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The Government today (June 26) announced that the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries (Amendment) Bill 2015 will be introduced into the Legislative Council (LegCo) on July 8.
A Government spokesman said, "To meet the increasing community needs for burial facilities, we propose a series of amendments to the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries Ordinance (Chapter 1112) and its subsidiary legislation, the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries Rules (Chapter 1112A), so as to relax the restrictions on the shared use of the niches and burial lots of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries (CPCs) by close relatives, and hence better utilise the land of the CPCs."
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Key proposals under the Bill include:
1. Broadening the scope of persons who are eligible to be buried or deposited in the CPCs;
2. Allowing subsequent burial of ashes into exhumable lots and paid ossuary niches;
3. Allowing cremation of unclaimed human remains;
4. Removing the restriction on the maximum number of sets of ashes that could be deposited in a niche; and
5. Expanding the ambit of the donations that could be made by the Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries.
The Government spokesman added, "The Bill suggests to remove outdated restrictions under the Ordinance and the Rules. With the expansion of eligibility for burial, the public should be given more flexibility in the use of burial facilities and family burden in securing niches may be eased. This will not only have positive family implications, but also will allow better utilisation of land resources, and hence will bring about a positive impact on the environment.
"We are going to introduce the Bill in LegCo for First and Second Readings on July 8. The Bill and details of the proposal will be available at the LegCo's webpage."
Ends/Friday, June 26, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:06
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