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Smoking will be banned in all common areas in the Housing Authority's public rental housing estates as from next month (April). Warnings will be given to smoking tenants within a grace period from April 1 to 9, after which penalty points will be allotted under the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement (Marking Scheme).
The proposal to extend the smoking ban to cover all common areas in public housing estates was endorsed today (March 5) by the authority's Subsidised Housing Committee.
Up to now, a total of 19 penalty point allotted cases have been recorded for smoking or carrying lighted cigarettes in the estates' enclosed common areas such as lifts and corridors.
“We believe that our tenants and the non-smoking public at large will welcome the revised policy prohibiting smoking in housing estates entirely,” a spokesman for the Housing Department said.
“There will be adequate manpower to enforce the new rule as we have more than 50 teams comprising more than 100 experienced department front-line staff and security guards patrolling different estates in addition to local estate management staff,” he said.
Smoking areas will also be designated in the housing estates. Estate Management Advisory Committees will be consulted on the number and locations of these smoking areas to be demarcated in individual estates.
To ensure that people are well-informed of the new rule, patrolling staff will be giving out flyers to people smoking within estate boundaries to remind them of the total smoking ban a week before the new rule is implemented. No-smoking signs will also be prominently displayed at estate entrances and strategic spots.
Ends/Monday, March 5, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:40
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