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of the knowledge and experience of both departments. In the event of physical resistance being encountered on occasions when, as sometimes happens, Police assistance has not been requested, the Resettlement Officer or his subordinate officer in charge of the demolition, has the discretion to withdraw from the demolition operation for the time being, so as to avoid violence. This arrangement has so far proved to be satisfactory.

Estate demolitions inside estates are a daily occurrence and since 1969 Tidiness Teams of 20 men each, now numbering 11, have been employed for this purpose. During large-scale operations, roughly one per month, Police protection is always requested and supplied. However, it is not possible for each individual team to be so protected during small-scale operations throughout the 23 estates as this would tie up a considerable number of Police personnel. It is also not possible to supply protection to the 500 or so Resettlement Officers, Assistant Resettlement Officers and Resettlement Assistants during the course of their daily duties as this would require a constant Police presence throughout the 500 blocks which compose our resettlement estates.

Although there are exceptions, Hong Kong people are, in general, reasonable and peace-loving. I wish to emphasize that only in a quite small proportion of our total number of operations is the possibility of violence judged to exist and a Police presence thought to be needed. It would, I believe, be unwise to contradict this known situation by seeking Police protection on a universal basis, as this would be to suggest that violence in opposition to the department's lawful activities was regarded as normal and to be expected. Members may be interested to learn that over the past 11 months, the department has been involved in 74 large-scale planned clearances, in 65 of which Police support was arranged. However, in such operations Police support is normally arranged simply because of their scale. In the estates operations, which are very much more an everyday occurrence, no fewer than 7,073 operations were carried out over the same period. In only 55 of these was Police assistance asked for. The comparative figures for our squatter control activities were 3,015, with a Police presence in 582 of these operations.

While not wishing to minimize the seriousness of the recent assaults against Resettlement Department staff nor the need to ensure their security from such acts of violence, I think it important for all of us to realize that these incidents are not at all representative of the overall situation.

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need to ensure their security from such acts of violence, I think it important for all of us to realize that these incidents are not at all representative of the overall situation.

Sir, as this is my last day as Commissioner for Resettlement I think that this reply, particularly in view of the subject matter it deals with, affords me a suitable opportunity to express my very warm appreciation of the excellent support I have enjoyed from all sections of the staff of the Resettlement Department during the period of 11 months that I have served as Commissioner for Resettlement. The staff is a very large one, numbering about 5 thousand in all, and the duties they have to perform are multifarious, exacting and at times, as we are all aware, far from popular. Their duties, moreover, have to be performed without fear or favour. Mr. Chairman, I am sorry to be adding these remarks to the printed reply already supplied to Members of the Urban Council, but I crave your and their indulgence in this regard because of the appropriateness of the opportunity for thus paying my personal tribute and expressing my thanks to all members of the staff of the Resettlement Department. I commend them wholeheartedly and unreservedly for their outstanding devotion to their difficult duties and wish them well for the future.

MR. FORSGATE:- Mr. Chairman, I am most grateful to the Commissioner for Resettlement for this very informative reply. In fact his cracking up his staff rather took the words out of my own mouth, but I really wish to join myself with that but could he assure this Council that the staff are equally happy with the arrangements which he has carefully outlined in this paper?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- The matter has been the subject of discussion in three successive long drawn-out discussions, negotiations with the staff associations over the past two weeks. I assure Mr. FORSGATE that we are working and the arrangements are mutually satisfactory.

(2) MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE asked the following question:-

Will the Chairman explain to this Council, steps taken to support the staff of the Urban Services Department when implementing the policy of this Council towards both licensed and unlicensed hawkers?

MR. R. H. LOBO, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows :-

Implementation of the policy towards licensed and unlicensed hawkers consists largely of hawker operations to tidy up streets and public places and day-to-day hawker control.

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