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MR. WALTER M. SULKE (in English):- Mr. Chairman, I am worried about that estimate. There are at least a hundred thousand air-conditioners in the urban areas of Hong Kong but we just distributed 32,000 pamphlets, how can we possibly reach everybody who has an air-conditioner? Could I ask my colleague whether he will ask the Department to at least prepare or get GIS to prepare an API so that we can publish this on television because I have constantly been asked by members of the public as to what we are doing about it and where they can report it because obviously they don't know.

MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, 32,000 pamphlets are of course not enough for everyone in Hong Kong to get a copy. However, through publicity we can get across the message that dripping of air-conditioners is in breach of law. As regards the production of APIs, if my memory serves me right, relevant APIs are already screened by TV to remind the general public how air-conditioners should be maintained to avoid breaching the law e.g. containers should be provided to collect the water from dripping air-conditioners. These are already on APIs screened on TV.

THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):— Mr. Chairman, this year the publicity campaign started in July and if we are going to have a similar campaign next year, is it possible to bring it forward by two months?

MR. TONG KAM-BIU (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, as I have already said the publicity campaign will start in April-May next year.

4. MR. LAM CHAK-PIU asked the following question (in Cantonese):— I would like to know whether the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee has, in its effort to promote the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign', notified various government departments to participate in this campaign? I raise the question because I have discovered a lack of cleanliness in some government sites, crown land and government buildings. I wonder whether the Council is aware of this and if it has ever considered making an appeal to various government departments to actively pitch in as advocated by the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign' so as to set an example to the public?

MR. TONG KAM-BIU, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):- This question is in two parts. The first part enquires whether the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee has appealed to various government departments to participate in the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign. The second part asks whether the Council is aware of a lack of cleanliness in some government sites, crown land and government buildings.

The answer to the first part of the question is that the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee, apart from spreading the Keep Hong Kong Clean message to the public at large, does positively involve other government departments.

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Representatives from Marine Department, Information Services Department, City and New Territories Administration, Education Department, Housing Department, Fire Services and Royal Hong Kong Police Force attend the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee Meetings as members though attendance of representatives from Fire Services, RHKPF and Agriculture and Fisheries Department is only required when an item concerning their department is on the agenda. These members play an active role in the policy and strategy formulation and in the actual implementation of the Campaign operations within their jurisdiction.

To contribute their part to Keep Hong Kong Clean, staff of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Housing Department, Department of Buildings and Lands, Civil Aviation Department, Fire Services Department, Highways Department, Immigration Department, Labour Department, Marine Department and Transport Department have also been authorized under the Magistrates Ordinance to take out enforcement action against litter offenders.

The Information Services Department has also been actively assisting the Council in propagating the Keep Hong Kong Clean theme 'We're Pitching In to Keep Hong Kong Clean' through music video, Announcements of Public Interest on television and radio, posters, Youth Rally and the scheduled Parade/Floats in mid-November as well as various forms of publicity activities to arouse public civic-mindedness. Keep Hong Kong Clean Posters are also distributed to various departments for display in government buildings. Slogan competitions and song contests are organized by the Education Department for primary and secondary schools to instil a sense of pride in Keep Hong Kong Clean in youngsters. Through the co-ordination of the City and New Territories Administration, District Boards, Mutual Aid Committees and Owners' Incorporations work closely with USD staff on the ground to take part in Block-to-Block Clean-ups and Clean Building Competitions in various phases of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign.

On the second part of the question, the USD staff are on constant alert for any lack of cleanliness in public places, including government sites, crown land and government buildings and have been responding promptly and positively to such complaints. Over the past 6 months, a total of 13 complaints have been received concerning dirty crown land sites and direct remedial action was immediately taken. No complaint has been received of lack of cleanliness in government buildings in the past 6 months.

Members may wish to know that since 1981, in connection with the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign, the Director of Buildings and Lands has been re-imbursing the Council each year for the cleansing of crown land. This is done by the Crown Land Clearance Squads comprising casual labourers under the supervision of USD staff. For the past 6 months, a total of 2,384 crown land sites have been cleared resulting in the removal of 35,224 baskets of refuse and 1,138 lorry loads of junk.