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as follows:-

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied

The answer to the first part of the question is that no survey has ever been made of flushing systems to ascertain their efficiency. The number of these throughout the Colony would be very great, and to carry out such a survey would require an enormous expenditure of manpower. Complaints of inadequate flushing water supplies are received from time to time in the Urban Services Department. They are investigated promptly and where necessary notices are served on the owners under the Conservancy By-laws requiring them to take the action indicated to rectify defects.

The number of such complaints received is, however, not great. From 1st January to 25th July this year only 70 com- plaints were received which is a very small proportion of the total number of systems involved.

I can say, however, that discussion of this question with the Water Authority was recently initiated by the Urban Services Department. The conclusion reached in this discussion was that the position did not give rise to any concern at the present time, but it may be of interest to add that the provision of salt water flushing schemes making steady progress in a number of areas.

MR. FUNG HON-CHU asked the following question:

(a) Can the Chairman say how many registered private swimming pools are in use in the Colony, and how many use salt (sea) water as against fresh water?

(b) of those using fresh water, how many are filled from the mains, how often are they allowed to be refilled, and does this not constitute a considerable drain on the Colony's water supply?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

Neither this Department nor the Waterworks Office of the Public Works Department has any record of the number of purely private swimming pools in the Colony. I regret therefore that I cannot answer the first part of the question. The Water Authority does not undertake to supply water to any private swimming pool and the only concession ever made is that, subject to special application in each individual case, permission is given for one filling a year.

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Such permission is never given unless the storage position is such that there can be no suggestion that the general supply is affected. Legal action would be taken im- mediately if any swimming pool was found to be using mains water without permission.

There are 10 licensed swimming pools, of which 4 use mains water. The pools using mains water are generally refilled once a year only and the water is constantly recirculated. The quantity of mains water which is used for them in the course of a year is therefore negligible.

MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-

Will the Chairman please advise :

(a) Whether the Department has considered the building of one or more multi-storey bath-houses in the more densely-populated urban areas for use by the public at reasonable rates?

(b) Whether the Department has also considered the installing of a public swimming pool in any proposed multi-storey bath-house, or in any other building in the urban areas?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

There are at present 29 public bathhouses in the urban area, and others are under construction or planned. 15 have been built in the past five years. Normally, the largest size has one floor of latrine facilities and two floors of bathhouse facilities, the latter comprising 33 compartments. The policy has always been, so far as possible, to locate these bathhouses in densely populated areas. The facili- ties are all provided free of charge.

I see no reason to change the present policy in any particular, but if you wish to pursue the matter, the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee will no doubt be willing to consider any detailed proposal which you may have in mind.

There is no plan to install a swimming pool in any multi-storey bathhouse. For the remainder of your question, I would refer you to the answer which I have just given to Mr. SALES, concerning the construction of swimming pools.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-One supplementary, Mr. Chairman. I visited, a couple of months ago, a multi-storey bathhouse and swimming pool building in London, which, I was told, was very popular. Would the

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