Following is a question by the Hon Ho Chung-tai and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

Question:

It has been reported that a flat in Wah Ming Estate, Fanling caught fire as a result of a smoker throwing a lighted cigarette butt from an upper floor. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of similar cases and the number of persons prosecuted as a result, in each of the past three years;

(b) whether the cases mentioned in item (a) include those in which the persons prosecuted and fined for improper disposal of cigarette ends were repeat offenders; if so, of the number of such cases; and

(c) of the measures taken in the past three years to enhance public awareness against the improper disposal of cigarette ends and the effectiveness of such measures?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) According to the Fire Services Department (FSD), the numbers of fires believed to have been caused by the improper handling or disposal of lighted objects such as cigarette butts, matches or candles were 3 726, 3 749 and 2 976 in 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively. The FSD does not maintain statistics on the number of fires caused by the improper handling or disposal of cigarette butts. In addition, our records suggest that in the past three years, no one was prosecuted for causing a fire at a lower floor by throwing cigarette butts from an upper floor.

(b) As mentioned in the reply to question (a) above, no one was prosecuted in the past three years for causing a fire by improperly discarding cigarette butts. It follows that there were no repeat offenders who had previously been convicted of and fined for such an offence.

(c) During the past three years, the government departments concerned have been actively taking various measures to disseminate to the public the messages of fire safety and anti-littering.

The FSD, in conjunction with the District Fire Safety Committees, has organised a wide range of fire prevention activities, including fire station open days, fire safety carnivals, fire safety slogan competition, seminars and the Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme, to promote fire safety at home and to foster a fire safety culture. In addition, the FSD has also stepped up publicity on fire safety through television and radio announcements of public interest (APIs). For instance, in March 2003, the FSD launched a publicity programme targeting the improper handling of cigarette butts.

Meanwhile, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Housing Department, the Home Affairs Department and other departments concerned are committed to promoting the "Clean Hong Kong" campaign through an array of publicity channels, including APIs, posters and banners, advertisements on public transport, etc, to educate the public on anti-littering and keeping Hong Kong clean. Eighteen District Clean Hong Kong Committees have been set up for organising a variety of promotional activities to further disseminate the "Clean Hong Kong" message at the district level.

Furthermore, since the implementation of the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance (Cap 570) in June 2002, the Administration has issued over 13 000 fixed penalty notices, of which 80 per cent were issued to offenders littering in public places. Vigorous law enforcement actions can have an important deterrent effect.

Promotion of public awareness of fire prevention and anti-littering can help reduce the number of fires caused by the improper handling or disposal of lighted objects. We are pleased to note that the number of fires of this nature decreased by more than 20 per cent in 2002 over the previous year. We will continue with our efforts in organising public educational activities and taking law enforcement actions in the years ahead.

End/Wednesday, April 2, 2003

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