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April. This referred to the lack of replies and action, and I hope that my reply today has gone some way to clarify matters. Perhaps after this meeting, Mrs. ELLIOTT might be good enough to show me the letters which she claims remain unanswered and I shall look further into the matter.
But to reply to the question before us. If any member is unable to obtain replies to correspondence addressed to departmental officers or is dissatisfied in any way with action taken or not taken by such officers, I would have thought that even the most inexperienced member would know that the next step would be to check the facts again and then immediately get in touch direct with the Departmental Head concerned. This must result in a check being made into the situation and the member being informed of how matters stand. And if it doesn't, there is always recourse to the Colonial Secretary.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, in clarification I would like to mention that I noticed that my typist made the mistake of putting the 21st March instead of the 21st April. Apart from that, I am not aware that she missed out any references and I have nothing more to say on this matter. I am just disgusted with the whole thing and the explanation doesn't satisfy me.
(3) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
With the approach of the summer months and bearing in mind the need to safeguard against the possibility of cholera infection being transmitted to the public through illegal food hawkers, can the Chairman advise whether the Central Government has finally made up its mind to provide the additional staff and other resources requested by this Council since about nine months ago in order to implement the Council's hawker policy in urban areas and in resettlement estates?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
As I informed Members at the April meeting, the Council's Hawker Policy is about to be put to the Governor-in-Council for endorsement. When and if it is endorsed, immediate application or reapplication will be made for the necessary funds for the provision of staff, land, vehicles, etc. In the meantime the Department is doing all it can with the limited resources available.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
61
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Speaking in terms of weeks, Mr. Chairman, what is meant by "about to be put"?
CHAIRMAN: This month, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Are you sure?
CHAIRMAN:-I am.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --Thank you.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN arrived at this point).
(4) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
To what extent is pork, beef and other kinds of meat that is not inspected by the Urban Council being sold on the local market through unlicensed hawkers and other sources? What proportion of this meat is diseased, and what steps are being taken by the Urban Services Department to protect public health in this respect? Are such steps sufficiently effective to sizeably reduce the quantity of diseased meat being offered for sale by illegal hawkers and other sources during the coming summer months?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The majority of illegal food hawkers obtain meat through sources supplied by the abattoirs. It can, therefore, be assumed that most of the meat sold by such hawkers has been properly inspected at the time of slaughtering and is not diseased. The real danger to which the public is exposed when purchasing meat from hawkers is from contamination and decomposition as hawkers do not have the facilities to cover the meat properly or to chill or freeze it and its condition therefore rapidly deteriorates.
With the limited resources available, the Urban Services Department is doing all it can to prevent hawkers selling meat and other foods which can become dangerous if not kept under proper conditions. Last year, 18,170 catties of food-for-man were seized from illegal hawkers. More than 80% of this was found to be unfit for human consumption because of decomposition, etc.
The action taken by the Department is not sufficient to prevent this illegal but very profitable trade as the present manpower is inadequate to cover the ground more thoroughly. I can only take this opportunity to warn members of the
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Page 40 of 242
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
April. This referred to the lack of replies and action, and I hope that my reply today has gone some way to clarify matters. Perhaps after this meeting, Mrs. ELLIOTT might be good enough to show me the letters which she claims remain unanswered and I shall look further into the matter.
But to reply to the question before us. If any member is unable to obtain replies to correspondence addressed to departmental officers or is dissatisfied in any way with action taken or not taken by such officers, I would have thought that even the most inexperienced member would know that the next step would be to check the facts again and then immediately get in touch direct with the Departmental Head concerned. This must result in a check being made into the situation and the member being informed of how matters stand. And if it doesn't, there is always recourse to the Colonial Secretary.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, in clarification I would like to mention that I noticed that my typist made the mistake of putting the 21st March instead of the 21st April. Apart from that, I am not aware that she missed out any references and I have nothing more to say on this matter. I am just disgusted with the whole thing and the explana- tion doesn't satisfy me.
(3) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
With the approach of the summer months and bearing in mind the need to safeguard against the possibility of cholera infection being transmitted to the public through illegal food hawkers, can the Chairman advise whether the Central Government has finally made up its mind to provide the additional staff and other resources requested by this Council since about nine months ago in order to implement the Council's hawker policy in urban areas and in resettlement estates?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
As I informed Members at the April meeting, the Council's Hawker Policy is about to be put to the Governor-in- Council for endorsement. When and if it is endorsed, immediate application or reapplication will be made for the necessary funds for the provision of staff, land, vehicles, etc. In the meantime the Department is doing all it can with the limited resources available.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
61
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Speaking in terms of weeks, Mr. Chairman, what is meant by "about to be put"?
CHAIRMAN: This month, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Are you sure?
CHAIRMAN:-I am.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --Thank you.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN arrived at this point).
(4) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
To what extent is pork, beef and other kinds of meat that is not inspected by the Urban Council being sold on the local market through unlicensed hawkers and other sources? What proportion of this meat is diseased, and what steps are being taken by the Urban Services Depart- ment to protect public health in this respect? Are such steps sufficiently effective to sizeably reduce the quantity of diseased meat being offered for sale by illegal hawkers and other sources during the coming summer months?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The majority of illegal food hawkers obtain meat through sources supplied by the abattoirs. It can, therefore, be assumed that most of the meat sold by such hawkers has been properly inspected at the time of slaughtering and is not diseased. The real danger to which the public is exposed when purchasing meat from hawkers is from contamination and decomposition as hawkers do not have the facilities to cover the meat properly or to chill or freeze it and its condition therefore rapidly deteriorates.
With the limited resources available, the Urban Services Depart- ment is doing all it can to prevent hawkers selling meat and other foods which can become dangerous if not kept under proper conditions. Last year, 18,170 catties of food-for-man were seized from illegal hawkers. More than 80% of this was found to be unfit for human con- sumption because of decomposition, etc.
The action taken by the Department is not sufficient to prevent this illegal but very profitable trade as the present man- power is inadequate to cover the ground more thoroughly. I can only take this opportunity to warn members of the
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