Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Friday, August 1, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. New arrival retrainees share experience with DHA 2. Law on "matching procedures" takes effect today 3. Upgrading works on 30 slopes soon begin 4. Land Registry to provide computerised & integrated services 5. Reclamation works for Tseung Kwan O new town extension 6. Landscape works for North Lantau Highway 7. Construction of Tsui Lam fresh water pumping station 8. Site formation works for Tai O development 9. Treated water supply for Tap Mun villagers 10. List of environmental reports released 11. Calls for special site precautions 1. New arrival retrainees share experience with DHA ************************************************ The Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Shelley Lau, today (Friday) visited a group of new arrival retrainees from the mainland who were taking a Job Search Skills Course to share their experience in joining the retraining programme and in seeking jobs in Hong Kong. Speaking after her visit to the Hong Kong College of Technology's Retraining Resource Centre, Mrs Lau said she was most delighted to see that new arrivals are now eligible to apply for any retraining course or programme funded by the Employees Retraining Board. "The Government is all along concerned about the difficulties faced by new arrivals in securing employment in Hong Kong. Owing to their working experience and educational background, some of them may not possess the skills or qualifications required by the local labour market. "Thus, the Government has extended the Employees Retraining Scheme to cover new arrivals from January 31 this year. Funds have also been set aside in this financial year to provide more training places to cater for the retraining needs of an estimated 14,000 new arrivals," she said. She reassured the group that the Home Affairs Department would continue to identify the needs of new arrivals and explore new measures to meet their needs. "Today's visit is useful in helping us to better understand the needs and feelings of new arrivals, and in gathering views from the retraining centre on the provision of services for them," Mrs Lau said. She was briefed by the Executive Director of the Employees Retraining Board, Mr Chow Tung-shan, and the Principal (Designate) of the Hong Kong College of Technology, Mr Chan Cheuk-hay, on the range of services provided at the retraining centre. End 2. Law on "matching procedures" takes effect today *********************************************** Section 30 of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, which provides for control on "matching procedures", commences operation today (Friday). A spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau said that the commencement notice signed by the Secretary for Home Affairs was published in the Gazette today. A "matching procedure" is a procedure whereby one set of personal data collected in respect of 10 or more individuals for one or more purposes are compared or verified, by automated means, against another set of personal data collected for a different purpose for the purpose of taking adverse action against any of the individuals. "As from today, a data user may only carry out a matching procedure which has been approved by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, unless each individual who is the subject of that procedure has signified his agreement for the procedure to be carried out," the spokesman said. The core provisions of the Ordinance came into effect on December 20, 1996. The commencement of section 30, however, was deferred in order to allow time for specific guidance to be issued to data users on its requirements and for them to seek approval from the Privacy Commissioner. "In appointing August 1, 1997 as the commencement date for section 30, the Secretary for Home Affairs has accepted the Privacy Commissioner's recommendation in favour of this date taking account of the fact that reasonable time has been allowed for data users to obtain the necessary approval from the Privacy Commissioner," the spokesman said. The spokesman added that the Privacy Commissioner had approved 12 applications for matching procedures - nine from Government departments and three from public bodies. End 3. Upgrading works on 30 slopes soon begin *************************************** The Civil Engineering Department will carry out upgrading works on 30 slopes and retaining walls throughout the territory under the Accelerated Landslip Preventive Measures (LPM) Programme. The works will start in early November for completion in 24 months. Of the 30 slopes and retaining walls, 20 are under the maintenance of Highways Department, four under the Architectural Services Department and six on unallocated Government land. Under the Accelerated LPM Programme launched in April 1995, upgrading works on selected Government-owned man-made slopes in the 1977-78 catalogue of slopes will be speeded up. Acting Chief Geotechnical Engineer, Mr Chan Ngan-fai, today (Friday) said that six contracts involving the upgrading of about 220 slopes and retaining walls would be awarded this year. "Studies of private slopes and retaining walls have also been accelerated considerably and more than 600 slopes will be studied in the current fiscal year," Mr Chan said. "If a slope or a retaining wall is identified by the studies to be not up to the required standards, a statutory notice will be sent by the Buildings Department requiring owners to carry out upgrading works," he added. End 4. Land Registry to provide computerised & integrated services ****************************************************** ***** The Land Registry will establish a fully computerised and integrated land registration and search system in 2001, the Land Registrar, Mr Tony Cooper, announced today (Friday). Speaking at the Land Registry Trading Fund's fourth anniversary reception, Mr Cooper said that the system would offer even more convenient, speedy and cost effective services, including a centralised registration service and a "one-stop" search service without geographic restriction. "We also propose to move towards a land titles registration system. A Strategic Change Plan will be drawn up to meet these major changes to provide even better services to customers," he said. The Land Registry, stepping into its