9
In Hong Kong, properties change hands frequently. An owner served with the order may have already sold his property before the works carried out by the Building Authority are completed. Since the previous owner no longer has an interest in the property, it is often difficult to trace him and recover costs from him.
Since the works in question will enhance the value and assure the safety of the property, we propose that a person who is the owner at the time when the works are completed should be charged for the costs instead. To protect property buyers, the Building Authority will be allowed to do so only if he has registered the order at the Land Registry upon the service of that order. A prospective buyer will therefore have notice of his potential liability before he buys the property.
Third, under the existing Buildings Ordinance, the Building Authority is empowered to apply to the court for a closure order to close a building for, say, safety reasons. When the building becomes fit for re-occupation, the Building Authority will issue a notice of expiry of the closure order and post a copy on the building. However, the building may be demolished subsequent to being served with the closure order. There is currently no provision effecting the automatic withdrawal of a closure order upon the demolition of the concerned building. We therefore propose to amend the Buildings Ordinance to dispense with the service of a notice of expiry of a closure order, when the building to which it relates is demolished or ceases to exist.
End
Mr President, I commend the Bill to this Council.
Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill
Following is the speech by the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr K.C Kwong, in moving the second reading of the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill 1996 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Mr President.
I move that the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill 1996 be read a second time.