HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 126 of 259
228
the enlargement in the size of the Hawker Control Force. As Chairman of the Hawker Select Committee (not at a public meeting), I was later advised that Government was not prepared to agree to this. What is the use of this Urban Council if the staff on the ground are not sufficient in strength to put into force the directions of Select Committees?
In August 1962, Dr. LEE moved on my behalf that illegal structures which have been there for more than 12 months should not be demolished by the Squatter Control, which was seconded by Dr. BELL (although seriously mucked about by Mr. SALES' amendments). In March 1963, I raised a similar motion which was carried by 11 votes to 7, but at any rate no official statement has been made on this motion. In the same way I had two shots at a motion to get the Urban Services Department staff to clean the communal parts of multi-storeyed buildings, the second being more successful than the first, but the result has not yet been disclosed, and as Dr. Woo has stated already, nearly every motion that is referred to Select Committees seems to get lost from the public eye including my motion on Simultaneous Translation into English and Chinese. Mr. Chairman, the motions for 1965 and 1966 are so numerous that it would take too long to go through them all. In the record of Proceedings, 1964/1965, there are 10 bookmarks that I have inserted into the relevant Hansard book to speak about as illustrations of the necessity for this motion. In the latest Volume, Volume 10, 1965/1966, there are no less than 20 bookmarks that I have inserted as similar illustrations (perhaps members would take them as read).
I am not saying that nothing is done about our motions. If that were so, I, for one, would resign tomorrow. What I am saying is that from the public's point of view so often our motions seem to have no result and it is for this reason particularly that I second the Motion on today's Order Paper; and indeed the second motion on today's Order Paper is to be moved by the Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, as it arises out of the motion that was referred to this Select Committee last month, and that is in effect to make it clear to the public what has happened about that motion. We are the only Council that has elected representation and I submit that it is the duty of all of us, elected, nominated and official, to ensure that the public are kept fully aware of what we are doing and especially the end results of our motions. On these words I second this motion.
MR. WONG:---Mr. Chairman, I would like to point out that in all fairness to the Secretary of this Council, we have always been informed of the progress on the motion which have been passed by this Council within a reasonable period of time, with the exception of two motions, as far as I can recall in recent years, on which no action has been taken.
My vintage on this Council is not as old as the four Members sitting on the other side of this table, but 7 years is a long time, and I can only recall two motions which we passed and on which no action has been taken. One was the adoption of the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future Scope and Operation of the Urban Council. The other was the subject of the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Control of Hotels and Boarding Houses.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
229
In the case of the first motion, as members may recall, it was more of an expression of the aspirations of this Council, inasmuch as it would involve the take-over of many functions of Government now under the purview of other Councils or Departments. I believe progress is being made, and I think a certain period of time has to elapse before we can expect a decision on this motion.
The second motion was similar in nature. I believe Mr. Li Yiu-bor was the Chairman of the Committee on Boarding Houses on which I served. What we were driving at was really moral health rather than physical health. That Report was also adopted by this Council, and no action has been taken. I would suggest that in future we should distinguish between motions which are within the purview of this Council and those which require the consent of other Councils or Departments in the surrendering of their functions. In such cases, some discussion on the subject could well take place in the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. I agree, however, that on the majority of motions which we have passed, and I am very gratified to learn that we have passed so many even before I had the pleasure of being on this Council, that we could well announce to the public what action has been taken. With these remarks I support the motion.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, I would also like to support the motion. There are one or two points I would like to make. One, going back as far as Mr. BERNACCHI went in the history of motions in this Council, I think that we actually have the information here (Dr. BELL referred to the Monthly Report) on what happened to a number of them. In going through the monthly report we do see that something is done. For instance, I suppose inspections was the result or partly the result of the motion to visit shops retailing frozen and chilled confections. I do not know if the public always understand that these things have resulted from motions in the Council, and it is perhaps overall poor public relations in respect of the Council work in general that also ought to be taken into account.
In recent years many motions have unfortunately been sabotaged or messed about, or mucked about I think is the expression that Mr. BERNACCHI used, by being amended this way or that way and sent to Select Committees where very often I think action has been taken, but again it has not been made public. I think Dr. Woo's point in this motion is to make public what has happened as a result of the motion, and what action has been taken, I fully support this. I think it is a
Page 127 of 259
of 259
Page 126 of 259
228
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
the enlargement in the size of the Hawker Control Force. As Chairman of the Hawker Select Committee (not at a public meeting), I was later advised that Government was not prepared to agree to this. What is the use of this Urban Council if the staff on the ground are not sufficient in strength to put into force the directions of Select Committees?
