XN000022-1985-10-17 — Page 13

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1985

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SULKE DISSATISFIED WITH LOSS HYGIENE SECTION

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THE CHAIRMAN OF THE URBAN COUNCIL'S FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, MR WALTER SULKE, SAID TODAY HE WAS VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS BY WHICH THE COUNCIL'S FORMER HEALTH AND HYGIENE SECTION NOW CAME UNDER THE MUNICIPAL SERVICES BRANCH.

+WE SHOULD LOOK VERY SERIOUSLY AT THIS AND PERHAPS GO BACK TO THE OLD SYSTEM AND EMPLOY OUR OWN STAFF. HE SAID AT TODAY'S MEETING OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE.

AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, DR PATRICK HASE. EXPLAINED THAT THE CHANGE DATED FROM THE SETTING UP OF THE MUNICIPAL SERVICES BRANCH, THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AS FROM APRIL 1 THIS YEAR.

+A SMALL GROUP HAD TO BE HELD CENTRALLY TO WORK FOR BOTH COUNCILS, HE SAID.

HE CITED THE EXAMPLE OF MEAT LANDED THROUGH THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT, AND THUS COMING UNDER THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, YET BEING SOLD IN HONG KONG, AND THUS COMING UNDER THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

SINCE THIS INVOLVED SUCH AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT AS IMPORTATION OF MEAT, AND ADHERENCE TO FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS, THIS OBVIOUSLY HAD TO BE A TERRITORY-WIDE MATTER.

+ IT COULDN'T BE DONE IN ANY OTHER WAY EXCEPT BY A CENTRALISED UNIT, ADDED DR HASE.

HE CITED ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SHRIMPS CAUGHT BY FISHERMEN WHO MIGHT TREAT THE IR CATCH WITH BORIC ACID TO KEEP IT LOOKING FRESH BEFORE LANDING IT AT, SAY, CHEUNG CHAU OR TAI O. YET THE SAME SHRIMPS MIGHT FIND THEIR WAY TO RESTAURANTS IN THE URBAN AREA.

+THIS IS VERY HARD TO CHECK ON UNLESS THERE IS AN ACROSS-THE-BOARD UNIT SERVING BOTH THE URBAN AND REGIONAL AREAS, HE SAID.

HOWEVER, COMMITTEE MEMBER MR SAMUEL WONG SAID: +THE PUBLIC IS UNDER A MISCONCEPTION THAT THESE IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF OUR (THE COUNCIL'S) HANDS, AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS SET UP SOME SORT OF A SUPER-POWER.+

MR SULKE ADDED: IT MAKES ME FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE THAT I HAVE TO ASK DR PERRY TO ATTEND THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.+

/DR DONALD