Minutes of the 11Th Meeting of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Kowloon City District Council
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Minutes of the 11th Meeting of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Kowloon City District Council Date: 20 July 2017 (Thursday) Time: 2:34 p.m. Venue: Conference Room, Kowloon City District Office Present: Chairman: Mr LO Chiu-kit Vice-chairman: Mr KWAN Ho-yeung, Roger Members The Hon LEE Wai-king, Starry, SBS, JP Mr SIU Leong-sing Mr LAM Tak-shing Dr KWONG Po-yin (Arrived at 2:45 p.m.) Mr YUE Chee-wing, Admond Mr NG Po-keung (Left at 4:33 p.m.) Mr LAI Kwong-wai (Arrived at 2:36 p.m.) Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH Mr YEUNG Chun-yu, Ronald Mr HO Hin-ming, SBS, MH Mr CHO Wui-hung Dr the Hon LEUNG Mei-fun, Priscilla, (Arrived at 2:46 p.m.) SBS, JP (Left at 4:24 p.m.) Mr NG Fan-kam, Tony Mr PUN Kwok-wah (Left at 5:45 p.m.) Mr LAM Pok, Jimmy Mr YANG Wing-kit Mr HE Huahan Mr TING Kin-wa Secretary: Mr LEUNG Yun-lam, Gary Executive Officer (District Council) 2, Kowloon City District Office 2 Absent: Mr SIU Tin-hung, Terence Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming Miss LEUNG Yuen-ting In Attendance: Mr TANG Wai-kuen, Samuel Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional East) 5, Environmental Protection Department Mr TSOI Yuen-ming District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Kowloon City), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr LEE Po-wan, Ken Deputy District Leisure Manager (Kowloon City), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms KWOK Lai-kuen, Eva Senior Executive Officer (District Management), Kowloon City District Office Mr YU Man-chun, Jeff Executive Officer I (District Management), Kowloon City District Office Attendance by Invitation: Item 2 Ms WONG Ling-yan, Wenndy Police Community Relations Officer (Kowloon City District), Hong Kong Police Force Ms CHAN Yuen-kau Operations Support Sub-Unit Commander (Hung Hom), Hong Kong Police Force Item 4 Mr CHAN San-hong, Fraser Engineer/Kowloon (Headworks 2), Water Supplies Department Item 8 Ms Annie FONDA Director of Operations, Estate Agents Authority Mr Alan LEUNG Manager (Enforcement), Estate Agents Authority 3 Item 9 Ms YEUNG Yu-shan, Alice Senior Field Officer (Avian Influenza), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ✽ ✽ ✽ Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed Members and representatives of government departments to the meeting. He also said that before the meeting the Secretariat had received written notifications from Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming and Mr Terence SIU that they could not attend the meeting due to other commitments, and Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming had authorised Mr YANG Wing-kit to speak and vote on his behalf at the meeting. Prior to the discussion of agenda items, the Chairman reminded Members that if matters to be discussed in due course came into conflict with their personal interests such as ownership of property, occupation or investment, the Member should declare the matter before discussion, so that the Chairman could decide whether to request the Member concerned to withdraw from the meeting when discussion or voting was conducted. In addition, according to Order 36(2) of the Standing Orders, the quorum of the committee meeting was half the number of Members. As there were 23 Members in the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee (FEHC), the Chairman would terminate discussion if the number of Members present was less than 12. Confirmation of Minutes of Last Meeting 2. The Chairman announced that the minutes of the 10th meeting were unanimously confirmed without amendment by FEHC. Matters Arising: Motion: The Government should Expeditiously Allocate Additional Resources to Improve Local Environmental Hygiene Problems (Paper No. 08/17) 3. The Chairman said that FEHC had decided at the previous meeting that that Paper No. 08/17 should be further discussed in order to follow up on the matter: (i) the situation of installing internet protocol (IP) cameras at hygienic black spots of the district by the Food and Environmental Hygiene 4 Department (FEHD); and (ii) the situation of inter-departmental actions against shop front obstruction. 4. Subsequently, the Chairman proposed that the situation of installing IP cameras by FEHD at hygienic black spots of the district be discussed first, and FEHD was requested to make a report. 