1964 — Page 199

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Appendix 1.

Page 199 of 312

374

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MINUTES.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 3rd November, 1964 were confirmed.

PAPERS.

THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers:-

(1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban

Services Department for the month of November 1964. (2) Statement of Aims for 1965.

MOTIONS.

(1) MR. B. A. BERNACCHI moved the following motion:----

This Council is of the opinion that as the Vice-Chairman of this Council is appointed to the Medical Advisory Board in his capacity of Vice-Chairman of this Council, he is under a duty to this Council to make available to all members, the whole of the minutes of meetings of the Medical Advisory Board.

:

He said Mr. Chairman, I rise to move the motion that stands in my name.

Ever since 1961 the Vice-Chairman of this Council has been appointed to the Medical Advisory Board under that name; previously to 1961 he was appointed in the capacity of Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services. This change in the nomenclature is much more than superficial. It shows that ever since 1961 this Council has been represented on the Medical Advisory Board by its Vice-Chairman. I am not addressing a Court and I have no intention of referring to legal analogies, but I do submit that since 1961 this Council should have had a say in medical affairs generally, through its Vice-Chairman. I have been informed that since 1961 there have been nearly a dozen meetings of the Medical Advisory Board, but the Vice-Chairman (and I mean no offence to him) has not consulted this Council on subjects which this Council perhaps would wish him to take up with the Medical Advisory Board, nor has he circulated to Members, or otherwise made available to Members, any or all of the minutes of the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board. I submit that he has a duty to make available to all Members the whole of the minutes of the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board for Members to consider them and to suggest in Stand- ing Committee, matters arising out of the minutes or otherwise that they would like our Vice-Chairman to mention at the subsequent meeting. The present incumbent of the office of the Vice-Chairman, Dr. COOMBES,

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holds two distinct and separate appointments, namely, Vice-Chairman of this Council and Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services. In his capacity as Deputy Director he acts wholly or partially outside this Council's jurisdiction, but in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of this Council, I submit that he acts wholly subject to the wishes of the majority of the Members of this Council. In fact, I submit that this Council should have a say in advising on medical affairs generally, not only are we directly responsible for the administration of the public health services in the urban areas, but our jurisdiction now goes virtually from the cradle to the grave in the day-to-day affairs of the citizens of Hong Kong, including the providing of housing for nearly a million of those citizens.

Housing, schooling and medical services are intricately connected together, and I submit that it was recognized by the Government in 1961 when His Excellency the Governor appointed our Vice-Chairman, in his capacity as Vice-Chairman, for the first time, to the Medical Advisory Board, but it was indeed a shallow gesture if we are not to have a say in the deliberations of the Medical Advisory Board and how can we have a say if we do not have the minutes of the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board circulated to us.

I hope that we are all responsible persons on this Council and indeed it is insulting to our intelligence and insulting to the citizens of Hong Kong, especially to the citizens who elect members to this Council, that the Councillors do not have available the minutes of the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board and therefore do not in fact have a say in the deliberations of the Medical Advisory Board. This Council in fact has a number of doctors on it, and I venture to think that the Medical Advisory Board, and therefore the Director of Medical and Health Services, would be very much assisted by taking the opinion of this Council given to the Medical Advisory Board through our Vice-Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I therefore move the following motion:-

This Council is of the opinion that as the Vice-Chairman of

this Council is appointed to the Medical Advisory Board in his capacity of Vice-Chairman of this Council, he is under a duty to this Council to make available to all members, the whole of the minutes of meetings of the Medical Advisory Board.

MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN: ---Mr. Chairman, in rising to second Mr. BERNACCHI's motion, I am not too sure to what extent this motion will embarrass our former colleague who is now the Honourable Director of Medical and Health Services. It may be embarrassing because I under- stand that the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board have been few and far between in recent years. And if the minutes of such meetings