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Housing by-law
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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic S W Wong, in moving the motion on the Housing (Traffic Contraventions)(Fixed Penalty)(Amendment) Bylaw 1995 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
I move the motion standing in my name in the Order Paper, which seeks approval for amendments to the Housing (Traffic Contraventions) (Fixed Penalty) Bylaw.
Section 18 of the Bylaw allows a defendant against whom proceedings have been instituted for a traffic contravention inside a public housing estate to terminate the proceedings against him by paying the required penalty and court costs not less than 72 hours before the time specified in the summons for his appearance before a magistrate. The time limit is modelled on Section 20B of the Fixed Penalty (Traffic Contraventions) Ordinance (Cap. 237). However, this time limit was amended by this Council on 6 July last year to allow a defendant to pay the penalty and court costs not later than two clear working days before the day of his appearance in court. The purpose was to provide a more specific method of computing the time limit where Sunday and public holidays were involved, and to enable the magistracy administration to have sufficient time to cancel the proceedings after receipt of payment.
In order to ensure that a consistent approach is also adopted for traffic contraventions inside public housing estates, the Housing Authority made the Housing (Traffic Contraventions) (Fixed Penalty) (Amendment) Bylaw 1995 on 29 May 1995, amending Section 18 of the Bylaw accordingly.
We have examined the amendments, and commend them to this Council for approval in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Housing Ordinance.
Mr President, I beg to move.
End/Wednesday, June 28, 1995