"We are still concerned about the speculative activities in the luxury market which may spill over to the mass market. We noted that the developers have taken some measures to curb speculative activities carried out through shell companies. We have urged Government to closely monitor the effectiveness of these measures.
"Of course we have to be cautious in seeking a balance between curbing the speculative activities and avoiding interference to the free market," said Dr Cheng.
Another issue which was discussed was the measures and initiatives of the Buildings Department to enhance the maintenance and repairs arrangements of buildings.
The Committee is particularly concerned about structural safety of buildings and adequacy of fire escapes.
"We believe that it is the responsibility of owners of buildings to undertake preventive maintenance and timely repair. Government is now considering a Building Safety Inspection Scheme with options for voluntary adoption and mandatory application to achieve this goal," Dr Cheng said.
End
School bus escorts become mandatory
The Transport Department announced today (Thursday) that mandatory provision of escorts on board school buses with a capacity of over 16 seats will take effect on Saturday (February 1).
This provision is for school buses carrying primary school and kindergarten children.
A spokesman for the department said: "School bus operators are required to nominate an escort for each of their school buses, and inform the Transport Department in a form,"
An operator may call upon a replacement helper to render assistance if the nominee is not available.