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the money to increase cleansing staff and equipment to such a degree that the city would be as free of litter as we would hope it to be if we were to run a successful campaign.
Mr. Lo suggests that the present "Keep Your District Clean" campaigns be changed to a "Keep Hong Kong Clean" campaign. The present title was introduced in 1964 on the suggestion of a Councillor who pointed out that the "Keep Your City Clean" campaign covered too wide an area and would be more effective if the campaign were focussed on a limited area, district by district, throughout the year. This enables the Department to concentrate its resources on particular districts, and the present practice was approved by the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee in August, 1964. I will refer Mr. Lo's proposal to the Committee for further consideration.
Litter throwing is always a problem in any community. When I was last in Switzerland, which seems to have less of a problem than most places, I watched a little girl, only just old enough to toddle, being given a sweet by her mother, and, without any prompting, toddle some 30 yards to put the wrapper in a litter-bin. The problem is how we are brought up to behave.
That, Mr. Chairman, is all I have to say regarding food hygiene and environmental sanitation.
Both Mrs. ELLIOTT and Dr. HUANG spoke about the "doctor shortage". Though I do not propose to go into statistical detail in this speech I can assure Dr. HUANG that the Medical and Health Department does not "feed the public with misleading information" on the matter, as he seems to think. Steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, to alleviate the shortage of doctors in the Government service. Recently more favourable conditions of service have been introduced for both male and female doctors as the result of the recommendations of the Committee to Review the Doctor Problem in the Hong Kong Government. Recruitment, with fair success, is being undertaken in places outside Hong Kong, and we can soon expect an increased output of medical graduates from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong with a consequential increase in the intake to the public service.
I thank Dr. HUANG for the many other suggestions which he has made. I can only say that these matters, where they have not already been implemented, are being studied and considered by Government. Before closing I should like to assure him that the "medical authorities", as he puts it, have not lost "the battle with the Financial Secretary for equal pay for all nursing staff". No battle has been lost or won, or even joined. The question of the appropriate level of remuneration of the nursing staff has been and is still being carefully examined.
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With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support the Motion before the Council. (Applause).
SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS: -Mr. Chairman, I would like first to say a few words about the C.D.O. organization in response to references earlier in this debate.
In the many public statements I have made about this I think I have probably had to say more about what the C.D.Os. do not attempt to do, and are not intended to do, than about what their duties are and what the purpose of the scheme is. My remarks today will be no exception.
It may be true, as Mr. Hu has suggested, that the C.D.Os. could to some extent undertake the tasks which this Council's Ward System sets out to do; it may be, as Mr. Hu and Mr. RAFEEK have implied, that the C.D.O. organization would be useful as it stands to an Ombudsman if such an institution were set up; but the fact is that these are not duties which the C.D.Os. carry out today, or for which they are intended. These C.D.Os. are an integral part of the existing public service, of the existing Government organization, and if they were to be taken away from their present duties and charged with some of the other responsibilities which are so often attributed to them, then I should find it necessary to start all over again and build the organization up afresh in order to carry out the tasks for which my department is already responsible. The aim of the scheme is, as I stated in a report published at the beginning of this year, "to superimpose on the functionally organized executive departments a geographically based advisory and co-ordinating organization in order to strengthen the Government's ability to give everyone a fair hearing and a fair share of the services which the community can afford." We are glad to be praised if we are thought to deserve it, and we are happy to be blamed for our shortcomings, for this helps us to correct them. But we hope that both praise and blame may be set into the context of our true aims and purpose and it is in that hope that I have once again re-stated these today.
I turn now, Sir, to multi-storey buildings. In the course of last year's debate I took the opportunity, in replying to points made by Dr. Alison BELL and by Mr. Kenneth Lo, to outline the history and progress relating to the difficult problem of multi-storey building management. This year more than one Member has understandably returned to this important subject. The Director of Public Works has already spoken about the water-supply problems that arise in multi-storey buildings, and I propose to confine myself to informing Council very briefly of the progress made with the preparation of the legislation to which I referred last year.
