Wong Shaoze: The current law enforcement of the Works Bureau is insufficient and the new law will give the Fire department the power to punish

The Legislative Council yesterday (19th) held a general discussion and voted on the "Legal System for Fire Safety in Buildings and Venues". The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Siu-chak, who attended the meeting, pointed out that the fire prevention problem in Macao stems from the backwardness of the system, and the law enforcement powers and responsibilities and penalties are not clear. The Works Bureau, which has enforcement powers, "does not enforce the law enough". The Bill was passed in general and will replace the current Fire Safety Regulations.

The Bill proposes to extend the scope of application of the system from general buildings to specific sites; The supervision authority of the fire department has been added to the right to punish; It is also proposed to introduce a measure of "duty of self-protection" whereby owners should assume the responsibility and obligation to maintain fire safety conditions.

. Members concerned about fire safety in old buildings

Mr Lam Yuk-fung said that the residents had reflected that some building owners had installed gates on their roofs to prevent escape in case of fire, and had reported to the works department for a long time that the problem had not been solved. Mr So Ka-ho pointed out that many old buildings in Macao do not have fire-fighting equipment such as fire hoses and fire extinguishers, and if the Bill is passed and the "duty of self-protection" measure is introduced, how should they fulfill their obligations?

. Huang Shaoze: The new law clearly defines the functions and powers of the two Public Works and Fire Bureaus

Mr Wong said that after consulting the trade and discussing the Bill with the Executive Council, as well as meeting with the Works Bureau and the Fire Services Bureau, the terms of reference of the two bureaux were redefined, with those relating to illegal works in buildings falling under the terms of reference of the Works Bureau and those relating to fire safety systems falling under the terms of reference of the fire services Department.

He also pointed out that the Bill provides that "the (scope) of the Works Bureau does not belong to you, and everything else belongs to the Fire Services Bureau", arguing that the Bill delineates the functions and powers of the two bureaux very clearly, and there is basically no possibility that the two Bureaux will exercise their powers jointly.

----- From the Love Story on November 20, 2020