HK

Legislation to control pollution in the waters of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong White Book outlines civil procedure and practice in Hong Kong. It is known to be the ultimate reference book in respect of these issues in Hong Kong.

The World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA) came into force on 1 January 1996. It applies to government procurement of goods and services (including construction services) above certain thresholds referred to as 'special drawing rights' or SDRs. For construction services, the relevant threshold is 5,000,000.00 SDR. Hong Kong acceded to the WTO GPA on 20 May 1997 and is a continuing member in the name of 'Hong Kong, China' following Reunification. As a result, any contracts procured at or above the threshold limit for construction services by the Government (including non-government public bodies such as the Housing Authority, Hospital Authority, Airport Authority and MTR Corporation) are subject to compliance with the WTO-GPA rules.

This is the colloquial name attributed to the FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Plant Design and Build. The Yellow Book is usually used for the provision of electrical and mechanical works or for the design and construction of building and engineering works.

Problems in Hong Kong's building industry were identified in the 2001 Construction Industry Review Committee report entitled 'Construct for Excellence'. Key issues included fragmentation in the industry and the persistence of adversarial behaviours. In all, 109 wide-ranging recommendations were made to assist in promoting a quality culture, a safer workplace and an efficient, innovative and productive industry.

Legislation to promote the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the community by making provision for the systematic preparation and approval of plans for the lay-out of areas of Hong Kong as well as for the types of building suitable for erection in those areas and for the preparation and approval of plans for areas within which permission is required for development.

These are third party legal or equitable proprietary rights that need not be registered under the Land Registration Ordinance, or which cannot be registered because they were not created or transferred by an instrument. They burden a seller's title and make it on its face defective: whether these rights actually invalidate a seller's title is determined by common law rules, not by the rules of priority in the Land Registration Ordinance.

Relatively large-scale redevelopment of urban areas, rather than piecemeal rebuilding of individual buildings or the provision of specific facilities. Its objectives include: improvements to the urban environment and infrastructure by the provision of more open space, community and other facilities; enhancements to urban layouts, road networks and other infrastructure; the substitution or overhaul of archaic buildings; better exploitation of land; thinning out of development and population densities to reduce the strain on over-burdened transport and other infrastructure; making land accessible to meet various uses such as housing, and redeveloping a particular area in order to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of neighbouring areas by private developers, as enhanced property values make this more viable.

Officially established on 1 May 2001, the 'URA' is a Hong Kong statutory body responsible for accelerating redevelopment to provide a better living environment. Its predecessor was the Land Development Corporation. To address the problems of urban decay in dilapidated areas, the Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (Cap. 563) was enacted in July 2000. It provides a new institutional framework for carrying out urban renewal.

In Hong Kong, utility undertakings are responsible for the installation and relocation of services. Two of the major utility undertakings are the Water Supplies Department and the Drainage Services Department, both of which are Government entities.