TNAG-1733-FCO40-2446-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 52

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Whenever necessary the unit can get the necessary

directive from the Commissioner for Transport or even

from myself in serious emergencies.

(in Cantonese)

MR. JACKIE CHAN Sir, under the existing legislation, are the public

utilities and public transport companies obliged to comply

with the emergency arrangement made by the Transport Department?

If so, did the Government exercise its authority to

co-ordinate these public transport vehicles during the

recent incident of derailment? And if the Government had done so,

were these companies co-operative?

Does the Government have adequate power really to co-ordinate

activities to tackle an emergency?

SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT (in Cantonese): Sir, according

to present transport regulations, the Commissioner for

Transport has adequate power to make such emergency

arrangements with all public transport companies. As for

the KCRC, again through the department and through myself

we can make such arrangements. So the answer is yes; we do

have the power to make the necessary arrangements.

As

far

as we know, no company has acted unco-operatively.

Even in the recent case of derailment, there was close

co-ordination between the KCRC, the KMB and the Transport Department