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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of clarification, I am not too sure whether Mr. SALES has a particular instance in mind, but if so, I would be happy to have this discussed at any meeting of the Hawker Policy Select Committee, providing Mr. SALES is present at that meeting.
MR. SALES:--Mr. Chairman, either I shall be present or I shall be represented by other Appointed Members who have brought this matter to my attention.
MR. C. K. CHAN:--Mr. Chairman, if my recollection serves me correct, I think that this matter was brought forward in the Policy Committee meeting, and it was very thoroughly discussed. I remember I myself made the point that sometimes we Urban Councillors—I am not the Councillor concerned—do have our emotions and in some instances we have sympathy for certain citizens by whom we are elected to look after their interests, but I am afraid that Mr. SALES has not been made aware of this thorough discussion. Of course, I am sure that members who were present at that meeting, including myself, would be quite willing to supply Mr. SALES with full information about the discussion on that matter, and I propose that that matter be dropped for the time being.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask a supplementary about a question on the order paper, if I may? The nub of this particular issue seems to have been brought out in Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's reply that the police have other major problems to take care of, but when they can be persuaded to exercise a proper priority, and action is forthcoming, could we have an assurance, Mr. Chairman, that the police will be asked to continue to exercise the priority to keep down these illegalities, whether or not there is a cholera scare on?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, over the last few months the Urban Council, through the Urban Council Policy and Management Committees, has given instructions to the Department to work very closely with the Police, City District Offices, and other departments in having a coherent and co-ordinated hawker policy implemented. I must say that over the last few months it did seem that the Police were showing more enthusiasm in co-operating with the Urban Council. I visualize that over the coming months, when our hawker liaison staff have been sufficiently trained, that we in the Urban Council, through the Department, will be able to co-ordinate even further our hawker policy matters, especially as they apply to action on the ground. It is only when we have had a chance to train the staff, and have that staff in action, that results can be seen.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, you allowed Mr. CHAN to make a statement, and I am grateful for that because it has clarified the position in part. Now, I was aware that it has been discussed, but I am not aware, Mr. Chairman, at least the Appointed Members are not aware, that there has been an undertaking that there will only be one official licensing authority. It would be in the interest of an effective implementation of our hawker policy for the Urban Council itself to exercise this authority through your Department directly.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, as far as the policy is concerned, there is only one licensing authority and that is the Urban Council.
DR. HUANG: Mr. Chairman, Mr. SALES said several times that it is the concern of only Appointed Members. Actually, as an Elected Member, I am also concerned about this, and as soon as this question is brought to the notice of the whole Council, I suppose it would be of more benefit to show the result of their full discussion with other members of the Council.
MR. BERNACCHI:-I agree about this, Mr. Chairman. I do not understand what Mr. SALES is getting at, but he is obviously getting at something or other, and I think it would be to the benefit of the whole Council if the Minutes of the Select Committee are disclosed to the whole Council and that is an end of it.
CHAIRMAN: It would certainly help the procedure of this Council if we remitted the matter to a Select Committee and confined ourselves from now on to questions.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-On the other hand, Mr. Chairman, I do agree with Mr. BERNACCHI. This question has been adequately discussed in the Hawker Policy Committee meeting, but if Minutes of the relevant Hawker Policy Meeting can be circulated to all Members of the Council, it could be left to Mr. SALES, if he wishes to proceed further, to raise it at the future meetings of the Standing Committee of the Whole.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN seems to have overlooked the point that the Appointed Members keep one another very well informed of the proceedings, and when it comes to matters of fundamental policy, these papers ought to be brought to the attention of the Members of the Urban Council who are not Members of a particular Select Committee, and I think what Dr. HUANG and Mr. BERNACCHI have asked for is fully supported by the Appointed Members.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, I support the idea of Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that since some Members will raise the question.
CHAIRMAN:-Mr. CHAN, please. There are so many statements; we must stick to the procedure.
