LAD announces support measures related to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po
Regarding the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, the Legal Aid Department (LAD) is making all-out efforts to follow up on the needs of the residents and other affected persons and provide appropriate support.
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post
The LAD has established a dedicated task force and will implement a series of support measures to assist residents and other affected persons in applying for legal aid in accordance with the statutory requirements to handle litigation and related matters about personal injury claims, property damage claims, employees' compensation claims, etc. The support measures include:
(1) The LAD has coordinated with the Social Welfare Department to leverage the "one social worker per household" service to disseminate information on legal aid, such as details on the scope of legal aid, application procedures and required documentation, eligibility criteria, and assist the residents and other affected persons in making legal aid applications;
(2) The LAD has established a dedicated service hotline (Tel: 2867 4516 or 2399 2277) to address enquiries about legal aid and provide appropriate assistance to residents and other affected persons;
(3) The LAD will streamline application procedures and deploy staff to expedite processing of legal aid applications, so as to ensure that eligible residents and other affected persons can obtain legal aid as soon as possible; and
(4) The LAD will organise seminars for residents and other affected persons to elaborate on matters in relation to applying for legal aid, with personnel on site to offer appropriate assistance. Details of the seminar will be disseminated through "one social worker per household" service and departmental channels in due course.
Furthermore, taking into account the burden and needs of residents and other affected persons, the LAD will arrange suitable legal representatives to handle their litigations upon approval of their legal aid applications, and will maintain communication with the residents and other affected persons throughout the process to ensure their rights and interests are fully safeguarded. In this regard, the LAD reminds residents and other affected persons intending to apply for legal aid not to arrange their own legal representation, or give instructions or signing authorisation documents for legal services, so as to avoid incurring unnecessary costs and safeguard their own interests. Should there be any enquiries regarding legal aid or related matters, please contact the LAD's dedicated service hotline (Tel: 2867 4516 or 2399 2277).
The Legal Aid Department (LAD)
