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Lantao for the moment this is exactly what we are doing and have been doing. New towns have been planned at Kwun Tong, Kwai Chung, Castle Peak and Sha Tin; Kwun Tong is approaching full development and engineering work at Kwai Chung is nearing completion. Work has already commenced at Castle Peak, and investigations are under way for the construction of a dual carriageway road linking Castle Peak to Tsuen Wan. At Sha Tin progress on site development is not so far advanced as it is at Castle Peak, but the new road link via the Lion Rock Tunnel is nearly complete.
I do not intend to discuss here the pros and cons of developing Lantao, either before or in parallel with Castle Peak and Sha Tin. In 1961 at the Golden Jubilee Congress at Hong Kong University two officers of the Public Works Department (one of whom has now left us) read a very interesting paper entitled “Land for Industry and Factors influencing location in Hong Kong". The paper included a section on the possibilities of large-scale development on Lantao Island and I commend it to anyone who has not read it. I can assure Dr. LEE that the possibility of large-scale development on Lantao has not been ignored.
Mr. Chairman, I have spoken for long but I believe that I have covered the points brought up by Members in their speeches, which are the concern of the Public Works Department, but before I close I should like to refer to the close co-operation which exists between the Public Works Department and this Council. Professional officers of the Public Works Department serve on many of your Select Committees and I believe that this is of the utmost value in our joint efforts to provide the citizens of Hong Kong with the facilities and services expected of a modern city of over 3 million people. I refer not only to the Parks, Playgrounds and Recreation areas, but also to the bathhouses, markets, hawker bazaars, incinerators, abattoirs, and other buildings which we design and build for your Department. Also the many services which we provide and maintain for the comfort and well-being of the people who live here.
Sir, I have pleasure in supporting the motion. (Applause).
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:- Two points for clarification, Mr. Chairman. First, is not the Director of Public Works the Building Authority by statute. Secondly, the last passage in the Director of Public Works' speech was a passage which I entirely endorse, except for the words "for your Department". Is it not "for this Council"?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: - Mr. Chairman, on the first one I was trying to draw a distinction between the legal powers imposed on the Building Authority by the Buildings Ordinance and the Building Regulations, and the powers conferred on the Director of Public Works, not the Building Authority, under the lease conditions of various Crown leases. It is a case where the Director of Public Works does wear two different hats. On the second point, I frankly don't know, but I know that in the Public Works Programme these buildings are listed under Urban Services Department, but again I did not wish to make any difference between the Council and the Department.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI :- Thank you.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Mr. Chairman, the speeches of the Unofficial Members were, as usual, lively and interesting; like a good Chinese meal the menu was varied and contained plenty of meat.
While the Council may be at this time understandably pre-occupied with such weighty matters as local Government reform and the expansion of its functions, it is encouraging to see that so many members are seriously concerned with less dramatic but still important matters such as safe food and the cleanliness of our environment.
The control of hygiene in premises which make and serve food is based on a system of licensing which has grown up over many years. No doubt it has its defects, which are easy to criticize but harder to rectify. I agree with Mr. Wilfred WONG that much of the procedure is cumbersome and needs streamlining, and one must admit that the requirements stipulated for licensing are sometimes difficult to understand either in English or Chinese.
As Mr. Wong points out, all these aspects are being carefully gone into by Senior Members of the Department and experiments are being made at present to devise a simpler and more efficient system. It is hoped to form a team of experienced inspectors to handle all new licences; the requirements for licensing will be revised and put into more orderly form and into simpler language which should translate more readily into Chinese while the procedure itself will be carefully examined to straighten out kinks and avoid delays.
I need hardly say that I am as concerned as anybody that it should seem possible for unlicensed food premises to carry on business, sometimes for years, either before obtaining a licence or being finally closed down. It is essential that this problem be tackled energetically as unlicensed premises can provide excellent material for allegations of malpractice. No doubt the best way to eliminate these skeletons in our cupboard is to make the licensing system as straightforward as possible first.
