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The second question. In his reply about the prosecution aspect, the Chairman of the Select Committee pointed out that no prosecution action was taken by the Department against estate cleansing contractors last year and that a working relation had been developed between the Urban Services Department and the Housing Department over the years which enabled the two parties to take quick remedial action in response to complaints. I want to know whether this kind of working relationship is simply one in which bureaucrats are shielding one another.
The third question. There is a set of standards for the public RCPs designed by the Urban Services Department, which among other things requires an enclosed design, as mentioned by the Chairman of the Select Committee, and the installation of an air filtering system. In this connection, can we discuss in detail at our future Select Committee meetings the possibility of requiring the Housing Department to meet our standards in the design of RCPs, be they in public housing estates or in Home Ownership Scheme courts, as long as our Department's refuse collection vehicles have to go in? This is because our Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance applies to the entire area under the jurisdiction of the Urban Council, and public housing estates should not be independent jurisdictions exempted from legal control simply because they are under the management of the Housing Department,
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): — Mr. Chairman, about Mr. CHAN's first question, the answer is that in building RCPs, the Housing Department is not required to seek the approval of either the Council or the Urban Services Department. It only seeks our views, including views on lighting, ventilation, drainage, vehicular access and so on as I mentioned just now. It would be acceptable as long as these meet the requirements. We don't have the authority to approve the construction of RCPs.
About the second question of whether the existing relationship between the two departments is simply one in which the bureaucrats are shielding one another, I don't have the information. Nevertheless, if there was any problem, normally the Department would forward a document advising the Housing Department to make improvement and normally the latter would do so immediately.
About the third question. The most updated standard for RCPs is the installation of a water filtering system. We can request the Housing Department to comply with this new standard in building new estates but this is only our wishful thinking because we don't have the authority to force them to implement this. However, this view can be reflected through the Housing Authority because it has the right to decide what to do. As for the Urban Council, it has no right to make them do it.
Mr. Joseph Lai Chi-keong (in Cantonese): — I have the feeling that in monitoring the refuse collection facilities of public housing estates, the Urban Council and Urban Services Department are like paper tigers. I want to ask the
Page 332 of 654
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1 age 332 of 654
Page 332 of 654
328
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
The second question. In his reply about the prosecution aspect, the Chairman of the Select Committee pointed out that no prosecution action was taken by the Department against estate cleansing contractors last year and that a working relation had been developed between the Urban Services Department and the Housing Department over the years which enabled the two parties to take quick remedial action in response to complaints. I want to know whether this kind of working relationship is simply one in which bureaucrats are shielding one another.
The third question. There is a set of standards for the public RCPs designed by the Urban Services Department, which among other things requires an enclosed design, as mentioned by the Chairman of the Select Committee, and the installation of an air filtering system. In this connection, can we discuss in detail at our future Select Committee meetings the possibility of requiring the Housing Department to meet our standards in the design of RCPs, be they in public housing estates or in Home Ownership Scheme courts, as long as our Department's refuse collection vehicles have to go in? This is because our Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance applies to the entire area under the jurisdiction of the Urban Council, and public housing estates should not be independent jurisdictions exempted from legal control simply because they are under the management of the Housing Department,
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, about Mr. CHAN's first question, the answer is that in building RCPs, the Housing Department is not required to seck the approval of either the Council or the Urban Services Department. It only seeks our views, including views on lighting, ventilation, drainage, vehicular access and so on as I mentioned just now. It would be acceptable as long as these meet the requirements. We don't have the authority to approve the construction of RCPs.
About the second question of whether the existing relationship between the two departments is simply one in which the bureaucrats are shielding one another, I don't have the information. Nevertheless, if there was any problem, normally the Department would forward a document advising the Housing Department to make improvement and normally the latter would do so immediately.
About the third question. The most updated standard for RCPs is the installation of a water filtering system. We can request the Housing Department to comply with this new standard in building new estates but this is only our wishful thinking because we don't have the authority to force them to implement this. However, this view can be reflected through the Housing Authority because it has the right to decide what to do. As for the Urban Council, it has no right to make them do it.
Mr. Joseph Lai Chi-keong (in Cantonese); —I have the feeling that in monitoring the refuse collection facilities of public housing estates, the Urban Council and Urban Services Department are like paper tigers. I want to ask the
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