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Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation

commence in early 2013. The detailed design for the re-provisioning of the South Works of the Sha Tin Water Treatment Works is progressing.

Water Accounts and Customer Relations

The number of water consumer accounts rose to approximately 2.82 million at the end of 2012. Water bills payment service through convenience stores was launched successfully in February and the Water Supplies Department also acts as an agent for collecting sewage charges and trade effluent surcharges on behalf of the Drainage Services Department.

About 1.11 million households now benefit under the voluntary Quality Water Recognition Scheme for Buildings, encouraging proper maintenance of internal plumbing systems.

Construction Industry

Construction Industry Council

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) continued to make steady progress in initiatives to raise standards in the industry, including construction site safety, subcontracting, environment and technology, procurement, and manpower training and development. The CIC's training centres provide training and trade testing services for the construction industry.

Up to the end of 2012, 7,031 applications for registration in the Voluntary Subcontractor Registration Scheme had been received and 6,594 had been approved.

Construction Workers Registration

To improve the CIC's operational efficiency and the construction workers registration system, legislation was enacted in June (coming into operation on 1 January 2013) to amalgamate the CIC and the Construction Workers Registration Authority. The CIC will become a single statutory body for the construction industry, undertaking both training and registration of construction workers. As at October, there were about 300,000 registered construction workers.

Construction Manpower Development

The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved funding totalling $320 million in May 2010 and April 2012 for the CIC to enhance the skills and competitiveness of the construction workforce through training and trade testing, and to attract through promotion and public education more new blood to join the construction industry. The measures have been successful in increasing the number of new trainees, with most being young people.

Promotion of Professional Services

The Development Bureau continued discussions in 2012 with stakeholders of the Hong Kong construction industry and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on the tenth phase of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). Under Supplement IX to CEPA signed between the Mainland and Hong Kong in June, the Mainland will allow Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland qualifications as supervision engineers, or through examination obtained the qualifications of registered architect, registered structural engineer, registered civil engineer (harbour and waterway),

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