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With regard to Mr. Lee Kwok-keung's motion, I feel that the Department must go into it deeply. Why is it that a Member proposes to privatise management of our markets? I personally feel it is an emotional reaction to the Department's incompetence for a long time. As an Elected Member, I find it my duty to see the problems in our markets waiting for improvement. They make our fellow Members speak out and yet the Department seems rather helpless.
Let me take Ngau Chi Wan and Ngau Tau Kok as examples. The markets there are old ones and environmental hygiene has always been unsatisfactory. There are no air-conditioning systems in place and traders there go beyond the yellow line in order to snatch business. There were examples of fighting and unauthorised occupation of space. The public finds it hard to accept and some say going there to shop is like having a nightmare. Last year, there were over 1100 cases of complaints against obstruction at the markets. That figure represents 10% of all complaints. The tolerance of the Department is beyond expectation. Staff have not carried out management duties to improve the conditions and make the markets orderly. The Department often made shortage of resources a pretext and placed problems like fighting for space and illegal hawking in secondary importance. No positive action was taken.
The management standard of our markets has always been criticized by the public. It is not something which happens overnight. I believe the present low management standard is partly due to the Department's failure to consider cost effectiveness. At present, 2801 USD staff are deployed to perform market duties. The total expenditure is close to $655 million. Obviously, we have a lot of staff and we have thrown in a lot of resources, but are these resources directly proportional to effectiveness? I don't see a satisfactory answer. On the contrary, what we pay is indirectly proportional to what we get. So, whether or not this motion is passed, I hope the Department will steadfastly review the cost effectiveness. I also hope the Department will consider Mr. LEE's proposal and carry out an in-depth study on the privatisation of market services and how to enhance competitiveness as soon as possible. I support the motion.
MR. LAI HOK-LIM (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I shall be brief. I want to pinpoint mainly on Mr. LEE Kwok-keung's motion. The Chairman indicated it was not feasible or it could not be implemented. From the speech by the Chairman, I feel that he has misunderstood Mr. LEE. We are asking to consider contracting out the management of some markets to private companies. When Mr. LEE spoke, he pointed out clearly for handing over the management to private companies. The authority of the management does not necessarily include the selection of tenants or the pitching of the rent level. No, the case in point is to hand over the daily management to private companies. If markets under the Housing Authority can follow this mode, I don't see why, as pointed out by the Chairman, we cannot do so. USD staff can still enforce the powers vested to them by law. That enforcement power does not affect the
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Page 65 of 498
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
65
With regard to Mr. Lee Kwok-keung's motion, I feel that the Department must go into it deeply. Why is it that a Member proposes to privatise management of our markets? I personally feel it is an emotional reaction to the Department's incompetence for a long time. As an Elected Member, I find it my duty to see the problems in our markets waiting for improvement. They make our fellow Members speak out and yet the Department seems rather helpless.
Let me take Ngau Chi Wan and Ngau Tau Kok as examples. The markets there are old ones and environmental hygiene has always been unsatisfactory. There are no air-conditioning systems in place and traders there go beyond the yellow line in order to snatch business. There were examples of fighting and unauthorised occupation of space. The public finds it hard to accept and some say going there to shop is like having a nightmare. Last year, there were over 1100 cases of complaints against obstruction at the markets. That figure represents 10% of all complaints. The tolerance of the Department is beyond expectation. Staff have not carried out management duties to improve the conditions and make the markets orderly. The Department often made shortage of resources a pretext and placed problems like fighting for space and illegal hawking in secondary importance. No positive action was taken.
The management standard of our markets has always been criticized by the public. It is not something which happens overnight. I believe the present low management standard is partly due to the Department's failure to consider cost effectiveness. At present, 2801 USD staff are deployed to perform market duties. The total expenditure is close to $655 million. Obviously, we have a lot of staff and we have thrown in a lot of resources, but are these resources directly proportional to effectiveness? I don't see a satisfactory answer. On the contrary, what we pay is indirectly proportional to what we get. So, whether or not this motion is passed, I hope the Department will steadfastly review the cost effectiveness. I also hope the Department will consider Mr. LEE's proposal and carry out an in-depth study on the privatisation of market services and how to enhance competitiveness as soon as possible. I support the motion.
MR. LAI HOK-LIM (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I shall be brief. I want to pinpoint mainly on Mr. LEE Kwok-keung's motion. The Chairman indicated it was not feasible or it could not be implemented. From the speech by the Chairman, I feel that he has misunderstood Mr. LEE. We are asking to consider contracting out the management of some markets to private companies. When Mr. LEE spoke, he pointed out clearly for handing over the management to private companies. The authority of the management does not necessarily include the selection of tenants or the pitching of the rent level. No. the case in point is to hand over the daily management to private companies. If markets under the Housing Authority can follow this mode, I don't see why, as pointed out by the Chairman, we cannot do so. USD staff can still enforce the powers vested to them by law. That enforcement power does not affect the
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