WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1981
SECRETARY FOR HOUSING ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON KINDERGARTENS, NURSERIES, HAWKERS AND FACTOR IES
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IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON DONALD LIAO, ANSWERED QUESTIONS ON KINDERGARTENS, NURSERIES, HAWKERS AND FLATTED FACTORIES.
A GIST OF THE QUESTIONS AND REPLIES FOLLOWS:
HOW ARE RENTS AND FEES APPROVED FOR KINDERGARTENS IN ESTATES (ASKED BY THE REV THE HON JOYCE BENNETT):
MR LIAO REPLIED THAT UNTIL RECENTLY RENTS FOR SUCH KINDERGARTENS HAD BEEN FIXED BY OPEN TENDER.
LAST YEAR, HOWEVER, THREE KINDERGARTENS WERE LET AT CONCESSIONARY RENTS TO NON-PROF IT-MAKING AGENCIES, SIX MORE SUCH PREMISES TO BE COMPLETED THIS YEAR WOULD BE LET IN THE SAME WAY, AND IN FUTURE THIS SYSTEM WOULD CONTINUE. SUBJECT TO THE COMING WHITE PAPER ON PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION. THE FEES CHARGED WERE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE CIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, HE ADDED.
WILL NURSERIES BE INCLUDED AS A STANDARD FACILITY IN ALL
FUTURE HOME OWNERSHIP ESTATES (THE HON F.K. HU)?
MR LIAO REPLIED THAT PROVISION OF NURSERIES IN THESE ESTATES DEPENDED ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING WHETHER THE ESTATE SITE WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT A NURSERY, AND WHETHER NURSERIES ALREADY EXISTED IN THE LOCALITY. THE NEED FOR EACH TYPE OF COMMUNITY FACILITY IS CONSIDERED AT THE PLANNING STAGE, HE ADDED.
ARE MORE OR FEWER LICENSED AND UNLICENSED HAWKERS OPERATING DAILY IN ESTATES, AND WHAT IS BEING DONE TO CONTROL ILLEGAL HAWKING IN ESTATES, PARTICULARLY IN THE EVENINGS AND AT WEEKENDS
THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN)?
MR LIAO REPLIED THAT THERE WERE NOW SEVEN PER CENT FEWER HAWKERS OPERATING IN OR NEAR ESTATES COMPARED WITH A YEAR AGO, THE TOTAL BEING DOWN TO NEARLY 11 800.
ON CONTROL MEASURES, HE SAID THE MAIN ACTION TAKEN AGAINST ILLEGAL HAWKING WAS BY THE USE OF TIDINESS TEAMS, WHILE A SMALL NUMBER OF HAWKERS WERE PROSECUTED AND ARTICLES CAUSING OBSTRUCTION ? ABANDONED WERE REMOVED UNDER THE POWERS GIVEN BY THE HOUSING
DINANCE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE COST INVOLVED, SUCH ACTION
NOT GENERALLY TAKEN OUTSIDE NORMAL WORKING HOURS UNLESS
- RANTED.
+ON A LONG-TERM BASIS SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TOWARDS CONSTRUCTING PERMANENT MARKETS WITHIN OR ADJOINING ESTATES FOR RE PROVISIONING THESE HAWKERS, HE SAID. IN ADDITION, MANY HAWKERS HAVE BEEN RESITED INTO CONTROLLED AREAS WITHIN ESTATES.+
BUT HE WARNED THAT THESE MEASURES WERE UNLIKELY TO BRING ANY DRAMATIC CHANGE IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE, THOUGH IT WAS HOPED THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM.
/RCH ARE
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