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A Government spokesman said today (April 2) that in view of the large number of banners found put up by some organisations in public places to express their views in recent months, with some banners even hanging in the no banner zones and possibly putting other road users at risk, the Government departments concerned will step up enforcement against unauthorised display of those non-commercial publicity materials and banners.
"Apart from posing risks to road users, there were occasions in the past that representatives of individual groups quarrelled and scuffled with each other in public places over the display of banners, causing great nuisances or inconvenience to pedestrians," the spokesman said.
He pointed out that according to the records of the Lands Department (LandsD), those banners were non-commercial publicity materials displayed without permission. Although the Administration has repeatedly reminded the organisations of the arrangements under the "Management Scheme for the Display of Roadside Non-commercial Publicity Materials", the situation has not improved. Hence, the Administration considered that there is a need to step up enforcement against the unauthorised display of such non-commercial publicity materials and banners.
The spokesman said the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will issue warnings to the offenders, to be followed by enforcement actions which include mounting clearance operations to remove non-commercial publicity materials displayed without permission and recovery of the removal costs from the persons concerned. Criminal prosecutions will also be considered.
The Administration has implemented the "Management Scheme for the Display of Roadside Non-commercial Publicity Materials" since May 2003 to manage the display of non-commercial publicity materials on the roadside, and made revisions to the Implementation Guidelines of the Scheme in August 2011.
For the purpose of implementing the Management Scheme, some officers in LandsD are authorised by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene to give permission for the display of roadside non-commercial publicity materials under Section 104A of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132).¡@
Any person who displays roadside publicity materials without the written permission of the Administration commits an offence. Moreover, the Implementation Guidelines provide that the display of publicity materials at central dividers of roads, pedestrian crossings and within 30 metres of traffic upstream side of road junctions is prohibited.¡@
FEHD and LandsD conduct joint operations regularly to remove non-commercial publicity materials that are displayed without permission or not compliant with the Implementation Guidelines. Dependent on the circumstances of each case and the relevant law, FEHD will decide whether to take out criminal prosecutions against the persons displaying those publicity materials and other persons held criminally responsible under Section 104D of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, or to only recover the removal costs from the persons concerned.
The Implementation Guidelines of the Management Scheme are available for public information on the website of LandsD: www.landsd.gov.hk/en/images/doc/guidelines.pdf .
Ends/Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Issued at HKT 10:01
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