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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN:-I must rule that out of order.

MR. SALES: ---But this arises out of the second paragraph. Are you suggesting too, Sir, that the decisions of the Executive Council are to be interpreted by this Council as the law of the Medes and Persians?

CHAIRMAN: Not at all, but your question does not arise out of the original question.

MR. SALES: -No, but it is in elaboration of your main answer to my question and if you will check Standing Order 8, section 12, you'll find that I am entitled to an explanation. All I ask you is to confirm whether any decision of the Executive Council is not subject to change upon re-consideration. I could cite an example. For instance, the devaluation and revaluation of the Hong Kong dollar, this is of recent vintage. Surely, in the matter of Whitfield Barracks, which is presum- ably of equal concern to posterity, the Executive Council could have second thoughts on the subject?

CHAIRMAN:-I assure you Mr. SALES, that both the Town Planning Board and the Executive Council have taken the views of this Council into consideration on this plan.

MR. SALES:-Thank you very much for that assurance.

(6) DR. P. F. Woo asked the following question :

Doctors operating clinics in Resettlement Estates have com- plained that the premises provided are unsuitable for the use as clinics. Would the Commissioner for Resettlement examine the situation and allocate premises which are away from any public convenience and are easily accessi- ble by the settlers?

MR. LI YIU-BOR, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:

This question asks whether the premises allocated for use as clinics in resettlement estates are suitable, by which I understand Dr. Woo to be referring to their accessibility to the public, but not to the public convenience.

In the old estates we have of necessity used whatever units were available, but in new estates we do try to give the clinic a good position. Normally they are given 4 units plus the corridor on the ground floor at the end of a block.

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I know of no complaints made on the allocation of sites for clinics but if Dr. Woo can give me more details of the particular clinic or problem he has in mind I will be glad to investigate further.

DR. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, I don't think my friend Mr. Li under- stood fully my question but I don't like to question him on that. May I ask the Commissioner whether all the premises allocated as clinics are all taken up by doctors at present?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I think I would like to have notice of that question. There is always a certain time lag between allocation and the clinics being set up. But I take it that what you mean is that the premises have been allocated some time ago and have still not been taken up. This is a difficult question, I'm afraid I can't answer it without notice.

He DR. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, may I refer it back to Dr. WYILE. mentioned that in the April meeting clinics are to be opened in the next few weeks. May I ask you, Sir, whether these 8 clinics are now in full operation?

CHAIRMAN:-This is rather outside the scope of the original question. The Commissioner for Resettlement is only doing his best in answering you, you can't expect a full answer I don't think Dr. Woo- DR. Woo:-I am referring to the clinics in operation because Mr. LI told me no complaints had been received in regard to the sites.

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, may I say that the question seems to refer to complaints about the allocation of sites, not being suitable sites. The question Dr. Woo is asking now is whether in fact they've been taken up by the doctors, which I think is a separate matter altogether.

DR. WOO:-Yes, but I'm coming back to my second supplementary question. Dr. WYILE told us in the April meeting, told Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that there will be 8 clinics in operation in the next few weeks, but may I ask the Commissioner to confirm this, that out of these 8 clinics 6 have withdrawn after paying the rent because the premises are not suitable. Can he confirm that?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am afraid I can neither confirm nor deny it-I simply don't know Mr. Chairman.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, with your permission, while

it may be slightly away from the original question, could this matter be looked into by the acting Deputy Chairman and a reply to be given in writing to Dr. Woo?

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