Four property owners fined over $104,000 in total for failing to comply with fire safety directions
Four property owners were convicted and fined over $104,000 in total at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on October 17 for failing to comply with fire safety directions issued under the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (FS(B)O) (Cap. 572).
The Buildings Department (BD) issued fire safety directions under section 5(2)(a)(ii) of the FS(B)O to the respective owners of four domestic flats in a 70-year-old composite building on Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, requiring them to comply with the fire safety construction requirements by providing fire-rated doors at the unit entrances, which open directly to staircases.
Failing to comply with the statutory directions, the four owners were prosecuted by the BD and were convicted by the court. Each of them was fined $26,120.
"According to the FS(B)O, failing to comply with a statutory direction issued under the ordinance without reasonable excuse is a serious offence. The BD may instigate prosecution proceedings against the owner", a spokesman for the BD said today (October 30).
Pursuant to section 5(8) of the FS(B)O, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a statutory direction, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 4 ($25,000 at present) and to a further fine of $2,500 for each day of non-compliance. Upon conviction, an application may also be made to the court for a Fire Safety Compliance Order against the owner under section 6(1) of the FS(B)O directing the owner to comply with the requirements of the direction.
Appointments to Hong Kong Tourism Board announced
The Government announced today (October 30) the appointment of Dr Chloe Suen Yin-wah as a new member, and the reappointments of Ms Margaret Fong Shun-man, Mrs Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun, Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi, Ms Rebecca Kwan Shuk-wah, Ms Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee and Mr Ronald Wu Keng-hou as members of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). The Commissioner for Tourism is also reappointed as a member and Deputy Chairman of the HKTB, while the Deputy Commissioner for Tourism is reappointed as an alternate member for the Commissioner for Tourism. A spokesman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau welcomed Dr Chloe Suen Yin-wah to join the Board, and expressed gratitude to the reappointed members for their continued valuable advice to the HKTB.
The tenure of their appointments lasts for two years from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2026.
Appointments to the HKTB are made by the Chief Secretary for Administration in exercise of the powers delegated to him by the Chief Executive and pursuant to section 9 of the Hong Kong Tourism Board Ordinance (Chapter 302).
The membership of the HKTB commencing November 1, 2024, will be as follows:
Dr Pang Yiu-kai (Chairman)
Commissioner for Tourism (Deputy Chairman) with Deputy Commissioner for Tourism as alternate member
Mr Abraham Chan
Mr Dennis Chow Chi-in
Ms Margaret Fong Shun-man
Dr Allen Fung Yuk-lun
Mrs Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun
Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi
Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi
Ms Rebecca Kwan Shuk-wah
Dr Lam Ho-yi
Ms Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee
Dr Chloe Suen Yin-wah
Mr Ricky Szeto Wing-fu
Mr Richard Tsang Lap-ki
Mr James Wong Cheuk-on
Professor Simon Wong Kit-lung
Mr Ronald Wu Keng-hou
The spokesman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau also thanked the outgoing members, Ms Sonia Cheng Chi-man, Ms Vanessa Cheung Tih-lin and Ms Joyce Tam Joy-yee, for their contribution to the work of the Board.
