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5. May I refer, Mr. Chairman, to two other specific points: Mr. MARDEN was critical of the tendency for cooked food stalls to expand all over the urban pavements and roadways, conducting quite large restaurant business in the public thoroughfares for a small annual fee. The Select Committee is shortly to sponsor regulations designed to legalize a certain maximum scale of operations in an area to be demarcated on the ground; this should enable reasonable operators to keep within the law and those operators who flout the law to be brought to book. Secondly, the Hawker Control Force has come in recently for some harsh criticism, largely as a result of press publicity over the trial and conviction of one corrupt member of the Force. Widespread corruption in the Force has been alleged and some people have even advocated its abolition. It is understandable, Sir, that such a suggestion should come from the hawkers themselves, a proportion of whom have, I am afraid, no scruple about infringing the Regulations made by this Council for the purpose of protecting the general public against the worst abuses of obstruction and unhygienic conditions; for those hawkers who do not hesitate to flout the Law would naturally prefer to have a free hand in doing so. The Hawker Control Force, Mr. Chairman, is the instrument of this Council, created at our insistence to enforce our Regulations. The Council should, I suggest, strive constantly to improve its quality and effectiveness but must at the same time support and defend it against indiscriminate attacks.
6. May I now, with your permission, Sir, refer to certain matters outside the Council's functions? The co-ordination of fund-raising projects and the accountability of charitable organizations for funds raised by public appeal, referred to by Dr. P. F. Woo, are matters which have been very much in our minds. The Departments most closely concerned and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service have been studying the matter, and positive proposals in both directions may well be ready for consideration in the coming year. On one matter I can give some reassurance now: there is really very little chance of people living in comfort entirely on charity, by going from one agency to another. The Central Relief Records Office of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service runs a very efficient card index and cross-checking system which is open to all agencies, and duplication of valuable and scarce resources is in fact very much the exception.
7. The question of running lotteries more frequently, raised by Mr. Li Yiu-bor, is a matter for the Government Lotteries Management Committee, an independent body on which my Department is represented. I know that the Chairman and Members have given a great deal of thought to the possibility of holding more frequent lotteries, but apart from the need to fit the programme in with the close season for racing and with the facilities made available by the Jockey Club, the Committee considers it likely, I understand, that too frequent lotteries would reduce the total takings.
8. Mr. Li asked whether priority has ever been given to assisting and training the physically handicapped and others. The quick answer is that a great deal of attention and priority has been given to this, and I would merely ask anyone who remains in doubt to come and see the work of our Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre and the units working for those with physical or mental disability, as well as the notable and varied facilities for vocational training provided by so many voluntary agencies.
9. Mrs. ELLIOTT said she wondered what the staff of my Department do, or what they are supposed to do. Now, I do not intend, Mr. Chairman, to take the time of the Council in retailing what may be seen in considerable detail in the pages of my last Annual Report, but I should like to refer to the progress made in one particular respect. The capacity of the Department to work with families and assist them to overcome their difficulties and stand on their own feet has steadily increased with the development in skill and experience of the staff; I think this is important, since problems of family relationships are becoming more complex as our city life gets more sophisticated. We try to view family difficulties increasingly as a whole: if I may illustrate this, we set up our first regional office earlier this year at the Western District Magistracy Building, in order to co-ordinate all our services in that part of the Island more closely and to bring them closer to those in need. At this office, trained social workers offer services for the care and protection of children, for the rehabilitation of the disabled, for the special problems of women and girls, for public assistance generally and for probation; while close by at a social centre at the old Tsan Yuk Hospital building, youth and community services, including a public library, are provided. I hope this may prove a model for co-ordinated official social welfare services in each urban area. Meanwhile, copies of a simple folder in Chinese, describing the Department's services and giving the addresses where they may be obtained, have been distributed to Urban Council Ward Offices (as well as to the Public Enquiry Service) and I hope that my colleagues on this Council will assist us by encouraging those who need a social worker's help to call or telephone to one of the addresses given.
