To promote fertility and create a childbearing environment, the Housing Bureau (HB) will adjust the application requirement for Category A tenants of Transitional Housing starting today (December 1). Families with newborns, who have… read more
A property owner who failed to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123) was convicted and fined over $70,000 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts last week.
The case involved a five-storey unauthorised village house with an area of about 28 square metres per storey at Sai Pin Wai, Yuen Long. Since the Lands Department would not issue a certificate of exemption for the building, it is not a New Territories Exempted House under the Buildings Ordinance (Application to the New Territories) Ordinance (Cap. 121). As the unauthorised building works (UBWs) were carried out without the prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.
Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD and was fined $77,050 upon conviction at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on November 24.
A spokesman for the BD said today (December 1), “UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who have failed to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, so as to ensure building safety.”
Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year’s imprisonment, and a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues. read more
Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced toda… read more
​Hongkong Post announced today (December 1) that the latest Christmas mail posting date for local delivery before Christmas Day is December 20 (Wednesday). Mail posted after this date might run the risk of not being delivered in time because of the anticipated seasonal workload. Members of the public are advised to post mail as early as possible in order to avoid a last-minute rush.
To ensure that greetings sent by air mail are delivered before Christmas, members of the public are reminded to post their mail on or before the latest dates of posting. A complete list of the latest dates of posting for this year’s Christmas mail by air is displayed at all post offices. Customers may also find the information on Hongkong Post’s website at www.hongkongpost.hk or contact the Hongkong Post enquiry hotline at 2921 2222. read more
A Government spokesman today (December 1) reminded the food trade and members of the public that the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2021 (the Amendment Regulation) comes into effect in full today to specify partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the main source of industrially produced trans fatty acids (IP-TFAs), as a prohibited substance in food. The related marking and labelling requirement also takes effect in parallel today.
The spokesman said, “To meet the World Health Organization’s goal of eliminating IP-TFAs from the global food supply by 2023, and in line with one of the key measures under Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Disease in Hong Kong, announced by the Government in 2018, the relevant provisions of the Amendment Regulation that impose a ban on PHO in the local food supply come into operation today, so as to eliminate IP-TFAs at source to protect public health.”
Moreover, along with the Amendment Regulation, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2021 stipulates that any prepackaged food containing hydrogenated oils, e.g. fully hydrogenated oil, must be indicated accordingly in the list of ingredients. The relevant provisions also commence today.
For details of the Amendment Regulation, please refer to www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fstr/whatsnew_fstr_Food_Regulations_Harmful_Substances.html. read more