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They operate wherever they find a need which they think they can meet within the limits of their resources. It is however quite likely that a large proportion of the grants they make are for children living in resettlement estates. (b) I regret that my colleague the Director of Social Welfare is unable to provide the answer to the second part of the question. He does not have such information. It would certainly be possible for him to forward an enquiry to the agencies concerned, but it is impossible to say whether the agencies could without disproportionate effort state the number of children of primary school age whom they are assisting in resettlement estates as distinct from other area. The number they are helping overall is approx- imately 21,000. It is perhaps appropriate for me to mention that the Director of Education provides 20 per cent free places in Government and aided primary schools. In cases where the free allocation is fully taken up the Director of Education has authority to transfer free places from other areas where they are less in demand.

(c) The third part of the question is hypothetical and my friend the Director of Social Welfare regrets that he is therefore unable to answer it.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, I have no supplementary, but I will make the relevant observation that this question is not exhausted, so I intend to ask another question at next month's meeting in the hope that some action will come from the Education Department.

MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if there are no supplementaries may I rise on a point of clarification? I need your clarification, Sir, as to why all these questions which appear on the agenda paper and which concern resettlement, are not answered by the Chairman of either the Policy or the Management Select Committees as may be appropriate. That is the practice in this Council.

CHAIRMAN:-Mr. SALES, perhaps members can assist me in giving an answer on this. I have been in the chair for three months, or rather this is my fourth meeting, and it has always been the practice for the Commissioner for Resettlement to answer questions on resettlement matters.

MR. BERNACCHI:-I think perhaps, Mr. Chairman, that the answer is in fact quite simple. The Commissioner for Resettlement was Chair- man of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee until the year before last. Then there was an alteration and an Unofficial Member became the Chairman, and at that time it was overlooked that perhaps the Chairman of the Policy Select Committee should be substituted for the

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Commissioner for Resettlement in some not all perhaps of the answers to questions on resettlement. I stress-perhaps, resettlement policy.

MR. SALES: -Sir, may I thank Mr. BERNACCHI for giving us that explanation. I would like to urge upon you the policy of asking the Chairmen of the Select Committees to answer questions pertaining to their respective assignments. For example, I would have been delighted to put some supplementary questions to the Chairman of the Resettle- ment Policy Select Committee on some of the major questions that have been asked today.

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -Mr. Chairman, a further point I might put forward for your consideration in connexion with questions on resettlement. There is one consideration which may have to be kept in mind, and that is, for certain parts of the Resettlement Ordinance, the Commissioner for Resettlement is the Competent Authority and not the Urban Council. So that perhaps if questions are admitted which concern the operation of those parts of the Ordin- ance, it would be more appropriate if the Commissioner were to answer than the Chairman of the Select Committee.

MR. SALES: Sir, but I believe that we are the Competent Author- ity for parts 4 and 5. Am I not correct?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: —Yes, indeed.

MR. SALES: So in respect to parts 4 and 5 I think the Chairmen of the two Select Committees concerned should assume responsibility for answering such questions. After all is said and done, as my great friend Mr. Henry Hu said earlier this afternoon, Chairmen of the Select Committees (Laughter) are usually very wise Councillors, and I have no doubt that the Chairmen of these two Select Committees are also wise Councillors and most capable ones at that. (Laughter).

DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, I hope Mr. SALES doesn't mean that (Laughter). the Commissioner for Resettlement is not a very wise man. May I just say, partly in answer to what Mr. SALES said, I would be delighted to put out of order any supplementary questions he cares to ask me (Laughter) and also equally delighted to have the Commissioner for Resettlement answer quite a number of the questions which, as he quite rightly says, concern him only as the Competent Authority under the relevant Ordinance.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, may I supplement what Mr. BERNACCHI said a little while ago. I do recall from experience that whenever I ask a question specifically of the Chairman of the Manage- ment Select Committee, such answers were given by the Chairman of that select committee. On the other hand, on other occasions, I did give notice of questions which were addressed direct to the Commis-

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