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examination any rodents found dead or sick when this might reasonably be due to disease.
(5) MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese):
Would it be possible to give written notice to those hawkers whose licences have just expired informing them of their obligation to renew their licences?
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, replied as follows (in English):
Mr. Chairman, the short answer to the question is yes, it would be possible, although it would not be practicable.
With over 30,000 licensed hawkers in the urban area the institution of a procedure such as Miss YEUNG suggests would place an additional burden on the Department's hawker licensing staff, indeed, it would almost certainly necessitate a need either for a temporary increase in staff or, more likely, increased overtime working over that period each year when licences fall due for renewal. Either way, there would result an increase in annual expenditure by the Council in furtherance of licence renewals, the onus for which can only rest with the individual licensee.
There is an additional aspect; as Miss YEUNG will already know it is established policy that any hawker licences can be renewed up to two months before its expiry or within a period of four months following that date. I am sure that Members will agree that this measure goes a long way in alleviating any difficulty that a licensee might experience in remembering when to renew his licence.
MISS YEUNG (in Cantonese): ---Mr. Chairman, about renewal of licence, so long as we have difficulty in increasing our staff, I want to know whether Mr. Hu knows how many staff we have to increase to deal with all these 30,000 hawker licences because not all of these licences expire at the same time.
MR. HU (in English): There are two ways to help solve this question. The first I'll undertake to talk with the staff in the Department about reminders to the individual licensee. Secondly, we, the Select Committee, have decided that if there is a licensee who did forget to renew his hawker licence after 4 months from the date of expiration, he or she can approach the delegate member to have his licence renewed out of time. If he is still not satisfied, he can always go to the Select Committee to have his licence renewed.
I think that is the procedure.
MR. TSIN SAI-NIN (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, I heard the answer given by Mr. Hu. He said that if the licence has expired, the hawker can still approach the member to apply for extension of the licence or he can also approach the Select Committee. But in my Ward, I have noticed that whenever there is an expiry case, no matter if the hawker is handicapped or unemployed, the answer given by the U.S.D. is definitely "No", I want Mr. Hu to explain it.
MR. HU (in English): -I read several letters which the department had answered to individual Ward Member concerning this question. The department in the letter said that according to the decision of the Select Committee that the date for renewal had already expired. The letter did not go further to advise the Ward Member, or the individual licensee, that they could appeal to the delegate member to have their licence renewed. To that, I should say the individual staff should add this sentence into their letters of reply. But on the other hand, of course, it is up to each individual Ward Member to advise the complainant on the way that they could solve their problem. I think, in future, Mr. TSIN or Miss YEUNG should remind the complainant that they have the right to appeal to the delegate member. Recently I did receive a copy of a letter which was written to Miss YEUNG by a staff of Urban Services Department. They replied that because the date of renewal had already expired, they regretted they could not renew the licence. So Miss YEUNG, could you kindly advise that person that they can appeal to the delegate member to renew their licence.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English): -Mr. Chairman, perhaps some Members are still not too clear about the procedure, so could the Chairman of the Select Committee be good enough to have this discussed at the later meeting of the Select Committee so that all Members of the Select Committee, in particular, are clear as to the proper procedure in future.
MR. HU (in English): -Yes. I will undertake to put items in the Agenda in the next Select Committee meeting to solve all these problems.
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examination any rodents found dead or sick when this might reasonably be due to disease.
(5) MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese):
Would it be possible to give written notice to those hawkers whose licences have just expired informing them of their obligation to renew their licences?
MR. HENRY H. L. Hu, Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, replied as follows (in English):
Mr. Chairman, the short answer to the question is yes, it would be possible, although it would not be practicable.
With over 30,000 licensed hawkers in the urban area the institution of a procedure such as Miss YEUNG suggests would place an additional burden on the Department's hawker licensing staff, indeed, it would almost certainly necessitate a need either for a temporary increase in staff or, more likely, increased overtime working over that period each year when licences fall due for renewal. Either way, there would result an increase in annual expenditure by the Council in furtherance of licence re- newals, the onus for which can only rest with the in- dividual licensee.
There is an additional aspect; as Miss YEUNG will already know it is established policy that any hawker licences can be renewed up to two months before its expiry or within a period of four months following that date. I am sure that Members will agree that this measure goes a long way in alleviating any difficulty that a licensee might ex- perience is remembering when to renew his licence.
MISS YEUNG (in Cantonese): ---Mr. Chairman, about renewal of licence, so long as we have difficulty in increasing our staff, I want to know whether Mr. Hu knows how many staff we have to increase to deal with all these 30,000 hawker licences because not all of these licences expire at the same time.
MR. HU (in English):-There are two ways to help solving this question. The first I'll undertake to talk with the staff in the Depart- ment about reminders to the individual licensee. Secondly, we, the
Select Committee, have decided that if there is a licensee who did forget to renew his hawker licence after 4 months from the date of expiration, he or she can approach the delegate member to have his If he is still not satisfied, he can always licence renewed out of time.
I think that go to the Select Committee to have his licence renewed.
is the procedure.
MR. TSIN SAI-NIN (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, I heard the answer given by Mr. Hu. He said that if the licence has expired, the hawker can still approach the member to apply for extension of the licence or he can also approach the Select Committee. But in my Ward, I have noticed that whenever there is an expiry case, no matter if the hawker is handicapped or unemployed, the answer given by the U.S.D. is definitely "No", I want Mr. Hu to explain it.
MR. HU (in English): -I read several letters which the department had answered to individual Ward Member concerning this question. The department in the letter said that according to the decision of the Select Committee that the date for renewal had already expired. The letter did not go further to advise the Ward Member, or the individual licensee, that they could appeal to the delegate member to have their licence renewed. To that, I should say the individual staff should add this sentence into their letters of reply. But on the other hand, of course, it is up to each individual Ward Member to advise the complainant on the way that they could solve their problem. I think, in future, Mr. TSIN or Miss YEUNG should remind the complainant that they have the right to appeal to the delegate member. Recently I did receive a copy of a letter which was written to Miss YEUNG by a staff of Urban Services Department. They replied that because the date of renewal had already expired, they regretted they could not renew the licence. So Miss YEUNG, could you kindly advise that person that they can appeal to the delegate member to renew their licence.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, perhaps some Members are still not too clear about the procedure, so could the Chairman of the Select Committee be good enough to have this discussed at the later meeting of the Select Committee so that all Members of the Select Committee, in particular, are clear as to the proper procedure in future.
MR. HU (in English):-Yes. I will undertake to put items in the Agenda in the next Select Committee meeting to solve all these problems.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.