many responses and views on the Consultative Document submitted by the public, Government Departments, and other interested parties.
The Working Party found that there was substantial consensus of opinion on many of the proposals, but particular concern has been expressed on the need for better enforcement if the implementation of the proposals is to succeed and illegal hawking is to be reduced. This emphasis coincides with the concern of the Working Party which had some months ago requested the Department to give the matter of control its most careful consideration.
Consequently, the Department had decided to seek professional advice to assess the manpower, management, training and other resources required to implement the enforcement proposals. Accordingly, at the Department's request, the Commissioner of Police was approached, and has agreed to second to the Department two senior Police Officers to provide such advice.
The Working Party therefore considers it sensible and prudent to await the deliberations of the Police and the Department before implementing the more radical proposals such as simultaneous re-ordering exercises, renewed licensing, and control of further illegal hawking. These deliberations are expected to begin early next month, and it is hoped that a progress report will be available to the Working Party in a few months' time. Nevertheless, the Working Party recommends that non-controversial policies, such as design of market buildings and normal licence fee reviews, which do not involve additional manpower or financial resources may proceed on an ad hoc basis after discussion in the regular meetings of the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee.
MOTIONS
1. MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG, CHAIRPERSON OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:
RESOLVED that the Abattoirs (Urban Council) (Amendment) By-laws 1986 be made under Section 77 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Chapter 132.
She said (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, as Chairperson of the Food Hygiene Select Committee, I rise to move the motion standing in my name:
'RESOLVED that the Abattoirs (Urban Council) (Amendment) By-laws 1986 be made under Section 77 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Chapter 132.'
The purpose of the Amendment By-laws is to amend the Second Schedule to the Principal By-laws to provide for an increase in fees for the slaughter of animals. With effect from 1 November 1986, all slaughter fees at the Urban Council's two abattoirs at Cheung Sha Wan and Kennedy Town will be increased by 10 per cent except those for live pigs weighing 12 kg or less.
Although the revised fees will raise revenue by about $10 million in annual terms, there will still be an estimated deficit of about $61 million for the financial year 1986/87 arising from these two urban abattoirs.
The cost of running the abattoirs at Kennedy Town and Cheung Sha Wan has increased considerably over the past year. The main factor in the rise in operating costs is the staff wage bill. The staff are required to work both a day and a night shift to supply fresh meat for the trade, which requires its supply of freshly-killed beef and pork in the early mornings. Furthermore, in the face of growing competition from the newly-established private slaughterhouses in the New Territories, revenue has been adversely affected.
It is not expected that the revision in slaughter fees will affect meat prices significantly as the maximum increase in retail prices of pork and beef is equivalent to only about 6 cents a kg (4 cents a catty) and 13 cents a kg (8 cents a catty) respectively.
Sir, I beg to move.
MR. L. H. KWAN, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, said: Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
The question was put.
The motion was carried unanimously.
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