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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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basic material for standard exhibitions and because a request for one additional post of Museum Assistant which is intended to permit the development of this side of the activities of the Museum and Art Gallery has not yet been approved, but is still under consideration in the Secretariat and is the subject of current discussion between the Department and the Finance Branch.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--How long ago is it since the request for one additional post of Museum Assistant was made?

CHAIRMAN: -I believe about one and a half years ago, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Would you be prepared, Sir, to give an assurance to this Council that you will do everything possible to expedite this particular posting?

CHAIRMAN:-Certainly, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.

MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I make a simple request on a very complex subject? (Laughter). Can you assure this Council that in your discussions between your Department and the Finance Branch, about the extension of the education service, that this Education Service is going to be made available to the people of Kowloon as well as to those living on the Island, particularly in view of Mr. CHEONG- LEEN's interest in having a museum on the Island and not located in Kowloon as some members of the Council have suggested? (Laughter).

CHAIRMAN: --Indeed, Mr. Sales.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--With your permission, Mr. Chairman, may I also remind Mr. SALES that I am a Ward Councillor for a Kowloon District.

MR. SALES: -Yes, but in that respect, Mr. Chairman, he has over- looked the interests of Tsim Sha Tsui in advocating the location of the Museum in Victoria, Hong Kong Island.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-If I am not mistaken, correct me, Mr. Chairman, I think Mr. SALES has also given his agreement to a proposal that a seven-storey building be built on the existing City Hall complex to house a new Museum and Art Gallery Building.

(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:

As there were only 24 Child Care Centres with a capacity of only 3,173 places as of February 1970 in our Resettlement

Estates, which have a population of over one million people, what steps are being taken by Government to meet the severe shortage of Child Care Centres?

THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE replied as follows:~~

Sir, this question may be regarded as supplementary to a question (or rather questions) which I answered, or rather you did Sir, on my behalf, since I was in bed with 'flu at the time, at the February meeting of this Council. Indeed, the facts quoted are taken directly from the answer I gave. Since I answered that question, although I am not the Chairman of any Committee of this Council, perhaps it would be as well if I answered this question.

In my previous answer, I explained that child care centres in Resettlement Estates are not restricted to inhabitants of these estates; they are available to anyone, whether they live in the estate or outside. I also made it clear that there are existing vacancies in these centres.

To me, therefore, the question does not arise.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:Mr. Chairman, while there may be vacancies in some of the centres, is it not a fact that in other resettlement estates which are very crowded, there is no such centre?

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:---Mr. Chairman, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN has asked me whether, in estates which are over-crowded, there are no such centres. This may possibly be the case. I would need notice of the question to answer it exactly, but as I think I have already explained, centres in estates are not restricted to people in those estates; similarly centres outside estates are not barred to people inside estates. The question, therefore, is without context.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, from the Director of Social Welfare's wide knowledge of the welfare, facilities in resettlement estates, would he not agree that in practical trends, all the centres in these estates do cater for the children in such resettlement estates?

Berms

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:--I am sorry Sir, I don't understand Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's question. That is my fault.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-The Director of Social Welfare said that these centres are supposedly to cater for children in the estates and outside the estate; well, is it not a fact that in actual practice these centres do cater almost 100%, or even 100% for children who live in the estates?

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:-I am afraid I have no knowledge of the answer to that question.

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