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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (December 23) invited vehicle scrapping companies to apply for registration starting January 6, 2014, as registered vehicle scrapping companies under the ex-gratia payment scheme to phase out pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles, and to attend a briefing session on the registration arrangements early next month.
To improve roadside air quality and better protect public health, the Government will adopt an incentive-cum-enforcement approach to phase out some 80,000 pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles in phases, and limit the service life of newly registered diesel commercial vehicles at 15 years. For this purpose, the Government will offer ex-gratia payment and seek funding approval from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council (LegCo) in January 2014 with a view to implementing the ex-gratia payment scheme and accepting applications from March 1, 2014.
To prevent abuse and ensure smooth implementation, the EPD will set up a list of registered vehicle scrapping companies under the ex-gratia payment scheme. Eligible vehicle owners will need to scrap their pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles through a registered vehicle scrapping company during the scheme period and obtain the vehicle scrapping certificate issued by the registered vehicle scrapping company before submitting their application for ex-gratia payment.
The EPD has arranged briefing sessions for vehicle scrapping companies that are interested in registering under the ex-gratia payment scheme. Details are as follows:
Briefing session (Chinese)
Date: January 2, 2014 (Thursday)
Time: 2.15pm to 3.45pm
Venue: Committee Rooms I-III, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, 18 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Briefing session (English)
Date: January 3, 2014 (Friday)
Time: 2.15pm to 3.45pm
Venue: Conference Room, 33/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Operators of vehicle scrapping companies who are interested in attending the briefing session must sign up with the EPD via email (preEU4dcv@epd.gov.hk) or by fax (2827 8230) on or before December 30. The enrolment form for the briefing session is available on the EPD's website at www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/prob_solutions/Phasing_out_diesel_comm_veh.html .
As seating is limited, each vehicle scrapping company may reserve a maximum of two seats. If the number of enrolment exceeds the seating capacity, the EPD will hold another briefing session after the one originally scheduled for vehicle scrapping companies that sign up later.
After the LegCo's Finance Committee has approved the funding, the EPD will announce the details of application for ex-gratia payment, including the eligibility criteria and application details, and inform the vehicle owners concerned by mail.
Ends/Monday, December 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:30
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