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the money to increase cleansing staff and equipment to such a degree that the city would be as free of litter as we would hope it to be if we were to run a successful campaign.
Mr. Lo suggests that the present "Keep Your District Clean" campaigns be changed to a "Keep Hong Kong Clean" campaign. The present title was introduced in 1964 on the suggestion of a Councillor who pointed out that the "Keep Your City Clean" campaign covered too wide an area and would be more effective if the campaign were focussed on a limited area, district by district, throughout the year. This enables the Department to concentrate its resources on particular districts, and the present practice was approved by the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee in August, 1964. I will refer Mr. Lo's proposal to the Committee for further consideration.
Litter throwing is always a problem in any community. When I was last in Switzerland, which seems to have less of a problem than most places, I watched a little girl, only just old enough to toddle, being given a sweet by her mother, and, without any prompting, toddle some 30 yards to put the wrapper in a litter-bin. The problem is how we are brought up to behave.
That, Mr. Chairman, is all I have to say regarding food hygiene and environmental sanitation.
Both Mrs. ELLIOTT and Dr. HUANG spoke about the "doctor shortage". Though I do not propose to go into statistical detail in this speech I can assure Dr. HUANG that the Medical and Health Department does not "feed the public with misleading information" on the matter, as he seems to think. Steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, to alleviate the shortage of doctors in the Government service. Recently more favourable conditions of service have been introduced for both male and female doctors as the result of the recommendations of the Committee to Review the Doctor Problem in the Hong Kong Government. Recruitment, with fair success, is being undertaken in places outside Hong Kong, and we can soon expect an increased output of medical graduates from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong with a consequential increase in the intake to the public service.
I thank Dr. HUANG for the many other suggestions which he has made. I can only say that these matters, where they have not already been implemented, are being studied and considered by Government. Before closing I should like to assure him that the "medical authorities", as he puts it, have not lost "the battle with the Financial Secretary for equal pay for all nursing staff". No battle has been lost or won, or even joined. The question of the appropriate level of remuneration of the nursing staff has been and is still being carefully examined.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
369
With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support the Motion before the Council. (Applause).
SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS: -Mr. Chairman, I would like first to say a few words about the C.D.O. organization in response to references earlier in this debate.
In the many public statements I have made about this I think I have probably had to say more about what the C.D.Os. do not attempt to do, and are not intended to do, than about what their duties are and what the purpose of the scheme is. My remarks today will be no exception.
It may be true, as Mr. Hu has suggested, that the C.D.Os. could to some extent undertake the tasks which this Council's Ward System sets out to do; it may be, as Mr. Hu and Mr. RAFEEK have implied, that the C.D.O. organization would be useful as it stands to an Ombudsman if such an institution were set up; but the fact is that these are not duties which the C.D.OS. carry out today, or for which they are intended. These C.D.Os. are an integral part of the existing public service, of the existing Government organization, and if they were to be taken away from their present duties and charged with some of the other responsibilities which are so often attributed to them, then I should find it necessary to start all over again and build the organiza- tion up afresh in order to carry out the tasks for which my department is already responsible. The aim of the scheme is, as I stated in a report published at the beginning of this year, "to superimpose on the functionally organized executive departments a geographically based advisory and co-ordinating organization in order to strengthen the Government's ability to give everyone a fair hearing and a fair share of the services which the community can afford." We are glad to be praised if we are thought to deserve it, and we are happy to be blamed for our shortcomings, for this helps us to correct them. But we hope that both praise and blame may be set into the context of our true aims and purpose and it is in that hope that I have once again re-stated these today.
I turn now, Sir, to multi-storey buildings. In the course of last year's debate I took the opportunity, in replying to points made by Dr. Alison BELL and by Mr. Kenneth Lo, to outline the history and progress relating to the difficult problem of multi-storey building management. This year more than one Member has understandably returned to this important subject. The Director of Public Works has already spoken about the water-supply problems that arise in multi-storey buildings, and I propose to confine myself to informing Council very briefly of the progress made with the preparation of the legislation to which I referred last year.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.