Transcript of remarks by SHYA at media session

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (May 11):

Reporter: You said that it's difficult for some owners' corporations to help tenants to reach consensus, for example, like the renovation of some old buildings. So there's scheme like the fire safety direct support services. How effective can this improve the situation? And do you think the authority should take the initiative and reach out to some of these old buildings?

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: In fact, the Home Affairs Department has been actively assisting and helping the owners' corporations (OCs) reach consensus among their tenants to carry out necessary repair works to maintain their buildings, to make sure that they would observe all the buildings' safety and fire safety requirements.

     As you said, we have been launching various programmes in helping the OCs carry out various repair works, and help them gather the owners together to form the OCs, and to hold the annual general meetings or the EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting), to reach consensus to carry out those large-scale construction works to make sure that the buildings are in good standard.

     We will carry out and continue to implement necessary and district-based measures, to help those owners to form OCs, and to help them reach out to other owners, and to give them necessary assistance, as to how to apply for various schemes under different Government departments, so that they can carry out those construction works on time.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)