1998 — Page 383

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 371

PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

explosion of wrath and riots during this serious unemployment and underemployment situation, I hope that senior officials of the SAR Government, the Government departments concerned and the Provisional Urban Council can reflect on the three issues mentioned below.

Firstly, the Urban Council passed in early 1995 the motion proposed by me with regard to solving the unemployment and underemployment problem. Senior Government officials should respond to the motion which clearly states that illegal hawking is only the consequence of the unemployment and underemployment. The motion also urges the Government to take immediate measures to tackle the cause of the problem and to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy so as to let the unemployed have a way out when they cannot find jobs, i.e. allowing them to trade as hawkers instead of providing them with social security assistance. Five years have elapsed, but so far there has not been a single word of reply from the Administration. The unemployment and underemployment rates are substantially higher than what they were 5 years ago and have reached their peaks over the past 20 years. The problem of illegal hawking will definitely become even more serious. Under such circumstances, can senior Government officials ignore the motion carried by the Urban Council in 1995?

Secondly, the SAR Government must conduct a comprehensive review and formulate a sound hawker policy which should recognize the social function of hawkers, establish an appropriate social status for hawkers and ensure proper management of hawkers. In the course of carrying out reforms and opening to the world, the Mainland formulated the “individual business” policy to solve the problem of mass unemployment. There is a complete set of regulations and management rules under the policy and operators of individual business even attain such social status that they can participate in government and political affairs. However, under Hong Kong's long implemented hawker policy, hawkers are just a tool that will be discarded when not in need. They are implicitly allowed to trade when there is a need to relax restriction on hawking in order to alleviate the unemployment and underemployment problem. When the employment rate is high, every effort will be made to root them out. It is beyond debate that the hawking trade at least serves the social function of easing the pressure caused by unemployment and underemployment. The Government and the Council must make reference to the effective “individual business" policy and the successful experience of individual economy in the Mainland and invite local hawker associations to participate in the review of local hawker policy and related laws so as to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy.

Thirdly, the Provisional Urban Council should immediately adopt a natural attrition scheme for the cancellation of IHLs and shelve the deletion policy indefinitely so as to avoid unreasonable moves to aggravate unemployment.

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Page 371 PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL explosion of wrath and riots during this serious unemployment and underemployment situation, I hope that senior officials of the SAR Government, the Government departments concerned and the Provisional Urban Council can reflect on the three issues mentioned below. Firstly, the Urban Council passed in early 1995 the motion proposed by me with regard to solving the unemployment and underemployment problem. Senior Government officials should respond to the motion which clearly states that illegal hawking is only the consequence of the unemployment and underemployment. The motion also urges the Government to take immediate measures to tackle the cause of the problem and to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy so as to let the unemployed have a way out when they cannot find jobs, i.e. allowing them to trade as hawkers instead of providing them with social security assistance. Five years have elapsed, but so far there has not been a single word of reply from the Administration. The unemployment and underemployment rates are substantially higher than what they were 5 years ago and have reached their peaks over the past 20 years. The problem of illegal hawking will definitely become even more serious. Under such circumstances, can senior Government officials ignore the motion carried by the Urban Council in 1995? Secondly, the SAR Government must conduct a comprehensive review and formulate a sound hawker policy which should recognize the social function of hawkers, establish an appropriate social status for hawkers and ensure proper management of hawkers. In the course of carrying out reforms and opening to the world, the Mainland formulated the “individual business” policy to solve the problem of mass unemployment. There is a complete set of regulations and management rules under the policy and operators of individual business even attain such social status that they can participate in government and political affairs. However, under Hong Kong's long implemented hawker policy, hawkers are just a tool that will be discarded when not in need. They are implicitly allowed to trade when there is a need to relax restriction on hawking in order to alleviate the unemployment and underemployment problem. When the employment rate is high, every effort will be made to root them out. It is beyond debate that the hawking trade at least serves the social function of easing the pressure caused by unemployment and underemployment. The Government and the Council must make reference to the effective “individual business" policy and the successful experience of individual economy in the Mainland and invite local hawker associations to participate in the review of local hawker policy and related laws so as to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy. Thirdly, the Provisional Urban Council should immediately adopt a natural attrition scheme for the cancellation of IHLs and shelve the deletion policy indefinitely so as to avoid unreasonable moves to aggravate unemployment. Page 383 of 606 Page 383 of 606

