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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
Part 2: Whether or not to take away the functions of food safety and environmental hygiene from the Provisional Urban Council
In paragraph 9 'Proposed changes to Municipal Councils functions and funding arrangements' of the Executive Summary of the Consultation Document on Review of District Organisations, it points out that the Government is particularly concerned about the problem of fragmentation of responsibilities in food safety and environmental hygiene between the Municipal Councils and the relevant Government departments and policy bureaux because these functions are of vital importance to the health of the community. The recent incidents relating to food safety have highlighted the need to address the problem. Therefore, we propose that the following changes should be introduced—a) the Government should assume responsibility for food safety and environmental hygiene. These functions should be carried out on a territory-wide basis under a consistent policy.
The above is the most important part and the core of the whole Consultation Document. It prompts three very serious facts and issues:
First, is the food safety and environmental hygiene function now in place not the responsibility of Government so that there is a need for Government to resume it?
Secondly, are the recent food hygiene incidents a result of fragmentation of responsibilities? Are inconsistent policies of the two Municipal Councils the cause of the series of food incidents? Are there other causes? Will the problem with fragmentation of responsibilities be solved by cutting food safety and environmental hygiene functions from the two Municipal Councils?
Thirdly, how should we devise an accurate direction for the reform of food safety and environmental hygiene work?
I was elected Vice-chairman of the Public Health Select Committee of the Urban Council in April 1995. Counting the first time, I was elected four times in a row to the same job. I see it as my duty to reply to the above three questions and clarify facts concerning public health matters of the Urban Council and Provisional Urban Council. On the other hand, as the spokesman on health matters for members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong represented in the Provisional Urban Council, I am all the more duty-bound to make known to the public the attitude and reply to the above three questions.
In the year and a half between January 97 and June 98, there were 12 food hygiene incidents of great concern to the public and very widely covered by the media. I made detailed analyses and gave substantial suggestions on each and every case in the newspaper. I also published several tens of articles on the licensing system, enforcement procedures, and environmental cleanliness issues that food hygiene involved. Therefore, I do not intend to analyse again here the background, causes, problems, and solutions of each food hygiene incident.
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