Page 25 of 126
43
42
# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order.
Before taking the first item on the agenda, I would like to take the opportunity to welcome fourteen new Councillors. They are Mr. Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, Mr. Vincent CHOW Wing-shing, Miss Carlye TSUI Wai-ling, Mr. Ronald POON Cho-yiu, Dr. LEUNG Ping-chung, Mr. WONG Shui-lai, Mr. San Stephen WONG Hon-ching, Mr. CHIANG Sai-cheong, Mr. Li Wah-ming, Mr. WONG Siu-yee, Ms. YEUNG Kam-chun, Mr. YIM Kwok-on, Ms. Anna TANG King-yung and Mr. Ip Kwok-chung. I am sure they will make worthwhile contribution to our Council's work which is started today.
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 1991, were confirmed.
## STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English): Dear fellow Councillors, I would like to thank you formally at my first public meeting as Chairman for trust you have placed in me by electing me to this office.
I am cognizant of the responsibilities which devolve on the holder of the post and have largely given up my medical practice to enable me to have the necessary time to perform the duties as Chairman. I have also made arrangements with my business interests to have the greatest flexibility of time available to me.
I wish to inform both the Council and members of the public of the policies I wish to follow during the next 4 years.
I believe that the Council should work as a whole unit in order to achieve maximum efficiency. Members with different backgrounds should understand one another to work cooperatively. Whether from District Boards, elected or appointed, we should work in close harmony. I will strive very hard to integrate the work of all councillors, and maintain an open door policy to all Council members to receive views and comments. I will make myself available to all councillors for any suggestions and opinions and criticism so that things can be improved to the benefit of the whole Council and the community of Hong Kong.
I firmly believe that the Council should work in unison with the Urban Services Department. Mutual consultation, respect and consideration of others' views will achieve this purpose.
Page 25 of 126
1
I firmly believe that our Council's responsibilities should not be diminished. We should keep all our existing work and scope of activities, and should resist any attempts to have us relinquish our powers. For example, on the dissolution of the Municipal Services Branch in 1990, we succeeded in retaining UC's own health education sub-committees for the urban area with a view of building up a permanent health exhibition center. Furthermore, with the help of USD and UC members on the Public Health Select Committee, we have formed a working party on the toilet improvement early this year. Another example is our acceptance of the invitation to study further the feasibility of the film archives to be administered by our Council.
The survey by Survey Research H.K. Ltd. in October 1990 to assess the public image of our Council was on the whole positive, but the results revealed some areas where the facilities we provide can be upgraded. I believe that we can achieve these goals through our public relation publicity together with positive attitudes in actions to actually improve on the provision of facilities. We have to produce results, before we can boast how good we are. After some select committee meetings where major issues are considered, a press conference may be desirable to announce any important decision to the public.
On some of the less controversial issues, we should take the first opportunity to inform the public of our decisions, so that we can be more visible to the public. Some additional select committee meetings can be open to the public.
We have to foster close relationship and cooperation with the Regional Council by regular meetings between chairman of relevant select committees and their counter parts.
With DB representatives on our Council, we should carefully consider the views expressed by them, to meet the changing needs in various districts, as they are accountable to their respective DB. But I am sure that on the other hand we must ensure that we take an overall view of our services and projects and serve the whole of the urban population.
We as members of this Council are custodians of considerable sums of public money and we must ensure that we manage our finances prudently, both income and expenditure. We must ensure that the public get value for money.
I am sure that I will obtain the co-operation of all members in these aims.
## PAPER
The following paper was laid on the table:
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of May 1991.
(Dr. Samuel WONG and Mr. CHAN Kwok-ming arrived at 2.36 p.m. and 2.37 p.m. respectively.)
Page 25 of 126
Page 25Page 26
Page 26 of 126
44
## QUESTIONS
1.
# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. DANIEL WONG KWOK-TUNG asked the following question (in English): Recently many Owners Incorporations enquired about the enforcement against disposal of garbage within their buildings. The usual problem facing these Owners Incorporations is the proliferous and random disposal of garbage in the common areas of their buildings. I would like to ask whether the Council can prosecute or take measures to prevent such garbage disposal in private properties, and what such measures or action will be?
MR. PAO PING-WING, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, this question concerns the measures or action that Council can take to prevent random disposal of waste in the common parts of private buildings.
It should be emphasised at the outset that the management of private buildings resides with the property owners. It also is important to consider what is meant by 'garbage'. Normal household refuse containing an element of organic material is clearly one thing, whereas inorganic deposits which may include abandoned junk, furniture etc. are clearly another.
Property owners, incorporated or not, are primarily responsible for the proper management of their property. Where an Owners Incorporation is formed in accordance with the provisions of the Multi-storey Buildings (Owners Incorporation) Ordinance (Cap. 344), it is the responsibility of the corporation to maintain the property of the corporation including the common parts in a state of good repair and in a clean condition.
To this end the corporation is empowered to incur expenditure on behalf of the owners to engage and remunerate staff to carry out any cleansing work including refuse collection (i.e. normal domestic refuse) and junk removal.
The City and New Territories Administration is the authority to advise on the formation of Owners Incorporations and it plays an active part in assisting the proper operation and functioning of the respective corporations through the district Building Management Team or the Building Management Coordinating Committee (BMCC) on which USD is represented by the respective District Hygiene Superintendent.
However, it is recognised that problem areas do exist as mentioned by Mr. WONG, especially in older buildings. In some, there may be deficiencies in management and in others management may be virtually non-existent. In relatively modern buildings with Owners Incorporations the problems are less severe.
Our District Health Inspectors and inspectors from other concerned Government departments carry out inspections on a routine basis but because of the large number of buildings these may not as frequent as is desirable. During such visits, priority must be given to potential public health risks although that does not mean that junk posing no health hazard would be ignored.
Page 26 of 126