HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN: Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, I think that last question could be left on record and we might now proceed to the next question. (Laughter)
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: - May I ask you why that should be left simply for record? It is a valid question, and it is a very pertinent question, because the public is quite often confused between the differences of resettlement and Government low-cost housing. They think Government is deliberately trying to confuse them.
CHAIRMAN: - The reason, Sir, is simply that it is too difficult a question to give an "off the cuff" reply to.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: - Only one of semantics, Sir.
MR. SALES: - Mr. Chairman, may I, with your permission before Mr. CHEONG-LEEN proceeds to ask the next question, refer the Commissioner for Resettlement to the last sentence of his answer, and suggest to him that the time has come when the Resettlement Department might want to take the initiative in recommending to the Policy Select Committee a re-assessment of the allocation of space per adult, because I have always claimed that 24 sq. ft. per adult is a grossly inhuman figure, and 12 sq. ft. per child is even worse, bearing in mind that only the other day I read in the magazine "Park Administration", that in Bucharest their ambition is to have 12 sq. metres of open space per man, woman and child in a city of 1 million people. Twelve sq. metres of open space, much more than living space here so I think, Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I would like the Commissioner to take this matter up. The space available to the residents is far more important than the quality of the resettlement blocks.
MR. BERNACCHI: - Mr. Chairman, with your permission, may I make a personal statement and answer Mr. SALES' question, as the last year's Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee? Resettlement Department has done a very close survey of the situation. If the SALES' formula were adopted - the SALES' formula being to consider children above the age of six as adults on admission, but above the age of ten as adults for decantation, - the result would be, even on the SALES' formula, which I personally agree with entirely, to make a considerable and noticeable difference to the number of persons that this Council, through the Resettlement Department, can resettle year by year, and the SALES' formula was passed only by a majority of the Members of this Council on the Resettlement Policy Select Committee. It was passed, and I hope that it will be adopted by Government, that is by the Executive Council that has the ultimate control of resettlement, and put into effect. But if he is now proposing to raise the number of square feet per adult to 35 sq. ft., then I frankly do not see us being able to resettle more than 50,000 persons per year. The choice then is between 150 thousand with 24 sq. ft. or 50 thousand with 35 sq. ft. and frankly with the prevailing conditions in Hong Kong, where the birthrate alone raises the total number of our population by more than 100,000 per year, I am reluctantly in favour at this time of having 24 sq. ft. and resettling a larger number of persons than the preferable 35 sq. ft. that is adopted for Government low-cost housing.
CHAIRMAN: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is becoming more of a discussion than questions and answers. I take it that the matters that have been raised will be referred to the Select Committee concerned. Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, will you please ask the next question?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: - Your remarks Mr. Chairman were unnecessary, because I was getting up to ask the next question anyway.
(10) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement please advise: - (a) How many youth centres are there in the resettlement estates, and how many young people can they cater to? (b) What is the estimated youth population in resettlement estates say between the ages of 12 to 20? (c) To what extent is Government planning to expand youth services, including recreation and employment, within resettlement estates within the next two years?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows: -
The first part of the question asks how many youth centres there are in resettlement estates and for how many persons they cater. The three largest voluntary organizations operating in this field are the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Boys & Girls Clubs Association and the Young Men's Christian Association. The Federation operates 8 centres in 8 estates. The BGCA operates 98 separate and distinct clubs in joint premises in 10 estates. The YMCA operates 25 clubs in 7 estates. There are 22 other voluntary agencies providing a service through clubs or groups for young people in resettlement estates and of course there are also services provided for them through the Social Welfare Department's Community Centres, which provide services for other age groups as well. It is difficult to estimate the number of young people touched by such services because, for instance, workers in community centres reach young people through contacts mainly for sporting purposes other than regular club meetings.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN:Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, I think that last question could be left on record and we might now proceed to the next question. (Laughter)
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-May I ask you why that should be left simply for record? It is a valid question, and it is a very pertinent question, because the public is quite often confused between the differences of resettlement and Government low-cost housing. They think Govern- ment is deliberately trying to confuse them.
CHAIRMAN:-The reason, Sir, is simply that it is too difficult a question to give an "off the cuff" reply to.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Only one of semantics, Sir.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I, with your permission before Mr. CHEONG-LEEN proceeds to ask the next question, refer the Com- missioner for Resettlement to the last sentence of his answer, and suggest to him that the time has come when the Resettlement Depart- ment might want to take the initiative in recommending to the Policy Select Committee a re-assessment of the allocation of space per adult, because I have always claimed that 24 sq. ft. per adult is a grossly inhuman figure, and 12 sq. ft. per child is even worse, bearing in mind that only the other day I read in the magazine "Park Administration", that in Bucharest their ambition is to have 12 sq. metres of open space per man, woman and child in a city of 1 million people. Twelve sq. metres of open space, much more than living space here so I think, Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I would like the Commissioner to take this matter up. The space available to the residents is far more important than the quality of the resettlement blocks.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, with your permission, may I make a personal statement and answer Mr. SALES' question, as the last The year's Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee? Resettlement Department has done a very close survey of the situation. If the SALES' formula were adopted the SALES' formula being to con- sider children above the age of six as adults on admission, but above the age of ten as adults for decantation,-the result would be even on the SALES' formula, which I personally agree with entirely, to make a considerable and noticeable difference to the number of persons that this Council, through the Resettlement Department, can resettle year by year, and the SALES' formula was passed only by a majority of the Members of this Council on the Resettlement Policy Select Committee. It was passed, and I hope that it will be adopted by Government, that is by the Executive Council that has the ultimate control of resettlement, and put into effect. But if he is now proposing to raise the number of square feet per adult to 35 sq. ft., then I frankly do not see us being able to resettle more than 50,000 persons per year. The choice then is
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
79
between 150 thousand with 24 sq. ft. or 50 thousand with 35 sq. ft. and frankly with the prevailing conditions in Hong Kong, where the birthrate alone raises the total number of our population by more than 100,000 per year, I am reluctantly in favour at this time of having 24 sq. ft. and resettling a larger number of persons than the preferable 35 sq. ft. that is adopted for Government low-cost housing.
CHAIRMAN: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is becoming more of a discussion than questions and answers. I take it that the matters that have been raised will be referred to the Select Committee concerned. Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, will you please ask the next question?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: -Your remarks Mr. Chairman were unneces- sary, because I was getting up to ask the next question anyway.
(10) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement please advise:- (a) How many youth centres are there in the resettlement estates, and how many young people can they cater to? (b) What is the estimated youth population in resettlement
estates say between the ages of 12 to 20?
(c) To what extent is Government planning to expand youth services, including recreation and employment, within re- settlement estates within the next two years?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
The first part of the question asks how many youth centres there are in resettlement estates and for how many persons they cater. The three largest voluntary organizations operating in this field are the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Boys & Girls Clubs Association and the Young Men's Christian Association. The Federation operates 8 centres in 8 estates. The BGCA operates 98 separate and distinct clubs in joint premises in 10 estates. The YMCA operates 25 clubs in 7 estates. There are 22 other voluntary agencies providing a service through clubs or groups for young people in resettlement estates and of course there are also services provided for them through the Social Welfare Department's Community Centres, which provide services for other age groups as well. It is difficult to estimate the number of young people touched by such services because, for instance, workers in com- munity centres reach young people through contacts mainly for sporting purposes other than regular club meet-
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