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at before they are more or less laid on the table as today. In this connexion, as Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, I would like to draw to Members' attention that we did consider this in the Policy Committee and it seems to that in consequence a much more clear picture can be presented not only of what we have done but what is being planned. I would like to draw members' attention to page 24, paragraph 140, concerning the rent advance scheme and to stress that this scheme, as it has been working, is not in accordance with the views of the majority of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and I hope there will soon be some review of this scheme that we may hear about.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I on the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee have even more cause to complain against you Mr. Chairman. May I table this blank page 12 which passes for paragraphs 70 to 79 covering the work of the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN: -Dr. BELL, we shall certainly take note of what you say but of course you realize that this Statement was in fact sent out in draft to all members, and we would have been happy to incorporate any improvement you would have liked to make in it before we finalized it.
DR. BELL:—I agree with you, Mr. Chairman, but unfortunately it was not sent out in time for it to be considered at the various committee meetings.
MR. WANG:-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee and as this is the day following April 1st, I would like to stand corrected if I'm wrong, in thinking that this Statement would be equivalent to what I believe to read, the management of the Museum and Art Gallery, public libraries and other cultural services such as the City Hall-will that stand as meaning an indication?
(1) In the absence of MR. HENRY H. L. Hu, MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:-
Is the Chairman aware that the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate is the 2nd largest in Hong Kong comprising more than 80,000 inhabitants? Could measures be taken in order to establish vocational training centre or school there for young people?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
I am not sure what type of vocational training centre Mr. Hu has in mind. Wong Tai Sin Estate has a number of such centres. One is run by the Salvation Army providing instruction in tailoring to young women. Another centre run by the Y.M.C.A. provides classes for tailoring, photography and book-keeping. These centres are designed primarily for young people and together have a capacity of 300. There are also vocational training centres for the physically handicapped, run by the Society for the Blind and the Social Welfare Department.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
At the Wong Tai Sin Community Centre there is a practical training school for young people sponsored by the Christian Churches in Hong Kong. This school runs day and evening classes in electrical engineering, automobile mechanics, bricklaying and plastering, and carpentry and joinery. It is used to its maximum capacity of 500 pupils. The responsibility for planning these facilities lies with the departments more closely concerned and not with the Resettlement Department. However there are, so far as I am aware, no plans for establishing additional centres in this estate.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Are the centres at present established sufficient?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: --It depends on what you mean by sufficient I'm afraid. Are you suggesting that there should be more and of which type?
MR. BERNACCHI:-I am suggesting, or I am asking are there sufficient in view of the original question--80,000 inhabitants and, therefore, a considerable number of children the well-known insufficiency of vocational training centres in Hong Kong as a whole. Is the situation in Wong Tai Sin, the same, namely, that there should and could be more? Or is the situation in Wong Tai Sin an exception in that there are sufficient vocational training centres for the young, so that the young do not necessarily have to go as untrained labourers on to a market that is virtually an employer's market?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I don't think I can answer that question without a good deal of research. My impression is the facilities in Wong Tai Sin compare favourably both with other resettlement estates and certainly with those outside resettlement estates.
(2) In the absence of MR. HENRY H. L. Hu, MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:-
Is the Chairman aware that since February 1967 there has been a suggestion to build a market at the triangular site between Blocks B, C and S in Wong Tai Sin Estate? Could the Chairman please inform the Council if there is any progress on this project?
Page 12 of 243
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Page 12 of 243
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
at before they are more or less laid on the table as today. In this connexion, as Chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, I would like to draw to Members' attention that we did consider this in the Policy Committee and it seems to that in consequence a much more clear picture can be presented not only of what we have done but what is being planned. I would like to draw members' attention to page 24, paragraph 140, concerning the rent advance scheme and to stress that this scheme, as it has been working, is not in accordance with the views of the majority of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and I hope there will soon be some review of this scheme that we may hear about.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, my colleaques and I on the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee have even more cause to complain against you Mr. Chairman. May I table this blank page 12 which passes for paragraphs 70 to 79 covering the work of the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN: -Dr. BELL, we shall certainly take note of what you say but of course you realize that this Statement was in fact sent out in draft to all members, and we would have been happy to incorporate any improvement you would have liked to make in it before we finalized it.
DR. BELL:—I agree with you, Mr. Chairman, but unfortunately it was not sent out in time for it to be considered at the various committee meetings.
MR. WANG:-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee and as this is the day following April 1st, I would like to stand corrected if I'm wrong, in thinking that this State- ment would be equivalent to what I believe to read, the management of the Museum and Art Gallery, public libraries and other cultural services such as the City Hall-will that stand as meaning an indication?
(1) In the absence of MR. HENRY H. L. Hu, MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:-
Is the Chairman aware that the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate is the 2nd largest in Hong Kong comprising more than 80,000 inhabitants? Could measures be taken in order to establish vocational training centre or school there for young people?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows: -
I am not sure what type of vocational training centre Mr. Hu has in mind. Wong Tai Sin Estate has a number of such centres. One is run by the Salvation Army providing instruction in tailoring to young women. Another centre
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
7
run by the Y.M.C.A. provides classes for tailoring, photo- graphy and book-keeping. These centres are designed primarily for young people and together have a capacity of 300. There are also vocational training centres for the physically handicapped, run by the Society for the Blind and the Social Welfare Department.
At the Wong Tai Sin Community Centre there is a practical training school for young people sponsored by the Christian Churches in Hong Kong. This school runs day and evening classes in electrical engineering, automobile mechanics, bricklaying and plastering, and carpentry and joinery. It is used to its maximum capacity of 500 pupils. The responsibility for planning these facilities lies with the departments more closely concerned and not with the Resettlement Department. However there are, so far as I am aware, no plans for establishing additional centres in this estate.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Are the centres at present established sufficient?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: --It depends on what you mean by sufficient I'm afraid. Are you suggesting that there should be more and of which type?
MR. BERNACCHI:-I am suggesting, or I am asking are there sufficient in view of the original question--80,000 inhabitants and, therefore, a considerable number of children the well-known insuffi- ciency of vocational training centres in Hong Kong as a whole. Is the situation in Wong Tai Sin, the same, namely, that there should and could be more? Or is the situation in Wong Tai Sin an exception in that there are sufficient vocational training centres for the young, so that the young do not necessarily have to go as untrained labourers on to a market that is virtually an employer's market?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I don't think I can answer that question without a good deal of research. My impression is the facilities in Wong Tai Sin compare favourably both with other resettle- ment estates and certainly with those outside resettlement estates.
(2) In the absence of MR. HENRY H. L. Hu, MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:-
Is the Chairman aware that since February 1967 there has been a suggestion to build a market at the triangular site between Blocks B, C and S in Wong Tai Sin Estate? Could the Chairman please inform the Council if there is any progress on this project?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.