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no liability in finance or management will be caused to the Department after one year.
(5) As for site selection, there is great flexibility. Our recommended site is that it should be easily accessible and attractive to the public. The old airport site is one of the sites considered. We should lay down our direction before proceeding to the next step, which is to submit an application to the Government.
All in all, this is a proposal and an expediency. As soon as the economy revives and the rate of unemployment drops, the scheme will be reviewed, when it will be decided whether it should continue or not. Moreover, even if the motion is carried today, there are related details yet to be studied in depth by the working group. To consider the feasibility of setting up a Hawker Permitted Area and an Illuminated Night Fair, thereby helping the Government solve the problem of unemployment and maximizing the human resources of the Department is an option that will bring about double benefits. The fact is that under the existing situation, if the Department did not take any action, the problem of hawkers would likely become more serious. As the unemployed have to make a living, the problem of illegal hawkers would definitely aggravate. I consider that there is no reason at all for the Department not to forestall the problem and make the best use of the opportunity by selecting for them some fixed and suitable sites, where effective centralized management will be provided and the use of its human resources will be maximized to enhance efficiency. At the same time, this is a commendable policy which will give assistance to those who are jobless.
I wish to stress here that what today's motion recommends is only temporary measures and there is no question of violating the well-established policies. Only some transitional arrangements are proposed to address specific problems. As our common slogan of 'Enhancing City Life (Hand in Hand)' implies, the Council is closely linked with the livelihood of the people. If we can make life a bit easier for the people in these hard times simply by moving a positive step further, why don't we consider doing so? I therefore hope that my colleagues will support the motion. With these remarks, I beg to move.
Chairman (in Cantonese):—Would Mr. Ambrose CHEUNG second the motion and speak?
Mr. Ambrose Cheung Wing-sum (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I second Ms. Jennifer CHOW's motion.
I wish to express my support for Ms. Jennifer CHOW's motion. I also want to respond to some of the arguments given in the Department's letter.
The Department's arguments given in its paper mainly pointed out that should the motion be carried, the setting up of a temporary Illuminated Night Fair would:
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