ENG-1989 — Page 195

HEALTH

been a significant decline in the number of unlicensed hawkers, due mainly to intensified enforcement action by the general duties teams against illegal hawkers, together with the relatively attractive employment prospects available in the commercial and industrial

sectors.

Following the recommendations of the Urban Council's Working Party on Hawker and Related Policies, efforts have been made to relax the issue of hawker licences. As a first step, the council began issuing licences in early 1988 to fixed-pitch newspaper hawkers. The issue of other classes of licences will depend largely on the availability of suitable sites identified to be viable and publicly acceptable.

Having completed the computerisation of all hawker particulars in April 1988, the council completed a further project on the computerisation of hawker conviction records in February 1989. The purpose of such records is to assist the Courts in determining appropriate levels of fines in respect of hawker offences. This system is running smoothly.

The management and control of hawkers in the Regional Council area is the res- ponsibility of the council. In 1989, there were 2 848 licensed hawkers in the council area, a drop of 109 compared with 1988. There were an estimated 1 855 unlicensed hawkers.

Through the deployment of general duties teams, 759 men in all, the Regional Services Department maintains control over the hawker situation. Although there are illegal hawk- ing blackspots in the new towns, the problem is generally contained, and the number of licensed hawkers is gradually declining as more of them are given sites in new markets.

The council has a firm policy of not issuing any new hawker licenses, except Fixed Pitch (Newspaper) Hawker Licences.

Abattoirs

The Urban Council's two abattoirs at Kennedy Town on Hong Kong Island and at Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon continued to supply 63 per cent of local demand for fresh meat. During the year, 2 067 000 pigs, 113 000 cattle and 12 000 goats were slaughtered in the abattoirs.

In 1987, the council decided in principle that the two abattoirs should be privatised on the condition that the council would continue to undertake a meat inspection service after privatisation. The Urban Services Department held a series of negotiations during the year with an interested company and some progress has been made. Meanwhile, a package of redundancy terms has been proposed to the affected abattoir staff for their consideration.

Slaughtering services in the Regional Council area are provided by two licensed private slaughterhouses in Kwai Chung and Yuen Long districts. They handled a total of 1 244 600 pigs, 56 000 head of cattle and 8 000 goats during the year. The slaughter- house at Kwai Chung, which can slaughter up to 3 000 pigs a day, also helps to meet the demand in Kowloon. To meet long-term demand, a site at Sheung Shui has been reserved for the construction of a private slaughterhouse with a possible throughput capacity. of 3 900 pigs and 240 cattle. In addition, a small slaughterhouse is being constructed for Cheung Chau.

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

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 66 per cent of the dead were cremated. Human remains

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