ENG-1987 — Page 184

HEALTH

147

decline of 1 500 compared with 1986. This reduction was attributable to the council's general policy of not normally issuing any new hawker licences, natural wastage, and the continuous effort of the council to move on-street hawkers into newly completed market and off-street hawker bazaars. The council this year re-introduced a scheme for granting ex-gratia payments to licensed cooked-food hawkers who surrender their licences for cancellation. This also helped reduce the number of licensed hawkers. Meanwhile the estimated total of unlicensed hawkers in mid-1987 was about 12 400, a significant reduction of 3 600 compared with 1986 estimates. This decrease was due in part to more accurate headcounts plus intensified enforcement action against the illegal hawkers, more police support in certain areas, and better management and supervision of the General Duties Teams following the introduction of strengthened leadership in the hawker control operations. The teams continued to enforce the Urban Council's policies for the manage- ment and control of both licensed and unlicensed hawkers throughout the urban areas.

The Working Party to Review Hawker and Related Policies, set up by the Urban Council in February 1984, after wide consultation with interested bodies, published its report with recommendations for consideration by the Urban Council and by the government. If accepted, its recommendations on all aspects of hawker management and control will be implemented in the urban areas.

The management and control of hawkers in the Regional Council area are the responsibility of the Regional Council. In 1987, there were 3 332 licensed hawkers in the Regional Council area, a drop of 246 compared with 1986. The number of unlicensed hawkers was estimated to be 1 832.

Through the deployment of general duties teams, which have an establishment of 943, the Regional Services Department maintains control over the hawker situation. While illegal hawking activities are increasing with the urbanisation of the Regional Council area, the number of licensed hawkers is gradually declining as more and more of them are resited into new markets to become market stall lessees.

Abattoirs

=

The Urban Council's two abattoirs at Kennedy Town on Hong Kong Island and at Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon continued to supply the bulk of the fresh meat. During the year, 2 424 000 pigs, 122 000 head of cattle and 10 000 goats were slaughtered in the abattoirs.

Slaughtering services in the Regional Council area are provided by three licensed private slaughterhouses in Kwai Chung, Yuen Long and Tai Po districts. They handled a total of 1 158 040 pigs, 59 319 head of cattle and 404 goats during the year. The slaughterhouse at Kwai Chung, which can slaughter up to 3 000 pigs a day, also helps to meet the demand from Kowloon. The Tai Po slaughterhouse ceased to operate on September 1. In the long term, a site at Sheung Shui has been reserved for the construction of a private slaughterhouse with a possible throughput capacity of 2 500 pigs and 200 cattle and a small slaughterhouse is being planned for Cheung Chau to cater for the needs of the island.

All animals slaughtered in these abattoirs and slaughterhouses were inspected by qualified health inspectors of the Urban Services and the Regional Services departments.

Proposals for the privatisation of the Urban Council abattoirs have been accepted in principle and are being studied further. Privatisation would affect the slaughtering activities, but not the meat inspection duties of the Health Authorities.

Cemeteries and Crematoria

It is the government's policy to encourage cremation rather than burial for the disposal of the dead. During the year, over 65 per cent of the dead were cremated. Human remains