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MR. BERNACCHI:-I would refer Mr. Hu to the part of my answer dealing with the alternative to apply to the Magistrate for an order for the return of the goods or compensation in lieu. It is only possible for that application to be made by the hawker to the Magistrate if he finds the hawker not guilty.
MR. HU:-In the past, Mr. Chairman, how many complaints were made by the hawkers? Practically none.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Do you mean how many complaints were made to this Council, to the Commissioner of Police or to the Magistrates?
MR. HU:-All included.
MR. BERNACCHI:-I have not the least idea. (Laughter).
MR. HU: I beg your pardon?
MR. BERNACCHI:-I have not the least idea.
MR. HU: Would you agree with me, Mr. Chairman, that as a matter of fact this law, of course it is for the protection of the Hawkers Officers and also the hawkers, is a one sided law in practice? That it is only for the benefit of the Officers to seize the goods of hawkers as a means to penalize them, and that there would be little benefit for the hawkers to make application if their goods were seized.
MR. BERNACCHI:-I do not agree that this section is for the benefit of one side. This section has been very carefully framed in 3 sub-sections and it is specifically designed to protect both the hawker and the Officer making the seizure.
(14) MR. CHEUNG WING-IN asked the following question:
Will the Commissioner for Resettlement please advise how many families from dangerous buildings have applied for resettlement accommodation? How many have paid the advance rent and have been so resettled and how many are still waiting for resettlement?
Will the number of people who have applied so far seriously affect the normal resettlement programme?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
With regard to the first part of the question, in the past three financial years a total of 7,654 families from dangerous buildings have moved into resite areas where they have been allowed to build their own temporary domestic accommodation. The vast majority, 6,433 families, moved from dangerous buildings into resite areas during the past year.
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With regard to the second part of the question, resite areas are decanted or cleared from time to time and all registered persons are offered resettlement in the normal way. By May this year, when the department had set up the machinery to implement the rent advance scheme for ex-tenants of dangerous buildings, there were 5,273 families in resite areas who were eligible to join the scheme. All were invited to join and 2,877 families accepted. By 30th June, 848 families had paid their rent deposits and had moved into the first 16-storey block at Tung Tau or into a new block at Chai Wan. There are now 2,029 families on the waiting list and they will be invited to come forward and pay their deposits as soon as accommodation is available; many of these have expressed a preference to await the completion of the next 16-storey block at Tung Tau later this year.
With regard to the third part of the question, the clearance and resettlement programme for the current year includes an allowance of 26,000 resettlement places for persons who were tenants in buildings declared dangerous, or who may be rendered homeless this year for the same reason. The programme has been drawn up in order to apportion the over the likely accommodation becoming available estimated needs of the various resettlement priority categories. The allowance of 26,000 places should, subject to no unexpected developments, make it possible to rehouse those already on the rent advance waiting list, a fair proportion of those from dangerous buildings who did not apply to join the scheme and are now in resite areas, as well as any new persons eligible and willing to partake in the scheme without interfering with the remainder of the clearance and resettlement programme.
MR. CHEUNG:-Mr. Chairman, I can see from this answer that these people who are displaced will have to wait a long time before they get accommodation and by the time they do get accommodation I think they will have spent money that they get by way of compensation from the owners of various buildings, and I do not see how the public can raise money to pay the deposits.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Mr. Chairman, I think the answer speaks for itself. There are 5,273 families who are eligible to join the scheme and roughly over 50% of them, 2,877 families, have in...
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MR. BERNACCHI-I would refer Mr. Hu to the part of my answer dealing with the alternative to apply to the Magistrate for an order for the return of the goods or compensation in lieu. It is only possible for that application to be made by the hawker to the Magistrate if he finds the hawker not guilty.
MR. HU:-In the past, Mr. Chairman, how many complaints were made by the hawkers? Practically none.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Do you mean how many complaints were made to this Council, to the Commissioner of Police or to the Magistrates?
MR. HU:-All included.
MR. BERNACCHI-I have not the least idea. (Laughter).
MR. HU: I beg your pardon?
MR. BERNACCHI :-I have not the least idea.
MR. HU: Would you agree with me, Mr. Chairman, that as a matter of fact this law, of course it is for the protection of the Hawkers Officers and also the hawkers, is a one sided law in practice? That it is only for the benefit of the Officers to seize the goods of hawkers as a means to penalize them, and that there would be little benefit for the hawkers to make application if their goods were seized.
MR. BERNACCHI:-I do not agree that this section is for the bene- fit of one side. This section has been very carefully framed in 3 sub- sections and it is specifically designed to protect both the hawker and the Officer making the seizure.
(14) MR. CHEUNG WING-IN asked the following question:
Will the Commissioner for Resettlement please advise how many families from dangerous buildings have applied for resettlement accommodation? How many have paid the advance rent and have been so resettled and how many are still waiting for resettlement?
Will the number of people who have applied so far seriously
affect the normal resettlement programme?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
With regard to the first part of the question, in the past three financial years a total of 7,654 families from dangerous buildings have moved into resite areas where they have been allowed to build their own temporary domestic
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175
accommodation. The vast majority, 6,433 families, moved from dangerous buildings into resite areas during the past year.
With regard to the second part of the question, resite areas are decanted or cleared from time to time and all registered persons are offered resettlement in the normal way. By May this year, when the department had set up the machinery to implement the rent advance scheme for ex- tenants of dangerous buildings, there were 5,273 families in resite areas who were eligible to join the scheme. All were invited to join and 2,877 families accepted. By 30th June, 848 families had paid their rent deposits and had moved into the first 16-storey block at Tung Tau or into a new block at Chai Wan. There are now 2,029 families on the waiting list and they will be invited to come for- ward and pay their deposits as soon as accommodation is available; many of these have expressed a preference to await the completion of the next 16-storey block at Tung Tau later this year.
With regard to the third part of the question, the clearance and resettlement programme for the current year includes an allowance of 26,000 resettlement places for persons who were tenants in buildings declared dangerous, or who may be rendered homeless this year for the same reason. The programme has been drawn up in order to apportion the over the likely accommodation becoming available estimated needs of the various resettlement priority cate- gories. The allowance of 26,000 places should, subject to no unexpected developments, make it possible to rehouse those already on the rent advance waiting list, a fair proportion of those from dangerous buildings who did not apply to join the scheme and are now in resite areas, as well as any new persons eligible and willing to partake in the scheme without interfering with the remainder of the clearance and resettlement programme.
MR. CHEUNG:-Mr. Chairman, I can see from this answer that these people who are displaced will have to wait a long time before they get accommodation and by the time they do get accommodation I think they will have spent money that they get by way of compensation from the owners of various buildings, and I do not see how the public can raise money to pay the deposits.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Mr. Chairman, I think the answer speaks for itself. There are 5,273 families who are eligible to join the scheme and roughly over 50% of them, 2,877 families, have in
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