TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 53

Structural safety of school

70

MRS. FAN

buildings

Question No. 7

Reply by Hon. C.R. Saunders, JP, Secretary for

Lanes and Works, to question by Hon. Mrs. Rita EX, OBE, JP, in Legislative Council on 6 July 1988

Question

In the light of a recent accident when a wall collapsed in a school dormitory and killed a Form student, will Government inform this Council whether regular inspections are carried out by the government departments responsible to ensure the structural safety of school buildings in the territory and what improvements, if any, could be made to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents?

SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS:

le

le

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9

Sir,

Inspections of school premises are carried out by relevant fove rnment departments, although these are not

specifically for the purpose of ensuring structural safety.

Government and aided schools are, on average,

inspected about every five years by either the

Architectural Services Department or the Housing

Department, depending upon whether the premises are within a housing estate or not. These inspections are primarily to ascertain maintenance requirements, for which the two

departments are responsible, but the fovernment inspectors do also carry out, at the same time, a superficial examination of the buildings for any tell-tale signs of

structural distress.

In the case of private schools, there is a requirement under Regulation 15 of the Education Regulations 1971, that, for schools situated in buildings which, having regard to the loadings for which they were designed, are not generally suitable for use as school premises, school supervisors must arrange for their buildings to be inspected periodically by a qualified architect. The purpose of these inspections is to ensure

that