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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

that hawkers who are re-located within new markets should be given protection against unfair competition by illegal hawkers. It is hoped that the Department will persevere in its efforts to keep the situation

in hand.

With the introduction of the new hawker legislation, it is hoped to produce an illustrated pamphlet outlining a basic code of behaviour for hawkers. These pamphlets will be widely distributed to hawkers. The pamphlet will mention among other things that by keeping their pitches and stalls clean and tidy, hawkers will be able to attract better business.

On 7th June, a visit was made to the Mong Kok Hawker Liaison Unit to inspect the problems on the ground. Mong Kok has a popula- tion of approximately 250,000 and there are about 8,000 hawkers in the district, which is a ratio of one hawker for every 32 persons living in Mong Kok. The Department is considering the preparation of a medium-term plan for the Hawkers in Mong Kok district which will later on be presented to the Hawkers Select Committee. If appropriate channels are available, it is also hoped to sound out the views of residents in the area on this medium-term plan. Similar visits are envisaged for the other Hawker Liaison districts in the urban area.

MR. A. de O. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I am sorry that my Friend and colleague, the Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, did not express the hope that you would also lend yourself to be photographed with lady hawkers in the same way as you did with the shapely lady lifeguards last Sunday.

QUESTIONS

(1) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:

(a) Will the Commissioner for Resettlement please state the number of people he estimates are awaiting resettlement in each of the eight categories?

(b) When does he expect that they will be resettled at the present rate of construction of resettlement and low-cost housing?

MR. PETER C. K. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-

I assume that this question reflects a wish to know by how much this Council's commitment for managing urban resettlement estates is likely to expand in the years ahead. On this basis, the answer is, very little, for two reasons; firstly, most new estates are being built in the New

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Territories and will thus not be this Council's responsi- bility; secondly, the trend is for new estates to be handed over to the Housing Authority, of which we are ex-officio members.

As to numbers of persons "awaiting" resettlement, a large part of our quotas is for persons who may at some future date need to be rehoused, e.g. compassionate cases, ex-tenants of dangerous buildings, or those who are already housed in our estates but are seeking more space.

But taking the question as referring to squatters and families living in similar conditions, that is, in Licensed Areas, the answer is that there are some 314,000 persons in this category. Our various quotas affecting these groups (such as victims of fire and natural disaster; development clear- ances and turnover of Licensed Areas) add up to about 40,000 persons a year. At first sight it would appear that But to rehouse them all would take about eight years.

it is not as simple as that, because some of these squatter and Licensed Areas are occupying land not required for development within the foreseeable future, and with the gradual integration of Resettlement and Low-Cost Housing this will pose a straight conflict of priorities as between people living in spartan conditions in huts on the one hand and Waiting List applicants, living in thoroughly un- pleasant conditions in privately-owned buildings, on the other. It should also be remembered that there are some 12,000 new admissions to Licensed Areas each year.

MR. A. de O. SALES: -On a point of clarification, Mr. Chairman, there is no good reason for the Chairman of the Resettlement Select Committee to make the assumption that he did. I wanted simply facts and figures, and I asked for figures in respect of each of eight categories. I do not recall that I got all the information that I wanted for the purpose that I set out to achieve, and I would like this question to be answered in writing to me with the details that I called for in the original question before this Council.

MR. CHAN:-This will be done.

MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, does the Chairman of the Resettlement Committee really mean that persons living in Class II Licensed areas in Chai Wan, Mt. Davis and other licensed areas on Hong Kong Island will have to be resettled in the New Territories. Does he really mean that?

MR. CHAN:-Well, there is such a possibility unless the Govern- ment provides us with more land in the Urban area to build more