New Huanggang Port丨Deng Bingqiang: The building will have a special lobby for vehicle passengers to clear customs

Commissioner of Security Tang Ping-keung said that the newly completed New Huanggang Port is currently handling the construction of its internal facilities, and it hopes to open as soon as possible. After completion, it is expected to process about 200,000 passenger visits per day. It will also work in tandem with the development of the Northern Link, bringing the number of visits up to 300,000.

Tang Ping-keung said in a radio programme that the New Huanggang Port will adopt “co-operative inspection, one-time clearance.” Some floors of the building need to be included within Hong Kong’s jurisdiction. After the relevant regulations are approved by mainland authorities, local legislation will be made accordingly.

Regarding the arrangements for separating pedestrian and vehicle flows at the port, he said that members of the public still need to get off at the mainland border point to complete immigration and customs procedures. The building will provide dedicated entry and exit immigration stations for staff who travel with vehicles. He believes that because fewer people will use them, waiting time will be effectively shortened. Exempting people who get off to undergo inspections is similar to the current arrangement.

Tang Ping-keung said that there are no inspection stations at Cheung Chi Street. There is no physical separation between the two border areas. Consideration needs to be given to establishing the corresponding policies and facilities to cope with increased passenger flow. People entering Cheung Chi Street through “group to group” will not leave, so no formal exit inspection station will be set up at Cheung Chi Street. The authorities are also discussing with the mainland how to handle crimes involving Cheung Chi Street. It is believed that any incident occurring in Hong Kong should be dealt with in Hong Kong.

Industry generally agrees on amendments to the Fire Services Ordinance

In addition, the Government has launched a one-month public consultation on its proposed amendments to the Fire Services Ordinance and related subsidiary legislation. Tang Ping-keung said that prior to the public consultation, explanations of the amendments had already been provided to the relevant Legislative Council committees and the industry. He said the industry generally agrees to the amendments, including raising penalties. The costs involved in fire alarm testing and fire drills are very low. The new requirements do not involve new resources, and it is believed they should not have a major impact on overall management fees.

He said that the fire services hotline under the 999 emergency reporting centre has now increased from 30 lines to 48 lines, and it hopes that in the future within the next two or three months, the number can be increased to nearly 70 lines. In a past period, the 30 hotline lines could handle requests for assistance, so there had been no particular increase. In the Tai Po Hong Fuk Court incident, it was found that there were not enough lines for the situation, so the hotline lines were increased immediately. The fire services are currently carrying out an update of the fourth-generation command computer, hoping to reach 100 hotline lines by early next year, which he believes is sufficient to cope with demand.