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Party Report by the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee on 21 October 1987, the Report and Recommendations became Urban Council policy.

Since the Working Party made its views known, the Government has been concerned with the problem of implementation; and negotiations with the Secretary for Municipal Services, the Secretary for Security, and the Commis- sioner of Police have taken place. These negotiations have resulted in the Chief Secretary setting up a Government working group under the chairmanship of the Secretary for Municipal Services. This 'Working Group on Hawker Control' comprises representatives of all concerned departments and the Urban Council. It will examine the feasibility of options for improving enforcement and control, and will in due course report to the Chief Secretary.

Although the Working Group on Hawker Control has not yet completed its work, it has already resulted in more co-ordination of effort with the Police and more support from the Police for anti-illegal hawker operations.

In November 1987 the Commissioner of Police issued an instruction to all Regional, District, and Divisional Police Commanders updating Police policy on hawker control. Police commanders are instructed that whenever it is considered likely that Urban Services Department General Duties Teams may meet violent resistance in their actions to deal with hawker blackspots they are to provide a Police presence to assist the GDTs.

In order to determine the occasions when Police assistance may need to be provided, regular and frequent liaison meetings between Police commanders at Regional, District, and Divisional levels and their USD counterparts have been set up.

If this renewed co-ordination and support from the Police is implemented effectively by both Departments, it should go a long way to reduce the ugly incidents which arise during anti-illegal hawking operations. However, as this is only a recent instruction, more time is needed to see what the actual outcome will be. The Urban Services Department will monitor results.

(Mr. CHOW Wai-keung arrived at 2.35 p.m.)

MR. L. H. KWAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, last year the GDTs had a lot of unhappy incidents with the hawkers, does it mean that the Police had not given a very good and quick co-operation and assistance during our anti-illegal hawking activities?

MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, the original question asks what progress has been made in negotiation with the Government for more coordination and support between the Police and the GD Teams in the anti-illegal hawking operations, therefore it is quite natural for us to think that the past co-operation was not satisfactory and we would like to see improve-

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ment. I am happy to say that the Commissioner of Police has now given personal instructions to Regional and District Commanders to tell them to give GDTs better support. The preliminary results are good.

MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, it is said that a working group on hawker control is now examining the feasibility of different options. I would like to know what is the progress of the working group and when will a report be out? It is said that the report would be submitted to the Chief Secretary. Will it be submitted to this Council as well?

MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the working group set up by the Chief Secretary and chaired by the Secretary for the Municipal Services is an inter-departmental group including the Urban Council. As I am only a member of that working group I cannot answer on behalf of the working group on the progress. As the original question only asks about the co-operation between the Police and the GD Teams, I think it would be more appropriate to ask the SMS on the timing of releasing the report. I don't think my jurisdiction can permit me to tell you in public here on the progress made because this is not part of the work of the Urban Council.

2. THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in Cantonese): What is being done by Urban Services Department staff especially the Health Inspectorate, to assist in reducing the incidence of hepatitis and preventing it from spreading even further?

MR. L. H. KWAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE replied the question (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, the question asks what is being done by Urban Services Department Staff especially the Health Inspectorate, to assist in reducing the incidence of hepatitis and prevent it from spreading even further.

Hepatitis is a viral infection of the liver. It includes type A, type B and non A & non B type. Viral hepatitis type A, now prevalent in Hong Kong, is known to be associated with food contamination and is transmitted through the faecal- oral route. Thus, the department has stepped up action in the hygiene control of all eating establishments and against illegal food hawkers. The public has been advised not to buy food from illegal food establishments and hawkers, to cook food thoroughly and pay particular attention to basic personal hygiene habits such as washing their hands thoroughly before eating. Special health education leaflets have been issued for this purpose.

THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, according to up-to-date information, I would like to know whether the infection will become more serious?