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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: Yes. I will look into this.

DR. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, complaints were put to me by the doctors in question. I've got a list of sites given to me. They are not occupied, all the doctors are not interested.

COMMISSIONER for ResettleMENT:---Could I have a copy of that statement then please, then I can investigate.

CHAIRMAN:-I think also Dr. Woo, and other Members, if you have a particular complaint to make surely it is better to make it known so that you can get proper answers to your questions.

(7) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-

Could the Chairman inform the Council what progress has been made towards the adoption of a dual-language system in its public meetings and committee meetings? If only little progress has been achieved so far, would the Chair- man inform the Council what are the difficulties? What measures would be taken to implement such scheme in view of the remarks made by the Governor during the Budget Debate this year?

MR. PETER P. K. NG, CHAIRMAN OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION, replied as follows:

This question concerns the introduction of simultaneous trans-

lation in the Council's proceedings.

Members will recall that Mr. Hu asked a similar question to this at the January meeting at which time the then Chair- man of the Sub-Committee on Organization replied that his Sub-Committee had not reached a decision on this question of simultaneous translation.

The Sub-Committee met on the 22nd February and reached a decision that this question of introducing simultaneous translation into the Urban Council is one which should be decided by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. The Sub-Committeee is of the opinion that should the Standing Committee agree to introduce simul- taneous translation, then its introduction should be phased providing initially only for translation of the Council's proceedings in Cantonese for the public. The introduc- tion of any such system is clearly going to cost a consider- able amount of time and effort and will necessarily delay

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the Council's proceedings. However, these are factors which must be accepted if the Council is to proceed with this suggestion.

I am proposing to bring this matter before the Standing Com- mittee next week and have asked the Secretary to place this item on the agenda.

MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I would like Mr. NG to tell me that this similar question which was asked by me at the general meeting, was it January 1968 or January 1967?

MR. NG: Well, Mr. Chairman, as far as I can recall it was January 1968.

MR. HU:-'68 (Laughter) Next, Mr. Chairman, I would ask could Mr. NG tell us what is the attitude of his sub-Committee about this simultaneous translation? Is his sub-Committee in favour of that proposal or against it?

CHAIRMAN:-I think Mr. Hu the question is again slightly outside the terms of your original question and I think you should let the sub- Committee refer this to the Standing Committee-you'll get their opinion then for sure.

MR. HU: Yes, I quite agree Mr. Chairman, but of course this question is of such public importance. I really would like the sub- Committee's Chairman could enlighten us in this public meeting.

CHAIRMAN:-I still consider this would be out of order if it's going to go before the Standing Committee.

MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, this is the same argument put forward by Mr. SALES, I refer to Standing Order 8 (laughter) Section 13. It is a matter arising from the answer given on paper and I am entitled to have it clarified.

CHAIRMAN:

Unfortunately, Mr. Hu, supplementaries must arise out

of the original question and not out of the answers given to that question.

MR. HU-1 think that Standing Order 8, section 13, says that a Member may ask a supplementary question for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact regarding which an answer has been given. This is what I would like. My supplementary, Mr. Chairman, arises from the matters in paragraph 3 of the answer given by Mr. NG.

CHAIRMAN:-If you would complete the Standing Order Mr. Hu, it says that a supplementary question must not be used to introduce matters not included in the original question. (Laughter).