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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCILthe demerit point system. The demerit point system could be applied to cases of uncleanliness or sale of meat from illegal sources. And so there are various levels where action can be taken, ranging from the most serious action, immediate confiscation of meat leading to revocation of licence or termination of tenancy agreement down to the application of the demerit point system. I am sure departmental officers will address the problem with flexibility.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):—I want to know whether the Council really is in a position to say that the absolute illegal sales of all meat that are sold in all small areas are under control or not?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):—Does the question mean whether the Council is in any position to enforce its regulations?
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English): The question is where it is illegal from first to last, in other words no licence, nothing?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):—I think I would again like to tackle this question on a number of levels. If the carcass imported hasn't shown any appropriate chop or marking, one is quite certain that it is illegal. Supposing the carcass has been cut into pieces, it might be some of the meat doesn't even have the skin, then it would be extremely difficult or virtually impossible to identify whether it is illegal meat or not. I think Mr. BERNACCHI'S question again well illustrates the difficulties involved in executing control. I think this is a common phenomenon concerning the food hygiene. You know things are wrong, you know that different components shouldn't be there, you know that the sources should be legal and yet coming to practice unless one totally forbids the entry of the meat or the food, otherwise one has to take the risk. That is why I repeatedly express, trying to control is of utmost importance, on the other hand trying to protect oneself would be of equal importance.
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):—I have two questions for Professor LEUNG. The first question is: does he consider that fresh meat products or fresh meat items are less hygienic than frozen meat, as far as inspection is concerned? If the answer is in the affirmative, I would like to know whether the Public Health Select Committee under his leadership would do something in this regard to educate members of the public to consume the comparatively hygienic meat in order to protect their own safety?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese):—If I understand it correctly, Mr. WONG says that inspecting raw meat is more difficult than inspecting frozen meat. Actually, generally speaking, frozen meat is safer than raw meat or fresh meat. Foreigners like to consume frozen meat more than fresh meat because the former has less bacteria. However, Chinese people tend to eat fresh meat. It is necessary to cook meat thoroughly. However, it is not applicable to beef which can be less well done than other kinds of meat. Control sometimes is very difficult and if we are to mount a public education exercise to admonish people to eat more frozen meat I don't think it's going to work. However, if we ask people to be more careful about cooking fresh meat and to ensure that it is well done, I think it would stand a better chance of success. I think the Health Education Sub-Committee or the Department of Health should pay attention to this area.
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):—I think people's taste in food is one thing, but whether it is safe for consumption is another. I don't think Professor LEUNG has answered my second question. My second question is: whether the Public Health Select Committee would do something to educate the public to choose more hygienic and safer kinds of food? I would like to know whether they are going to do such work?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I now get the thrust of Mr. WONG's question and so please bear with my slowness. The opinion given by Mr. WONG is very important. Over the years, the Urban Services Department and the Department of Health have been adopting a negative approach with regard to health education. As for a more pro-active approach, which would involve telling people what sort of meat or in what way meat can be consumed and become safer to members of the public, I think that is something we have to pay attention to in the future.
(The Hon. Frederick FUNG and Mr. Vincent CHOW arrived at 2:40 p.m. and 2:43 p.m. respectively).
3. THE HONOURABLE LI WAH-MING asked the following question (in Cantonese): In accordance with Section 104 of 'Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance', a person, without any consent or permission, affixing a bill or poster on any building on Crown Land or private land, including the external wall of any building, railings on the streets and lampposts, etc., commits an offence. During 1994, the Urban Services Department issued 269 warning letters on this ground, but there were only two cases in which prosecutions were actually made (in October and December respectively last year). According to the relevant laws, people who are liable to prosecution include those who affix a bill or poster, who ask or employ any other person to affix a bill or poster, and those who benefit from the advertisement in the bill or poster. For instance, if the advertisement is affixed by a property company for the sale of premises, then the beneficiary is the company.
According to my observation, illegal display of posters and bills is very common, and in the vicinity of Laguna city, illegal display of property advertisement posters is particularly serious. I would like to ask why the number of prosecutions is so low? What are the difficulties in enforcing the law and making prosecutions?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):—This is about illegal fixing of bills and posters. First of all, let me explain why the number of prosecutions is so low, although Mr. Fred Li has seen a lot of illegal posters posted all over the place.
