XN000022-1972-09-15 — Page 3

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Friday, September 15, 1972

The administrative procedures and methods of inspection by the Public Works Department are adequate to ensure that the provisions of the Buildings Ordinance relating to the obtaining of occupation permits are properly enforced.

Because of a shortage of staff the procedures and methods are not adequate to cope with unauthorised

changes of use after the issue of an occupation permit.

In the light of this, the Committee recommended that consideration be

given to devising means of improving the reliability of certificates signed by

authorised architects and registered contractors.

It also said that a Control and Enforcement Section of the Buildings

Ordinance Office should be established and a programme of inspections devised

so that unauthorised changes of use after the issue of an occupation permit

could be detected and dealt with at an early stage.

Legislation

The Government spokesman, commenting on the second part of the report,

said that these recommendations had been accepted and "legislation is now being

prepared which will enable: the Building Authority to order a person responsible

for carrying out dangerous or potentially dangerous building works to remedy the

situation.

"If the order is not complied with, the Building Authority will be

able to remedy the situation and recover the cost from the developer.

"Steps are also being taken to raise substantially the penalties for

certain serious offenses, including the use of defective materials and deviation

from approved plans. It is also proposed to consider the introduction of

penalties for continuing offences under the Ordinance."

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