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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of clarification, I am not too sure whether Mr. SALES has a particular instance in mind, but if so, I would be happy to have this discussed at any meeting of the Hawker Policy Select Committee, providing Mr. SALES is present at that meeting.
MR. SALES: --Mr. Chairman, either I shall be present or I shall be represented by other Appointed Members who have brought this matter to my attention.
MR. C. K. CHAN:--Mr. Chairman, if my recollection serves me correct, I think that this matter was brought forward in the Policy Committee meeting, and it was very thoroughly discussed. I remember I myself made the point that sometimes we Urban Councillors I am not the Councillor concerned . . . do have our emotions and in some instances we have sympathy for certain citizens by whom we are elected to look after their interests, but I am afraid that Mr. SALES has not been made aware of this thorough discussion. Of course, I am sure that members who were present at that meeting. including myself, would be quite willing to supply Mr. SALES with full information about the discussion on that matter, and I propose that that matter be dropped for the time being.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask a supple- mentary about a question on the order paper, if I may? The nub of this particular issue seems to have been brought out in Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's reply that the police have other major problems to take care of, but when they can be persuaded to exercise a proper priority, and action is forthcoming, could we have an assurance, Mr. Chairman, that the police will be asked to continue to exercise the priority to keep down these illegalities, whether or not there is a cholera scare on?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, over the last few months the Urban Council, through the Urban Council Policy and Management Committees, has given instructions to the Department to work very closely with the Police, City District Offices and other departments in having a coherent and co-ordinated hawker policy implemented. I must say that over the last few months it did seem that the Police were showing more enthusiasm in co-operating with the Urban Council. I visualize that over the coming months, when our hawker liaison staff have been sufficiently trained, that we in the Urban Council, through the Department, will be able to co-ordinate even further our hawker policy matters, especially as they apply to action on the ground. It is only when we have had a chance to train the staff, and have that staff in action, that results can be seen.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, you allowed Mr. CHAN to make a statement, and I am grateful for that because it has clarified the
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position in part. Now, I was aware that it has been discussed, but I am not aware, Mr. Chairman, at least the Appointed Members are not aware, that there has been an undertaking that there will only be one official licensing authority. It would be in the interest of an effective implementation of our hawker policy for the Urban Council itself to exercise this authority through your Department directly.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, as far as the policy is concerned, there is only one licensing authority and that is the Urban Council.
DR. HUANG: Mr. Chairman, Mr. SALES said several times that it is the concern of only Appointed Members. Actually as an Elected Member, I am also concerned about this, and as soon as this question is brought to the notice of the whole Council I suppose it would be of more benefit to show the result of their full discussion with older members of the Council.
MR. BERNACCHI-I agree about this, Mr. Chairman, I do not understand what Mr. SALES is getting at, but he is obviously getting at something or other, and I think it would be to the benefit of the whole Council if the Minutes of the Select Committee are disclosed to the whole Council and that is an end of it.
CHAIRMAN: It would certainly help the procedure of this Council if we remitted the matter to a Select Committee and confined ourselves from now on to questions.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-On the other hand, Mr. Chairman, I do agree with Mr. BERNACCHI. This question has been adequately discussed in the Hawker Policy Committee meeting, but if Minutes of the relevant Hawker Policy Meeting can be circulated to all Members of the Council, it could be left to Mr. SALES, if he wishes to proceed further, to raise it at the future meetings of the Standing Committee of the Whole.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN seems to have overlooked the point that the Appointed Members keep one another very well informed of the proceedings, and when it comes to matters of fundamental policy these papers ought to be brought to the attention of the Members of the Urban Council who are not Members of a particular Select Committee, and I think what Dr. HUANG and Mr. BERNACCHI have asked for is fully supported by the Appointed Members.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, I support the idea of Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that since some Members will raise the question.
CHAIRMAN:-Mr. CHAN, please. There are so many statements,
we must stick to the procedure.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.