10. Mrs. ELLIOTT also referred to complaints of impoliteness on the part of my staff towards those applying for assistance and said she had often complained of delays in dealing with applicants; these are serious matters. A social worker's training is directed towards working with those in need without condescension or officiousness and assisting them to solve their problems effectively; I am very jealous of the reputation of my staff and should appreciate specific details of these complaints, so that they may be properly answered. It is worth adding that in reply to an allegation that appeals for compassionate resettlement were being dealt with slowly, my Department has already taken steps to expedite such cases.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
5. May I refer, Mr. Chairman, to two other specific points: Mr. MARDEN was critical of the tendency for cooked food stalls to expand all over the urban pavements and roadways, conducting quite large restaurant business in the public thoroughfares for a small annual fee. The Select Committee is shortly to sponsor regulations designed to legalize a certain maximum scale of operations in an area to be demar- cated on the ground; this should enable reasonable operators to keep within the law and those operators who flout the law to be brought to book. Secondly, the Hawker Control Force has come in recently for some harsh criticism, largely as a result of press publicity over the trial and conviction of one corrupt member of the Force. Widespread cor- ruption in the Force has been alleged and some people have even advocated its abolition. It is understandable, Sir, that such a suggestion should come from the hawkers themselves, a proportion of whom have, I am afraid, no scruple about infringing the Regulations made by this Council for the purpose of protecting the general public against the worst abuses of obstruction and unhygienic conditions; for those hawkers who do not hesitate to flout the Law would naturally prefer to have a free hand in doing so. The Hawker Control Force, Mr. Chairman, is the instrument of this Council, created at our insistence to enforce our Regulations. The Council should, I suggest, strive constantly to im- prove its quality and effectiveness but must at the same time support and defend it against indiscriminate attacks.
6. May I now, with your permission, Sir, refer to certain matters outside the Council's functions? The co-ordination of fund-raising pro- jects and the accountability of charitable organizations for funds raised by public appeal, referred to by Dr. P. F. Woo, are matters which have been very much in our minds. The Departments most closely concerned and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service have been studying the matter, and positive proposals in both directions may well be ready for consideration in the coming year. On one matter I can give some reassurance now: there is really very little chance of people living in comfort entirely on charity, by going from one agency to another. The Central Relief Records Office of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service runs a very efficient card index and cross-checking system which is open to all agencies, and duplication of valuable and scarce resources is in fact very much the exception.
7. The question of running lotteries more frequently, raised by Mr. Li Yiu-bor, is a matter for the Government Lotteries Management Committee, an independent body on which my Department is repre- sented. I know that the Chairman and Members have given a great deal of thought to the possibility of holding more frequent lotteries, but apart from the need to fit the programme in with the close season for racing and with the facilities made available by the Jockey Club, the Committee considers it likely, I understand, that too frequent lotteries would reduce the total takings.
8.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
523
Mr. Li asked whether priority has ever been given to assisting The quick answer and training the physically handicapped and others.
is that a great deal of attention and priority has been given to this, and I would merely ask anyone who remains in doubt to come and see the work of our Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre and the units working for those with physical or mental disability, as well as the notable and varied facilities for vocational training provided by so many voluntary agencies.
9. Mrs. ELLIOTT said she wondered what the staff of my Depart- Now, I do not intend, Mr. ment do, or what they are supposed to do. Chairman, to take the time of the Council in retailing what may be seen in considerable detail in the pages of my last Annual Report, but I should like to refer to the progress made in one particular respect. The capacity of the Department to work with families and assist them to overcome their difficulties and stand on their own feet has steadily increased with the development in skill and experience of the staff; I think this is important, since problems of family relationships are be- coming more complex as our city life gets more sophisticated. We try to view family difficulties increasingly as a whole: if I may illustrate this, we set up our first regional office earlier this year at the Western District Magistracy Building, in order to co-ordinate all our services in that part of the Island more closely and to bring them closer to those in need. At this office, trained social workers offer services for the care and protection of children, for the rehabilitation of the disabled, for the special problems of women and girls, for public assistance generally and for probation; while close by at a social centre at the old Tsan Yuk Hospital building, youth and community services, including a public library, are provided. I hope this may prove a model for co-ordinated official social welfare services in each urban area. Meanwhile copies simple folder in Chinese, describing the Department's services and giving the addresses where they may be obtained, have been distributed to Urban Council Ward Offices (as well as to the Public Enquiry Service) and I hope that my colleagues on this Council will assist us by en- couraging those who need a social worker's help to call or telephone to one of the addresses given.
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10. Mrs. ELLIOTT also referred to complaints of impoliteness on the part of my staff towards those applying for assistance and said she had often complained of delays in dealing with applicants; these are serious matters. A social worker's training is directed towards working with those in need without condescension or officiousness and assisting them to solve their problems effectively; I am very jealous of the reputa- tion of my staff and should appreciate specific details of these com- plaints, so that they may be properly answered. It is worth adding that in reply to an allegation that appeals for compassionate resettle-
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