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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1985
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (HEADQUARTERS) OF THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MR GEOFFREY ORR, SAID THAT THE AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND URBAN SERVICES ORDINANCE (CHAPTER 132) WOULD EFFECT THE TRANSFER OF EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY FROM THE DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL SERVICES TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE TRANSFER OF AUTHORITY FOR THE MAKING OF SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION AND THE SETTING OF FEES FROM THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL.
HE SAID IT WOULD ALSO BRING ABOUT A RE-DELINERATION OF JURISDICTION BETWEEN THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE REGIONAL COUNCIL.
MR ORR SAID: +IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL ORDINANCE, A NEW CONCEPT OF 'REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA' AND 'URBAN COUNCIL AREA' HAS BEEN INTRODUCED, WHICH FOLLOWS THE ELECTORAL BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN URBAN AND NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARDS. THE IR DEMARCATION LINES, HOWEVER, DO NOT COINCIDE WITH THE BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND THE URBAN AREA AS DEFINED UNDER THE PRESENT PUBLIC HEALTH AND URBAN SERVICES ORDINANCE.
+LEGAL ADVICE IS THAT UNLESS THIS ANOMALY IS RESOLVED, THERE IS A DANGER THAT THE AREAS BETWEEN THE PRESENT PUBLIC HEALTH AND URBAN SERVICES ORDINANCE BOUNDARY AND THE REGIONAL COUNCIL ORDINANCE BOUNDARY MAY BECOME AREAS IN WHICH THE PROVISIONS OF NEITHER THE (NEW TERRITORIES) REGULATIONS OR URBAN COUNCIL BY-LAWS MADE UNDER CHAPTER 132 WILL BE ENFORCEABLE.+
ON THE AMENDMENTS TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL ORDINANCE 1985, THE DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL SERVICES, MR MICHAEL SUEN, SAID DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE ENACTMENT OF THE ORDINANCE HAD MADE IT NECESSARY FOR A NUMBER OF MINOR AMENDMENTS TO BE INTRODUCED. CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD WHEN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL COMES INTO OPERATION HAVE ALSO BEEN FOUND NECESSARY.
+THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS INCLUDE CHANGING THE CHINESE NAME OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AS THE EXISTING CHINESE NAME DOES NOT REFLECT THE SIMILARITY IN TERMS OF THE NATURE AND THE SCOPE OF WORK BETWEEN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE URBAN COUNCIL, HE SAID.
+FURTHERMORE, THE EXISTING CHINESE NAME IS TOO SIMILAR TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS' CHINESE NAME. THE RESULT IS THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FIND IT DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO.+
A BILL TO AMEND THE REGIONAL COUNCIL ORDINANCE WILL BE INTRODUCED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NEXT YEAR.
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