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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-In other words then the other 200,000 squatters are on land which will not be required for development within the next five years?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-According to the estimate, that is correct, Sir.
MR. SALES:-Sir, does the figure of 330,000 include the 125,000 on the Island about whom the Commissioner spoke at a meeting two months ago?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Yes.
MR. SALES:-And these 125,000, the Commissioner told us at the time, do not stand in line for resettlement. Is that still correct?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am getting confused with all this reference to this 100,000, this 125,000. I gather Mr. SALES is referring to all the squatters on Hong Kong Island of whom some of them will fall within the programme, some will not.
MR. SALES:-What is the proportion that will not be accommodated under the programme that the Commissioner contemplates?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am afraid I cannot answer that without notice.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, may that information be given to the Council and also a statement as to what Government expects to do with the squatters who do not stand in line for resettlement under his programme?
MR. BERNACCHI:-Is not the ultimate aim of the resettlement programme to clear all squatters arising originally out of the disastrous Shek Kip Mei fire?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am not sure that I can answer that. All I can say, Mr. Chairman, is that under the present policy all squatters are not included as eligible for resettlement.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Surely, Mr. Chairman, that is the reason for the word "priorities", otherwise the word "priorities" has no meaning that squatters on land that is wanted by Government for development have priority of clearance?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I think we are getting rather philosophical about this, Mr. Chairman. All I can say is that at the moment we are operating on the various priority categories, and that is as far as we have got so far.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Thank you.
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(7) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
I have received complaints from a number of residents to the effect that the cloth towels in the toilets of many restaurants are kept in a filthy condition and are not changed daily; can the Chairman advise this Council whether the Urban Services Department has given any consideration to requiring all restaurants and cafes to use only paper napkins, roller towels or electric hand-dryers instead of cloth towels, as a further means to improve public health conditions in the toilets of restaurants?
MR. KENNETH T. C. LO, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD AND FOOD PREMISES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
This is a matter which has been given serious thought on many occasions over a long period. It was, in fact, raised by Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN himself when he was Chairman of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee back in 1961. At that time the Health Staff of the Department was asked to look into the matter, but they concluded that the majority of the cheaper restaurants would not be able to afford paper towels or electric hand-dryers. This would be particularly so in the case of paper towels as many members of the public have a habit of removing a stock for their own personal use at home. The roller type towel was also considered, but unless these are changed regularly they can become as filthy as individual towels. It was, therefore, decided at the time that the solution was to encourage licensees to provide clean towels, and one method of doing this was to include the subject in the lectures which the Department gives to food-handlers. These lectures still continue and the need for providing clean towels is still being impressed on food-handlers. Improvements will be achieved more readily by encouraging the staff and customers of restaurants to adopt cleaner habits than by imposing further conditions on licensees.
This whole question was reconsidered by the Health Staff as recently as October of this year, and the position does not appear to have changed. Nevertheless, I agree that the facilities provided in the toilets of some restaurants leave a lot to be desired, and I would like to raise the matter again in my Select Committee to see if anything more can be done to improve the situation.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, Mr. Lo made reference to the fact that I raised this question when I was Chairman of the Food
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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-In other words then the other 200,000 squatters are on land which will not be required for development within the next five years?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-According to the estimate, that is correct, Sir.
MR. SALES-Sir, does the figure of 330,000 include the 125,000 on the Island about whom the Commissioner spoke at a meeting two months ago?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Yes.
MR. SALES:And these 125,000, the Commissioner told us at the time, do not stand in line for resettlement. Is that still correct?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am getting confused with all this reference to this 100,000, this 125,000. I gather Mr. SALES is referring to all the squatters on Hong Kong Island of whom some of them will fall within the programme, some will not.
MR. SALES: What is the proportion that will not be accom- modated under the programme that the Commissioner contemplates?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am afraid I cannot answer that without notice.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, may that information be given to the Council and also a statement as to what Government expects to do with the squatters who do not stand in line for resettlement under his programme?
MR. BERNACCHI:--Is not the ultimate aim of the resettlement programme to clear all squatters arising originally out of the disastrous Shek Kip Mei fire?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: —I am not sure that I can answer that. All I can say, Mr. Chairman, is that under the present policy all squatters are not included as eligible for resettlement.
MR. BERNACCHI: Surely, Mr. Chairman, that is the reason for the word "priorities", otherwise the word "priorities" has no meaning that squatters on land that is wanted by Government for development have priority of clearance?
COMMISSIONER for ResettlemeNT:-I think we are getting rather philosophical about this, Mr. Chairman. All I can say is that at the moment we are operating on the various priority categories, and that is as far as we have got so far.
MR. BERNACCHI :-Thank you.
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(7) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
I have received complaints from a number of residents to the effect that the cloth towels in the toilets of many restaurants are kept in a filthy condition and are not changed daily; can the Chairman advise this Council whether the Urban Services Department has given any consideration to requiring all restaurants and cafes to use only paper napkins, roller towels or electric hand- dryers instead of cloth towels, as a further means to improve public health conditions in the toilets of restaurants?
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD AND FOOD PREMISES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
This is a matter which has been given serious thought on many occasions over a long period. It was, in fact, raised by Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN himself when he was Chairman of the Food and Food Premises Select Com- mittee back in 1961. At that time the Health Staff of the Department was asked to look into the matter, but they concluded that the majority of the cheaper restau- rants would not be able to afford paper towels or electric hand-dryers. This would be particularly so in the case of paper towels as many members of the public have a habit of removing a stock for their own personal use at home. The roller type towel was also considered, but unless these are changed regularly they can become as filthy as individual towels. It was, therefore, decided at the time that the solution was to encourage licensees to provide clean towels, and one method of doing this was to include the subject in the lectures which the Department gives to food-handlers. These lectures still continue and the need for providing clean towels is still being impressed on food-handlers. Improvements will be achieved more readily by encouraging the staff and customers of restaurants to adopt cleaner habits than by imposing further conditions on licensees.
This whole question was reconsidered by the Health Staff as recently as October of this year, and the position does not appear to have changed. Nevertheless, I agree that the facilities provided in the toilets of some restaurants leave a lot to be desired, and I would like to raise the matter again in my Select Committee to see if anything more can be done to improve the situation.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, Mr. Lo made reference to the fact that I raised this question when I was Chairman of the Food
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