Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ19: Private kitchens
Following is a question by the Hon Tommy Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):
Question:
In recent years, more and more people are operating unlicensed food establishments in residential buildings (commonly known as "private kitchens"), and some of the operators even blatantly run advertisements for publicity. Regarding prosecutions of unlicensed food establishments, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of prosecutions the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department instituted against operators of unlicensed food establishments over the past two years, together with a breakdown by the type (such as restaurants, club houses and catering outlets) of such establishments; and
(b) among the prosecution cases, of the number of those involving private kitchens; if the number of such cases is on the low side as compared to other prosecution figures, of the reasons for that, and whether the Administration has been enforcing the law selectively?
Reply:
(a) In the past two years ending February 2003, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) took out 2,430 prosecutions against offenders for conducting restaurant business without a valid food business licence. 2,021 and 409 of these prosecutions were instituted against unlicensed general restaurants and unlicensed light refreshment restaurants respectively.
(b) Although there has been common usage of the term "private kitchen" recently, there is no generally agreed definition for private kitchens. In fact, FEHD has, in course of operation, observed that many of the premises that are referred to as "private kitchens" are in fact licensed food premises. During the aforesaid period, the Department prosecuted two unlicensed restaurants which had been complained as being unlicensed and had been referred to as "private kitchens".
End/Wednesday, March 19, 2003
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