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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
workers, and to stop the importation scheme and to provide counselling and placement service to local workers. By so doing we will able to solve the problem of unlicensed hawkers.
MR. CHRISTOPHER CHUNG (in Cantonese):—Thank you Mr. Chairman. I support Mr. WONG's motion. The motion is to urge the Government authority concerned to address positively the consequences of the increasing unemployment rate. Although the Council is not part of the Government authority, the USD is. So the USD should do something about it. Apart from not employing overseas workers, the USD should when signing contracts with other companies, stipulate in the contract that over 90% of the workers working for Urban Council projects should be local workers.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):—The motion has been duly moved and seconded. Does Mr. Wong want to exercise his right of reply?
Mr. Wong Kwok-HING (in Cantonese):—Thank you Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Members of the Council for supporting my motion. Members have expressed their valuable comments to which I will pay close attention. I would like to take this opportunity to respond to members' questions briefly. First, the motion is said to be highly difficult to formulate in sense that it is difficult to word. In fact, it is not so difficult as this is an issue relating to our daily lives and the day to day management of the streets and the markets. Secondly, it is an indisputable fact that there is a relationship between unlicensed hawkers and the rise in unemployment. The justifications and circumstances advanced by me are not just limited to the number of arrests provided by USD in the first quarter. If the conclusion is based only on the number of arrests then it is only an indication that the person has not studied the issue carefully. Members have given their valuable comments from an economic perspective, and the perspective of employment of the importation of workers. I have noticed the comments made by Mr. SZETO Wah of the Democratic Party. He has a deep insight on this issue. I believe he has responded to the questions but forward by a Democratic Party member. Thirdly, on whether I have treated the problem across the board, if you have paid attention to my speech I think you can find the answer very easily. I do not want to take up your extra time. I said because of increase in unemployment and under-employment, the problem of unlicensed hawkers is aggravated. If unemployment rate declines to 1% or even to zero and with the disappearance of unlicensed hawkers, everybody will be happy But it cannot be employed as an argument against the relationship between unlicensed hawkers and the unemployment rate. I think the word pedantic quoted by a Member is a good reply to this comment. Fourthly, the motion is only a direction. I thank Members for their support to the motion. The long term measures to deal with the problem are outside the ambit of the Urban Council. If we do not nip the problem in the bud how can we deal with the problem? So we should work together to urge the Government and to put the message across to the community. Endorsing the motion is just to voice our
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