XN000022-1986-03-12 — Page 19

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986

+THE SCHEME IS STILL IN OPERATION BECAUSE OF ITS SPECIAL NATURE- THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN EITHER THE SCALE OR COVERAGE OF THE COLLECTION SERVICES, HE ADDED.

MR CHAMBERS SAID DETAILS OF THE LIVESTOCK POPULATION WERE NOT GATHERED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND SO YEAR ON YEAR STATISTICS WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

HE SAID ACCORDING TO THE LAST COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF LIVESTOCK FARMS CARRIED OUT IN 1979, THERE WERE 1 360 FARMS REARING 6.7 MILLIONS OF CHICKENS AND 4 200 FARMS REARING 554 950 PIGS.

+PARTIAL SURVEYS, INFORMED GUESSWORK AND REFERENCE TO DATA ON LOCAL PRODUCTION SUGGEST THAT THE POPULATION IS DIMINISHING AND THAT, CERTAINLY IN THE CASE OF PIGS, THE CURRENT POPULATION IS LESS THAN IT WAS IN 1979, + MR CHAMBERS SAID.

WORKERS PROTECTED BY RADIATION REGULATIONS

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WORKERS HANDLING RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES BEING MOVED WITHIN HONG KONG WERE PROTECTED BY REGULATIONS PROVIDING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES HAD TO BE WITHIN ACCEPTABLE SAFETY LIMITS, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON. JOHN CHAMBERS TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

REPLYING TO QUESTIONS BY DR. THE HON CONRAD LAM, MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT IN ADDITION, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY REGULATIONS SET DOWN STANDARDS OF SAFETY WHICH PROVIDED AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF CONTROL OF RADIATION HAZARDS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, TRANSPORT WORKERS, PROPERTY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRANSPORT OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES.

+THESE REGULATIONS, HE SAID, +RELATE TO THE TRANSPORT OF REDIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES BY LAND, SEA AND AIR. THEY ARE APPLIED INTERNATIONALLY AND EXPORTERS MUST COMPLY WITH THEM BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO EXPORT RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES. THESE SAFEGUARDS PROVIDE THE NECESSARY PROTECTION TO LOCAL WORKERS HANDLING RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ON ARRIVAL.+

OUTLINING EXISTING HONG KONG CONTROL ON RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES, HE SAID THAT AN IMPORTER HAD FIRST TO OBTAIN A LICENCE FROM THE RADIATION BOARD WHICH CONTAINED CERTAIN CONDITIONS TO BE MONITORED BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS NECESSARY.

/WITH THE