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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
61
Thirdly, I urge the Department to publicize the list of unlicensed cinemas in operation after this motion is carried. This will make the public aware of the potential risks when they enter cinemas to watch movies.
Finally, I urge this Council to follow up actively on this motion. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The question was put.
The motion was carried unanimously.
(2) MR. LAI HOK-LIM moved as follows:—
'Since there are still rooms for improvement on the cleanliness and environmental hygiene of public housing estates, RESOLVED that the Council should devise standards, and on a quarterly basis assess and classify the cleanliness and hygiene condition of the public housing estates under the jurisdiction of the Housing Authority for publication to the public, in order to effectively monitor and enhance the cleanliness and hygiene condition of such estates.'
He said (in Chinese):—Mr. Chairman, the premise of my motion today is that there is room for improvement on the cleanliness and hygiene condition of public housing estates.
I note that after the amended motion moved by us last year asking management personnel and cleaning companies of housing estates to enforce the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance stringently, the cleanliness and hygiene environment of public housing estates are still disappointing.
I have in hand here a press report of the day before yesterday about 5 persons among the 8 suspected cholera cases resided in public estates. Of course, I am not saying that cholera and estates are directly related. The point is that it is obvious we need to put in more resources and concern for the daily hygiene and cleanliness of the majority of estate residents. After the said motion was carried, we have gathered from fellow colleagues that only management personnel or the cleaning company of Sham Shui Po was prosecuted by the Department.
I am sure most colleagues here share the opinion that there is still room for improvement in respect of cleanliness and hygiene in public estates. The problem lies in what we can do to improve apart from making prosecutions and what the problem is. Experience tells us one of the largest barriers is that, unlike other private premises, public estates are run by a government department. This is a big barrier to improving cleanliness and environmental hygiene in public estates.
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Page 63 of 654