Transcript of remarks by DCS at media session (with video)
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Reporter: Mr Cheuk, some suggested that making fine for illegal shop extensions, accumulative one, has a higher deterrent effect. Will the Government consider doing so?
Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration: I think our current proposal of fining $6,000 for each contravention of that particular offence carries some deterrent effect. For the repeated offenders, if they repeat the offence on the same day, they can get not just one fixed penalty, but several fixed penalties, so the cost of non-compliance can be very high. I would like to add that even before we raise the fixed penalty level, because of our joint operations carried out by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Hong Kong Police, we are achieving some deterrent effect. In addition to issuing fixed penalty, the other thing that we are doing is to remove the goods that are placed in public places that caused obstruction. That will also add to the non-compliance cost of the offending shop operators. I think the current proposal, to our mind, should be able to achieve the purpose that we want to achieve.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Saturday, December 17, 2022
Issued at HKT 12:12
Issued at HKT 12:12
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Audio / Video
DCS meets media after attending radio programmes