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ment or for fixed pitch hawker licences "usually require 3 months or more" I said at the July meeting of this Council that the average since the beginning of this year was two to three weeks.
11. The same Member suggested that Government was content to let the voluntary agencies get on with the work "so long as the Department can watch to see that they do not cheat". The implication here is a travesty of our relationship with the voluntary agencies, which, I would maintain, is increasingly co-operative. The Department has done a good deal in recent years to encourage and support the development of voluntary day nurseries and play centres for the children of working mothers, of voluntary work of various kinds for the welfare of the disabled, for children liable to become delinquent, for youth groups and so on. The allegation has been made more than once that Government's policy is to use the Department to impose general control upon voluntary welfare effort; this has even been read into the Statement of Aims and Policy approved in the Legislative Council last May. I want to say publicly and emphatically now that this is in no way Government's intention or policy. In two respects my Department has specific responsibilities: Firstly, to carry out our duties under the law, for instance for the care and protection of children, supervision on probation or in a reformatory school and so on; secondly, while the Social Welfare Advisory Committee is Government's adviser on the allocation of financial subventions or grants from the Lotteries Fund, the Department is concerned in the process of devoting public funds, land or premises to social welfare purposes; and has a responsibility to see that these resources are properly used. These are inescapable duties. But apart from this, the Department does not seek to control but rather to encourage, stimulate and support voluntary effort. If we often stress the need for thorough planning and well-trained staff (which is by no means always popular), we do so because we are anxious that voluntary projects should be solidly established and well run.
12. Two final points: the Department is now engaged on a joint endeavour with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service to draft plans for social welfare services over the next few years and we greatly welcome the enhanced strength, capacity and status of the Council, which has made this joint enterprise practicable. Secondly, on the subject of social security, you may remember, Sir, that the Financial Secretary said, in the course of the debate on Social Welfare Policy, that the Government was prepared to devote some serious study to the practicability of certain types of schemes. I am authorized to say that the Departments concerned in this have already had preliminary discussions with the Labour Adviser to the Minister of Overseas Development and a senior International Labour Office representative; two Government officers attended the recent I.L.O. Asian Regional Training Course in planning and administration of social security, held in Japan last September. This should help in forming a clearer picture of the various possibilities and problems in this field; and Government intends to proceed at best possible speed with its study of this question.
13. Mr. Chairman, I have pleasure in supporting the motion before Council. (Applause).
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, Mr. BERNACCHI began his speech by giving an account of his stewardship as Chairman of two Select Committees. I, too, would like to give an account of my stewardship and make a brief reference to the work carried out by the Public Works Department on behalf of the Urban Services Department and this Council.
2. Firstly, urban amenities. During this year, including Amenity works in the New Territories, we have completed 24 projects, let contracts and issued Works Orders for 20 more, and have another 31 on the drawing board. I sometimes think that the effort put into the development of the amenities programme by the staff of the Public Works Department is overlooked by members of this Council, and I make no apology for drawing attention to the part that we play in this very important work.
3. Besides the amenity programme, the building of bathhouses and latrines continues, and I am glad to think, from the remarks made by Mr. Wilfred WONG, that we should be able to get our teeth into the market programme once again after a long and frustrating wait. The Sai Yee Street depot has been completed and the Whitfield depot is now being occupied. The incinerators are progressing, and so are the abattoirs and the associated staff quarters. In this connexion, I am grateful to Mr. MARDEN for his remarks. Members will also be interested to know that a contract has now been let for the Sai Ying Pun Post Office building which, they will recollect, includes a part covered and part open playground at first floor level, which will go a little way to relieve the deficiency of public recreation space in this area.
4. Several members of the Public Works Department serve on various Select Committees of this Council and I believe that much is to be gained from this working contact between senior officers of the Public Works Department and members of this Council.
5. Mr. Wilfred WONG claimed that the construction of Resettlement Estates is moving at a snail's pace. I do not think that this is really true. Since April 1st, 1964—the starting date for the White Paper building programme of 900,000 individual units in six years—we have completed 172,000 units and have another 270,000 under construction.
