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Committee and other Boards and Committees for that matter be taken up by this Council with Government at the earliest opportunity.
While we are about it, we might as well raise with Government the suggestion that Unofficial Members of both the Legislative and Urban Councils be appointed to chair a number of Government advisory committees and boards. This suggestion, I think, was initially raised by Mr. SALES and subsequently developed in full by Mr. BERNACCHI at the last Annual Conventional Debate and I am sure that the suggestion has the full support of Council Members.
MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, I rise to endorse the remarks made by my friend, Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN, on the Statement of Progress and would add only that as all Members of this Council are Members of a statutory body, the Housing Authority—and that only one other member is a member of that body and is not a member of the Urban Council, some mention of this fact should in future years be made in the Statement of Progress.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, it transpires that the papers which you have laid on the table to-day have inspired some of my colleagues from across the table to speak. I am very much tempted to do so and not being of a very strong character I cannot resist the temptation of doing likewise. The point uppermost in my mind, Mr. Chairman, is concerned with your own Department and its relations with the Urban Council, a matter which has exercised my attention considerably in the last week or so. I would therefore like to speak on the importance of being earnest—the importance of your Department being earnest about paragraph 55 of the Urban Council Ordinance, 1955. Unofficial Members of the Urban Council are at times reminded of article No. 54, so it behoves me as an unofficial member to return the compliment on this occasion by reminding your Department of this very important paragraph which I shall read because I want it to be a part of the record of to-day's proceedings:
65
The functions of the Urban Services Department shall include the doing of such acts or things as may be necessary for the purpose of implementing any decision of the Council, or of any person or body of persons to whom the Council may, under the provisions of this or any other Ordinance, have delegated such power, made in exercise of any power conferred on the Council by any Ordinance or the regulations made thereunder."
Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to draw this particular article to the attention of your Department.
With those remarks I accept the papers which you have laid on the table on this occasion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
11
CHAIRMAN: I rise to clarify Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's remarks concerning the Traffic Advisory Committee.
Mr. WATSON and Mr. FUNG Hon-chu, who are members of the Advisory Committee on Public Transport, were appointed to that committee in their personal capacity and not, as in the case of the Council's representative on the Traffic Advisory Committee, as representatives of the Urban Council.
Item 3 on to-day's agenda includes a question concerning a transport problem for residents of certain resettlement estates arising out of resettlement policy. The management of resettlement estates is a concern of this Council, and I have always assumed that in the exercise of its powers of management the Council would have views on the provision of amenities in estates, including such facilities as adequate transport services, particularly for estates in outlying areas. Had the question been posed in regard to public transport generally, it would not have come within the purview of this Council.
I find Mr. BERNACCHI's remark concerning the Housing Authority interesting. It is one which I will be glad to look into, but it has always been my impression that the Housing Authority is a completely separate body.
As regards Mr. SALES' implied stricture concerning section 55 of the Urban Council Ordinance, I can only assure him now that this section of the Ordinance is always kept in mind in the Department.
QUESTIONS.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
In view of the imminent departure of the Librarian and the Assistant Librarian, can the Chairman find out from Government whether the use of the Tsim Sha Tsui Car Park for a Temporary Branch Library in Kowloon has been approved? If it has, can he state whether priority has been obtained to expedite necessary legislation to obtain financial approval to recruit staff and other things to make preparation for early use while the services of these senior officers are still available?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
Following the meeting of the Standing Committee in January, the Council's proposals were presented to Government for approval.
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Page 16 of 312
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Committee and other Boards and Committees for that matter-be taken up by this Council with Government at the earliest opportunity.
While we are about it, we might as well raise with Government the suggestion that Unofficial Members of both the Legislative and Urban Councils be appointed to chair a number of Government advisory committees and boards. This suggestion, I think, was initially raised by Mr. SALES and subsequently developed in full by Mr. BERNACCHI at the last Annual Conventional Debate and I am sure that the suggestion has the full support of Council Members.
MR. BERNACCHI:Mr. Chairman, I rise to endorse the remarks made by my friend, Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN, on the Statement of Progress and would add only that as all Members of this Council are Members of a statutory body, the Housing Authority-and that only one other member is a member of that body and is not a member of the Urban Council, some mention of this fact should in future years be made in the Statement of Progress.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, it transpires that the papers which you have laid on the table to-day have inspired some of my colleagues from across the table to speak. I am very much tempted to do so and not being of a very strong character I cannot resist the temptation of doing likewise. The point uppermost in my mind, Mr. Chairman, is concerned with your own Department and its relations with the Urban Council, a matter which has exercised my attention considerably in the last week or so. I would therefore like to speak on the importance of being earnest-the importance of your Department being earnest about paragraph 55 of the Urban Council Ordinance, 1955. Unofficial Members of the Urban Council are at times reminded of article No. 54, so it behoves me as an unofficial member to return the compliment on this occasion by reminding your Department of this very important paragraph which I shall read because I want it to be a part of the record of to-day's proceedings:
65
The functions of the Urban Services Department shall include the doing of such acts or things as may be necessary for the pur- pose of implementing any decision of the Council, or of any person or body of persons to whom the Council may, under the provisions of this or any other Ordinance, have delegated such power, made
in exercise of any power conferred on the Council by any Ordin- ance or the regulations made thereunder."
Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to draw this particular article to the attention of your Department.
With those remarks I accept the papers which you have laid on the table on this occasion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
11
CHAIRMAN: --I rise to clarify Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's remarks concern- ing the Traffic Advisory Committee.
Mr. WATSON and Mr. FUNG Hon-chu, who are members of the Advisory Committee on Public Transport, were appointed to that com- mittee in their personal capacity and not, as in the case of the Council's representative on the Traffic Advisory Committee, as representatives of the Urban Council.
Item 3 on to-day's agenda includes a question concerning a trans- port problem for residents of certain resettlement estates arising out of resettlement policy. The management of resettlement estates is a con- cern of this Council, and I have always assumed that in the exercise of its powers of management the Council would have views on the provision of amenities in estates, including such facilities as adequate Had the transport services, particularly for estates in outlying areas. question been posed in regard to public transport generally, it would not have come within the purview of this Council.
I find Mr. BERNACCHI's remark concerning the Housing Authority interesting. It is one which I will be glad to look into, but it has always been my impression that the Housing Authority is a completely separate body.
As regards Mr. SALES' implied stricture concerning section 55 of the Urban Council Ordinance, I can only assure him now that this section of the Ordinance is always kept in mind in the Department.
QUESTIONS.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :·
In view of the imminent departure of the Librarian and the Assistant Librarian, can the Chairman find out from Government whether the use of the Tsim Sha Tsui Car Park for a Temporary Branch Library in Kowloon has been approved? If it has, can he state whether priority has been obtained to expedite necessary legislation to obtain financial approval to recruit staff and other things to make preparation for early use while the services of these senior officers are still available?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
Following the meeting of the Standing Committee in January, the Council's proposals were presented to Government for approval.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.