5. Mr TSOI yuen-ming, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Kowloon City) of FEHD reported the most recent situation of installing IP cameras at hygienic blackspots as follows: (i) as at 30 June 2017, the Department had made use of video-tapes to institute 65 prosecutions in the three districts where the Pilot Scheme was conducted, 45 of which had been convicted and were subject to fines from $1,500 to $3,500. The rest of cases were pending trial results; (ii) in addition, the Department had also made use of video-tapes to organise law enforcement actions and five prosecutions had been successfully instituted; and (iii) at present, IP cameras could be installed at two spots in each district and the Department would conduct a review on their effectiveness a year later. However, before the review was conducted, the District Council (DC) could propose other spots for installing IP cameras be installed at some other spots if it believed that the situation of individual hygienic black spot improved. The Department hoped that Members could arrive at a consensus at the spots where IP cameras be installed. 6. Mr YANG Wing-kit said that many places in the district were plagued by environmental hygiene problems. He expressed regret over the Department’s not increasing the spots of installing IP cameras. In addition, he proposed that Members be invited by means of circulation paper after the meeting to raise proposals about spots where IP cameras should be installed and two spots should subsequently be selected for installation of the device. 7. The Hon Starry LEE pointed out that there were many hygienic 5 blackspots in Kowloon City District. It was inadequate to install IP cameras at only two spots. She hoped that the Department would take into account of the actual situation of Kowloon City District, and strive for additional resources for the installation of more IP cameras. In addition, she agreed to the selection of spots of installation by circulating the paper after the meeting. 8. Mr Jimmy LAM said that many residents very much welcomed the installation of IP cameras at hygienic blackspots in the district. However, they expressed regret over the installation at only two spots. He also agreed to the invitation of proposed locations for installation by circulation of paper after the meeting, and then selection of spots be conducted. 9. Mr PUN Kwok-wah said that there was illegal dumping of refuse at Mei King Street and Mei Kwong Street, and he was appreciative of the Department’s daily clearance of refuse there. However, he opined that clearance of refuse could not tackle the issue at its root. He said that even if the spot was installed with IP cameras, people might still dump refuse at nearby streets. He opined that FEHD should step up law enforcement in order to achieve effects. In addition, he also agreed with the selection of spots of installation of IP cameras after the meeting by circulation of paper. 10. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong sided with the proposal of selecting spots for installation of IP cameras by circulation of paper after the meeting. In addition, he proposed that sub-area cleansing be conducted on a trial basis at spots where IP cameras were installed. And in light of experience, the methods could then be extended to other hygienic blackspots in the district. 11. Mr TSOI Yuen-ming of FEHD made a consolidated reply as follows: (i) the implementation of the Pilot Scheme on Installation of Internet Protocol Cameras involved not the only the cost of installing cameras, but also various recurrent expenditures (such as maintenance and repairs, collection of video-tapes and staff viewing of the tapes etc.). As the amount of expenditure involved was substantial, the Department decided, after prudently considering the allocation of resources, that two spots in each district be first installed with IP cameras; and (ii) the main purpose of installing IP cameras was to target at illegal dumping of refuse, rather than pedestrians’ randomly disposal of 6 garbage. Even the perpetrator’s face was clearly seen in the video-tape, the Department would still be unable to identify them. As such, the information such as time and pattern of committing the offence obtained would mainly be used by the Department for planning of more effective law-enforcement action. 12. The Chairman made a conclusion as follows: (i) the Secretary would be instructed to invite Members after the meeting by circulation of paper to propose the locations for installation of IP cameras, and request Members to select two locations from the proposals for installation of cameras; (ii) FEHD was requested, after the installation of IP cameras, to increase manpower and step up prosecution correspondingly; and (iii) a letter would be sent in the name of FEHC to the Secretary for Food and Health to request the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) to take into account the need of Kowloon City district to increase the number of IP cameras installed in the district so as to improve its hygienic condition. (Post-meeting note: By circulation of paper, FEHC endorsed the installation of IP cameras at “The Road in front of I-Feng Mansion at Chi Kiang Street” and “Back Alley of Hung Wu Building at 20 Wuhu Street”. After the meeting, the Chairman had written to the Secretary for Food and Health in the name of FEHC to request the Bureau to take into account the need of Kowloon City District to increase the number of IP cameras installed in the district, so as to improve its hygienic condition.) 13.