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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
improvement can be effected.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese):-Yes, as Mr. LAM put it, his concern is Housing Department, and I am responsible for that too in the House squatter area improvement project and that in fact is within the ambit of Authority. I will bear his point in mind and I will definitely bring it up with MR. LAM CHAK-PIU (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I know that recently the operations committee of the Housing Authority and then we hope G.D. teams are conducting a lot of operations, but this is mainly because of the complaint from the general public. Now I hope that later on they will take the
are often seen to congregate on foot-bridges, subways and main streets to ply
MR. LAM CHAK-PIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):-Hawke
initiative and try to improve the situation, and as soon as we find that there is
trade between 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., causing problems MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the Working Party and the environmental hygiene and obstruction to pedestrians, such as workers. students. May I be informed what measures the General Duties Teams are to the department has re-convened the Working Group, they are going to consider department are both fully aware of the deficiencies in the system and that is why
review hawker control measures, with a view to improving the tactics, strategy hours of work etc. currently being employed.
4.
to control the situation?
such a need we will take action.
the whole question of hawker control.
MRS. E. ELLIOTT, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SE MR. TONG (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, I have one question to ask. We have
COMMITTEE: The question concerns the hawker control measures at foot bridges, subways and main streets during those hours, namely, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., when pedestrian flow is high.
by
Enforcement action against unlicensed hawkers is basically carried out General Duties Teams of the Urban Services Department, assisted from time to time by the Police in respect of major thoroughfares. Enforcement action covers all known hawker blackspots at all locations including footbridges, subways and main streets.
At present, the 12 G.D. Teams of the Department, each comprising about members, are divided into two shifts. These two shifts work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. respectively. The shift hours may be adjusted according to the hawker situation of a particular district. Taking into consideration the time required for briefing and debriefing of the General Duties Teams before and after each day's work, the actual coverage on the ground in respect of hawker control extends from shortly after 7 a.m. to shortly before 11 p.m. This is considered to be adequate since relatively fewer hawkers trade outside such hours and hence the problems caused then are much less.
Enforcement action means patrolling, warning and, where hawkers persist, arresting hawkers, seizure of goods and hawking paraphernalia and general harassment to deter illegal hawking. There is of course no way to stop hawkers from fleeing from the G.D. Teams during an operation, thus posing a potential danger to bystanders. Our General Duties Teams staff have, however, been instructed to exercise due care in carrying out arrest operations and not to give chase when by so doing they might create a hazardous situation.
The Working Party to Review Hawker Policies and Related Matters has also discussed hawker control measures generally, as one of the many subjects examined in the course of its deliberation. I am also happy to say that the Department has initiated action recently to reconvene a working group to
12 G.D. teams at the moment and normally they can control hawker permitted places very effectively but I am very concerned about the M.T.R. station exits. We have a lot of illegal hawkers there and most of them sell cooked food, for instance, in Mong Kok, Kowloon Tong and Choi Hung and this has been in existence for a long time. Why has not the department paid any attention to this? If we do not have sufficient manpower, is it possible for us to liaise and to work with the Police, for instance, and make sure that we can eliminate such unsatisfactory situation? In Tung Choi Street, we have G.D. teams in hawker permitted place on the one side, and on the other side the exit of the M.T.R., and there are a lot of illegal hawkers selling clothing and also cooked food and people seem to be turning a blind eye to them, could we possibly cooperate with other departments and control this effectively?
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the present situation, as far as the Police is concerned is that they do not control hawkers anywhere except on main roads. As far as the G.D. teams are concerned, we are fully aware that there is hawking near the M.T.R. stations and other places where there should not be any hawking and that is exactly why the Working Party was set up to deal with the problem. We have not finished our deliberations, but we hope to finish very soon and I am afraid that until such time as we have come up with a good plan, the situation will not improve.
Miss CECILIA YEUNG (in Cantonese):—I would like to raise some questions. Now in the Working Party, could we look at the terms of reference of the Urban Council and also the terms of reference of the Police, so that a clear distinction can be made?
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):—Mr. Chairman, we have already had discussions with the Police and they have made clear that they have no intention of giving us any more support. We may try again, and it is up to the Urban Council now to find a way and that is what we are trying to do.
