XN000022-1997-03-19 — Page 64

Reply:

(b)

Mr President,

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given that there are a large number of old private commercial/residential buildings in the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung districts, whether the exclusion of private residential buildings in these two districts from the list is due to the fact that all private residential buildings in the two districts are considered safe or that such buildings have been omitted from the inspections carried out by the departments concerned; if the latter case obtains, whether the Government will carry out further inspections as early as possible with a view to including potentially dangerous private residential buildings in the two districts in the list?

My reply is as follows:

(a)

"Target" buildings are identified by the Building Management Co- ordination Teams of the Home Affairs Department for priority building management improvements. The criteria are:

(i)

(ii)

a possibility of fire hazard, such as obstructions in common parts of buildings blocking the means of escape or sub-standard fire fighting equipment owning to lack of proper maintenance;

deterioration of the physical structure of buildings, such as the lack of proper maintenance and repairs of common parts including corridors, staircases, roofs, lifts and plumbing systems;

(iii) presence of extensive unauthorised installations which adversely affect the environment and building condition, such as unauthorized structures and extensions in common parts, or signboards; unauthorized use of premises for workshops or hazardous trades; and premises producing various nuisances such as noise nuisance;

(iv)

serious insanitary conditions leading to health hazard or an unhealthy environment, such as accumulation of refuse at staircases, canopies and lightwell; filthy water from leaking pipes; improper and infrequent cleaning of common parts; and improper means of refuse disposal;