In August 1962, Dr. LEE moved on my behalf that illegal structures which have been there for more than 12 months should not be demolish- ed by the Squatter Control, which was seconded by Dr. BELL (although seriously mucked about by Mr. SALES' amendments). In March 1963, I raised a similar motion which was carried by 11 votes to 7, but at any rate no official statement has been made on this motion. In the same way I had two shots at a motion to get the Urban Services Department staff to clean the communal parts of multi-storeyed build- ings, the second being more successful than the first, but the result has not yet been disclosed, and as Dr. Woo has stated already, nearly every motion that is referred to Select Committees seems to get lost from the public eye including my motion on Simultaneous Translation into English and Chinese. Mr. Chairman, the motions for 1965 and 1966 are so numerous that it would take too long to go through them all. In the record of Proceedings, 1964/1965, there are 10 book marks that I have inserted into the relevant Hansard book to speak about as illustra- tions of the necessity for this motion. In the latest Volume, Volume 10, 1965/1966, there are no less than 20 book marks that I have inserted as similar illustrations (perhaps members would take them as read).
I am not saying that nothing is done about our motions. If that were so, I, for one, would resign to-morrow. What I am saying is that from the public's point of view so often our motions seem to have no result and it is for this reason particularly that I second the Motion on today's Order Paper; and indeed the second motion on today's Order Paper is to be moved by the Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, as it arises out of the motion that was referred to this Select Committee last month, and that is in effect to make it clear to the public what has happened about that motion. We are the only Council that has elected representation and I submit that it is the duty of all of us, elected, nominated and official, to ensure that the public are kept fully aware of what we are doing and especially the end results of our motions. On these words I second this motion.
MR. WONG:---Mr. Chairman, I would like to point out that in all fairness to the Secretary of this Council, we have always been informed of the progress on the motion which have been passed by this Council within a reasonable period of time, with the exception of two motions, as far as I can recall in recent years, on which no action has been taken.
My vintage on this Council is not as sitting on the other side of this table, but 7
old as the four Members years is a long time, and
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
229
I can only recall two motions which we passed and on which no action has been taken. One was the adoption of the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future Scope and Operation of the Urban Council. The other was the subject of the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Control of Hotels and Boarding Houses.
In the case of the first motion, as members may recall, it was more of an expression of the aspirations of this Council, inasmuch as it would involve the take-over of many functions of Government now under the purview of other Councils or Departments. I believe progress is being made, and I think a certain period of time has to elapse before we can expect a decision on this motion.
The second motion was similar in nature. I believe Mr. Li Yiu-bor was the Chairman of the Committee on Boarding Houses on which I served. What we were driving at was really moral health rather than physical health. That Report was also adopted by this Council, and no action has been taken. I would suggest that in future we should distinguish between motions which are within the purview of this Council and those which require the consent of other Councils or Departments in the surrendering of their functions. In such cases, some discussion on the subject could well take place in the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. I agree, however, that on the majority of motions which we have passed, and I am very gratified to learn that we have passed so many even before I had the pleasure of being on this Council, that we could well announce to the public what action has been taken. With these remarks I support the motion.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, I would also like to support the motion. There are one or two points I would like to make. One, going back as far as Mr. BERNACCHI went in the history of motions in this Council, I think that we actually have the information here (Dr. BELL referred to the Monthly Report) on what happened to a number of them. In going through the monthly report we do see that something is done. For instance I suppose inspections was the result or partly the result of the motion to visit shops retailing frozen and chilled confections. I do not know if the public always understand that these things have resulted from motions in the Council, and it is perhaps overall poor public relations in respect of the Council work in general that also ought to be taken into account.
In recent years many motions have unfortunately been sabotaged or messed about, or mucked about I think is the expression that Mr. BERNACCHI used, by being amended this way or that way and sent to Select Committees where very often I think action has been taken, but again it has not been made public. I think Dr. Woo's point in this motion is to make public what has happened as a result of the motion, and what action has been taken, I fully support this. I think it is a
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.