Press Releases
Government proactive in increasing supply of public niches (with photos)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, today (July 25) said that
the Government has been adopting all feasible measures to increase the
supply of public niches. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)
has completed the construction of a new public columbarium at Wo Hop Shek
Cemetery as previously planned. It provides 43,710 niches. Allocation of
these niches to the public will soon commence.
Dr Ko today met representatives of the Concern Group on Illegal Columbaria
to listen to their views on the development of columbaria in Hong Kong.
During the meeting, Dr Ko reiterated that the Government, pursuant to a
district-based columbarium development scheme, has identified 24 potential
sites in the 18 districts for columbarium development. The Government is
forging ahead with the technical feasibility studies of relevant sites and
has been proactively engaging the relevant District Councils. Among the 24
sites, the expansion works in Diamond Hill Columbarium have been completed
and those in Cheung Chau Cemetery are expected to be completed in the fourth
quarter of 2013.
Dr Ko said, "Subject to the support of District Councils and the Legislative
Council for projects in the pipeline, it is estimated that the Government
together with the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries will provide more than
120,000 new niches in the coming five years (i.e. 2012 to 2016), and that
the supply of new niches will cumulatively increase to hundreds of thousands
in the medium and long term (that is, from 2017 to 2031)."
On regulating the operation of private columbaria, Dr Ko referred to the
public consultation exercise on the licensing scheme for private columbaria
which ended on March 30 this year. He said that the Government has since
been carefully studying and analysing the views collected and is about to
take forward the relevant legislative exercise.
In order to help the public make informed choices when purchasing niches
before the licensing scheme is introduced, the Development Bureau publishes
and updates on a quarterly basis a list capturing the relevant land/lease
(user restrictions) and planning information pertaining to private
columbaria that are made known to the Lands Department or Planning
Department, and premises which the departments have reason to believe are
operating as private columbaria. For better protection of their interests,
members of the public are strongly advised to obtain from the operators
complete information prior to purchase. Such information includes how the
operators would look after the interests of their customers should the
columbarium concerned close down or be prohibited from operating, covering,
for example, the handling of cremains already interred and whether there
would be any refund or compensation. Members of the public should seek
independent legal advice on their rights when necessary.
Dr Ko emphasised that the relevant government departments will continue to
take enforcement action against any unauthorised aspects of private
columbaria according to the power within their jurisdiction as appropriate.
"I would like to point out, in particular to developers and operators of
private columbaria, that as the Government will enhance the regulation of
private columbaria, they are well advised not to pursue at this juncture
columbarium developments with a speculative mindset blatantly disregarding
prevailing statutory requirements and conditions in the land leases. If
unauthorised developments and operations are found, the authorities will
take due action in accordance with the law," he said.
In recent years, there has been increasing acceptance among Hong Kong people
of the scattering of cremated ashes in Gardens of Remembrance (GoRs) or
designated areas in Hong Kong waters as a means of returning the deceased to
nature. In response to the demand, FEHD has built new GoRs, including the
new GoRs at Diamond Hill and Wo Hop Shek, as well as enhancing its free
large-scale ferry services to facilitate the scattering of cremated ashes at
sea. The Government encourages the public to adopt these means of
sustainable burial, in keeping with Hong Kong's special circumstances
including our dense population and scarcity of land.
Ends/Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:15
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