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from individual units. This has always been a cause of complaint. The Hong Kong Housing Society has not taken any positive response. To face this problem, the Council has just done nothing. It is rather ironical as the Council is the authority responsible for hygiene and sanitation in the urban areas. Members of the Democratic Party addressing on this motion will let Members know the sanitation conditions in public housing estates in their respective districts. The situation reflected by them are just tips of the iceberg faced by the residents living in public housing estates. We should not stand idle and do nothing. As Members of the Urban Council and as the authority responsible for the sanitation and hygiene in the urban areas, we have the inescapable responsibility to actively consider deploying more manpower to prosecute the management companies in public housing estates in case of violation of regulations concerning sanitation and hygiene.
With the above remarks, I support Mr. Lai's motion.
MR. AMBROSE CHEUNG (in Cantonese):-- Mr. Chairman, regarding Mr. Lai's motion, I would like to propose an amendment. My amendment has already been given to the Secretary and I hope the Secretary can distribute the amendment to Members so that they can have a look at it and allow me to explain why I propose these amendments. My amendments are as follows: The word 'requiring' in the second sentence of the original motion is changed to ‘urging' while ‘公共衛生及市政服務條例’is changed to ‘公眾衛生及市政條例’and then cancel the last sentence and lay charge against the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society in case of violation of the Ordinance' and add 'so as to comply with the Ordinance'. I would like to read my amended motion as follows: 'RESOLVED that owing to the poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in public housing estates, the Urban Council must strictly enforce the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, urging the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society, as managers of most of the public areas in public housing estates, to improve the sanitation of those areas immediately, so as to comply with the Ordinance.'
There are 2 reasons for my amendment. Firstly, I am worried that the original motion would pose difficulties in implementation. Secondly, I agree entirely with the spirit of the original motion and I also think that the sanitary conditions in public housing estates have to be improved but I disagree with the mean proposed.
On the first point, there are two reasons why I think there will be a problem in implementation. The first is a legal viewpoint and the second is an administrative viewpoint. Mr. Lai's has covered the legal point in his speech already. But there are different interpretations as far as the legal point is concerned. If the proposal in the original motion is to be implemented, the Department will have to prosecute the Housing Department. One of my views is that Housing Department (HD) is a government department. Although HD is the executive arm of the Housing Authority, the Housing Department is still a government department. We have to look at the present Public Health and Municipal
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Page 112 of 485
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from individual units. This has always been a cause of complaint. The Hong Kong Housing Society has not taken any positive response. To face this problem, the Council has just done nothing. It is rather ironical as the Council is the authority responsible for hygiene and sanitation in the urban areas. Members of the Democratic Party addressing on this motion will let Members know the sanitation conditions in public housing estates in their respective districts. The situation reflected by them are just tips of the iceberg faced by the residents living in public housing estates. We should not stand idle and do nothing. As Members of the Urban Council and as the authority responsible for the sanitation and hygiene in the urban areas, we have the inescapable responsibility to actively consider deploying more manpower to prosecute the management companies in public housing estates in case of violation of regulations concerning sanitation and hygiene.
With the above remarks, I support Mr. Lai's motion.
MR. AMBROSE CHEUNG (in Cantonesc):-- Mr. Chairman, regarding Mr. Lar's motion, I would like to propose an amendment. My amendment has already been given to the Secretary and I hope the Secretary can distribute the amendment to Members so that they can have a look at it and allow me to explain why I propose these amendments. My amendments are as follows: The word 'requiring' in the second sentence of the original motion is changed to ‘urging' while ‘公共衛生及市政服務條例’is changed to ‘公眾衛生及市政條例’and then cancel the last sentence and lay charge against the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society in case of violation of the Ordinance' and add 'so as to comply with the Ordinance'. I would like to read my amended motion as follows: 'RESOLVED that owing to the poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in public housing estates, the Urban Council must strictly enforce the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, urging the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society, as managers of most of the public areas in public housing estates, to improve the sanitation of those areas immediately, so as to comply with the Ordinance.'
There are 2 reasons for my amendment. Firstly, I am worried that the original motion would pose difficulties in implementation. Secondly, I agree entirely with the spirit of the original motion and I also think that the sanitary conditions in public housing estates have to be improved but I disagree with the mean proposed.
On the first point, there are two reasons why I think there will be a problem in implementation. The first is a legal viewpoint and the second is an adminis- trative viewpoint. Mr. Lat's has covered the legal point in his speech already. But there are different interpretations as far as the legal point is concerned. If the proposal in the original motion is to be implemented, the Department will have to prosecute the Housing Department. One of my views is that Housing Department (HD) is a government department. Although HD is the executive arm of the Housing Authority, the Housing Department is still a government department. We have to look at the present Public Health and Municipal
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