Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation | 217
properties were taken over for management and 10 properties were disposed of. The department is currently managing 483 properties.
The department's work in identifying people responsible for the maintenance of registered man-made slopes is continuing. The results of this probe are contained in a 'Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System' for public inspection.
The Lands Department is responsible for maintaining about 18 000 man-made slopes. With the help of private consultants, it carries out regular inspections of these slopes and employs contractors to carry out routine maintenance and stabilisation works. During the year, routine work was carried out on 6 300 slopes and stabilisation work on 142 slopes.
The Lands Department administers a 'Small House Policy' for indigenous villagers in the New Territories and approves rebuilding of old village houses. During the year, 1 283 applications for the building of small houses and 163 applications for the rebuilding of old village houses were approved. The department is also responsible for processing rent exemption requisitions for indigenous villagers' rural properties in accordance with the exemption criteria of the Government Rent (Assessment and Collection) Ordinance.
The Lands Department acts against illegal occupants of government land under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance and the Summary Offences Ordinance. The ordinances permit the department to
department to take enforcement action against unauthorised occupation, excavation, cultivation or other forms of trespass on government land. It also participates in joint efforts to control the spread of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis. During the year, it carried out such work on 2 474 occasions. In addition, 934 warning letters were sent to leaseholders. In collaboration with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, it continues to operate a scheme for the display of non-commercial publicity materials or banners at 22 803 designated spots in public places.
Land Conveyancing
The Legal Advisory and Conveyancing Office provides legal advice and conveyancing services in all government land transactions, which include the effective drafting of all government land disposal, lease modification and acquisition documents. For example, it completed 78 lease modifications and other documentation to facilitate the merger of operations, and provided extensive input into the tender document for the new cruise terminal, in 2007.
It processes applications for the sale of units under construction under the Lands Department Consent Scheme. In 2007, a total of 12 applications, involving 6 230 residential units, were approved. The office also approves Deeds of Mutual Covenant. In 2007, 39 such deeds were approved.
It also processes apportionment of premium and government rents, and recovers arrears of government rents by re-entry or vesting action, where appropriate.