Should recovery agents be banned? The major issue being overlooked is access to justice for all. The current supplementary legal-aid scheme offers some comfort but still excludes many. There is a non-refundable HK$1,000 application fee, a contribution by the claimant of up to HK$41,425 and an intrusive means-testing procedure. After this procedure, which can take months, the Legal Aid Department still rejects about 35 per cent of applicants. Where would these applicants go if there were no alternative such as recovery agents? These companies should not be banned collectively for the errant actions of a few, but strictly regulated like other financial services. Hong Kong needs a market-driven and independent commercial alternative to legal aid. Without that, the Legal Aid Department becomes a de facto court, making judgments on applicants' cases and precluding them from a full legal hearing. My company, Remedy Asia, has been operating in Hong Kong for nearly eight years without complaints from any of our clients. We operate a parallel and nearly identical system to supplementary legal aid but without an application fee, financial contribution or means testing. We have helped numerous clients achieve compensation who were rejected by the Legal Aid Department on the grounds of lack of merit. As for professional integrity, all our cases are conducted independently by specialist personal-injury solicitors. Our procedures, documentation and practices have also been vetted by the Law Society guidance committee. The 'recovery companies' that generate so much bad press are not legitimate businesses but commission touts without credible financial backing. They operate partly because some solicitors put financial gain before ethics and still conduct business with them. In insolvency matters, where a more pragmatic approach is taken to litigation funding, all funding agreements are fully disclosed to the court at the outset and judgment is made as to champerty and public-interest issues before the case proceeds. I see no reason why a similar transparent approach cannot be taken with personal-injury matters. Robert Karlson, managing director, Remedy Asia Ltd Should rules on outdoor open space be more flexible? I am grateful to Annelise Connell for highlighting a major source of pollution (Talkback, June 3). I had for years - in common, I suspect, with many other people - believed that our air pollution was caused by factors mainly beyond our control, but I now realise that by the simple expedient of banning the smoking of cigarettes and cigars in parks, open spaces and streets, we will see a return of the clear skies we once used to enjoy. It should surely not be too difficult to implement such a ban. J. R. Henderson, Sai Kung Should CCTV be installed in busy pedestrian areas? I refer to one of the reports on this issue of closed-circuit television cameras ('Councillors angry at delays on Mong Kok security cameras', May 19). Are CCTV cameras the answer? It depends on what the question is. If the question is 'Do we want to live in a city where our every move is watched by CCTV cameras?', the answer is 'yes'. If we want to satisfy district councillors itching to show how effective they are, the answer is also 'yes'. If we want to retain our reputation as a safe city, the answer is 'no'. So somebody is throwing acid ('Acid attack wounds 30 in repeat of December Mong Kok assault', May 17). How about catching them? Come on, commissioner of police, get your skates on and put a stop to the acid throwing and the overreaction that has accompanied it. These are not 'security cameras', they are surveillance cameras. Jeremy Kidner, Central Should more ice-cream hawker licences be issued? I do not think we should issue more licences. Nowadays we have many 24-hour convenience stores and it is easy to buy ice cream. I think hawkers would struggle to compete with these enterprises. Some people who support these licences have said ice-cream hawkers are part of the collective memory of Hong Kong. However, this cannot be a rational reason, given that these hawkers will not be able to survive in what is a very competitive environment. Mark Lai, Sha Tin Hongkongers have fond memories of ice-cream hawkers. They always have a very friendly attitude towards their customers. I disagree with those who argue that we should limit or even reduce the number of ice-cream-hawker licences available. On the contrary, I think the government should issue more licences. Meiling Tsang, Ma On Shan