Page 31 of 195
36
35
Page 31 of 195
35
34
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
improvement can be effected.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese):-Yes, as Mr. LAм put it, his concern is v Housing Department, and I am responsible for that too in the House squatter area improvement project and that in fact is within the ambit of Authority. I will bear his point in mind and I will definitely bring it up with MR. LAM CHAK-PIU (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I know that recently the operations committee of the Housing Authority and then we hope G.D. teams are conducting a lot of operations, but this is mainly because of the complaint from the general public. Now I hope that later on they will take the
are often seen to congregate on foot-bridges, subways and main streets to ply
MR. LAM CHAK-PIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):-Hawke
initiative and try to improve the situation, and as soon as we find that there is
trade between 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., causing problems MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the Working Party and the environmental hygiene and obstruction to pedestrians, such as workers. students. May I be informed what measures the General Duties Teams are to the department has re-convened the Working Group, they are going to consider department are both fully aware of the deficiencies in the system and that is why
review hawker control measures, with a view to improving the tactics, strategy hours of work etc. currently being employed.
4.
to control the situation?
such a need we will take action.
the whole question of hawker control.
MRS. E. ELLIOTT, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SE MR. TONG (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, I have one question to ask. We have
COMMITTEE: The question concerns the hawker control measures at fo bridges, subways and main streets during those hours, namely, 6 a.m. to 8%
and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., when pedestrian flow is high.
by
Enforcement action against unlicensed hawkers is basically carried out General Duties Teams of the Urban Services Department, assisted from time time by the Police in respect of major thoroughfares. Enforcement action co all known hawker blackspots at all locations including footbridges, subw and main streets.
At present, the 12 G.D. Teams of the Department, each comprising about members, are divided into two shifts. These two shifts work from 7 a.m. a. p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. respectively. The shift hours may be adjuste according to the hawker situation of a particular district. Taking consideration the time required for briefing and debriefing of the Gene Duties Teams before and after each day's work, the actual coverage on ground in respect of hawker control extends from shortly after 7 a.m. to shor before 11 p.m. This is considered to be adequate since relatively fewer hawke trade outside such hours and hence the problems caused then are much less.
Enforcement action means patrolling, warning and, where hawkers pers arresting hawkers, seizure of goods and hawking paraphernalia and gene harassment to deter illegal hawking. There is of course no way to stop hawk from fleeing from the G.D. Teams during an operation, thus posing a potent danger to bystanders. Our General Duties Teams staff have, however, be instructed to exercise due care in carrying out arrest operations and not to gi chase when by so doing they might create a hazardous situation.
The Working Party to Review Hawker Policies and Related Matters has as discussed hawker control measures generally, as one of the many sube examined in the course of its deliberation. I am also happy to say that Department has initiated action recently to reconvene a working groupi
12 G.D. teams at the moment and normally they can control hawker permitted places very effectively but I am very concerned about the M.T. R. station exits. We have a lot of illegal hawkers there and most of them sell cooked food, for instance, in Mong Kok, Kowloon Tong and Choi Hung and this has been in existence for a long time. Why has not the department paid any attention to this? If we do not have sufficient manpower, is it possible for us to liaise and to work with the Police, for instance, and make sure that we can eliminate such unsatisfactory situation? In Tung Choi Street, we have G.D. teams in hawker permitted place on the one side, and on the other side the exit of the M.T.R., and there are a lot of illegal hawkers selling clothing and also cooked food and people seem to be turning a blind eye to them, could we possibly cooperate with other departments and control this effectively?
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the present situation, as far as the Police is concerned is that they do not control hawkers anywhere except on main roads. As far as the G.D. teams are concerned, we are fully aware that there is hawking near the M.T.R. stations and other places where there should not be any hawking and that is exactly why the Working Party was set up to deal with the problem. We have not finished our deliberations, but we hope to finish very soon and I am afraid that until such time as we have come up with a good plan, the situation will not improve.
Miss CECILIA YEUNG (in Cantonese):—I would like to raise some questions. Now in the Working Party, could we look at the terms of reference of the Urban Council and also the terms of reference of the Police, so that a clear distinction can be made?
MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):—Mr. Chairman, we have already had discussions with the Police and they have made clear that they have no intention of giving us any more support. We may try again, and it is up to the Urban Council now to find a way and that is what we are trying to do.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.