TNAG-1732-FCO40-2445-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 32

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The

It is not possible to give accurate data for the

whole territory of the types of crimes involved because

separate statistics have not been kept of the number of

private resort houses or the offences committed in them. Police have so far only kept records of reports involving holidaymakers in general in the Cheung Chau Division, which

includes Lamma Island, where the problem appears to be more

prevalent. There are 136 private resort houses in Cheung Chau

per cunt and 25 in Lamma. In these two areas combined, 18% of crime

per cent

reports and 10% of nuisance complaints concern holidaymakers,

but not all of these involve resort houses. I have asked the

Police to provide details of these.

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The problem of offences associated with resort houses

has been discussed by the Islands District Board and by the

District Fight grime Committee.

Legally, any person can rent

out private accommodation and no licence is required, although

I am advised by the Inland Revenue Department that a Business

Registration Certificate would be necessary if the renting

constituted a business under the Business Registration

Ordinance. The Police have no special powers to enter these

houses, which count as private premises.

Access can only be

obtained by invitation, by search warrant or by executing

powers under an appropriate ordinance, for example, the Women

Juveniles Ordinance or the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

and

There is no legislation specifically governing the renting of

private resort house accommodation.