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renting space to artists for their display and sale of works. There are ample facilities for exhibition of arts articles in current Council facilities, for example, the exhibition hall in Sheung Wan Complex and in the City Hall. However if Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's suggestion is to enter into a form of tenancy for artists to sell their work, this would involve a commercial arrangement which may not be entirely appropriate for the Council to take on, and would also require consultation with and possibly approval from the Government.

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English): Mr. Chairman, is the Chairman aware that already in Council's markets there are commercial arrangements whereby the Urban Council do have tenancy arrangements with individual market stall holders who may sell dry goods which could include certain types of arts and crafts, in which case, why is it not possible to pursue the idea which he referred to a little while ago in his reply?

(Miss Christina TING Yuk-chee arrived at 2:37 p.m.)

MR. PAO PING-WING (in English): Mr. Chairman, maybe the situation mentioned by Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN is a little bit different from this future Western Market. It is because definitely now under our facility, we have rented some spaces for different purposes but this Western Market in future no longer belongs to the Urban Council. It is the property of the LDC. So if the Urban Council rents the space for the artists, it might involve a new kind of policy consideration.

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English): Mr. Chairman, just a clarification. I have never suggested that we should rent the space. My suggestion which I believe is the view of the Urban Council is that the site concerned should be handed over to the Urban Council for management.

MR. PAO PING-WING (in English): Mr. Chairman, I think the Department and the Council are still discussing with the Central Government concerning the ownership and how Urban Council can participate in the management of the future Western Market but definitely I think all these points will be kept in mind.

MR. JASON K. Y. YUEN (in English): Mr. Chairman, may I ask when will the Government be able to give the public a definite answer about the result of the consultancy from architectural firms and which sort of solution will be adopted and so on?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in English): Mr. Chairman, I am sorry I do not know when the Government will give us a reply but anyway it won't be long. It is because the LDC as I understand is also very eager to know the result as soon as possible for proceeding all the development. So if there is any further information definitely I will report it to the Council.

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MR. CHAN KWOK-MING asked the following question (in Cantonese): Shortly before and after school new term each year, numerous light goods vehicles are found selling second-hand text books at the metered parking spaces at the section of Nelson Street between Sai Yee Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok south area. The situation is getting worse this year. The following negative consequences will become aggravated:

(a) serious traffic congestion in that section of Nelson Street;

(b) the shop operators especially those book store operators in that section of Nelson Street will complain strongly against the unfair situation.

what is the present UC policy in dealing with the trading activities on light goods vehicles and how the USD implement such a policy?

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English): This question asks what the current UC policy is in dealing with trading from light goods vehicles and how the Urban Services Department implements policy in this field.

Trading from light goods vehicles is clearly hawking. Under the current UC policy, illegal hawking should be eliminated and mandatory forfeiture provisions in the legislation should be applied.

In implementing this policy, the Urban Services Department, with its present limited resources deployed to hawker control cannot completely eliminate all illegal street traders in the urban areas. The Department therefore operates on a system of priorities. Those activities which give rise to problems of serious public concern are accorded a high priority whilst the less serious ones with a lower priority. The general departmental guidelines in dealing with illegal street traders, including activities being conducted from vehicles, are categorized as follows in order of priority:

First - Activities which give rise to health hazards such as the sale of cooked food, food-for-man, non-bottled drink, cut fruit, etc.

Second - Those that cause serious traffic and pedestrian obstruction.

Third - Those that are likely to take root in certain localities although they may create little or no health hazard or obstruction to traffic.

Fourth - Activities which do not fall in the above categories but which give rise to inconvenience to traffic and pedestrians.

It should be noted that unfair competition between illegal street trading on the one hand and commercial shops on the other is not in the top priority category.

The unlicensed trading of second-hand books from vehicles in Nelson Street, Mong Kok, falls into the fourth category because such activities do not cause any health hazard and create no serious obstruction to traffic as the vehicles are parked within authorized parking spaces. As such activity is normally operational during summer vacation, it is also unlikely to take root in the locality. The Department has been treating this kind of illegal street trading activity with a comparatively lower priority.

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