ENG-1998 — Page 236

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HEALTH

The RSD's hawker control teams secured 32 222 court convictions for hawking offences by both licensed and unlicensed hawkers during the year. Hawker Handling Centres at Yuen Long, Tai Po and Sheung Shui police stations proved a success in dealing with hawking arrests and charging procedures. The RSD plans to extend this system to other districts.

Abattoirs

There are two abattoirs in the urban areas and three slaughterhouses in the New Territories. A new slaughterhouse facility in Sheung Shui will commence operation in August 1999 to replace the two urban abattoirs and the slaughterhouse in Yuen Long.

During the year, these abattoirs/slaughterhouses handled 2 356 516 pigs, 64 799 cattle and 5 671 goats, which accounted for virtually all the local fresh meat supply. Qualified health inspectors of the USD and the RSD inspected all food animals slaughtered in these abattoirs/slaughterhouses and ensured that only meat/offal fit for human consumption was released for sale in the retail market.

The USD and the RSD also maintain vigilance against illegal slaughtering activities and the sale of unstamped meat. In 1998, health inspectors of the two municipal services departments carried out 107 raids on suspected illegal slaughterhouses and made regular/surprise checks on meat stalls, resulting in three prosecutions against the possession of unstamped carcasses for sale.

Cemeteries and Crematoria

In land-short Hong Kong, the government encourages cremation rather than burial of the dead. During the year, over 80 per cent of the territory's dead were cremated. Human remains buried in public cemeteries must be exhumed after six years and are either cremated or re-interred in an urn cemetery.

The Provisional Urban Council operates one public funeral parlour in Kowloon and three service halls are open to the public free of charge. The council manages five public cemeteries and two public crematoria, and monitors 18 private cemeteries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission manages two war cemeteries.

Since May, the Provisional Urban Council has computerised its cemeteries and crematoria services to improve the booking of cremation services and allocation of niches.

The RSD continued to manage four public crematoria and six public cemeteries in the New Territories. It also oversaw 11 private cemeteries and six private crematoria. Public columbaria are provided at Kwai Chung, Fu Shan, Cheung Chau, Wo Hop Shek, Lamma and Peng Chau. In all, 34 982 niches were provided for permanent deposition of cremated ashes.