LCQ18: Falling Object Monitoring Systems in public rental housing estates

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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Kwok-keung, and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in the Legislative Council today (March 14):

Question:

Regarding the problem of objects being thrown from a height, will the Government inform this Council :

(a) of the total number of reported cases involving the throwing of objects from a height in the past three years and, among them, the number of those which took place within the bounds of Public Rental Housing (PRH) estates; the casualties arising from those cases and the number of cases in which the offenders were convicted;

(b) of the respective numbers of Falling Object Monitoring Systems (FOMSs) installed within the bounds of PRH estates, Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) housing estates as well as Home Ownership Scheme housing courts; and

(c) whether the Housing Department plans to install FOMSs expeditiously in all PRH estates, including those to be sold under the TPS; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Madam President,

In the past three years (1998 - 2000), the Police have received 1422 reports on falling objects from a height, which caused 711 casualties and led to 101 convictions. Of these incidents, 45 took place in public rental housing estates and Tenants Purchase Scheme estates. The Police have no separate statistics on casualties and convictions in public rental housing estates.

The Housing Department has 46 Falling Object Monitoring Systems. These mobile systems are installed in different public rental housing estates by rotation according to the seriousness of the problem, but are not installed in Home Ownership Scheme or Tenants Purchase Scheme estates which are the sole responsibility of owners.

For cost-effectiveness, the Housing Department will continue with the current arrangement to rotate Falling Object Monitoring Systems among public rental housing estates, and has no intention to acquire additional ones. However, an estate may use funds allocated to its Estate Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) to install a Monitoring System for its sole use.

End/Wednesday, March 14, 2001

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