ENG-2003 — Page 273

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

The department began a comprehensive review of the Buildings Ordinance and its regulations in 2000. As a result of the review, legislative amendments have been proposed to rationalise the building control regime, strengthen safety requirements, facilitate law enforcement, and improve service to the public.

The proposed legislative amendments were included in the Buildings (Amendment) Bill 2003, which was introduced into the Legislative Council in April.

The Public Sector

The Architectural Services Department acts as Government's architect in providing full professional, technical and financial management services for the development and maintenance of public buildings (other than public housing) in three main

areas:-

(i) technical advice and monitoring services to all bureaux and departments on their projects subject to government subvention and on government projects entrusted to or in joint venture with the private sector. About 900 projects, valued at $58 billion, were monitored during the year;

(ii) professional and technical services for project management, design and supervision of the construction of building projects in the Public Works Programme and those of the Hospital Authority (HA). During the year, the department's rolling programme covered 339 projects at a total value of about $56 billion; and

(iii) building maintenance services, including the provision of general maintenance for all public buildings and facilities as well as those of the HA, covering a total floor area of approximately 27.4 million square metres. The department also undertakes conservation and restoration of listed buildings and gazetted monuments, and emergency and major repairs to all subvented schools outside public housing estates.

Under the re-engineering programme, the department will focus on its strategic roles as the building authority for and steward of government buildings, and as the Government's corporate professional adviser on architectural policies, building planning and maintenance matters. The bulk of the building and maintenance works currently undertaken by the department will be gradually outsourced to the private sector. During the year, the level of outsourcing increased to 59 per cent.

In 2003, the actual expenditure on building projects undertaken or monitored by the department was $11.67 billion, with a further expenditure of $2.32 billion on routine maintenance and minor alteration works. The building projects undertaken by the department were in the following categories:-

Education

The construction of 27 schools was completed in 2003, and works on 27 schools were under way for completion in 2004 and 2005. The design for the school projects will be site and user-specific whenever the necessary lead time is available in the programme. In the continued development of environmental and 'green' aspects, a building integrated photovoltaic system was installed in one of the schools completed as a pilot scheme to save energy and to raise students' awareness of the merits of natural energy.

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