Another point made by Mr. WONG was the need to establish a branch of the department for the certification of foods for export. I am glad to say that discussions are now taking place with the Director
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Lantao for the moment this is exactly what we are doing and have been doing. New towns have been planned at Kwun Tong, Kwai Chung, Castle Peak and Sha Tin; Kwun Tong is approaching full development and engineering work at Kwai Chung is nearing com- pletion. Work has already commenced at Castle Peak, and investiga- tions are under way for the construction of a dual carriageway road linking Castle Peak to Tsuen Wan. At Sha Tin progress on site development is not so far advanced as it is at Castle Peak, but the new road like via the Lion Rock Tunnel is nearly complete.
I do not intend to discuss here the pros and cons of developing Lantao, either before or in parallel with Castle Peak and Sha Tin. In 1961 at the Golden Jubilee Congress at Hong Kong University two officers of the Public Works Department (one of whom has now left us) read a very interesting paper entitled “Land for Industry and Factors influencing location in Hong Kong". The paper included a section on the possibilities of large scale development on Lantao Island and I commend it to anyone who has not read it. I can assure Dr. LEE that the possibility of large scale development on Lantao has not been ignored.
Mr. Chairman, I have spoken for long but I believe that I have covered the points, brought up by Members in their speeches, which are the concern of the Public Works Department, but before I close I should like to refer to the close co-operation which exists between the Public Works Department and this Council. Professional officers of the Public Works Department serve on many of your Select Committees and I believe that this is of the utmost value in our joint efforts to provide the citizens of Hong Kong with the facilities and services expected of a modern city of over 3 million people. I refer not only to the Parks, Playgrounds and Recreation areas, but also to the bathhouses, markets, hawker bazaars, incinerators, abattoirs, and other buildings which we design and build for your Department. Also the many services which we provide and maintain for the comfort and well being of the people who live here.
Sir, I have pleasure in supporting the motion. (Applause).
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:-Two points for clarification, Mr. Chair- man. First, is not the Director of Public Works the Building Authority by statute. Secondly, the last passage in the Director of Public Work's speech was a passage which I entirely endorse, except for the words "for your Department". Is it not "for this Council"?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, on the first one I was trying to draw a distinction between the legal powers imposed on the Building Authority by the Buildings Ordinance and the Building Regulations, and the powers conferred on the Director of Public Works,
t
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
423
not the Building Authority, under the lease conditions of various Crown leases. It is a case where the Director of Public Works does wear two different hats. On the second point, I frankly don't know, but I know that in the Public Works Programme these buildings are listed under Urban Services Department, but again I did not wish to make any difference between the Council and the Department.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI :-Thank you.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-Mr. Chairman, the speeches of the Unofficial Members were, as usual, lively and interesting; like a good Chinese meal the menu was varied and contained plenty of meat.
While the Council may be at this time understandably pre-occupied with such weighty matters as local Government reform and the expansion of its functions, it is encouraging to see that so many members are seriously concerned with less dramatic but still important matters such as safe food and the cleanliness of our environment.
The control of hygiene in premises which make and serve food is based on a system of licensing which has grown up over many years. No doubt it has its defects, which are easy to criticize but harder to rectify. I agree with Mr. Wilfred WONG that much of the procedure is cumbersome and needs stream-lining, and one must admit that the requirements stipulated for licensing are sometimes difficult to under- stand either in English or Chinese.
As Mr. Wong points out, all these aspects are being carefully gone into by Senior Members of the Department and experiments are being made at present to devise a simpler and more efficient system. It is hoped to form a team of experienced inspectors to handle all new licences; the requirements for licensing will be revised and put into more orderly form and into simpler language which should translate more readily into Chinese while the procedure itself will be carefully examined to straighten out kinks and avoid delays.
I need hardly say that I am as concerned as anybody that it should seem possible for unlicensed food premises to carry on business, some- times for years, either before obtaining a licence or being finally closed down. It is essential that this problem be tackled energetically as unlicensed premises can provide excellent material for allegations of malpractice. No doubt the best way to eliminate these skeletons in our cupboard is to make the licensing system as straightforward as possible first.
Another point made by Mr. WONG was the need to establish a branch of the department for the certification of foods for export. I am glad to say that discussions are now taking place with the Director
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