HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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The Department is very concerned over the problems caused by these workers. Other than putting up warning notices at appropriate locations of the boundary fence, the Security Guards on duty are trying their very best to persuade and stop these workers for their own safety not to climb over/damage the fence, and cause nuisance to the Buffer Zone and the Mei Foo residents. Moreover, the Department has also written to the Highways Department requesting that Department to alert their contractors to keep a tight control on their workers from doing so to prevent any danger and damages to the facilities of the Buffer Zone.
MR. AMBROSE CHEUNG WING-SUM (in Cantonese): I have three follow-up questions but I will make three points before I ask the questions. First, the Buffer Zone is open 24 hours a day. Secondly, the Buffer Zone has been completed for almost 6 months. Thirdly, the Territory Development Department is responsible for paying for the completion of the Zone which was taken over by the USD on 9 June. My questions are in fact related to these facts.
My first question relates to paragraph 3 of the answer. If I understand it correctly, the Zone has already been opened, but the Department is still in the process of recruiting staff who will be reporting for duty shortly. Is this an appropriate and reasonable management arrangement?
I would like to ask a question concerning paragraph 4 which makes a suggestion. Do the security guards in question temporarily take over the work of the staff to be recruited on 2 shifts? If that is the case, each security guard has to be on duty for 12 hours to manage the park on a round the clock basis. Is this an appropriate arrangement and does it differ from other similar UC park facilities?
My third question has to do with paragraph 9. In the past six months, the TDD and USD have warned and persuaded the workers and supervised the contractors. I have waited for several months until one month after the USD takeover on 9th June to observe the effectiveness of TDD and USD's action before I raised the question. My suggestion is: can the relevant Select Committee consider changing the present wire fence/mesh and replacing it with metal boards? For instance, there is a concrete casting factory nearby which is surrounded by metal boards or fences. These boards had security and isolation functions. The UC and the Government have made a pledge that this particular Zone be isolated from the Western Kowloon Reclamation Project. Can the Select Committee also discuss whether there are any provisions in the contract which allow us to prosecute the contractors if their workers have caused damage or vandalised public belongings. Can the Chairman of the relevant Select Committee answer these three questions?
Mr. Ronnie Wong Man-chiu (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I will answer Mr. CHEUNG's first 2 questions together. After looking at the answers, I feel that there is still room for review by the Department, regarding the recruitment of staff after taking over the Buffer Zone. In fact the Departments concerned should have known well before hand and I will definitely ask the Department to review the whole situation.
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