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Page PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL 371 explosion of wrath and riots during this serious unemployment and underemployment situation, I hope that senior officials of the SAR Government, the Government departments concerned and the Provisional Urban Council can reflect on the three issues mentioned below. Firstly, the Urban Council passed in early 1995 the motion proposed by me wwith regard to solving the unemployment and underemployment problem. Senior Government officials should respond to the motion which clearly states tthat illegal hawking is only the consequence of the unemployment and underemployment. The motion also urges the Government to take immediate measures to tackle the cause of the problem and to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy so as to let the unemployed have way out when they cannot find jobs, i.e. allowing them to trade as hawkers instead of [providing them with social security assistance. Five years have elapsed, but so Ifar there has not been a single word of reply from the Administration. The unemployment and underemployment rates are substantially higher than what they were 5 years ago and have reached their peaks over the past 20 years. The problem of illegal hawking will definitely become even more serious. Under :such circumstances, can senior Government officials ignore the motion carried 1by the Urban Council in 1995? Secondly, the SAR Government must conduct a comprehensive review and :formulate a sound hawker policy which should recognize the social function of hawkers, establish an appropriate social status for hawkers and ensure proper :management of hawkers. In the course of carrying out reforms and opening to the world, the Mainland formulated the “individual business” policy to solve the problem of mass unemployment. There is a complete set of regulations and `management rules under the policy and operators of individual business even :attain such social status that they can participate in government and political affairs. However, under Hong Kong's long implemented hawker policy, hawkers are just a tool that will be discarded when not in need. They are implicitly allowed to trade when there is a need to relax restriction on hawking in order to alleviate the unemployment and underemployment problem. When the employment rate is high, every effort will be made to root them out. It is beyond debate that the hawking trade at least serves the social function of easing the pressure caused by unemployment and underemployment. The Government and the Council must make reference to the effective “individual business" policy and the successful experience of individual economy in the Mainland and invite local hawker associations to participate in the review of local hawker policy and related laws so as to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy. Thirdly, the Provisional Urban Council should immediately adopt a natural attrition scheme for the cancellation of IHLs and shelve the deletion policy indefinitely so as to avoid unreasonable moves to aggravate unemployment. Page 383 of 606 Page 383 of 606

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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

371

Firstly, the Urban Council passed in early 1995 the motion proposed by me wwith regard to solving the unemployment and underemployment problem. Senior Government officials should respond to the motion which clearly states tthat illegal hawking is only the consequence of the unemployment and underemployment. The motion also urges the Government to take immediate measures to tackle the cause of the problem and to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy so as to let the unemployed have

way out when they cannot find jobs, i.e. allowing them to trade as hawkers instead of [providing them with social security assistance. Five years have elapsed, but so Ifar there has not been a single word of reply from the Administration. The unemployment and underemployment rates are substantially higher than what they were 5 years ago and have reached their peaks over the past 20 years. The problem of illegal hawking will definitely become even more serious. Under :such circumstances, can senior Government officials ignore the motion carried 1by the Urban Council in 1995?

Secondly, the SAR Government must conduct a comprehensive review and :formulate a sound hawker policy which should recognize the social function of hawkers, establish an appropriate social status for hawkers and ensure proper :management of hawkers. In the course of carrying out reforms and opening to the world, the Mainland formulated the “individual business” policy to solve the problem of mass unemployment. There is a complete set of regulations and `management rules under the policy and operators of individual business even :attain such social status that they can participate in government and political affairs. However, under Hong Kong's long implemented hawker policy, hawkers are just a tool that will be discarded when not in need. They are implicitly allowed to trade when there is a need to relax restriction on hawking in order to alleviate the unemployment and underemployment problem. When the employment rate is high, every effort will be made to root them out. It is beyond debate that the hawking trade at least serves the social function of easing the pressure caused by unemployment and underemployment. The Government and the Council must make reference to the effective “individual business" policy and the successful experience of individual economy in the Mainland and invite local hawker associations to participate in the review of local hawker policy and related laws so as to formulate a comprehensive and sound hawker policy.

1998 — Page 383

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