Report Nos. 85 and 86 of the Director of Audit on the Results of Value for Money Audits Tabled in LegCo

Reports of the Director of Audit

Report Nos. 85 and 86 of the Director of Audit on the results of value for money audits were tabled in the Legislative Council (LegCo) this morning (April 29).

A value for money audit is an examination into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which any bureau of the Government Secretariat, department, agency or other public body has discharged its functions. Report Nos. 85 and 86 of the Director of Audit cover a variety of subjects on the administration of government programmes and provision of public services.

The submission of Report No. 85 of the Director of Audit to the President of LegCo was originally due in October 2025. In light of the prorogation of the seventh LegCo on October 24, 2025, the Audit Commission, with the agreement of the President of LegCo, the Public Accounts Committee and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, deferred the submission of the Report to no later than

April 7, 2026 (i.e. the deadline for submission of Report No. 86 of the Director of Audit). In accordance with the value for money audit guidelines tabled in the Provisional LegCo on February 11, 1998, approval of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been obtained for the deferral.

Report No. 85 of the Director of Audit comprises the following eight chapters:

Chapter Subject

1 Hong Kong Education City Limited

2 Labour Department: Employment support services for young people

3 Management of food waste treatment facilities bythe Environmental Protection Department

4 Management of public swimming pool complexes

5 Property Management Services Authority

6 Upgrading the fire safety in industrial buildings

7 Work of the Companies Registry

8 Work of the Development Bureau intree management

Report No. 86 of the Director of Audit comprises the following eight chapters:

Chapter Subject

1 Health and Medical Research Fund

2 Maintenance of highway structures bythe Highways Department

3 Management of food waste bythe Environmental Protection Department

4 Operation of the Hong Kong Observatory

5 Regulation and monitoring of ferry services by the Transport Department

6 Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund

7 Subsidy Scheme to Extend Fibre-based Networks to Villages in Remote Areas

8 Youth hostels constructed withGovernment funding

Report Nos. 85 and 86 of the Director of Audit on the results of value for money audits are available on the Audit Commission’s website at www.aud.gov.hk.

Photo source: aud.gov.hk

Property owner fined over $60,000 for not complying with removal order

An owner was convicted and fined $65,920 in total, of which $25,920 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts yesterday (April 28) for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).

The Fanling Magistrates' Courts, the Fanling Law Courts Building

The case involved a door opening formed in the staircase enclosure wall at the cockloft of a composite building on Wo Tai Street, Fanling. As the unauthorised building works (UBWs) were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.

Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner had been prosecuted by the BD two times and was fined a cumulative total of $24,515 upon convictions by the court. As the owner persisted in not complying with the removal order, he was prosecuted for the third time.

A spokesman for the BD said today (April 29), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who fail to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, to ensure building and public safety."

Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.

Source: AI-found images