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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

than from a mobile vehicle van.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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encourage the setting up a fast food shop operating from a shop space rather.

4. MR. DAVID FONG PUI-SHEUNG asked the following question (in English):

Since the market at Gillies Avenue, Hung Hom, and its environment are in very poor condition, what can be done by the Council to strengthen the management of

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):—So there is a practical reason why one wants to apply for this type of particular licence as I gathered from the Chairman. Could Dr. LEUNG answer my first supplementary: is the van which has been confiscated a mobile vehicle van.

DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):--Yes.

3. MR. PAUL YOUNG TZE-KONG on behalf of MR. LAM CHAK-PIU asked the following question (in English):--

(a) What are Council's commitments towards the Vietnamese boat people? (b) How much does the Urban Council spend on Vietnamese boat people every month?

DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE replied to the question (in English):—Mr. LAM's question is in two parts. Firstly the Council's commitments towards Vietnamese boat people accommodated in refugee camps in the Urban Council area. Secondly how much the Council spends on its service to them.

With regard to the first question, there are at present six refugee camps for Vietnamese boat people located in the Urban Council area. They are the Green Island Reception Centre, the Yaumatei Ferries anchored off Green Island, Kai Tak Refugee Centre, Sham Shui Po Cheung Sha Wan Camp, Argyle Street Camp and the Yaumatei Ferries anchored off the Stonecutters Island.

Our commitment to these centres includes daily collection of refuse, provision of temporary latrines and daily collection of nightsoil, provision of desludging service to septic tanks on the Green Island centre, and provision of pest control services including disinfestation of fleas. Apart from these services rendered, health inspectors also visit camps regularly to give advice on environmental and food hygiene.

As regards the second part of the question, the Urban Council charges the Central Government on a per job basis for services rendered in respect of refuse collection and removal of nightsoil including desludging of septic tanks on Green Island. For the performance of these services, the Central Government reimburses the Council approximately on an average of $13,000.00 per month. However, for pest control and health inspection services, they are rendered free in accordance with Council's current policy. Pest control services, in particular mosquito prevention, rodent eradication and fleas disinfestation have great public health significance in the control of diseases. Public health inspection of these camps is a necessity in the performance of the Council's role as a public health authority. These services should continue to be provided free.

the area so as to improve the present condition?

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE replied to the question (in English):—Mr. FONG's question is about the poor condition of the Hung Hom Market at Gillies Avenue and its environment. It asks what the Council could do to improve the present situation.

The market in question is called the Hung Hom Market. It is a small single-storey building completed in 1950. It consists of two market buildings facing each other across Gillies Avenue at the junction of Bulkeley Street. This market has a total of 75 stalls selling poultry, meat, and fish.

As there are no vegetable stalls provided in this market, and since clearly the existing market facilities are inadequate to meet the needs of the area, the streets around this market such as Bulkeley Street, Gillies Avenue, Wuhu Street, Walker Road, Lo Lung Hang Street, and Kun Yan Street are clustered with licensed and unlicensed hawkers. There are approximately 154 unlicensed hawkers and 443 licensed hawkers selling various commodities. The unlicensed hawkers are subject to regular raidings by General Duties Teams. For the two months of April and May, a total of 212 arrests and 53 seizures were made.

This market is old and outdated. Despite regular maintenance by the Architectural Services Department, it still looks old. Nevertheless, staff of the Department have tried their best to maintain the market in a clean condition.

As a long-term solution to the problem, the Department has planned to build an additional market for Hung Hom at the proposed Hung Hom UC Complex at Ma Tau Wai Road near Station Lane. Completion date is expected by 1994. The purpose is twofold. Firstly, it is to cope with the expanding need for market facilities in the Hung Hom area. Secondly, it is to provide an opportunity for resiting to it of the stalls in the present old market at Gillies Avenue. This will enable the market at Gillies Avenue to be redeveloped. Plans for this re-development are being actively pursued by the Department, and members will be informed once they are finalized. It is also planned that upon completion of these two markets, there will be a balanced number of stalls in each of them selling various market commodities such as meat, poultry, and fish. Apart from that, all licensed hawkers selling wet goods presently in the vicinity of the existing market at Gillies Avenue will be resited into the new markets. Licensed hawkers selling dry goods will be re-ordered on the street. Until the completion of these new markets, overall improvement to the existing condition cannot be achieved. In the meantime, the Department will try its best to keep the number of illegal hawkers down by constant raiding operations as long as General Duties Teams' resources permit.

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