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the demerit point system. The demerit point system could be applied to cases of uncleanliness or sale of meat from illegal sources. And so there are various levels where action can be taken, ranging from the most serious action, immediate confiscation of meat leading to revocation of licence or termination of tenancy agreement down to the application of the demerit point system. I am sure departmental officers will address the problem with flexibility.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):—I want to know whether the Council really is in a position to say that the absolute illegal sales of all meat that are sold in all small areas are under control or not?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):---Does the question mean whether the Council is in any position to enforce its regulations?
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English): The question is where it is illegal from first to last, in other words no licence, nothing?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):—I think I would again like to tackle this question on a number of levels. If the carcass imported hasn't shown any appropriate chop or marking, one is quite certain that it is illegal. Supposing the carcass has been cut into pieces, it might be some of the meat doesn't even have the skin, then it would be extremely difficult or virtually impossible to identify whether it is illegal meat or not. I think Mr. BERNACCHI'S question again well illustrates the difficulties involved in executing control. I think this is a common phenomenon concerning the food hygiene. You know things are wrong, you know that different components shouldn't be there, you know that the sources should be legal and yet coming to practice unless one totally forbids the entry of the meat or the food, otherwise one has to take the risk. That is why I repeatedly express, trying to control is of utmost importance, on the other hand trying to protect oneself would be of equal importance.
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):-I have two questions for Professor LEUNG. The first question is: does he consider that fresh meat products or fresh meat items are less hygienic than frozen meat, as far as inspection is concerned? If the answer is in the affirmative, I would like to know whether the Public Health Select Committee under his leadership would do something in this regard to educate members of the public to consume the comparatively hygienic meat in order to protect their own safety?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese):-If I understand it correctly, Mr. WONG says that inspecting raw meat is more difficult than inspecting frozen meat. Actually, generally speaking, frozen meat is safer than raw meat or fresh meat. Foreigners like to consume frozen meat more than fresh meat because the former has less bacteria. However, Chinese people tend to eat fresh meat. It is necessary to cook meat thoroughly. However, it is not applicable to beef which can be less well done than other kinds of meat. Control sometimes is very difficult and if we are to mount a public education exercise to admonish people to eat more frozen meat I don't think it's going to work. However, if we ask
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
people to be more careful about cooking fresh meat and to ensure that it is well done, I think it would stand a better chance of success. I think the Health Education Sub-Committee or the Department of Health should pay attention to this area.
MR. RONNIE Wong MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):-I think people's taste in food is one thing, but whether it is safe for consumption is another. I don't think Professor LEUNG has answered my second question. My second question is: whether the Public Health Select Committee would do something to educate the public to choose more hygienic and safer kinds of food? I would like to know whether they are going to do such work?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I now get the thrust of Mr. WONG's question and so please bear with my slowness. The opinion given by Mr. WONG is very important. Over the years, the Urban Services Department and the Department of Health have been adopting a negative approach with regard to health education. As for a more pro-active approach, which would involve telling people what sort of meat or in what way meat can be consumed and become safer to members of the public, I think that is something we have to pay attention to in the future.
(The Hon. Frederick FUNG and Mr. Vincent CHOW arrived at 2.40 p.m. and 2.43 p.m. respectively).
3. THE HONOURABLE LI WAH-MING asked the following question (in Cantonese): In accordance with Section 104 of 'Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance', a person, without any consent or permission, affixing a bill or poster on any building on Crown Land or private land, including the external wall of any building, railings on the streets and lampposts, etc., commits an offence. During 1994, the Urban Services Department issued 269 warning letters on this ground, but there were only two cases in which prosecutions were actually made (in October and December respectively last year). According to the relevant laws, people who are liable to prosecution include those who affix a bill or poster, who ask or employ any other person to affix a bill or poster, and those who benefit from the advertisement in the bill or poster. For instance, if the advertisement is affixed by a property company for the sale of premises, then the beneficiary is the
company.
According to my observation, illegal display of posters and bills is very common, and in the vicinity of Laguna city, illegal display of property advertisement posters is particularly serious. I would like to ask why the number of prosecutions is so low? What are the difficulties in enforcing the law and making prosecutions?
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This is about illegal fixing of bills and posters. First of all, let me explain why the number of prosecutions is so low, although Mr. Fred Li has seen a lot of illegal posters posted all over the place.
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