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Councillors are unable to explain to members of the public that we have fulfilled our role as Urban Councillors. If we do not continue with the raiding operation, the problem will continue or even get worse unless we want to see the whole of the walkway or whole of the road become sort of food street, otherwise we should do something. In this operation, I like to say something but I like to remind members that I am not criticizing the action of the Department and the Urban Council. What I want to say is that I want to make suggestions so that our operation in the future can be a more thorough one. Our operation will be divided into four stages, each stage focus on special theme: April to May against illegal food stall, June to July concerning toilet hygiene in food premises and the third stage would be on the exposure of open food for sale, and the last stage is on the cleanliness of the kitchen utensils. But what I worry is, the different phases or categorization might not be too effective. In each stage of prosecution it will last for a month, say we will write letters to restaurants asking them to improve, but we have only got one month to prosecute, so licence holders would have the impression that our prosecution activity would be short-lived and it will last only for a month, so they would just attempt to evade from possible prosecution but after a month they might extend back on street. So if we do not continue with our prosecution action to have a marked improvement, I am worried that in the future, either this Council or the Department, if we adopt any new operation or new policy, we would lose the confidence of the public. I have some proposals to make as regards the implementation of operations. I hope that the operations can be converted to a series of action, i.e. we can still retain the stages or the four stages of the operation with special theme for each stage, or each prosecution theme for each stage. But I think that we should adopt an accumulative approach, say April to May we look into the illegal extension of restaurant on street, and by June to July we will still retain our original theme plus the new theme of our toilet hygiene in restaurants. In August and September we retain the original two themes on top of the new theme which we suggest to be adopted in August and September. My second proposal is, other than stepping up prosecution, penalty is equally important. After you have prosecuted him, if the penalty is too lenient, then the effect is not deterrent enough. The demerit points system has existed for a year. I think it is time for us to review whether the demerit points system for illegal operation of food stall on street is adequate enough. Can we make some suggestion to the judiciary that the fine should be increased so as to serve greater deterrent effect? The extensions of food business on streets cause a lot of problems and these problems have been mentioned by members. It causes food hygiene, environmental hygiene and noise nuisance problems. These seriously affect the livelihood of the public, we would increase the penalty. Third point, I agree with some members that we should do something to suspend the licence of some offending food stalls or restaurants and to publicize such a suspension. I think that the illegal operation of food stall on street includes both the licensed food premises and the unlicensed food stalls. For licensed restaurants, if they extend illegally on street, we can suspend their licences. For food stalls which do not have licences but extend on street,
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then we can decide not to give them any licence in the future if they apply for one. Lastly, other than the Urban Council and the Department to take some solid action, I also feel that members of the public should play a role to coordinate with the operations of the Department and the Urban Council. Members of the public should not patronize food establishments operating illegally on pavement. If they do not patronize these illegal food hawkers, then these illegal food hawkers will slowly fade off. Lastly, I like to mention that we should continue with our operation. Of course, I understand that the Department will face a lot of problems and danger when the raiding operation is embarked on. On the one hand, they have to face manpower constraint and work together with the Police, on the other hand, staff face a lot of challenges from triad members and resistance from food stall operators. However, for the benefit of members of the public, staff of the Department and Councillors of this Council should work together so that such illegal operation can be eradicated. It is by no means an easy task. What I want to point out is that our preliminary success should not be made an isolated or a final action. We should not be confined by our so-called stage operations. We should embark on a continuous prosecution action and I hope that after such vast prosecution work, we can ensure that our environmental problem can be eradicated, our living condition can be improved and that the good image of Urban Council can be enhanced, and we can only build up a good image by a concrete result. Mr. Chairman, I am in support of the motion.
CHAIRMAN (in English): As a proposer of the motion, you can exercise your right of reply.
DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Apart from thanking my colleagues for their wide and enthusiastic support, may I make a few short summing remarks. Fellow Councillors obviously appreciate the determination and earlier action of the Department taking against illegal restaurant extensions in the streets. Councillors, however, are concerned about whether restaurants would continue to cooperate and restrain from having the same illegal extensions after the Department's current campaign. A number of suggestions have been made on further action. These include:
(1) Regularize the current action against the illegal extensions from restaurants.
(2) Problem areas should be identified and given priority, one example of such areas has been quoted as Kwun Tong.
(3) Priority of action should perhaps be taken against those extensions giving public hygiene problem and affecting the safety of pedestrians.
(4) New establishments might be given tough watches.
(5) Remove not only extension tables and chairs etc. but also more valuable things like cooking utensils.
(6) The sixth suggestion refers to penalty. A strong suggestion of real removal of licensing right. The point deduction system could be inefficient and increased penalty has been suggested.
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(7) Similar action should also be taken against those unlicensed hawkers serving hot food, not only restaurants giving illegal extensions.
(8) The last suggestion not the least is to have the present action synchronized with the future stages of campaigns organized to improve food hygiene in Hong Kong. With these remarks, may I thank fellow Councillors for their wide support.
The question was put.
The motion was carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT—4.10 p.m.
CHAIRMAN (in English): This concludes the business of today's meeting. Council stands adjourned until Tuesday, 14 July 1992 at 2.30 p.m.
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