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need; to be sure, the Council must find ways to fill it. So, let us continue the interrogatory exercise. What are our existing project commitments? What expansion are we planning to serve the people? What staff will be required? How much will it all cost? Perhaps we should also project our present conditions into the future. Not just to forecast underlying trends, but to create deliberately the optimum conditions for the Council to work effectively for the good of Hong Kong. Then, if we concluded that we ought to cut our revenue voluntarily, let us do so rationally and without acting under pressure of any kind.
The Council should reach any decision positively, and even more so on such an important matter when it must also be sure to safeguard its future revenue sources, both real and potential, for the years ahead. It must avoid transitory political considerations in its deliberations. Neither should it overact impulsively, only to undermine its own future by playing to the gallery now. For, what might be seemingly superfluous today, might not be so tomorrow. And, the present Council might rashly give away now what could well be needed in the years immediately following, to pay for a rapid expansion of activities in more exacting circumstances, when the Council might find itself lagging well behind public expectations.
Ladies and gentlemen, now, then, what is your wish?
I so move.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW and Dr. Henry H. C. HU arrived at this point.)
DR. THE HON. HENRY H. L. HU, VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL (in English):- Mr. Chairman, as I promised in my speech in the Legislative Council on the 28th October, 1976 that I would give a detailed explanation concerning hawker matters during the Annual Debate of the Urban Council, I will now devote myself in today's speech in explaining the Council's hawker policy which can be summarized under the following headings:
(1) To seek a gradual reduction in the number of hawkers as circumstances permit.
(a) The Urban Council does not issue any more new hawker licences except on exceptional welfare grounds. At the end of September 1976, the total number of hawker licences in force in the urban areas was 33,061, while the estimated number of unlicensed hawkers was roughly 11,400.
(b) Applications for succession to hawker licences are carefully scrutinized and considered, and only those applicants who meet or are capable of meeting the criteria laid down would be permitted to succeed.
(c) Licensees found to have not operated their stalls without reasonable or lawful excuses, would have had their licences cancelled.
(d) Unlicensed hawkers, in particular those selling cooked food or food-for-man are being eliminated where enforcement manpower is sufficient on the ground.
(e) Hawker Licence fees are under constant review; the last increase took effect from 19th December, 1975.
(f) The policy of "one family, one licence" has been maintained.
(2) To seek suitable sites for bazaars and to get hawkers off street into bazaars and markets.
(a) More hawker bazaars and markets are being constructed to accommodate eligible hawkers now trading on street.
(b) In addition to the hawker bazaars and markets now under construction or included in the long term planning, the Council, through the Urban Services Department, continues to seek allocation of additional land for use as hawker centres and public markets.
(c) Tighter control is being exercised to prevent off-street hawkers from reverting to on-street hawking. This includes the provision of better facilities, e.g. roofing, drainage, water and power supply, etc. to improve the conditions of existing hawker bazaars. At the same time, where enforcement strength permits, rigid enforcement against illegal hawking around hawkers bazaars and markets is taken.
(3) To confine hawking to specified areas not detrimental to the public interest.
(a) Although the hawker experimental scheme has already expired, the Council has decided to continue with the scheme by allowing the Hawker Permitted Areas to maintain their status quo, as it felt a continuing need for their existence. The number of hawkers in these HPA's has, however, significantly decreased as the economic condition of Hong Kong began to pick up - 3,883 hawkers in October 1975 as compared to 2,600 in July this year.
(b) Hawker permitted places, as opposed to HPA's, are created and declared from time to time to resite licensed
103
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 69 of 135
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Page 68 of 135
102
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
need; to be sure, the Council must find ways to fill it. So, let us continue the interrogatory exercise. What are our existing project commitments? What expansion are we planning to serve the people? What staff will be required? How much will it all cost? Perhaps we should also project our present conditions into the future. Not just to forecast underlying trends, but to create deliberately the optimum conditions for the Council to work effectively for the good of Hong Kong. Then, if we concluded that we ought to cut our revenue voluntarily, let us do so rationally and without acting under pressure of any kind.
The Council should reach any decision positively, and even more so on such an important matter when it must also be sure to safeguard its future revenue sources, both real and potential, for the years ahead. It must avoid transitory political considerations in its deliberations. Neither should it overact impulsively, only to undermine its own future by playing to the gallery now. For, what might be seemingly super- fluous today, might not be so tomorrow. And, the present Council might rashly give away now what could well be needed in the years immediately following, to pay for a rapid expansion of activities in more exacting circumstances, when the Council might find itself lagging well behind public expectations.
Ladies and gentlemen, now, then, what is your wish?
I so move.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW and Dr. Henry H. C. HU arrived at this point.) DR. THE HON. HENRY H. L. HU, VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL (in English):-Mr. Chairman, as I promised in my speech in the Legislative Council on the 28th October, 1976 that I would give a detailed explanation concerning hawker-matters during the Annual Debate of the Urban Council, I will now devote myself in today's speech in explaining the Council's hawker-policy which can be sum- marized under the following headings:
(1) To seek a gradual reduction in the number of hawkers as cir-
cumstances permit.
(a) The Urban Council does not issue any more new hawker licences except on exceptional welfare grounds. At the end of September 1976, the total number of hawker licences in force in the urban areas was 33,061, while the estimated number of unlicensed hawkers was roughly 11,400.
(b) Applications for succession to hawker licences are care- fully scrutinized and considered, and only those applicants
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
103
who meet or are capable of meeting the criteria laid down would be permitted to succeed.
(c) Licensees found to have not operated their stalls with- out reasonable or lawful excuses, would have had their licences cancelled.
(d) Unlicensed hawkers, in particular those selling cooked food or food-for-man are being eliminated where en- forcement manpower is sufficient on the ground.
(e) Hawker Licence fees are under constant review; the last
increase took effect from 19th December, 1975.
(f) The policy of "one family, one licence" has been
maintained.
(2) To seek suitable sites for bazaars and to get hawkers off
street into bazaars and markets.
(a) More hawker bazaars and markets are being constructed
to accommodate eligible hawkers now trading on street.
(b) In addition to the hawker bazaars and markets now under construction or included in the long term planning, the Council, through the Urban Services Department, continues to seek allocation of additional land for use as hawker centres and public markets.
(c) Tighter control is being exercised to prevent off street hawkers from reverting to on-street hawking. This in- cludes the provision of better facilities, e.g. roofing, drainage, water and power supply, etc. to improve the conditions of existing hawker bazaars. At the same time, where enforcement strength permits, rigid enforcement against illegal hawking around hawkers bazaars and markets is taken.
(3) To confine hawking to specified areas not detrimental to the
public interest.
(a) Although the hawker experimental scheme has already expired, the Council has decided to continue with the scheme by allowing the Hawker Permitted Areas to main- tain their status quo, as it felt a continuing need for their existence. The number of hawkers in these HPA's has, however, significantly decreased as the economic condition of Hong Kong began to pick up-3,883 hawkers in October 1975 as compared to 2,600 in July this year. (b) Hawker permitted places, as opposed to HPA's, are created and declared from time to time to resite licensed
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