XN000022-1996-05-01 — Page 36

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Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 1996

Following is a speech by the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Gordon Siu, in moving the second reading of the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 1996 in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Mr President,

I move that the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bil! 1996 be read a second time.

The Gas Safety Ordinance enables the Gas Authority (the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services) to enter and inspect fuel gas installations, such as gas works, high pressure gas pipes and gas pressure-regulating and storage facilities, and he does so annually. If the inspector finds any faults during an inspection, an improvement notice can be issued directing that they be remedied within a certain period.

The Bill proposes that gas installation owners should have a statutory obligation to ensure that their installations are maintained and operated safely and that they are inspected periodically by a competent person. This will ensure that the owner does not wait until the Gas Authority's inspector points out faults before performing maintenance work.

The Gas Authority will specify how often owners should arrange for a competent person to inspect different types of installations, examine the inspection findings and issue improvement notices when necessary.

The Bill will not only improve the safety of gas installations but also give the Gas Authority stronger powers to deal with any installation deemed to be unsafe. The Bill will enable the Gas Authority to effect remedial work himself if necessary or decommission the installation until it is made safe. The overall safety level of gas installations is good and decommissioning of an installation by the Gas Authority would only happen in unusual or extreme cases. It will be an offence to operate an installation that has been decommissioned by the Gas Authority. Expenses incurred by the Gas Authority in doing remedial work on an installation or decommissioning it will be recoverable from the person concerned as a civil debt due to the Government.