fifth year of operation as a trading fund department, today celebrated another successful year in delivering quality service to customers. Reviewing the significant progress in various projects in the past year, Mr Cooper said: "There have been several important technical and service improvements in the Land Registry that have enabled us to improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of services to our customers." He said: "The Document Imaging System, launched in July 1996, involves the conversion of nearly a quarter of a billion pages of old documents into electronic images. "That means, 153 years of paper records stored in over 3,000 square metres of space in 15 different offices throughout the territory are converted into optical images stored in one room." Mr Cooper continued: "With the completion of the computerisation of land registers in the New Territories (NT) and the imaging of NT land documents, the Direct Access Services subscribers can have access to all land registers through computer terminals in their own offices. They can also place remote orders for copies of land documents and to obtain imaged documents through facsimile." Turning to cost-effectiveness, Mr Cooper said: "We have implemented these substantial improvements with minimal disruption to normal services, without increasing staff numbers - indeed, productivity gains have enabled us to reduce staff - and without increasing our fees this year." Also speaking at the reception, the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, said the Land Registry has been successfully transformed from a traditional vote-funded Government department into a modernised and dynamic trading fund department. "This transition reflects not just sensible investment in information technology systems, but a lot of hard work to keep down costs and at the same time improve services," Mr Leung said. The Land Registry also announced its new Performance Pledge for 1997-98. Details of the performance targets are set out in a pamphlet published today. Copies of the pamphlet are available at all offices of the Registry and the district offices of the Home Affairs Department. End 5. Reclamation works for Tseung Kwan O new town extension ****************************************************** The Government plans to reclaim an area of about 8.3 hectares of foreshore and seabed opposite Tai Wan San Tsuen in Tseung Kwan O to provide land for the continuing development of the town centre. The works will include dredging and filling works to provide land for government, institution and community purposes. The project will begin in mid-1999 for completion in about 33 months. A notice showing the extent of the affected area was published in the Gazette today (Friday). Any person who considers that his interest, right or easement in or over the foreshore and seabed involved will be affected may send a written objection to the Director of Lands before October 1, 1997. The notice together with a related plan can be seen at the Lands Department's Survey and Mapping Office, 14th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong and at the Sai Kung District Office, second floor, Sai Kung Government Offices Building, 34 Chan Man Street, Sai Kung. End 6. Landscape works for North Lantau Highway **************************************** The Highways Department today (Friday) invites tenders for landscape works for North Lantau Highway. The project will cover the 10-kilometre highway from Kei Tau Kok to Tsing Chau Wan and its associated utility service road on Lantau Island. The works comprise soft and hard landscape works at road verges, reclaimed areas, embankments and cut slopes along the highway and service road. The works are scheduled to commence in November 1997 and complete by end 1998. This will follow by a 24-month establishment period. Details of the works were published in the Gazette today. The department has commissioned Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Ltd to design the project and supervise its construction. Tender forms are obtainable from Mr A J F Smith of Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Ltd at 40th Floor, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East, Hong Kong. Completed tenders must be sealed and clearly marked on the envelope with tender reference and addressed to "The Chairman, Central Tender Board". They should be placed in the Government Secretariat Tender Box in the lift lobby on the Lower Ground Floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong on or before noon, August 22, 1997. Late submissions will not be accepted. End 7. Construction of Tsui Lam fresh water pumping station **************************************************** The Water Supplies Department will build a new fresh water pumping station and lay water mains in Tseung Kwan O to meet rising demand for fresh water in the area. Works will include the construction of the Tsui Lam Fresh Water Pumping Station. About 1.2 kilometres of ductile iron and mild steel fresh water mains, ranging from 600 to 1,000 millimetres in diameter, will be laid along Po Lam Road and Tsui Lam Road. The project is part of the department's programme to provide additional water transfer facilities to the East Kowloon areas and to extend fresh and salt water supplies to the proposed housing developments on site platforms in Po Lam Road and Lee On Road. The works are expected to begin in November for completion in about 23 months. End 8. Site formation works for Tai O development ****************************************** The Territory Development Department will carry out site formation works in Tai O to facilitate development in the area. The works comprise the construction of a 240-metre riverwall, 450-metre long roads of 7.3 metres wide, related footpaths, public car parking spaces, and sewage and storm water drainage systems. The construction is part of the Tai O Development, Package 3, Stage II project. Works will begin in October 1997 for completion in three years. Details of the proposed works are published in the Gazette today (Friday). End 9. Treated water supply for Tap Mun villagers ****************************************** The Government plans to install a watermain to provide treated fresh water supply to some 80 villagers of the Tap Mun New Fishermen's Village in Sai Kung. The watermain, measuring about 100 millimetres