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environmental health standards of Hong Kong up to the requirements of international health organisations.
(2) Combining the two municipal councils into a territory-wide new urban services authority can save on public expenditure, enhance efficiency and remove discrepancies in present policies and laws of the two municipal councils.
(3) Combining the two municipal services departments into a territory-wide new department for enforcement of council policies can save on public expenditure, enhance administrative efficiency and thoroughly remove the situation of no uniformity in the municipal services departments' implementation of council policies. The new combined departments should be responsible to the new council and be supervised by the new council.
(4) Combining all functional departments handling food safety and hygiene functions such as the Hygiene Division of the Department of Health, the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the licensing unit of the Buildings Department, the club licensing unit of the Home Affairs Department etc. A new unified department in control of food production, import, export, testing and enforcement should be formed. As to the name of this new department, the opinions of experts should be sought. During the bird flu incident last year, I suggested that Government set up a 'food safety bureau' accountable to central, a new municipal council and to be supervised by the new council. The suggested food safety authority can also act as the channel of coordination and communication with international organisations in respect of the enforcement of food safety and import/export measures.
(5) Reform of district organisations should progress step by step. For the management of food safety and environmental health, the opinions of professionals should be respected. District elections will be held next year, Reform of district organisations invariably involves amendments to ordinances and municipal services or health regulations. All the more so, we need sufficient time for the Department of Health to draw in advanced health organisations from abroad in assisting Hong Kong to review food safety and environmental health matters. I think the reform of district organisations should be carried out in two steps. For the first step, the first district election for the SAR should remain unchanged as a transitional arrangement so that we can have sufficient time to prepare for combination. Step two will see the implementation of review results as suggested by experts and points 2 to 4 above in the second district election for the SAR and final completion of the review of district organisations. To sum up, district organisations and all government departments involved in food safety and environmental health should be reviewed. The review must be practical and realistic if it is to attain real purpose. Only in this way with the review of district organisations stand the test of history.
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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
XIII
environmental health standards of Hong Kong up to the requirements of international health organisations.
(2) Combining the two municipal councils into a territory-wide new urban services authority can save on public expenditure, enhance efficiency and remove discrepancies in present policies and laws of the two municipal councils.
(3) Combining the two municipal services departments into a territory-wide new department for enforcement of council policies can save on public expenditure, enhance administrative efficiency and thoroughly remove the situation of no uniformity in the municipal services departments' implementation of council policies. The new combined departments should be responsible to the new council and be supervised by the new council.
(4) Combining all functional departments handling food safety and hygiene functions such as the Hygiene Division of the Department of Health, the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. the Environmental Protection Department, the licensing unit of the Buildings Department, the club licensing unit of the Home Affairs Department etc. A new unified department in control of food production, import, export, testing and enforcement should be formed. As to the name of this new department, the opinions of experts should be sought. During the bird flu incident last year, I suggested that Government set up a 'food safety bureau' accountable to central, a new municipal council and to be supervised by the new council. The suggested food safety authority can also act as the channel of coordination and communication with international organisations in respect of the enforcement of food safety and import/export measures.
(5) Reform of district organisations should progress step by step. For the management of food safety and environmental health, the opinions of professionals should be respected. District elections will be held next year, Reform of district organisations invariably involves amendments to ordinances and municipal services or health regulations. All the more so, we need sufficient time for the Department of Health to draw in advanced health organisations from abroad in assisting Hong Kong to review food safety and environmental health matters. I think the reform of district organisations should be carried out in two steps. For the first step, the first district election for the SAR should remain unchanged as a transitional arrangement so that we can have sufficient time to prepare for combination. Step two will see the implementation of review results as suggested by experts and points 2 to 4 above in the second district election for the SAR and final completion of the review of district organisations. To sum up, district organisations and all government departments involved in food safety and environmental health should be reviewed. The review must be practical and realistic if it is to attain real purpose. Only in this way with the review of district organisations stand the test of history.
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