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task. Many Urban Councillors have been participating in the Campaign at the District Board level as well.
For the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, the Government has allocated a budget of $35 million to be spent over a 24-month period for the whole territory. This does not include the sum of approximately $172 million which is annually spent by the Urban Council on the collection and disposal of refuse.
A top priority of the Clean Hong Kong Campaign is to motivate residents in each district to do their share to keep the streets and surrounding areas free of litter and dirt. Summonses and fines are a necessary deterrent but without civic consciousness, individual motivation and self-discipline, fines alone will not achieve the Campaign objectives of making Hong Kong cleaner and greener. In some hawker areas, the hawkers themselves have formed their own teams to keep the surroundings clean, and this effort should be encouraged.
The Urban Council therefore relies heavily on the Unofficial Members of all the ten District Boards and their sub-committees to sustain the momentum in the Clean Hong Kong Campaign.
The Council is also keen to soften the "concrete jungle” image with which urban Hong Kong is so often identified. We plan to do so by planting more trees, flowers and shrubs wherever suitable open spaces are available and by resisting attempts to sacrifice trees in making way for too much commercial/industrial development.
In 1981 the Council planted over 16000 trees on grounds which are within its jurisdiction and in doing so made a positive contribution to the improvement of the urban environment. However, this endeavour needs to be matched by similar efforts from both the Government and the private sector and by greater control of tree felling.
The Urban Council is looking forward to closer co-operation and greater support from the District Boards in the re-ordering of all hawker areas and in improving the sanitation and amenities for our squatter population.
Through its Markets and Street Traders Select Committee, the Council is pressing ahead with the long-term aims of reducing on-street licensed hawking wherever possible and improving the enforcement of control action against unlicensed hawking.
With an increase of 4% in the rates from Government, the Council can confidently carry on with its programme of rebuilding old markets so that they can have more modern and hygienic facilities and absorb a more sizeable number of licensed off-street hawkers. In these new markets there will also be well laid out cooked food centres serving a good variety of food at reasonable prices.
Food
Another important function of the Council through its Food Hygiene Select Committee is to ensure that all restaurants and other eating establishments serve
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
food to the public which is prepared in a hygienic manner. Then there is still the problem of providing easily available lunch-time meals for industrial areas such as Kwun Tong. In this respect, the Council will be working very closely with District Boards in coming up with practical solutions.
In the urban areas, 32 factory canteen licences have already been issued, 71 applications have been given provisional approval, and 50 are being processed. It is anticipated that as teething troubles in the factory canteen licensing arrangements are resolved, more licences will be issued. Undoubtedly, the existing regulations governing factory canteens must continue to be enforced to ensure that the operators meet the basic minimal health and public safety standards.
The Liquor Licensing Board is another function of the Council. I share the concern of many Councillors that young girls under 18 years of age are still being permitted to work in places selling liquor at any time of the day, particularly since some of these girls could be within the "fish-ball" category among the several thousand girls reported missing last year in Hong Kong. I understand that amending legislation to this effect will be introduced shortly.
Recreation and Sport
Through its Recreation Select Committee, the Council is expected to spend $24.1 million in recreation and sports promotion activities in the next fiscal year which starts April 1, 1982.
The Council gives financial and other forms of support to about 40 different kinds of sport in Hong Kong. It also has a substantial capital works programme to provide more swimming pools, parks, playgrounds, sitting-out areas and other open spaces in each of the ten urban districts.
It intends to work in close association with the Recreation and Sport Service of the newly formed Recreation and Culture Department and with the Jubilee Sports Centre in supporting the voluntary sports bodies, both territory-wide as well as at the district level.
Currently, the Urban Services Department is reviewing its structure to meet the Council's growing emphasis on improved services at the district level. I am sure Council Members will agree with me that on the whole the staff of the Urban Services Department have carried out the policies and decisions of the Council with loyalty and dedication for which due recognition should be given to them. With the help of the urban District Boards, the Council will seek to identify areas where its recreation and sports services can keep young people active in a healthy and non-destructive manner. The youth disturbances in Central District over the Christmas holidays are a timely reminder to the community not to be complacent and take things too much for granted.
Also, we cannot overlook the need for recreation and other services for our senior citizens, whose number is increasing from year to year. One small example
Page 127 of 146
Page 127 of 146
210
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
task. Many Urban Councillors have been participating in the Campaign at the District Board level as well.
