Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ9: Outsourcing of street cleaning services

        Following is a question by the Hon Li Fung-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (April 21):

 

Question:

 

        It is reported that the cleanliness of streets has been unsatisfactory after the outsourcing of street cleaning services by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.  As a result, the Department has to deploy its workers of the Cleansing and Hygiene Section under the civil service establishment to render assistance, which may be tantamount to a waste of public money.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

 

(a)    of the number and names of the streets the cleaning services of which have been outsourced;

 

(b)    of which of the above streets the cleanliness was complained about in the past year, and the number of such complaints in respect of each of these streets, grouped by districts in which they are situated; and

 

(c)    whether contractors of cleaning services have been penalised during the above period for violation of the terms and conditions of outsourcing contracts; if so, of the details of the violations and penalties?

 

Reply:

 

Madam President,

 

(a) The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has outsourced the cleansing service of 2 606 streets to private contractors, accounting for about 63 per cent of the total number of streets in Hong Kong.  As the department does not have a ready list of the names of these 2 606 streets and it requires extensive work to collate such information, a full list of the names cannot be provided here within such a short timeframe.

 

(b) From April 2003 to March 2004, FEHD received a total of 6 787 complaints about the cleanliness condition of the above streets.  About half of the complaints were found to be substantiated.  Given the large number of streets involved in the outsourcing exercise, information on the number of complaints received in respect of individual districts or streets is not readily available.  Upon receipt of such complaints, FEHD will take immediate follow-up action.  If the complaints are found to be substantiated, FEHD will require the contractors concerned to rectify the problems within specified periods of time.

 

(c) FEHD attaches great importance to the quality of service provided by cleansing contractors and tasks its staff to conduct field inspections.  If contractors are found to be in breach of contract terms (such as street cleanliness not up to standard, inadequate clearing of refuse bins), FEHD will issue warning letters in accordance with the terms of the relevant contracts.  If the contractors fail to rectify the problems within the specified periods of time, FEHD will issue default notices to impose penalty to the contractors in terms of deduction of contract fees.

 

        From April 2003 to March 2004, FEHD issued a total of 806 warning letters and 755 default notices to contractors for breach of contract terms.  About $1.7 million of contract fees were deducted as a result.

 

Ends/Wednesday, April 21, 2004

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