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ment or for fixed pitch hawker licences "usually require 3 months or more" I said at the July meeting of this Council that the average since the beginning of this year was two to three weeks.
11. The same Member suggested that Government was content to let the voluntary agencies get on with the work "so long as the Department can watch to see that they do not cheat". The implication here is a travesty of our relationship with the voluntary agencies, which, I would maintain, is increasingly co-operative. The Department has done a good deal in recent years to encourage and support the develop- ment of voluntary day nurseries and play centres for the children of working mothers, of voluntary work of various kinds for the welfare of the disabled, for children liable to become delinquent, for youth groups and so on. The allegation has been made more than once that Government's policy is to use the Department to impose general control upon voluntary welfare effort; this has even been read into the Statement of Aims and Policy approved in the Legislative Council last May. I want to say publicly and emphatically now that this is in no way Government's intention or policy. In two respects my Department has specific responsibilities: Firstly, to carry out our duties under the law, for instance for the care and protection of children, supervision on probation or in a reformatory school and so on; secondly, while the Social Welfare Advisory Committee is Government's adviser on the allocation of financial subventions or grants from the Lotteries Fund, the Department is concerned in the process of devoting public funds, land or premises to social welfare purposes; and has a responsibility to see that these resources are properly used. These are inescapable duties. But apart from this, the Department does not seek to control but rather to encourage, stimulate and support voluntary effort. If we often stress the need for thorough planning and well-trained staff (which is by no means always popular), we do so because we are anxious that voluntary projects should be solidly established and well run.
12. Two final points: the Department is now engaged on a joint endeavour with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service to draft plans for social welfare services over the next few years and we greatly welcome the enhanced strength, capacity and status of the Council, which has made this joint enterprise practicable. Secondly, on the subject of social security, you may remember, Sir, that the Financial Secretary said, in the course of the debate on Social Welfare Policy, that the Government was prepared to devote some serious study to the practicability of certain types of schemes. I am authorized to say that the Departments concerned in this have already had preliminary discus- sions with the Labour Adviser to the Minister of Overseas Development and a senior International Labour Office representative; two Govern- ment officers attended the recent I.L.O. Asian Regional Training Course in planning and administration of social security, held in Japan last
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
525
September. This should help in forming a clearer picture of the various possibilities and problems in this field; and Government intends to pro- ceed at best possible speed with its study of this question.
13. Mr. Chairman, I have pleasure in supporting the motion before Council. (Applause).
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, Mr. BERNACCHI began his speech by giving an account of his stewardship as Chairman of two Select Committees. I, too, would like to give an account of my stewardship and make a brief reference to the work carried out by the Public Works Department on behalf of the Urban Services Department and this Council.
2. Firstly, urban amenities. During this year, including Amenity works in the New Territories, we have completed 24 projects, let con- tracts and issued Works Orders for 20 more, and have another 31 on the drawing board. I sometimes think that the effort put into the development of the amenities programme by the staff of the Public Works Department is overlooked by members of this Council, and I make no apology for drawing attention to the part that we play in this very important work.
3. Besides the amenity programme, the building of bathhouses and latrines continues, and I am glad to think, from the remarks made by Mr. Wilfred WONG, that we should be able to get our teeth into the market programme once again after a long and frustrating wait. The Sai Yee Street depot has been completed and the Whitfield depot is now being occupied. The incinerators are progressing, and so are the abattoirs and the associated staff quarters. In this connexion, I am grateful to Mr. MARDEN for his remarks. Members will also be interest- ed to know that a contract has now been let for the Sai Ying Pun Post Office building which, they will recollect, includes a part covered and part open playground at first floor level, which will go a little way to relieve the deficiency of public recreation space in this area.
4. Several members of the Public Works Department serve on various Select Committees of this Council and I believe that much is to be gained from this working contact between senior officers of the Public Works Department and members of this Council.
5. Mr. Wilfred WONG claimed that the construction of Resettle- ment Estates is moving at a snails pace. I do not think that this is really true. Since April 1st, 1964--the starting date for the White Paper building programme of 900,000 individual units in six years- we have completed 172,000 units and have another 270,000 under con-
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