Press Releases

Appointments of Private Columbaria Licensing Board members

The Chief Executive has appointed nine members to the Private Columbaria Licensing Board for a three-year term from September 8, 2017 to September 7, 2020. The appointments were gazetted today (September 8).

The Head, Private Columbaria Affairs Office of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is appointed as an ex officio member and as Chairperson of the Licensing Board. Mr Ip Kwok-him is appointed as an ad personam member and as Deputy Chairperson of the Licensing Board.

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said that the non-official members of the Licensing Board come from various fields including legal, planning, building, surveying, engineering, environmental, commercial/ business, accounting, social/community services and more.

"The regulation of private columbaria involves complicated and sensitive issues. Members of the Licensing Board come from diverse backgrounds of various professional fields, and are equipped with wide exposure to public services. With their wealth of expertise and experience, they will provide the needed knowledge and valuable advice to the Licensing Board to discharge its statutory functions," the spokesman said.

The Licensing Board is a statutory body established under section 8(1) of the Private Columbaria Ordinance (Cap. 630) for regulating the operation and management of private columbaria and, in particular, handling the applications for specified instruments (licence, exemption and temporary suspension of liability), issuing relevant guidelines and codes of practice and handling complaints.

The membership list of the Licensing Board for the first term is as follows:

Ex officio member
Head, Private Columbaria Affairs Office of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (Chairperson)

Members appointed on an ad personam basis
Mr Ip Kwok-him (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Cheung Hau-wai
Mr James Mathew Fong
Dr Ho Chi-ming
Ms Elizabeth Law
Professor Johnny Ng Kit-chong
Professor James Kenneth Pong Kam-keung
Miss Alice Wan Ngai-teck

Ends/Friday, September 8, 2017
Issued at HKT 11:40
NNNN