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Following is a question by the Hon Tommy Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (May 24):
Question:
It is learnt that some of the new markets of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and markets in some public housing estates have no live poultry retail stalls. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the markets of FEHD and markets in public housing estates which have no live poultry retail stalls as well as their locations, and whether such stalls have never been set up in these markets;
(b) whether it plans to set up live poultry stalls with facilities to segregate humans from chickens in the new markets of FEHD and those in public housing estates, and put them up for bidding by live poultry stall operators; if so, of the number of such stalls and their locations; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) whether it plans to relocate some live poultry stalls to markets which have no such stalls, so as to avoid such stalls being too densely located; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) At present, a total of 13 public markets managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) are not provided with any live poultry stalls, six of which are not provided with such stalls since commissioning. The names and locations of these markets are shown in Annex A.
As regards markets in public housing estates, 43 of them currently do not have any live poultry stalls. Among these 43 markets, four are not provided with such stalls since commissioning. The names and locations of these markets are shown in Annex B.
(b) Two new FEHD markets are near completion/under construction. They are the new Wan Chai Market in Wan Chai District and Aldrich Bay Market in Eastern District. To minimise human contact with live poultry and in the light of the availability of live poultry stalls in other FEHD markets in the vicinity, we will not provide live poultry stalls at these two new markets. As for the Housing Authority, no new markets in public housing estates are currently under planning/construction.
(c) Generally, live poultry stalls in public markets are not too densely located. Since the introduction of the ex-gratia payment scheme in July 2004 for live poultry retailers who voluntarily surrender their licences/terminate their tenancies, up to end April 2006, 159 operators of live poultry stalls in public markets have terminated their tenancies under the scheme. At present, there are 286 live poultry stalls in public markets. The Administration has no plan to allow existing live poultry stall operators to shift to continue their business in public markets without live poultry stalls.
Ends/Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:38
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