XN000022-1983-01-19 — Page 16

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1983

BUT UNLICENSED COOKED FOOD HAWKERS WERE THE MAIN PROBLEM, MR BRAY SAID, AND TO DETER THE IR OPERATIONS, OVER 2 500 PROSECUTIONS WERE UNDERTAKEN IN THE SIMILAR PERIOD LAST YEAR.

MR BRAY EXPLAINED THAT WHILE THE PREPARATION AND SALE OF COOKED FOOD ON THE STREETS CARRIED HYGIENE RISKS THAT WERE WELL UNDERSTOOD, THESE RISKS WERE THOUGHT ACCEPTABLE MANY YEARS AGO. LICENCES WERE THEN ISSUED TO SOME HAWKERS TO PROVIDE COOKED FOOD UNDER CONDITIONS INTENDED TO MINIMISE THE RISKS.

BUT NO NEW LICENCES HAVE BEEN ISSUED SINCE 1956 +WHEN OPINION HAD SWUNG AGAINST THE LICENSING OF COOKED FOOD STALLS,+ HE SAID.

EXISTING OPERATIONS WERE, HOWEVER, ALLOWED TO CONTINUE AND THERE ARE TODAY 818 LICENSED COOKED FOOD HAWKERS.

+THE AIM OF POLICY IS TO MOVE THESE HAWKERS INTO SPECIALLY BUILT PREMISES. ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THESE HAWKERS WILL BE ACCOMMODATED IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,+ MR BRAY SAID.

HK VIGOUR IMPRESSES UK OFFICIAL

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THE U.K. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE HONG KONG WITH ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

THE ASSURANCE WAS MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT DURING HIS TRANSIT THROUGH HONG KONG EARLIER THIS MONTH, HE SAID IN REPLY TO THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG WHO HAD ASKED ABOUT MR SCOTT'S EXCHANGE OF VIEWS WITH THE UK SECRETARY.

THE UK SECRETARY WAS IMPRESSED BY THE VIGOUR WITH WHICH HONG KONG TACKLED ITS TRANSPORT PROBLEMS AND BY THE CONTINUING HIGH LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, MR SCOTT REPORTED.

MR SCOTT SAID THAT HE AND TWO OF HIS SENIOR OFFICERS HAD BRIEFED THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON MAJOR TRANSPORT PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN HONG KONG AND ON VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT STUDIES IN PROGRESS.

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