in diameter and 650 metres in length, will be laid one metre beneath a foreshore and seabed area of 0.6 hectares in the South Channel, or Tap Mun Hau. Works will begin later this year for completion in late 1999. The extent of the area affected is described in a notice of authorisation published in the Gazette today (Friday). Any person who considers that his interest, right or easement in or over the foreshore and seabed involved will be affected may send a written claim for compensation to the Director of Lands before August 1, 1998. The notice together with a related plan can be seen at the Lands Department's Survey and Mapping Office, 14th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong and at the Tai Po District Office, ground floor, Tai Po Government Offices Building, Ting Kok Road, Tai Po. End 10. List of environmental reports released ************************************** The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (Friday) released a list of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of major development projects completed in the last quarter as well as a list of on-going major EIAs. A complete list of all ongoing EIAs is available for public inspection at the Environmental Resources Centre at 221 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Following is a list of major EIA reports completed in the last quarter: 1. Feasibility Study for Route 16 from West Kowloon to Sha Tin (dual 2-lane scheme) (Highways Department) 2. Quarry Bay Congestion Relief Works (Mass Transit Railway Corporation) 3. Road D15 Linking Lok Shun Path and Tai Po Road (Territory Development Department) 4. Highway between Shap Pat Heung Interchange and Pok Oi Interchange - Pok Oi Flyover and Remaining Works (Highways Department) The final reports and executive summaries of completed EIAs are available for inspection at the EPD Library, 40th Floor, Revenue Tower, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The project proponents are also required to deposit the EIA reports at each of the public reference libraries; public enquiry centre of relevant district office(s); and the Provisional Legislative Council Secretariat Library. Other on-going major EIAs include: 1. Main Drainage Channel for Fanling, Sheung Shui and Hinterland (Civil Engineering Department) 2. Sham Tseng Link Feasibility Study (Highways Department) 3. Sand Extraction and Backfilling of Eastern Waters Marine Borrow Areas (Civil Engineering Department) 4. Central Reclamation, Phase III (Territory Development Department) 5. MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension (Mass Transit Railway Corporation) 6. Aviation Fuel Pipeline (Airport Authority) 7. Central/Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link (Highways Department) 8. Backfilling of Marine Borrow Area at East Tung Lung Chau (Civil Engineering Department) 9. Tsuen Wan Bay Further Reclamation (Territory Development Department) 10. Kowloon Point Development Feasibility Study (Territory Development Department) 11. Kennedy Road Improvement and Queen's Lines Link (Highways Department) 12. South East Kowloon Development Feasibility Study (Territory Development Department) 13. Trunk Road T7 in Ma On Shan (Territory Development Department) 14. Feasibility Study for Tseung Kwan O Port Development at Area 131 (Territory Development Department) 15. Feasibility Study on the Alternative Alignment for the Western Coast Road, Tseung Kwan O (Territory Development Department) 16. Yuen Long Bypass Floodway (Territory Development Department) 17. Feasibility Study for Development of Pak Shek Kok Area (Territory Development Department) 18. EIA for the Proposed Waste-to-Energy Incineration Facilities (Environmental Protection Department) 19. EIA on HEC's Proposed New 1800 MW Power Station (Hong Kong Electricity Co Ltd) 20. Investigation of Improvements to Island Eastern Corridor Section between North Point Interchange and Sai Wan Ho (Highways Department) 21. Engineering Infrastructure (Roads and Drains) at Town Centre Central, Tseung Kwan O (Territory Development Department) 22. Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme Environmental Impact Assessment Study (Environmental Protection Department) 23. Remaining Development in Tung Chung and Tai Ho - Comprehensive Feasibility Study (Territory Development Department) 24. Road P2 Connecting the Tseung Kwan O Town Centre and Western Coast Road (Territory Development Department) 25. Dualling of Hiram's Highway between Clear Water Bay Road and Marina Cove and Improvements to Local Access to Ho Chung (Highways Department) 26. Planning and Engineering Feasibility Study for Development at Anderson Road (Civil Engineering Department) 27. Investigation Assignment for Route 16 from West Kowloon to Sha Tin (dual 3-lane scheme) (Highways Department) 28. Route 9 between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan (Highways Department) 29. KCRC West Rail (Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation) End 11. Calls for special site precautions ********************************** Contractors should keep an eye on the weather conditions and take special safety precautions on construction sites to cope with weather changes. A Labour Department spokesman said today (Friday) that as a tropical storm signal has been hoisted, strong wind and heavy rain would cause fall of objects, collapse of scaffolds, cave-in of excavations and electrocutions on sites. "When the weather turns bad, cranes should stop operating as their stability could be affected. "All lifting appliances and scaffolds should be further strengthened with wall-ties, ballasting, lashing or guy ropes," he said. Good house-keeping, proper stacking of materials, protection of electrical installations and equipment are also necessary in bad weather. The spokesman said that site conditions including plants on the site should be thoroughly checked after the tropical storm had subsided. "It is also the responsibility of the contractor to carry out remedial work where necessary and ensure the site is safe before resuming normal operation. "If remedial work is required, the contractor should also adopt a safe system of work and instruct the workers on details of the system," he said. Under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, employers are required to provide a safe plant and a safe system of work for their employees. End