For the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, the Government has allocated a budget of $35 million to be spent over a 24-month period for the whole territory. This does not include the sum of approximately $172 million which is annually spent by the Urban Council on the collection and disposal of refuse.
A top priority of the Clean Hong Kong Campaign is to motivate residents in each district to do their share to keep the streets and surrounding areas free of litter and dirt. Summonses and fines are a necessary deterrent but without civic consciousness, individual motivation and self-discipline, fines alone will not achieve the Campaign objectives of making Hong Kong cleaner and greener. In some hawker areas, the hawkers themselves have formed their own teams to keep the surroundings clean, and this effort should be encouraged.
The Urban Council therefore relies heavily on the Unofficial Members of all the ten District Boards and their sub-committees to sustain the momentum in the Clean Hong Kong Campaign.
The Council is also keen to soften the "concrete jungle” image with which urban Hong Kong is so often identified. We plan to do so by planting more trees, flowers and shrubs wherever suitable open spaces are available and by resisting attempts to sacrifice trees in making way for too much commercial/industrial development.
In 1981 the Council planted over 16000 trees on grounds which are within its jurisdiction and in doing so made a positive contribution to the improvement of the urban environment. However, this endeavour needs to be matched by similar efforts from both the Government and the private sector and by greater control of tree felling.
The Urban Council is looking forward to closer co-operation and greater support from the District Boards in the re-ordering of all hawker areas and in improving the sanitation and amenities for our squatter population.
Through its Markets and Street Traders Select Committee, the Council is pressing ahead with the long-term aims of reducing on-street licensed hawking wherever possible and improving the enforcement of control action against unlicensed hawking.
With an increase of 4% in the rates from Government, the Council can confidently carry on with its programme of rebuilding old markets so that they can have more modern and hygienic facilities and absorb a more sizeable number of licensed off-street hawkers. In these new markets there will also be well laid out cooked food centres serving a good variety of food at reasonable prices.
Food
Another important function of the Council through its Food Hygiene Select Committee is to ensure that all restaurants and other eating establishments serve
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 127 of 146
food to the public which is prepared in a hygienic manner. Then there is still the problem of providing easily available lunch-time meals for industrial areas such as Kwun Tong. In this respect, the Council will be working very closely with District Boards in coming up with practical solutions.
In the urban areas, 32 factory canteen licences have already been issued, 71 applications have been given provisional approval, and 50 are being processed. It is anticipated that as teething troubles in the factory canteen licensing arrangements are resolved, more licences will be issued. Undoubtedly, the existing regulations governing factory canteens must continue to be enforced to ensure that the operators meet the basic minimal health and public safety standards.
The Liquor Licensing Board is another function of the Council. I share the concern of many Councillors that young girls under 18 years of age are still being permitted to work in places selling liquor at any time of the day, particularly since some of these girls could be within the "fish-ball" category among the several thousand girls reported missing last year in Hong Kong. I understand that amending legislation to this effect will be introduced shortly.
Recreation and Sport
Through its Recreation Select Committee, the Council is expected to spend $24, 1 million in recreation and sports promotion activities in the next fiscal year which starts April 1, 1982.
The Council gives financial and other forms of support to about 40 different kinds of sport in Hong Kong. It also has a substantial capital works programme to provide more swimming pools, parks, playgrounds, sitting-out areas and other open spaces in each of the ten urban districts.
It intends to work in close association with the Recreation and Sport Service of the newly formed Recreation and Culture Department and with the Jubilee Sports Centre in supporting the voluntary sports bodies, both territory-wide as well as at the district level.
Currently, the Urban Services Department is reviewing its structure to meet the Council's growing emphasis on improved services at the district level. I am sure Council Members will agree with me that on the whole the staff of the Urban Services Department have carried out the policies and decisions of the Council with loyalty and dedication for which due recognition should be given to them. With the help of the urban District Boards, the Council will seek to identify areas where its recreation and sports services can keep young people active in a healthy and non-destructive manner. The youth disturbances in Central District over the Christmas holidays are a timely reminder to the community not to be complacent and take things too much for granted.
Also, we cannot overlook the need for recreation and other services for our senior citizens, whose number is increasing from year to year. One small example
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