A works company and a person-in-charge of works were convicted at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (May 30) for contravening the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) for the illegal demolition of corrugated asbestos cement sheet (CACS) roofing. In addition, the owner of a residential unit was convicted at the same court for contravening the APCO by failing to comply with the requirements of an asbestos abatement notice (AAN). They were fined a total of $11,000.

     A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said the department conducted proactive inspections as well as following up on reports from members of the public in October and November last year and found the illegal demolition of CACS roofing at three premises at Shui Ning House, Kwun Tong, on Nanking Street, Yau Ma Tei, and on Junction Road, Kowloon City. After investigation, the EPD confirmed that, among the above-mentioned cases, in two of them no written notice was given to the EPD at least 28 days in advance of the commencement of the works in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements. In one of the cases, no registered asbestos contractor (RAC) was hired to carry out the demolition. Moreover, one residential unit owner concerned failed to hire a RAC to conduct asbestos abatement works by a deadline in accordance with the requirements of an AAN issued by the EPD. The EPD, under the APCO, initiated prosecutions against the person-in-charge, the residential unit owner and the works company involved in the case, namely Tin Kee Engineering Limited.

     The spokesman reminded works companies and persons-in-charge of works that the EPD would follow up seriously on every suspected case of illegal removal of asbestos materials. Renovation and refurbishment at buildings involving the demolition of asbestos-containing materials must be carried out by registered asbestos contractors in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements and the code of practice on asbestos control. Contractors who carry out works involving asbestos must give not less than 28 days' written notice to the EPD prior to the commencement of such works. Otherwise, they are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000. In addition, works companies and building owners must strictly comply with the requirements of an AAN issued by the EPD and hire registered professionals to complete the demolition and handling of asbestos-containing materials by a deadline. Otherwise, they may commit an offence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.

     Members of the public can help combat illegal activities and safeguard public health by calling the EPD departmental hotline at 2838 3111 to make a report if they witness any illegal works involving asbestos.

     The Smart Government Innovation Lab (Smart LAB) was officially launched today (May 30) to provide a platform for encouraging innovative solutions and product suggestions from the IT sector, particularly local start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to address public service delivery and operational needs. It aims to facilitate the adoption of innovative technology to enhance city management and provide better public services for citizens. The Acting Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Dr David Chung, described the setting-up of Smart LAB as a milestone towards the development of a "smart government".
 
     With the objective of "Connect, Inspire, Co-create", Smart LAB aims to connect the service needs of individual departments with quality solutions from the industry. Proof-of-concept and technology testing will be arranged to enable departments to have a better picture of the effectiveness and limitations of suitable solutions, thereby assisting them in formulating innovative measures that are conducive to streamlining operations and upgrading services. Located in Cyberport, Smart LAB also showcases technologies that are being tested, or have been successfully tested, in various departments to inspire wider adoption by other departments. To foster exchanges and sharing between departments and the industry, technology forums and thematic workshops will be organised regularly with a view to co-developing more I&T solutions that best suit the public service needs.
 
     Dr Chung said at the opening ceremony that Smart LAB is a testing ground and showroom to pull together government departments and I&T enterprises. It will not only further assist departments in the adoption of IT, but also open up more business opportunities for local start-ups and SMEs. The ultimate goal is to bring quality services to the public.
 
     The Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Victor Lam, added that the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is working with the Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science Park in organising technology forums. These technology forums will be conducted at quarterly intervals so that government departments can grasp trends and get updates on the latest solutions and products, while industry players can get hold of the business needs of government departments. The first forum, themed "Smart City Infrastructure", will be held on June 26 at Cyberport, followed tentatively by another in September at Hong Kong Science Park. Mr Lam said he expected that the move would give start-ups and SMEs a greater chance in bidding for government projects.
 
     Also newly launched today is a dedicated website for Smart Lab (www.smartlab.gov.hk), where service needs of different departments are listed. Industry players are invited to submit technology proposals to address such challenges. IT solutions put forward by the industry are also available on the website for government departments to search for suitable solutions and potential suppliers.
 
     Since the establishment of Smart LAB in April, the OGCIO has already approached some bureaux and departments to explore the feasibility of adopting various IT solutions. Technologies that have undergone or are undergoing proof-of-concept testing are now on display at Smart LAB. These include anti-bot solutions to prevent people from using computer programmes to automatically book public facilities; smart sensing technology and geographic information services for monitoring tree stability; video analytics for monitoring traffic conditions; virtual reality technologies for assisting the design of construction sites, monitoring of construction process and urban development planning, as well as others related to the Internet of Things, blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies and big data. 

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a public hearing on "Planning, provision and management of public parking spaces" (Chapter 1) of the Director of Audit's Report No.72 at 11am tomorrow (May 31) in Conference Room 2 of the LegCo Complex.

     Fifteen witnesses have been invited to appear before the above hearing to respond to points raised in the Report and answer questions asked by PAC members.

     The programme for the public hearing is as follows:

Date: May 31 (Friday)
Time: 11am
Venue: Conference Room 2
 
Subject: Planning, provision and management of public parking spaces (Chapter 1 of the Director of Audit's Report No.72)

Witnesses:

Mr Frank Chan Fan
Secretary for Transport and Housing

Ms Ivy Law
Deputy Secretary for Transport and Housing (Transport)3

Ms Mable Chan
Commissioner for Transport

Mr Samson Lam
Assistant Commissioner/Planning
Transport Department

Ms Candy Kwok
Assistant Commissioner/Management and Paratransit
Transport Department

Mr Thomas Chan
Director of Lands

Mr Ivan Chung
Deputy Director of Planning/Territorial
Planning Department

Ms Maisie Cheng
Permanent Secretary for the Environment/Director of Environmental Protection

Mr Dave Ho
Assistant Director (Air Policy)
Environmental Protection Department

Mr Tang Ping-keung
Acting Commissioner of Police

Mr Kerry Ku
Senior Inspector of Police (Administration and Support) (Traffic Branch Headquarters)
Hong Kong Police Force

Ms Michelle Li
Director of Leisure and Cultural Services

Mr Vincent Liu
Government Property Administrator

Mr Stanley Ying
Director of Housing

Mrs Sylvia Lam
Director of Architectural Services

     PAC is chaired by Mr Abraham Shek, and its Deputy Chairman is Mr Kenneth Leung. Other members include Mr Paul Tse, Mr Steven Ho, Mr Lam Cheuk-ting, Mr Shiu Ka-fai and Ms Tanya Chan.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, May 30, 2019 is 105.5 (down 0.1 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security will hold a special meeting this Saturday (June 1) at 9am in Conference Room 2 of the LegCo Complex to discuss issues relating to the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019.
 
     Meanwhile, the meeting of the LegCo Finance Committee originally scheduled at 3pm tomorrow (May 31) in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex will start at 4.15pm (or an earlier time between 4pm and 4.15pm). 
 
     In addition, the public hearing of the LegCo Public Accounts Committee on "Planning, provision and management of public parking spaces" (Chapter 1) of the Director of Audit's Report No. 72 originally scheduled at 9am tomorrow will start at 11am in Conference Room 2 of the LegCo Complex.