Following is a question by the Ir Dr Hon Raymond Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (May 10):
Question:
In view of the ageing of buildings in Hong Kong, the Government plans to implement the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme to require owners of private buildings aged 30 years or above to engage qualified inspectors to inspect their buildings every seven years and to undertake the necessary repair works specified by the inspectors. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the annual number of jobs expected to be created upon the implementation of the Scheme; and
(b) whether it has assessed if the unemployed construction workers can benefit from the implementation of the Scheme, and whether it will provide subsidy for those construction workers who intend to engage in building maintenance work to take retraining courses?
Reply:
Madam President,
My answer to the two parts of the question is as follows:
(a) The public consultation on mandatory building inspection ended in mid-March 2006. We have received more than 350 written submissions. The views received points to a general community consensus on the policy direction of mandating owners to inspect their buildings. It is also generally agreed that owners should bear the necessary cost of building repair. The public also made many constructive suggestions on the implementation details of the proposed Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS). We are now consolidating and analysing the views received in formulating the basis to take forward the MBIS. Since the finalised implementation details (including target buildings and inspection cycle, etc.) will affect our assessment on the number of additional job opportunities in the relevant industries arising from the implementation of the proposed MBIS, we are not in a position to provide the assessment at this stage. That said, we believe that the implementation of the proposed MBIS will certainly increase the demand for building maintenance services, resulting in more job opportunities for the building maintenance and related industries.
(b) As the MBIS is expected to create job opportunities for the building maintenance industry, we believe that the implementation of the Scheme will help improve the employment situation in the relevant industries.
Construction workers who wish to be engaged in building repair works can take the on-the-job training courses tailor-made for the building repair and renovation industry under the Skills Upgrading Scheme. To enhance the participation in this Scheme, the Government will subsidise 70% of the course fees, while the remaining 30% will be shared between the trainees and their employers. Since the launch of the above mentioned courses in March 2003, a series of skills upgrading courses have been organised. The areas covered include carpentry, plastering works, plumbing and sanitary fitments, painting works, marble works, working procedures and safety knowledge about the removal of unauthorised building works (UBWs), practical guidelines for sub-contractors/self-employed workers, drainage works, plans for fitting-out works, etc. These courses are open to construction workers who wish to be engaged in the building repair and renovation industry.
Moreover, the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) has also been offering retraining courses on building maintenance and renovation to the unemployed who wish to join the industry. These placement-tied courses are free-of-charge and retraining allowances are provided for the trainees.
Ends/Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:58
NNNN