HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. BERNACCHI:-As a supplementary, the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee says that "the short answer to this question is that the staff of the Urban Services Department are responsible for stopping the operation of illegal hawker stalls on Crown Land". Who initiates the action, the staff of the Urban Services Department, the Police or another body?
MR. LOBO:-The staff of the Urban Services Department of course, and only when they are unable to do so then they request police assistance.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a minor supplementary? Would the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee care to say what kind of authority would staff of this Department have over areas other than Crown Land, and, if there is another area, would the Chairman be kind enough to say what kind of area it is?
MR. LOBO:-Sure, public complaints about private land. But normally it is on Crown Land that the staff are concerned with.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Following up on this supplementary, have the staff of the Urban Services Department any authority to stop illegal hawking on private land that is not within the definition of a public open space?
MR. LOBO:-I should have had notice of that; I believe the answer is "no."
(14) MR. D. J. R. BLAKER asked the following question:-
Is the amount of litter on the streets increasing? What steps have been taken to combat this nuisance and have these steps been successful? Has an attempt been made to strike at the root of the problem by reducing the amount of litter being dumped, so as to avoid having to collect even greater quantities from the streets? What further steps are now planned and when will they be implemented?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
The answer to the first part of the question is that generally there has been no appreciable increase in the amount of litter in the streets but as usual, during the months of July to September, some streets are more heavily littered due to the seasonal arrival of large quantities of fruit resulting in an increase in pedlar fruit hawkers.
Steps taken to combat the litter problem are two-fold-by education and prosecution, namely:-
(i) Keep Your District Clean Campaigns
These are carried out periodically on a district basis throughout the year by the Council and the Urban Services Department in conjunction with the City District Offices and the Kaifong Associations. The last such campaign was carried out in the Central District from 5th August to 5th September this year. Extensive anti-litter propaganda was mounted during these campaigns.
(ii) Film Shows
The Health Education Section of the Department maintains a programme of showing anti-litter films to the public in resettlement estates, public parks and playgrounds, community centres three times a week in Kowloon and Hong Kong.
(iii) Anti-litter Squads
Two departmental anti-litter squads are operating in Hong Kong and Kowloon with broadcasting van and loudhailers. They distribute hand-bills to persuade members of the public not to throw litter in public streets and places. They also visit individual flats in multi-storey buildings to ensure that proper dust-bins are provided and to advise occupiers to clear refuse normally found on shades. It has been found that these squads have met with some success in the areas in which they operate, in that there has been a decrease in the amount of litter in the streets with a corresponding increase in the collections made from litter bins.
(iv) Prosecutions
Prosecutions of offenders by summonses for dumping and sweeping litter onto the streets are carried out by the Cleansing Staff throughout the year. In the twelve months up to the end of July 1969, 248 persons were summonsed for the offence. The average fines imposed by the Magistrates range from $5.00 to $10.00. The summonses taken out showed a 150% increase as against the corresponding period
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. BERNACCHI:-As a supplementary, the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee says that "the short answer to this question is that the staff of the Urban Services Department are responsible for stopping the operation of illegal hawker stalls on Crown Land". Who initiates the action, the staff of the Urban Services Department, the Police or another body?
MR. LOBO:-The staff of the Urban Services Department of course, and only when they are unable to do so then they request police assistance.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a minor supple- mentary? Would the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee care to say what kind of authority would staff of this Department have over areas other than Crown Land, and, if there is another area, would the Chairman be kind enough to say what kind of area it is?
MR. LOBO:-Sure, public complaints about private land. But normally it is on Crown Land that the staff are concerned with.
MR. BERNACCHI :-Following up on this supplementary, have the staff of the Urban Services Department any authority to stop illegal hawking on private land that is not within the definition of a public open space?
MR. LOBO:--I should have had notice of that; I believe the answer is "no."
(14) MR. D. J. R. BLAKER asked the following question:-
Is the amount of litter on the streets increasing? What steps have been taken to combat this nuisance and have these steps been successful? Has an attempt been made to strike at the root of the problem by reducing the amount of litter being dumped, so as to avoid having to collect even greater quantities from the streets? What further steps are now planned and when will they be imple- mented?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows: -
The answer to the first part of the question is that generally there has been no appreciable increase in the amount of litter in the streets but as usual, during the months of
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
229
July to September, some streets are more heavily littered due to the seasonal arrival of large quantities of fruit resulting in an increase in pedlar fruit hawkers.
Steps taken to combat the litter problem are two-fold-by
education and prosecution, namely:-
(i) Keep Your District Clean Campaigns
These are carried out periodically on a district basis throughout the year by the Council and the Urban Services Department in conjunction with the City District Offices and the Kaifong Associations. The last such campaign was carried out in the Central District from 5th August to 5th September this year. Extensive anti-litter propaganda was mounted during these campaigns.
(ii) Film Shows
The Health Education Section of the Department maintains a programme of showing anti-litter films to the public in resettlement estates, public parks and playgrounds, community centres three times a week in Kowloon and Hong Kong.
(iii) Anti-litter Squads
Two departmental anti-litter squads are operating in Hong Kong and Kowloon with broadcasting van and loudhailers. They distribute hand-bills to persuade members of the public not to throw litter in public streets and places. They also visit individual flats in multi-storey buildings to ensure that proper dust- bins are provided and to advise occupiers to clear refuse normally found on shades. It has been found that these squads have met with some success in the areas in which they operate, in that there has been a decrease in the amount of litter in the streets with a corresponding increase in the collections made from litter bins.
(iv) Prosecutions
Prosecutions of offenders by summonses for dump- ing and sweeping litter onto the streets are carried out by the Cleansing Staff throughout the year. In the twelve months up to the end of July 1969, 248 persons were summonsed for the offence. The average fines imposed by the Magistrates range from $5.00 to $10.00. The summonses taken out showed a 150% increase as against the corresponding period
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