1970 — Page 48

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. C. K. CHAN:-Yes, thank you very much. I remember that I have read this provisional paper, but as soon as more concrete results are ready we will be happy to know. I would be very grateful if you could send me the paper.

COMMISSIONER for ResettlEMENT:-Certainly, I will do so.

(8) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-

Is the Chairman aware that during the beginning of the second week of May, shortly after the May Meeting of the Council, there was a joint meeting of nearly all the hawker associations in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories to discuss the change of Policy concerning the hawker matters of the Council? In the meeting, the representa- tives of all the hawker associations expressed their surprise that without any notice to hawkers there has been a great change of our hawker policy such as the question concerning succession of cooked food stalls and fixed pitches as well as questions concerning the cancellation of hawker licences and the distributions of the hawkers' stalls, etc. They claimed that they are entitled to be informed of such important changes concerning the hawker Policy, but no such information was given to them. Could the Chairman inform the Council whether the Hawker Associations assertions are true or not? If so, who decided the change of Policy? Why were they not informed or consulted? What are the differences between the past policies and the present ones concerning the above matters?

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER POLICY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-

I had read in the Chinese Press of the joint meeting of several hawkers associations to which Mr. Hu refers. A number of hawkers also spoke to me on this subject.

The revised hawker policy was decided by the Hawker Policy Select Committee and endorsed by the Urban Council Standing Committee in early 1969.

A statement of the basic principles of the New Hawker Policy was released to the public through the press on 6th May 1969.

The basic principles of the revised policy are now being implemented. However, variations or adjustments to the Policy can and will be decided upon by the Hawker Policy

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Committee in the light of experience and practical difficulties encountered by the Hawker Management Select Committee and the Urban Services Department.

A detailed survey of the number of hawkers of all types is about to be completed. The findings of the detailed survey will be put before the Hawker Policy Select Committee as soon as possible to review whether any further policy changes are needed. After this has been done, it will be possible to release to the public and to hawker associations a more detailed report on the Revised Hawker Policy.

On the question of succession of cooked food stalls and fixed pitch stalls, the Hawker Policy Committee decided three months ago that there should in future be no automatic succession as of right to any hawker stall; where a licensee died the dependents or family should be con- sidered by the Social Welfare Department in relation to other Social Welfare cases and only in exceptional and deserving circumstances should succession be allowed.

Following discussions in the 2nd week of May with the Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee and senior members of the U.S.D., it was agreed that a Committee paper be prepared, setting out specifically what constitutes "exceptional and deserving circumstances". This Committee paper will very soon be circulated to members of the Hawker Policy Committee for discussion at a meeting to be held this month.

MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. CHEONG-LEEN for his answer, but I am sorry to say that a lot of my original question has not been answered, so I will put the question again to be answered now. The first question I would put is that could the Chairman inform the Council whether the hawkers associations' assertions are true or not, i.e. their assertion being that they were not consulted on the change of important hawker policy, nor were they informed. Is that assertion true?

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, as I explained in the reply, the policy is under continuous review, and variations or adjustments to the policy take place in the light of experience of the Management Select Committee and Urban Services Department. As such policy is implemented, it is made known to the licensees concerned and, as such, it is brought to the attention of the hawker's associations. I think this has worked in the past, and I see no reason why it shouldn't continue to do so in the future.