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The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:
The Ombudsman, Ms Connie Lau, declared today (September 23) a direct investigation into the tree management regime and practices of the Tree Management Office (TMO) of the Development Bureau and other relevant departments. She said she welcomes views and information from the public on this subject.
There have been quite a few incidents of tree collapse in recent years, causing damage to property and even human injury and loss of life. The Office of The Ombudsman has time and again received complaints from members of the public about the Government's failure to take timely action on their reports about dangerous trees, resulting in the collapse of the trees and damage to property.
Responsibility for the management of trees on government land is shared by various departments. The TMO is responsible for centrally overseeing the implementation of the Government's tree management policy, co-ordinating the practices of other departments and providing professional advice. Our preliminary observations suggest that the departments' performance varies, with some less than satisfactory.
As for trees on private land, the Office of The Ombudsman notes that while some land leases contain tree management provisions, these provisions focus on prohibiting the removal of trees. There is neither a requirement for owners and users of the land to maintain and take care of trees properly, nor an empowerment of the Government to order the relevant parties to prune or remove dangerous trees.
In this investigation, the Office of The Ombudsman will focus on examining:
(1) The Government's tree management regime and the relevant legal framework, and their effectiveness in ensuring public safety;
(2) The TMO's practices in overseeing and co-ordinating departments in their management of trees, and the effectiveness of such practices; and
(3) Whether there is any room for improvement in respect of the above regime, the legal framework and practices.
The Office of The Ombudsman will also look into the relevant procedures and practices of selected departments that are involved in tree management.
Members of the public with views or information on this subject are welcome to write to the Office of The Ombudsman by October 23:
Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre
168-200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Fax: 2882 8149
Email: complaints@ombudsman.hk
Ends/Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Issued at HKT 11:01
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