HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(a) Recently, a great deal of publicity has been given to the suggestion that the Fire Services Department should be brought under the Council. No one can deny that this Department is doing a splendid work at fire fighting. But no one can ignore either the fact that the delay and unsatisfactory procedure taken in dealing with the applications for food premises have caused undue hardship and inconvenience to the applicants and embarrassment for the Council as the licensing authority. The Council's main concern and interest in the Fire Services Department is not so much the absorption of the Department into the Council but the closer co-operation and better co-ordination and improvement in the processing of issuance of licences. To achieve this end, a more practical and much simpler solution, it seems to me, would be to have a representative from the Fire Department to sit as a member on the Food and Food Premises Select Committee just for a start.
My friend the Hon. Mr. FUNG, as the Chairman of the Food Premises Committee, has already spoken on this subject yesterday, so there is no need for me to stretch the point.
(b) For many years the hawkers problem has always been a troublesome issue. Many members have already spoken on this question. The establishment of a Hawkers Control Force has reduced the problem to a certain extent. The Chinese newspapers recently have been agitating for the abolition of this force. But the root of the problem still exists in the law-breaking unlicensed hawkers who are usually the ones responsible for obstruction, violation of regulations and the littering up of places prohibited to hawkers. Under these circumstances, it becomes a matter for the police. On the one hand, the Council encourages hawkers to get licences so that they can carry on their businesses within the law and within the controlled area. But most hawkers prefer not to be licensed so that they can stay free and outside the jurisdiction of The Hawkers Control Force. This is one very serious example of the unsatisfactory break-down of working procedure where the same problem is dealt with by 2 departments from two different approaches at different times. I am sure some improvement can be achieved if a representative from the Police were to sit in the Hawkers Select Committee so that the problem can be solved together by working hand-in-hand.
(c) Up to now the only official representation this Council has ever had was in the Traffic Advisory Committee. Even this one and only official representation is cancelled with the institution of the new Transport Advisory Committee. It is most gratifying that 4 members of this Council are sitting on this particular committee. Many other members also sit on many other Government Committees. But they are there in their own personal capacity and therefore cannot be regarded as official representation. I feel therefore that this Council, as a functioning and administrative body of the Government, should be officially represented on such Government Advisory Committees as the Town Planning Board, the Transport Advisory Committee, the Housing Board just to mention a few that deal with the development of the city.
(d) Last month, the Council passed a motion to bring Tsuen Wan under its jurisdiction which led to some misunderstanding and therefore needs some clarification. I believe that the main purpose behind the motion is to bring under the Council's jurisdiction all the services performed in Tsuen Wan by the various departments of the Council. At present, the U.S.D. does the cleansing in Tsuen Wan and other towns in the New Territories and maintains the beaches there. The Resettlement Department manages its estates in Tsuen Wan as well. In other words, the U.S.D. and the Resettlement Department function partly in the urban areas under the Urban Council and partly in the New Territories outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Council. Under the present set-up, although this Council, through its various Select Committees formulate the policies and controls directly or indirectly, the administration of these departments, members in this Council have no right even to ask questions concerning their work in the New Territories. We feel that library service and amenity programme as well as resettlement and low-cost housing projects should be extended to these new townships and even the outlying islands but unless the control of the administration of these services as well as the existing ones I have just mentioned before could be centralized under the Urban Council, it would be a ridiculous set-up to further divide the functions of the various sections or departments under this Council into two parts. Technically speaking, all the land outside Boundary Street is leased territories and a large portion of which has already become part of urban Kowloon. As the urban areas spread, the Urban Council's function and jurisdiction should spread along with them. Tsuen Wan is fast becoming a new urbanized industrial township and there is no reason why the Urban Council's own services should not be considered as under the jurisdiction of the Council in the same way as Kwun Tong, Cheung Sha Wan, Tsz Wan Shan or the rest of that portion of the leased territories known as New Kowloon, at least administratively, if not politically.
The accelerated Resettlement programme approved by Government is worthy of public support. More thought and planning should now be given to the co-ordination of all the needed services in addition to the other aspects of resettlement, services such as schools, markets, transportation, clinics, theatres, restaurants, etc. These new areas should be planned like new townships with self-contained public services and facilities. The new educational policy if it is going to be...
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(a) Recently, a great deal of publicity has been given to the sug- gestion that the Fire Services Department should be brought under the Council. No one can deny that this Department is doing a splendid work at fire fighting. But no one can ignore either the fact that the delay and unsatisfactory procedure taken in dealing with the applica- tions for food premises have caused undue hardship and inconvenience to the applicants and embarrassment for the Council as the licensing authority. The Council's main concern and interest in the Fire Services Department is not so such the absorption of the Department into the Council but the closer co-operation and better co-ordination and im- provement in the processing of issuance of licences. To achieve this end, a more practical and much simpler solution, it seems to me, would be to have a representative from the Fire Department to sit as a member on the Food and Food Premises Select Committee just for
a start.
My friend the Hon. Mr. FUNG, as the Chairman of the Food Premises Committee, has already spoken on this subject yesterday, so there is no need for me to stretch the point.
(b) For many years the hawkers problem has always been a troublesome issue. Many members have already spoken on this ques- tion. The establishment of a Hawkers Control Force has reduced the problem to a certain extent. The Chinese newspapers recently have been agitating for the abolition of this force. But the root of the problem still exists in the law-breaking unlicensed hawkers who are usually the ones responsible for obstruction, violation of regulations and the littering up of places prohibited to hawkers. Under these circum- stances, it becomes a matter for the police. On the one hand, the Council encourages hawkers to get licences so that they can carry on their businesses within the law and within the controlled area. But most hawkers prefer not to be licensed so that they can stay free and outside the jurisdiction of The Hawkers Control Force. This is one very serious example of the unsatisfactory break-down of working pro- cedure where the same problem is dealt with by 2 departments from two different approaches at different times. I am sure some improvement can be achieved if a representative from the Police were to sit in the Hawkers Select Committee so that the problem can be solved together by working hand-in-hand.
(c) Up to now the only official representation this Council has ever had was in the Traffic Advisory Committee. Even this one and only official representation is cancelled with the institution of the new Transport Advisory Committee. It is most gratifying that 4 members of this Council are sitting on this particular committee. Many other members also sit on many other Government Committees. But they are there in their own personal capacity and therefore can not be regarded
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
489
as official representation. I feel therefore that this Council, as a functioning and administrative body of the Government, should be officially represented on such Government Advisory Committees as the Town Planning Board, the Transport Advisory Committee, the Housing Board just to mention a few that deals with the development of the city.
(d) Last month, the Council passed a motion to bring Tsuen Wan under its jurisdiction which led to some misunderstanding and therefore needs some clarification. I believe that the main purpose behind the motion is to bring under the Council's jurisdiction all the services performed in Tsuen Wan by the various departments of the Council. At present, the U.S.D. does the cleansing in Tsuen Wan and other towns in the New Territories and maintains the beaches there. The Resettlement Department manages its estates in Tsuen Wan as well. In other words, the U.S.D. and the Resettlement Department function partly in the urban areas under the Urban Council and partly in the New Territories outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Council. Under the present set-up, although this Council, through its various Select Committees formulate the policies and controls directly or in- directly, the administration of these departments, members in this Council have no right even to ask questions concerning their work in the New Territories. We feel that library service and amenity programme as well as resettlement and low cost housing projects should be extended to these new townships and even the outlaying islands but unless the control of the administration of these services as well as the existing ones I have just mentioned before could be centralized under the Urban Council, it would be a ridiculous set-up to further divide the functions of the various sections or departments under this Council into two parts. Technically speaking, all the land outside Boundary Street is leased territories and a large portion of which has already become part of urban Kowloon. As the urban areas spread, the Urban Council's function and jurisdiction should spread along with them. Tsuen Wan is fast becoming a new urbanized industrial township and there is no reason why the Urban Council's own services should not be considered as under the jurisdiction of the Council in the same way as Kwun Tong, Cheung Sha Wan, Tsz Wan Shan or the rest of that portion of the leased territories known as New Kowloon, at least administratively, if not politically.
The accelerated Resettlement programme approved by Government is worthy of public support. More thought and planning should now be given to the co-ordination of all the needed services in addition to the other aspects of resettlement, services such as schools, markets,
These new transportation, clinics, theatres, restaurant's, etc.
areas
should be planned like new townships with self-contained public serv- ices and facilities. The new educational policy if it is going to be
J
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